White Cloud Worlds product reviews

For many years, new Zealand has been that Aladdin's Cave of hidden talent, a hothouse of inspiration and innovation that was overlooked because we have the bad luck to be stuck way down in the bottom-right corner of almost every map you see. Sir Ernest Rutherford - the guy who figured out the first realistic model of the atom - was a Kiwi. The crew who finally took the America's Cup off the Americans were representing New Zealand, in a radical Kiwi-designed keel. The Producer behind some of the biggest blockbuster movies in the last 10 years is a Kiwi. And now this book is revealing that there is a lot more Kiwi talent behind the movies and games we look at every day and didn't realise it.

Flicking through this book is a like getting a sneak peek through some kind of magic mirror, showing the reader glimpses of worlds that are ALMOST beyond imagining. Worlds filled with robots, aliens, creatures from the deepest hidden recesses of horror, incomprehensible machinery, mutants and zombies, kids and cats... some weird and wonderful places indeed. As is to be expected, the artwork is top-notch, if somewhat a little watery and vague in places... but that's their style, and it works well. Some artists are given 4 or 5 pages, some get a bare double spread, but all are filled with an infinity of talent expressed.

Overall, though I think the book may be a little steeply priced for the average reader, anyone who has aspirations of getting into this kind of work will find it an invaluable resource, full of examples of 'what works' and showcasing the huge range of art styles, mediums, and tools that can be brought to bear. Hardcover, sturdy, and colourful, this is a book every artists should have on their 'inspiration shelf'.