Wilks (The Ultimate Alphabet
) launches a trilogy with this adventure set in a world where imagination has power and art is literally alive. Melkin (Mel) Womper, a talented young artist, is given the chance of a lifetime when he's selected to study under the famous painter, Ambrosius Blenk. This puts him at odds with the sinister Adolfus Spute, who represents the Fifth Mystery, one of five organizations with a stranglehold on everything that involves the five senses (the Fifth Mystery controls color). It also brings him the enmity of Blenk's lazy, drunken head apprentice, Groot. Together, these enemies make life difficult for Mel and his new friends, Ludo and Wren. Soon after Mel discovers the secret of passing through certain paintings into the Mirrorscape, a surreal alternate world that exists within the paintings, Spute launches an all-out attack on Blenk. Devilish angels, walking houses, impossible contraptions and monsters galore collide in a no-holds-barred battle of the brushes. Wilks creates a chaotic, whimsical romp that will appeal to the mind's eye. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)
