Nick Bantock Books In Order

Publication Order of Griffin & Sabine Books

Publication Order of Griffin & Sabine: Morning Star Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Picture Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Nick Bantock is a British artist and author that is best known for writing the “Griffin and Sabine” series of novels. He studied in England, where he graduated with a fine arts degree in painting. He would then become a bestselling author that has been in the New York Times bestseller lists over several months.

Over the years, he has sold more than 5 million copies and his novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages across the world. “Weird Tales,” the classic science fiction magazine once named him on the list of 85 best storytellers of the century.

Bantock has written stories and articles for many international magazines and newspapers. He has a huge following on Twitter and Facebook for his Wasnick blogs. His prints, paintings, collages, sculptures and drawings have been exhibited in shows in Canada, Mexico, the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

Nick’s works have also adorned many private collections across the world. He has also won awards for soundtracks and CD roms and has built “The Venetian” and “Sage,” which are two ipad apps. “Griffin and Sabine” premiered as a Vancouver double trilogy, while three of his works were optioned to be made into film.

The author has been very prolific and over the years has been responsible for more than 300 book covers. Bantock has been responsible for illustrating “The Canterbury Tales” by Viking Penguin and works by Updike and Roth.

He has also been involved in the design of theater posters for the plays of Alec Guiness and Tom Stoppard in London. For more than two decades, he has read and spoken to audiences across Australia, Europe and North America.

He has given motivational and keynote speeches to teacher state conferences and corporations across the Western world. Nick Bantock has also given dramatic readings on stage and or radio and has been interviewed in print, radio and TV.

Before he became a world renowned illustrator and author, he used to work several jobs. He was trained as a psychotherapist, worked as an East End London betting shop attendant, built and designed a house, which combined a Russian orthodox church, Indonesian temple, a New Orleans bordello and an English cricket pavilion.

Between 2007 and 2010, he was involved in the committee that was charged with designing the official postage stamps to be used by Canada.

After Nick Bantock trained as a painter specializing in fine art he went on to do a few bits and bobs here and there before he became an illustrator. He would also do book covers and for several years he worked in publishing as a designer of book covers.

When he moved to Canada he had enough of designing book covers and hence he got a job with a company that did pop up books. One day while working on some work with a very successful colleague, he thought to himself there is nothing this guy can do that I can’t.

He could draw and paint with the best of them but did not have as much success. How come his colleague had attained so much success and got to work on the book while he was left with getting nine point type on someone else’s work.

It was then the lightbulb went off in his head and he started thinking he could do it too. He literally started doing his own stuff by proposing a pop up book that was accepted. He published his debut novel “Griffin and Sabine” in 1992.

“Griffin and Sabine” by Nick Bantock is an interesting novel that all started with a seemingly innocent but mysterious postcard. But since then, nothing would ever be the same again in the life of solitary, and quiet London based artist Griffin Moss.

His methodical and logical world is suddenly upended by an exotic and strange woman who calls a tropical island thousands of miles away home.
Sabine is a strange woman that can inexplicably see Griffin’s paintings in real time, even though they have never met. Could she be a malevolent angel? Clairvoyant? Or a long lost twin? Maybe this is just the start of a descent into madness or the beginning of a magical relationship.

It is a stunning visual novel that unfolds over several letters and postcards brilliantly done with darkly imagined landscapes, bizarre creatures and whimsical designs. Inside this world, Sabine’s and Griffin’s letters are nestled in envelopes.

It is through these that we can examine the intimate nature of the relationship between strangers. The creative novel combines lush artwork with a strangely fascinating story in a very innovative format.

Nick Bantock’s novel “Sabine’s Notebook” is the story of Sabine, a woman that was supposed to be an imaginary love and friend to Griffin. However, she seems to want to come to his doorstep rather than remain in his mind. Not wanting to deal with having to meet his fictional character he flees.

He sets out on a very conventional journey as he traverses the Mediterranean and Europe, as he slowly realizes that he is going back in time. He starts drifting through layers of his own soul and dead civilizations.

Sabine remains his precarious link to reality, even though she could not be any more unreal. She lives in his London house and keeps meticulous records of his letters and her responses.

Once again Nick Bantock tells his story in richly decorated letters and beautiful postcards which are enclosed in envelopes. However, it is a combination of a diary and sketchbook full of delicately macabre notations and drawings.

He adds yet another layer to the visual intrigue that we found in Griffin & Sabine that welcomes its readers to an even more mysterious and complex world.

The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock follows on from where the second novel of the series left off. It does seem that our two protagonists cannot stand each other even though they cannot live without each other.

In this work Griffin and Sabine are struggling against the mysterious forces that want to rip them apart. They are running out of time as what was once crystal clear visions of Griffin’s paintings become dim and cloudy. Sabine is also threatened by a stranger that seems to be stalking her.

This is thus a tale of Sabine and Griffin’s journey towards each other that is sometimes nightmarish, sometimes desperate and sometimes dreamy. They are looking for the harmony of perfect balance which is the golden mean.

Bantock writes a compelling story that makes it possible for his readers to draw forth intricately illustrated letters, richly decorated envelopes with magical and macabre artwork.