Rapture of the Deep: The Art of Ray Troll

Bought this book for a gift. When I received it the outside cover was torn. Don’t have time to return it for another one It’s a great book

If you're a fan of Ray Troll, You'll love this book. If you don't know Ray Troll, this may make you a fan

Just what I expected. Awesome art and detail. This is a fun book for family and friends. Makes me want to buy Ray Trolls artwork and I have plans to.

Awesome! Amazing stories, ingenious art.

A lot of paleo-enthusiasts are big fans of the artist Ray Troll, and that includes me. Troll, a resident of Alaska, specializes in painting fish and other marine life, and only some of his work deals with extinct life. On the other hand, almost anybody in the sciences appreciates his combination of accurate depiction and twisted, pun-filled humor. Therefore a lot of his art is thereby appropriate T-shirt material, and it is in T-shirts he got his start as a professional artist.On the other hand, Troll has made many striking depictions of prehistoric life in collaboration with professional paleontologists, which started with the book “Planet Ocean”(1994). Troll was the first to make a plausible life reconstruction of Edestus and Helicoprion--both extinct sharks with very strange tooth arrangements, Indeed, he has a special affinity for sharks, and you may be familiar with his last book “Sharkabet:” which is an alphabet book for children that contains a number of extinct shark types (e.g. M for Megalodon).The latest book “Rapture of the Deep” is well worth looking at. It is divided into two main sections: a short biography of Ray Troll by Brad Matsen, and a selection of art with commentary by the artist. The second section, with a painting on every page, is divided into topics: Alaska, Stream of Consciousness, Dancing to the Fossil Record, Fish Storm in the Amazon, Sharks and Their Relatives. “Dancing to the Fossil Record” is the name of a specific painting and the name of a traveling exhibit that was based on “Planet Ocean.” This is the section that might be of most interest, and it contains 16 paintings/drawings and a few photographs. It is hard to pick out a favorite painting (although I have a soft spot for “Not in Kansas Anymore”), but my favorite photo is of the “Evolvo,” a real Volvo customized as a museum exhibit. Charles Darwin (“Chuckie D”) is at the wheel and a lobe-fin fish (Eusthenopteron) is in the passenger seat. Of course, there is a trilobite hood ornament.“Rapture” is an essential book you are a Troll fan. If you are interested only in his paleo-related art, I would find a copy of “Planet Ocean,”although that contains only older work.

Few can capture the mystery and peculiarity of science like Ray Troll. Whether he's painting the his favorite piscine pal -- the ratfish -- or he's sketching a paleontological history of a distant Montanan basin, Troll has a knack for mixing the perfect amount of fact with the perfect amount of fancy for an unforgettable experience. He's got a great sense of humor, too, as evidenced by some of his zanier and darker works. "Rapture of the Deep" is a great introduction to Troll's work, and gives readers a perfect notion of what it is that makes this artist so unique. It is a must for any fish- or science-lover who is passionate but doesn't take him/herself too seriously. Enjoy!

This book will have you in your seat until the very last page. Ray Troll's art work is captivating and at times makes you laugh at loud. Not only should everyone take an opportunity to enjoy his artwork but go ahead and fly up to Ketchikan, Alaska and meet the man himself at his gallery, SoHo Coho. I promise he is just as colorful and vibrant in person!