L'invité fantastique #[nn]

Nina Lechartier's L'invité fantastique, published by Magnani in 2022, announces itself with a cover painting that bursts with raw, expressive color — a small child in a wide-brimmed black hat approaches a striking blue-skinned figure draped in white, long yellow hair flowing, set against a swirling landscape of magenta, orange, and gold. A tiny silhouetted figure peers from within a glowing orange shape in the background, and a yellow creature lurks at the edge of the scene, lending the whole image an atmosphere of wide-eyed, slightly uncanny wonder. Lechartier's loose, painterly style feels genuinely alive, making this an inviting introduction to what promises to be a richly imaginative world.