Up above the world so high

As expedition leader Sir Reginald Butley stepped across from the basket of his balloon onto the lunar surface, he uttered the immortal words: "That's one small step for a young man, but it's quite a jump for an old chap like me, I can tell you. I probably shouldn't have had that extra helping of shepherd's pie for lunch. And then there were the mince pies coming up. Tell you what, you young folk go on and I'll just sit here for a bit and enjoy the view. Whew."

In the absence of actual pages from the story, here's another breathtaking image by Martin. This was originally destined for the gazetteer, which was planned as a kind of Mirabilis yearbook along the lines of Dinotopia or The Spiderwick Field Guide. And the most amazing thing about this picture? It was never finished; this is Martin's idea of a rough sketch!

Moon-climbing is the kind of thing you'd see happening by April or May in the year of wonders. Our plan was to have twelve full color spreads throughout the gazetteer and make those also into a calendar. If that appeals, you should take a look at the Giclée prints available of some of Martin's most gorgeous full-color artwork.