Book Review: The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell

- The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell

New Book Release - Review
Fantasy books and Fantasy artwork are two sides of the same coin and these two forms have developed together over the decades. No doubt that when you think of your favorite fantasy novels a vivid image of the cover comes to mind. And we owe a great debt to the husband and wife duo of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell for this. They have been creating memorable book covers, calendars, movie posters and more for decades now. They are truly the king and queen of the fantasy art world.

Reverence for the female form in fantasy art

- But one of the unique things about them is that they have a true love for the expressiveness of women in the whole genre of fantasy and this reverence really shows in this book. It isn't just a collection of nude and beautiful women wielding swords and riding unicorns (although there is plenty of that!) It is an homage to the true expressiness of woman in fantasy. The paintings in this book (And there are 100 of them) run the gamut from shy and beautiful to battle-enraged and sheer sensual lust!

But what makes this book special is the little extras.

Each painting is accompanied by comments from the artists and it is a great insight to peek into the mind of the artist to see the symbology they were portraying or the feeling they were trying to evoke. If you are a budding fantasy artist this is a great little extra that can help you with your artwork.

Of course there are the women - And this shows the truth behind the expressiveness of the female form; Almost all the works are done from real models. Some of them were discovered by Julie and Boris in the gym and others are very famous in their own right like Julie Strain who is perhaps the most potently sensual woman in the world and the perfect subject for Julie and Boris. Or Brinke Stevens who is a queen of the B-horror movie genre.

A must have for every fantasy reader - If you are like me and your collection of epic fantasy books is also about the covers then you should take a good look at this book. It is like getting 100 of the best book covers and posters without having to buy 100 books. This is a great book to leave out on the coffee table.

The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell

• Dreams: The Art of Boris Vallejo
• Hard Curves: The Fantasy Art of Julie Bell
• Mirage
• Fantasy Workshop: A Practical Guide
• Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell: The Ultimate Collection
• Twin Visions: The Magical Art of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell