Review by Frank Plowright

Sela Mathers is trapped in the world of Myst with two quests before her. She’d like to return home to Earth, but not before restoring the soul to her currently comatose lover. One attempt to do that failed, but there is another option. Unfortunately it means heading toward Tallus, which is exactly the destination Orcus is heading to consolidate his power.

James Patrick is a writer new to the series, and produces three chapters himself before collaborating with regular Joe Brusha on three more. Patrick restores the idea of fairy tales reflecting ongoing events, and he introduces the first extended story to the main series. Six of the seven issues collected here form a continued story and it’s better than the meanderings of Volume Nine. Sela and her allies find themselves in a town under siege, but one with some history and a powerful protector.

The artwork is again patchy, with too many artists not ready for regular professional work, and Randy Valiente being little more than an enthusiastic amateur. The best pages by some considerable distance are supplied by Carlos Granda (sample art), who draws almost half the book. There seems to be some rush midway through his stint, but otherwise his art is imaginative, detailed and brings through both action and emotion. A highlight is some storytelling via silhouette over several pages.

Volume Ten closes with the prelude to the first Grimm Fairy Tales epic. Three writers contribute and Anthony Spay’s art has taken another leap in a tragic tale effectively concealing who features until the very end. The results of what we see play out as The Dream Eater Saga, told in a pair of standalone volumes.

There was a brief period when the series art seemed to have raised a level, but that’s been a false dawn and too many substandard artists drag down what would otherwise be an engaging fantasy story.