Brushworm Speaks! - The Art of Magic: The Gathering - Innistrad

Brushworm Speaks!

The Art of Magic: The Gathering 

Innistrad

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Acquired: Amazon.com

Series: Magic the Gathering (Book 2)

Hardcover: 224 pages

Publisher: Perfect Square; 1st edition (July 5, 2016)

Language: English

Subject: Fantasy

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The Story: Terror falls from the skies on blood-spattered wings, and nameless horrors lurk in the shadows. These pages, lavishly illustrated with the award-winning art of Magic: The Gathering™, are your entry into a world beset by terrible evils on all sides and betrayed by the hope it held most dear. Tread lightly as you follow the heroic Planeswalkers of the Gatewatch as they investigate these dark mysteries, for the nightmare they will uncover is a threat to the whole Multiverse. The mysteries of Innistrad—its peoples, provinces, and monsters—await your arrival. But be careful as you peer into the darkness, for you might find something staring back..

The Review: Dark and Gloomy. Gothic Horror. Stoker, Poe, Lovecraft. These are just some of the ingredients that were all mixed together to form this book and the end result could be any goth enthusiasts wet dream. 

Innistrad is a call harkening the reader back to the classics of timeless horror. Looming castles, dark nights under the full moon, ghosts, werewolves, vampires. Truly, there is something here for any fan of horror. 

The artwork captures this perfectly. One of the first things the reader will notice is that there is very little in the way of color on this plane. It exists, make no mistake but in a very limited capacity. 

When viewed in context among more fantastical worlds such as Zendikar or Kaladesh, Innistrad feels among the most grounded of them all, in spite of all the monsters and demons. The buildings are large and imposing. As much stone fortresses as much as domiciles or places of worship. The people who live and work inside of them exist in an almost constant state of fear both from threats outside the walls as well as within them. Humanity is its own worst enemy is a constant theme throughout which only adds to an already dark and dreary setting. Edgar Allen Poe can be seen a few places here. 

There is a lot more here than just monsters though. Woven throughout the images and text is an overpowering sense of dread and existential horror. The sense that all these beings: vampires, inquisitors, angels, necromancers, are nothing more than just pieces on a vast game board and those standing around the board are only tangentially aware of their foibles or strengths or even their existence. 

Such things are a hallmark of Master horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and his influence can be seen throughout the lore of Innistrad. Even though it originated in the previous expansion, Zendikar, the arrival of the Eldrazi Titan Emrakul further purports the Lovecraftian symbolism.

For many of the plane’s denizens, the only ray of light in their dark world (sometimes literally) is their faith in the Church of the Archangel Avacyn, who along with her angelic host and faithful clergy, battle against the vampires and demons that plague humanity. The truth, however, is much more sinister. Some would call it a vast, cosmic joke on hapless man, furthering the existential horror that is a common theme in this plane’s Lovecraft themes. Religion plays a large role in this expansion. Brushworm is a newcomer to the Magic: The Gathering Universe and religion is not something that takes precedence within. At least compared to the other expansions that Bookworm is familiar with. This immediately sets Innistrad apart and makes it distinct. There are actually a few biblical references within the worlds mythology, although, aside from the aesthetic of the Angels, there are not particularly overt. 

Perhaps, it could be argued that the whole thing gets a little too dark sometimes. It can get rather depressing in a few places. Also the story as described in the lore sections does not feel like it was resolved in a satisfactory way. The truth is, like all the other Art of Magic The Gathering books, the story of the particular plane is told in a very succinct way, like an encyclopedia entry. The official stories remain on the official story pages of the Magic The Gathering Websites. 

Magic: The Gathering has such a rich storyline and it is quite the shame that it remains mostly confined online. It would a be a great boon by Wizards of the Coast to release the story of Innistrad and Amonkhet in print format alongside these art books. It would really help to put the excellent artwork in a bit more context.

Final Verdict: This book would make a perfect addition to the collection of any lover of gothic fantasy and/or vampire lore. Holding true to classic traditions while also maintaining its own unique take on the mythos. 

Four Innistrad Icons out of Five

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