Ballades et Sagas #1

The cover of this 2001 SEEBD album from Charles Vess draws you in immediately: a young, solemn-faced figure gazes outward, surrounded by swirling, wind-blown hair and drifting snowflakes or petals, one hand clutching a small glowing blue object. Vess's painterly linework gives the image a dreamy, folkloric atmosphere perfectly suited to the title — *Ballades et Sagas* promises exactly the kind of myth-tinged, lyrical storytelling the art suggests. Tome 1 is a quietly beautiful entry point into what looks to be a richly illustrated anthology steeped in the traditions of ballad and legend.