The Fantasy of the Middle Ages: An Epic Journey through Imaginary Medieval Worlds by Larisa Grollemond
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
“The Venn diagram of “medieval” and “fantasy” so closely overlap that they are almost inextricable.”
The premise was interesting, especially since I enjoy both medieval history and medieval-inspired stories many of which were mentioned here — but it just failed to click with me. And the main reason was probably how earnestly didactic it was.
A bit too dry and too repetitive, with very superficial explanations — I suppose that as an accompanying book to the exhibition at J. Paul Getty Museum it really needed to serve as just an overview, but it left me wanting much more.
But the illustrations were great, although a bit too many of the modern medievalist-inspired ones rather than actual old ones. But still — those I enjoyed quite a bit more than the accompanying text.
2.5 stars — but I’ll definitely see that exhibition if I have a chance.
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Thanks to NetGalley and Getty Publications for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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