ALCHEMY

Hart guides readers through an offbeat philosophy of alchemy in this narrative coloring book aimed at readers of all ages.

After redefining alchemy as something “out of darkness and into the light,” the narrator welcomes readers into a myth of creation, complete with images to color. It describes a legend in which the people of Atlantis came from other worlds to “The Blue Star,” or Earth—established to be a place that “could perfect anyone’s creativity.” As a result, people born on Earth have the ability to blend colors and create and transform things, as well as “mix with any frequency of any other being in any other galaxy.” Hart’s retelling of the Atlantean myth, accompanied by many black-and-white pages of fantasy images, is a peculiar one. The short text passages inject oddly modern notions into the narrative, such as a Kindle, which makes the mythical aspects feel less authentic. Some illustrations show musicians riding elephants or leather-jacketed men hugging mermaids, which come off as somewhat humorous but tonally haphazard. Still, the highly detailed images of babies, bears, and unicorns and other fantastical beings are well designed, and readers may find a pleasant sense of escape in adding colors to them.

Well-crafted images with befuddling fantasy elements.