"Proxima" is the first volume in the duology it forms with "Ultima". This series was also my first and only encounter with the writings of Stephen Baxter. It's also a series that pops up in various SF-lists, so...
I read this book three years ago, so here's what I still remember of it (anno 2026).
It's about the colonisation of a red dwarf planet, Per Ardua. Of course, as it's a space opera story, there have to be other planets, too, like Ceres, Proxima Centauri (which is Per Ardua), Alpha Centauri, Mercury, and Mars. The USA and United Nations (UN) have teamed up against China. Of course, the classic geopolitical game of good vs evil. China occupies Mars, where a special tower was built, "Obelisk". "Obelisk" is also the title of the short story collection that one can read after having read "Proxima" and "Ultima", as it contains a few short stories building further on the story in the novels.
Per Ardua has local fauna and flora, the first named as "builders". They build hatches that lead either to Earth or elsewhere on Per Ardua/Proxima Centauri. However,when you take the plunge, you're transported either into the past or into the future, each time with a difference of four years. So either four years back or four years forward. Back means back on Earth, while forward takes your further in space.
The objective or project is to colonise Per Ardua via the spaceship Ad Astra. From there, a group of people are dropped, against their will, onto the planet. Groups are formed and show more set out in various places, they are not aware of each other. The goal is, somehow, to track and monitor these groups, see how they get together and.. procreate, because there's a planet to colonise. There is AI, too, like ColU. A sympathetic robot who can do or be just about anything: doctor, medic, cook, technician, archaeologist, lab worker, etc. Need information? It'll provide it. Need food or medical caring? ColU's got you covered. But there's also Earthshine, a cunning, manipulative entity who controls and "steers" the characters in ways beneficial to his purposes and agenda.
It wouldn't be a duology if the story didn't end with a cliffhanger. Stephen Baxter played with time and at some point... there's a spaceship with Romans. And from there, "Ultima" takes off, though it does offer a short flashback. Don't read "Ultima" prior to "Proxima". Seriously.
"Proxima" was a very nice encounter and discovery for me. Even if it's a dark story about the UN rapidly trying to colonise the planet via the hatches, while China didn't like UN's possession of kernels (massive sources of energy). China's technology was more simple, modest, and in its jealousy threatened to destroy Earth: if we can't have the technology, no one can. And despite agreements, sh*t hit the fan.
In short, a recommended story, which you can't really read as a stand-alone. show less
I read this book three years ago, so here's what I still remember of it (anno 2026).
It's about the colonisation of a red dwarf planet, Per Ardua. Of course, as it's a space opera story, there have to be other planets, too, like Ceres, Proxima Centauri (which is Per Ardua), Alpha Centauri, Mercury, and Mars. The USA and United Nations (UN) have teamed up against China. Of course, the classic geopolitical game of good vs evil. China occupies Mars, where a special tower was built, "Obelisk". "Obelisk" is also the title of the short story collection that one can read after having read "Proxima" and "Ultima", as it contains a few short stories building further on the story in the novels.
Per Ardua has local fauna and flora, the first named as "builders". They build hatches that lead either to Earth or elsewhere on Per Ardua/Proxima Centauri. However,when you take the plunge, you're transported either into the past or into the future, each time with a difference of four years. So either four years back or four years forward. Back means back on Earth, while forward takes your further in space.
The objective or project is to colonise Per Ardua via the spaceship Ad Astra. From there, a group of people are dropped, against their will, onto the planet. Groups are formed and show more set out in various places, they are not aware of each other. The goal is, somehow, to track and monitor these groups, see how they get together and.. procreate, because there's a planet to colonise. There is AI, too, like ColU. A sympathetic robot who can do or be just about anything: doctor, medic, cook, technician, archaeologist, lab worker, etc. Need information? It'll provide it. Need food or medical caring? ColU's got you covered. But there's also Earthshine, a cunning, manipulative entity who controls and "steers" the characters in ways beneficial to his purposes and agenda.
It wouldn't be a duology if the story didn't end with a cliffhanger. Stephen Baxter played with time and at some point... there's a spaceship with Romans. And from there, "Ultima" takes off, though it does offer a short flashback. Don't read "Ultima" prior to "Proxima". Seriously.
"Proxima" was a very nice encounter and discovery for me. Even if it's a dark story about the UN rapidly trying to colonise the planet via the hatches, while China didn't like UN's possession of kernels (massive sources of energy). China's technology was more simple, modest, and in its jealousy threatened to destroy Earth: if we can't have the technology, no one can. And despite agreements, sh*t hit the fan.
In short, a recommended story, which you can't really read as a stand-alone. show less
Back in 2019, Arthur Morgan and Étienne Barillier - one of France's experts on steampunk in literature - got together to work on a reissue of "Le Guide Steampunk" (review). This is a thick and packed guide covering as much as possible on anything Steampunk: from its history over the gadgets and clothing to the various media (books, video games, music, films, ...). Not to mention the many interviews with not only the three initiators of the genre, but also authors and experts.
In "À toute vapeur !" (the French for "Full steam ahead!), Arthur Morgan goes solo, though expert and author Étienne Barillier (obviously) also made a contribution via an interview. Arthur Morgan found it necessary to put the genre a bit more into the spotlight by focussing on its main aspects, not just books. He also admits that this guide - and ActuSF is really doing its best with also offering various guides on genres, authors and alike - was created from the mind of an enthusiast, not as a scientific essay.
Of course, no guide commences without a little trip back to the past, to where it all began and how it evolved in what steampunk is today. Yes, Jules Verne is mentioned a few times, though he wrote adventure novels with 19th century elements/influences, but not what one would call "steampunk stories". The three authors in question were James Blaylock, Tim Powers and K. W. Jeter. They had put their minds together to write their respective stories and with a purpose. It was a combined effort, show more whereas nowadays this is no longer the case.
In France, fans of steampunk are called "vaporistes", as "vapeur" is French for "steam". And the Francophone community counts a lot of steampunk fans, see for example Steampunk.fr. In fact, there is apparently an entire (or several) steampunk community/ies (let's not forget the international ones). People then dress up, put on the classic attire and gadgets, hats, goggles, corsets, ... But the community is more than just the cosplay or disguising or dressing up. There's also a mentality of DIY, of creating things, of inventing things oneself. Hence the "punk".
But what is "steampunk"? Defining the term or genre is also a very difficult undertaking, as there are various views and preferences. Fact is that the 19th century is the main basis: the society, the Industrial Revolution, the typical clothing (goggles, hats, corsets, ...), the DIY mentality, ... However, and that is something that returns now and then throughout the guide and mainly in the various interviews: The 19th century wasn't all that peaceful or harmonious. There was colonialism, racism, patriarchal societies, ... In short, the "evil that men do" is hardly or never treated in the steampunk community. No one will dress as the poor factory worker, for example. It's mainly the high middle and/or upper class(es) that are copied. However, despite the dark aspects of the 19th century, the community or what is "steampunk" today, does try to keep the positive of the past and be an open, accepting community, inline with today's convictions.
In that respect, a number of pages were devoted to the possible reactionary aspect of steampunk with regards to today's society. Furthermore, what makes the 19th century so attractive? The revolutions on a political level (socialism, communism), the industrial revolution vs the digital revolution of the last decade(s) (and the environmental impact), the division between rich and poor with most of the riches being in the hands of a few, ...
Other themes treated are the "punk"-side or DIY aspect of steampunk, followed by an entire chapter on the attire, the clothing, which is one of the most obvious elements of the genre. Or should we call it a lifestyle, a way of life? And let's not forget the typical hats. Also, in that same train of thought: racism, colonialism, multiculturalism, ... they are all put on the table and questioned. Because, again, the "bad" things of the 19th century are less talked about, but it doesn't mean they're blindly accepted or not fought against. On a side-note: Africa and Asia aren't forgotten either in this guide, though there is apparently less information available from those continents. Or perhaps they weren't part of the scope for this guide.
Last but not least, literature: While there have been a plethora of works in the past decades or even century, the steampunk genre (and its subgenres silkpunk, dieselpunk, teslapunk, solarpunk, ...) has a hard time getting shelf space in bookshops. Also, having subgenres doesn't help either, though science fiction also has its subgenres, of course, but SF has a lot less problems to get published and sold. Yet, there are authors and foremost smaller publishers who try their utmost best to promote (qualitative) steampunk. It is important to note, like with other genres that are present and promoted on other media, that one must not like everything: some enjoy films more than books or vice versa, others prefer the DIY aspect, ... there's something for everyone.
The whole is closed off with a lexicon of basic terms and a solid list of works to discover if one wants to dive into the world of steampunk. Each time in groups of five: novels, comic books, films, video games, music albums, short-films, TV-series, coffee table books, ...
And I almost forgot to mention the interviewees, whose interviews are put after each themed chapter. I did like how as good as every one of them recognised the darker side of the 19th century and didn't brush it aside as a minor detail, but found it important to remember (and denounce, of course).
* David Peyron (on the steampunk community)
* Raphaël Colson (on the reactionary character of steampunk)
* Margaret Killjoy (on the "punk" aspect)
* Griisette (on the clothing and fashion)
* P. Djèli Clark (on colonialism and racism)
* Diana M. Pho (on multiculturalism and LGBTQ+)
* Étienne Barillier (on steampunk literature)
----------
Éditions ActuSF has a history of putting out qualitative and informative guides on genres, authors and other aspects of what they call in France "mauvais genres", bad genres, like fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc. "À toute vapeur ! Le steampunk en question" follows that line perfectly. Arthur Morgan put together an accessible and interesting guide - and perfect companion for "Le Guide Steampunk" (Étienne Barillier/Arthur Morgan, 2019) - on a genre that might be popular among many, but of which not everything is known by even them or even the layman. Steampunk is more than the 19th century attire or the various stories written to this date. This book can be seen as a encouragement to expand one's knowledge, understanding and view on this genre, this way of life for many.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. show less
In "À toute vapeur !" (the French for "Full steam ahead!), Arthur Morgan goes solo, though expert and author Étienne Barillier (obviously) also made a contribution via an interview. Arthur Morgan found it necessary to put the genre a bit more into the spotlight by focussing on its main aspects, not just books. He also admits that this guide - and ActuSF is really doing its best with also offering various guides on genres, authors and alike - was created from the mind of an enthusiast, not as a scientific essay.
Of course, no guide commences without a little trip back to the past, to where it all began and how it evolved in what steampunk is today. Yes, Jules Verne is mentioned a few times, though he wrote adventure novels with 19th century elements/influences, but not what one would call "steampunk stories". The three authors in question were James Blaylock, Tim Powers and K. W. Jeter. They had put their minds together to write their respective stories and with a purpose. It was a combined effort, show more whereas nowadays this is no longer the case.
In France, fans of steampunk are called "vaporistes", as "vapeur" is French for "steam". And the Francophone community counts a lot of steampunk fans, see for example Steampunk.fr. In fact, there is apparently an entire (or several) steampunk community/ies (let's not forget the international ones). People then dress up, put on the classic attire and gadgets, hats, goggles, corsets, ... But the community is more than just the cosplay or disguising or dressing up. There's also a mentality of DIY, of creating things, of inventing things oneself. Hence the "punk".
But what is "steampunk"? Defining the term or genre is also a very difficult undertaking, as there are various views and preferences. Fact is that the 19th century is the main basis: the society, the Industrial Revolution, the typical clothing (goggles, hats, corsets, ...), the DIY mentality, ... However, and that is something that returns now and then throughout the guide and mainly in the various interviews: The 19th century wasn't all that peaceful or harmonious. There was colonialism, racism, patriarchal societies, ... In short, the "evil that men do" is hardly or never treated in the steampunk community. No one will dress as the poor factory worker, for example. It's mainly the high middle and/or upper class(es) that are copied. However, despite the dark aspects of the 19th century, the community or what is "steampunk" today, does try to keep the positive of the past and be an open, accepting community, inline with today's convictions.
In that respect, a number of pages were devoted to the possible reactionary aspect of steampunk with regards to today's society. Furthermore, what makes the 19th century so attractive? The revolutions on a political level (socialism, communism), the industrial revolution vs the digital revolution of the last decade(s) (and the environmental impact), the division between rich and poor with most of the riches being in the hands of a few, ...
Other themes treated are the "punk"-side or DIY aspect of steampunk, followed by an entire chapter on the attire, the clothing, which is one of the most obvious elements of the genre. Or should we call it a lifestyle, a way of life? And let's not forget the typical hats. Also, in that same train of thought: racism, colonialism, multiculturalism, ... they are all put on the table and questioned. Because, again, the "bad" things of the 19th century are less talked about, but it doesn't mean they're blindly accepted or not fought against. On a side-note: Africa and Asia aren't forgotten either in this guide, though there is apparently less information available from those continents. Or perhaps they weren't part of the scope for this guide.
Last but not least, literature: While there have been a plethora of works in the past decades or even century, the steampunk genre (and its subgenres silkpunk, dieselpunk, teslapunk, solarpunk, ...) has a hard time getting shelf space in bookshops. Also, having subgenres doesn't help either, though science fiction also has its subgenres, of course, but SF has a lot less problems to get published and sold. Yet, there are authors and foremost smaller publishers who try their utmost best to promote (qualitative) steampunk. It is important to note, like with other genres that are present and promoted on other media, that one must not like everything: some enjoy films more than books or vice versa, others prefer the DIY aspect, ... there's something for everyone.
The whole is closed off with a lexicon of basic terms and a solid list of works to discover if one wants to dive into the world of steampunk. Each time in groups of five: novels, comic books, films, video games, music albums, short-films, TV-series, coffee table books, ...
And I almost forgot to mention the interviewees, whose interviews are put after each themed chapter. I did like how as good as every one of them recognised the darker side of the 19th century and didn't brush it aside as a minor detail, but found it important to remember (and denounce, of course).
* David Peyron (on the steampunk community)
* Raphaël Colson (on the reactionary character of steampunk)
* Margaret Killjoy (on the "punk" aspect)
* Griisette (on the clothing and fashion)
* P. Djèli Clark (on colonialism and racism)
* Diana M. Pho (on multiculturalism and LGBTQ+)
* Étienne Barillier (on steampunk literature)
----------
Éditions ActuSF has a history of putting out qualitative and informative guides on genres, authors and other aspects of what they call in France "mauvais genres", bad genres, like fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc. "À toute vapeur ! Le steampunk en question" follows that line perfectly. Arthur Morgan put together an accessible and interesting guide - and perfect companion for "Le Guide Steampunk" (Étienne Barillier/Arthur Morgan, 2019) - on a genre that might be popular among many, but of which not everything is known by even them or even the layman. Steampunk is more than the 19th century attire or the various stories written to this date. This book can be seen as a encouragement to expand one's knowledge, understanding and view on this genre, this way of life for many.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. show less
Olivier Paquet has quite a few books up his sleeve already. I wondered where to start, and I was recommended his debut trilogy "Le Melkine". Having a (mass market paperback) omnibus aids in having the complete story instead of having to search for each volume.
"Le Melkine" is set in space, several spaceships, it's a kind of school (Le Melkine) with students taught according to their culture or the culture of Le Melkine, rather. And there are frequencies, which you could see as territories, regions, conglomerates, each vying for a place on the Melkine and/or becoming the most powerful one. (Socio-)Political games, in other words.
I had started the book with good hopes and liked the original premise, the themes, and pretty accessible writing style, at least in the first volume. But not all was well, as especially the characters were hard to sympathise with, to distinguish one from the other. The second volume started well, felt even better than the first volume, but at some point I lost track of what was going on, because it takes place so many years after the events of the first volume. However, you must read them in chronological order.
But as I lost track, put the book aside with the intention of picking up where I left off, it's been too long and now more than before, I don't know what I'm reading. Reading other reviews on other websites, it seems I'm not the only one whose enthusiasm cooled down quite rapidly. And because I left the book unread for too long, I have to show more admit "defeat" and DNF it in favour of what else is still on my TBR-pile and will hopefully provide more reading pleasure.
Will I ever try one of Olivier Paquet's other books? Maybe, but that's undecided at this moment. show less
"Le Melkine" is set in space, several spaceships, it's a kind of school (Le Melkine) with students taught according to their culture or the culture of Le Melkine, rather. And there are frequencies, which you could see as territories, regions, conglomerates, each vying for a place on the Melkine and/or becoming the most powerful one. (Socio-)Political games, in other words.
I had started the book with good hopes and liked the original premise, the themes, and pretty accessible writing style, at least in the first volume. But not all was well, as especially the characters were hard to sympathise with, to distinguish one from the other. The second volume started well, felt even better than the first volume, but at some point I lost track of what was going on, because it takes place so many years after the events of the first volume. However, you must read them in chronological order.
But as I lost track, put the book aside with the intention of picking up where I left off, it's been too long and now more than before, I don't know what I'm reading. Reading other reviews on other websites, it seems I'm not the only one whose enthusiasm cooled down quite rapidly. And because I left the book unread for too long, I have to show more admit "defeat" and DNF it in favour of what else is still on my TBR-pile and will hopefully provide more reading pleasure.
Will I ever try one of Olivier Paquet's other books? Maybe, but that's undecided at this moment. show less
I don't often read comic books, but I do want to explore the realm a bit more, just to change a bit from the regular novel/novella/... Back in April, I bought the "omnibus" of "Les Arcanes d'Alya", which consists of the two volumes "La Chasseresse écarlate" and "Âmes sœurs". Both or perhaps all three books are no longer available, as the publisher, Original Watts, went bankrupt a few months ago.
Illustrator Gwendal Lemercier was at the festival Trolls & Légendes and told me a bit about the book. Also that the author, François Debois, who's written more than a few comic books, no longer writes any. But again, as I'm unfamiliar with the realm of comic books, one has to start somewhere. On a side-note: When I was younger, I had devoured comic books - all originally Dutch or translated into Dutch - like Asterix and Obelix, Nero, Alex, Bessy, Suske and Wiske (Bob et Bobette in French), Jommeke, Robbedoes and Kwabbernoot, and many more. Since then, I lost "track", though I know that these kinds of books are very popular at least in the Francophone world. The Anglo-Saxon as well, most likely, but again, I'm a n00b, can't yet separate the wheat from the chaff.
----------
"Les Arcanes d'Alya" is set in a Tolkienesque world of Avalon, with elves, dwarves (the elves' eternal enemies), dragons, dragonriders, trolls, leprechauns, and so on. Main character is Brynn, a warrior for the goddess Alya. The latter commanded Brynn to fetch her 100 souls and in return, Brynn would see her show more sister again, with whom she was very close. However, little did she realise that said souls would be formed into an army to eradicate Brynn. It's a bit unclear to me why the tables had turned.
This series consists of only two volumes, which have to be read in chronological order. You're thrown into the story, there's an introduction of some sorts, there are flashbacks, ... all of which don't really hinder the reading, you can easily make the link between past and present. But as someone else wrote: there's a lot going on, you don't really know how things came to be and why they are the way they are. Of course, Alya had fled her father, together with her sisters, to settle elsewhere and built a new society according to their rules. Each had her skills and objectives, but apparently, Alya was quite jealous of her oldest sister, who took the lead in the new quest.
So, Alya is portrayed as the "evil" one, but as you read on, there's still good in here. Yet, the focus lies on Brynn, who's gone through quite some challenges to find her lost sister again.
The final scenes indicate there once must have been cause for at least a third volume, if not a few more. It says "À suivre...", which means "To be continued...", showing a dwarf king sending out his Valkyries to track down Brynn. What happens then, is for the reader's imagination to decide.
To complete this edition, there's more than a handful of full-page drawings, coloured or black-and-white.
Long story short: the illustrations draw you in, Mr Lemercier is very skilled at creating such characters and environments/worlds. They are the added value here. Sadly, story-wise, the world-building is non-existent, there is a lot left untold (how it all started, who's who, lay of the land, what are those "arcanes d'Alya" of which an extract appears now and then?, et cetera, et cetera) and that is very unfortunate. The texts and dialogues are alright, though nothing fancy. Still, there's a bit of philosophy in them and how Brynn's quest has an impact on her life, her choices along the way.
Had there been like 3 volumes more, considering each volume here counts about 50 pages, I believe this would have been a very nice series. Now, it's just ok, but leaves so much to be desired in terms of storytelling and expanding on what happened/was presented. show less
Illustrator Gwendal Lemercier was at the festival Trolls & Légendes and told me a bit about the book. Also that the author, François Debois, who's written more than a few comic books, no longer writes any. But again, as I'm unfamiliar with the realm of comic books, one has to start somewhere. On a side-note: When I was younger, I had devoured comic books - all originally Dutch or translated into Dutch - like Asterix and Obelix, Nero, Alex, Bessy, Suske and Wiske (Bob et Bobette in French), Jommeke, Robbedoes and Kwabbernoot, and many more. Since then, I lost "track", though I know that these kinds of books are very popular at least in the Francophone world. The Anglo-Saxon as well, most likely, but again, I'm a n00b, can't yet separate the wheat from the chaff.
----------
"Les Arcanes d'Alya" is set in a Tolkienesque world of Avalon, with elves, dwarves (the elves' eternal enemies), dragons, dragonriders, trolls, leprechauns, and so on. Main character is Brynn, a warrior for the goddess Alya. The latter commanded Brynn to fetch her 100 souls and in return, Brynn would see her show more sister again, with whom she was very close. However, little did she realise that said souls would be formed into an army to eradicate Brynn. It's a bit unclear to me why the tables had turned.
This series consists of only two volumes, which have to be read in chronological order. You're thrown into the story, there's an introduction of some sorts, there are flashbacks, ... all of which don't really hinder the reading, you can easily make the link between past and present. But as someone else wrote: there's a lot going on, you don't really know how things came to be and why they are the way they are. Of course, Alya had fled her father, together with her sisters, to settle elsewhere and built a new society according to their rules. Each had her skills and objectives, but apparently, Alya was quite jealous of her oldest sister, who took the lead in the new quest.
So, Alya is portrayed as the "evil" one, but as you read on, there's still good in here. Yet, the focus lies on Brynn, who's gone through quite some challenges to find her lost sister again.
The final scenes indicate there once must have been cause for at least a third volume, if not a few more. It says "À suivre...", which means "To be continued...", showing a dwarf king sending out his Valkyries to track down Brynn. What happens then, is for the reader's imagination to decide.
To complete this edition, there's more than a handful of full-page drawings, coloured or black-and-white.
Long story short: the illustrations draw you in, Mr Lemercier is very skilled at creating such characters and environments/worlds. They are the added value here. Sadly, story-wise, the world-building is non-existent, there is a lot left untold (how it all started, who's who, lay of the land, what are those "arcanes d'Alya" of which an extract appears now and then?, et cetera, et cetera) and that is very unfortunate. The texts and dialogues are alright, though nothing fancy. Still, there's a bit of philosophy in them and how Brynn's quest has an impact on her life, her choices along the way.
Had there been like 3 volumes more, considering each volume here counts about 50 pages, I believe this would have been a very nice series. Now, it's just ok, but leaves so much to be desired in terms of storytelling and expanding on what happened/was presented. show less
It's been ten years or a decade since I read Becky Chambers' debut novel, "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet". Back then, it was a refreshing read in the world of science fiction, even if the focus was heavily on the different characters and how they treated and interacted with each other. Almost a perfect world, one could say. The kind of story that warms the heart in times of geopolitical trouble... which we're again (or still) in.
I've read the rest of her books then as well, though that wasn't always a success. When her duology of the "Monk and Robot" novellas came out, I remained reluctant. Not because I feared the stories would be of lower quality, but foremost because those novellas costed as much as a full-blown novel. And then, a edition combining both novellas came out at a reasonable price, the moment to acquire them.
Both novellas are supposedly independent, but they aren't, except maybe the first, "A Psalm for the Wild-Built". The story actually continues in "A Prayer for the Crown-Shy", as the story feel a little weird if you haven't read "A Psalm...". And like in her "Wayfarers" series, there's room for more stories, though not needed, I find.
"A Psalm for the Wild-Built" revolves around a young monk, Sibling Dex, who goes out into the world to break free from everyday structure and see what's out there, how he can give purpose to his life. This he does as a tea monk, setting up shop and selling tea, just like you have those mobile coffee stands in big show more cities. At some point, he meets a robot, Mosscap. Or rather, the robot meets Dex. Both are on a sort of mission or quest to find... themselves? Or a purpose? Dex for himself, proving to himself he can be independent, Mosscap more altruistic: "What do you need and how can I help?".
Mosscap is not your regular robot, but composed of parts from broken robots. Recycled, in other words. There are more robots out there, especially since there has been a revolution: They've broken out, away from the factories and similar they had been used in. Robots wanted a life of their own, find out what that was, how it would be, instead of following mankind's rules and orders. But again, Mosscap is a "wild" robot, was never part of a factory or similar. Hence his alternative outlook on life, the world.
B1oth characters will stay together for a long time and even go out more into the world, they'll complement and challenge each other mentally, philosophically, ... with the goal to find answers or just exchange thoughts. And perhaps mutually become wiser or have a broader view on life and the world.
"A Psalm for the Wild-Built", with Mosscap being that wild-built, focuses on meaningful exchanges, about taking the time to do what you want or like doing, but without the constraints or pressure from everyday life. It's about questioning life, purpose, ... Taking the time to reflect on this is in our contemporary rat-race of a society not (always) possible, precisely because our lives are determined by the economic and political system of working, performing, shopping, profit, always busy/active, etc. In that way, "A Psalm..." is indeed a highly recommended story that challenges the reader to ask him/herself the same kind of questions. As Mrs Chambers wrote on one of the first pages: "For anyone who could use a break".
----------
"A Prayer for the Crown-Shy" continues the adventures of Dex and Mosscap, but this time, they really make a tour around the country. Mosscap's quest has not ended, he still seeks answers from other humans, wants to meet humans in more difficult conditions, not just those who have it well. It doesn't take long before everyone knows about Dex and Mosscap. Many have even never seen a robot in real life. It isn't until an internal part of Mosscap breaks off that they really need the help and skills of fellow humans. Because of Mosscap's popularity, they're welcomed as heroes, as celebrities and everything's free. While Mosscap finds a purpose in helping people with their chores - he's making himself useful, all the while learning in practice about humans -, Dex feels a little guilty about not being able to provide back. He's been taught that one should always give back, be it in terms of money or something else, i.e. not profit from other people's generosity.
And so, the philosophical aspect remains a crucial red line. Of course, and I agree with other reviews, "A Prayer..." contains more fluffy stuff, filling if you will that doesn't really add to the deeper message that Mrs Chambers tried to convey. But perhaps from her POV, it did. Even a one-night stand is thrown in there, which is weird and naïve from Dex's part. Luckily, the rest of the story picks up on the philosophical exchanges between Dex and Mosscap again, with references to their adventures in "A Psalm...". Here too, Mrs Chambers wrote about "A Prayer...": "For anybody who doesn't know where they're going". What is meant here, is that Dex, after being on the road for so long and together with a "wild-built" robot reminiscing about life, about purpose, ... they come to the conclusion that not every question can be answered. Especially not when the question is aimed at themselves.
"What do you need?" can be answered in many ways or can result to a wide variety of answers, but all depends on context, on your person, your feelings, your past, your outlook on the future, ... It's not always about needing money to do this or that, or to need a car to get somewhere. It's also about one's happiness, about concepts like friendship, and so on. And it's a question that's difficult to answer. What do you need?
"A Prayer..." does indeed stretch the story, the adventures Dex and Mosscap had, needlessly sometimes. I find it, therefore, a less attractive story, put a bit of a damper on the reading experience. And yet, some scenes form the basis for what comes next.
Long story short: "Monk and Robot" is a (recommended) collection of two connected stories "for anyone who could use a break" (in these rat-race times or when things get tough/rough) and "for anybody who doesn't know where they're going". They're - as I see them - stories about life, about finding your way, finding a purpose, despite the constraints, the sociopolitical situations, and whatever else you went through. You can read the stories as entertainment, but in essence, they're an invitation to reflect on how your life has been until now and which way you would like to go (be it possible or not) and perhaps aim to do so, one way or another, be it in small or bigger steps.
----------
----------
Previously read by Becky Chambers:
* The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) (review)
* A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2) (review)
* Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarers, #3) (review)
* The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers, #4) (review)
* To be Taught, If Fortunate (review) show less
I've read the rest of her books then as well, though that wasn't always a success. When her duology of the "Monk and Robot" novellas came out, I remained reluctant. Not because I feared the stories would be of lower quality, but foremost because those novellas costed as much as a full-blown novel. And then, a edition combining both novellas came out at a reasonable price, the moment to acquire them.
Both novellas are supposedly independent, but they aren't, except maybe the first, "A Psalm for the Wild-Built". The story actually continues in "A Prayer for the Crown-Shy", as the story feel a little weird if you haven't read "A Psalm...". And like in her "Wayfarers" series, there's room for more stories, though not needed, I find.
"A Psalm for the Wild-Built" revolves around a young monk, Sibling Dex, who goes out into the world to break free from everyday structure and see what's out there, how he can give purpose to his life. This he does as a tea monk, setting up shop and selling tea, just like you have those mobile coffee stands in big show more cities. At some point, he meets a robot, Mosscap. Or rather, the robot meets Dex. Both are on a sort of mission or quest to find... themselves? Or a purpose? Dex for himself, proving to himself he can be independent, Mosscap more altruistic: "What do you need and how can I help?".
Mosscap is not your regular robot, but composed of parts from broken robots. Recycled, in other words. There are more robots out there, especially since there has been a revolution: They've broken out, away from the factories and similar they had been used in. Robots wanted a life of their own, find out what that was, how it would be, instead of following mankind's rules and orders. But again, Mosscap is a "wild" robot, was never part of a factory or similar. Hence his alternative outlook on life, the world.
B1oth characters will stay together for a long time and even go out more into the world, they'll complement and challenge each other mentally, philosophically, ... with the goal to find answers or just exchange thoughts. And perhaps mutually become wiser or have a broader view on life and the world.
"A Psalm for the Wild-Built", with Mosscap being that wild-built, focuses on meaningful exchanges, about taking the time to do what you want or like doing, but without the constraints or pressure from everyday life. It's about questioning life, purpose, ... Taking the time to reflect on this is in our contemporary rat-race of a society not (always) possible, precisely because our lives are determined by the economic and political system of working, performing, shopping, profit, always busy/active, etc. In that way, "A Psalm..." is indeed a highly recommended story that challenges the reader to ask him/herself the same kind of questions. As Mrs Chambers wrote on one of the first pages: "For anyone who could use a break".
----------
"A Prayer for the Crown-Shy" continues the adventures of Dex and Mosscap, but this time, they really make a tour around the country. Mosscap's quest has not ended, he still seeks answers from other humans, wants to meet humans in more difficult conditions, not just those who have it well. It doesn't take long before everyone knows about Dex and Mosscap. Many have even never seen a robot in real life. It isn't until an internal part of Mosscap breaks off that they really need the help and skills of fellow humans. Because of Mosscap's popularity, they're welcomed as heroes, as celebrities and everything's free. While Mosscap finds a purpose in helping people with their chores - he's making himself useful, all the while learning in practice about humans -, Dex feels a little guilty about not being able to provide back. He's been taught that one should always give back, be it in terms of money or something else, i.e. not profit from other people's generosity.
And so, the philosophical aspect remains a crucial red line. Of course, and I agree with other reviews, "A Prayer..." contains more fluffy stuff, filling if you will that doesn't really add to the deeper message that Mrs Chambers tried to convey. But perhaps from her POV, it did. Even a one-night stand is thrown in there, which is weird and naïve from Dex's part. Luckily, the rest of the story picks up on the philosophical exchanges between Dex and Mosscap again, with references to their adventures in "A Psalm...". Here too, Mrs Chambers wrote about "A Prayer...": "For anybody who doesn't know where they're going". What is meant here, is that Dex, after being on the road for so long and together with a "wild-built" robot reminiscing about life, about purpose, ... they come to the conclusion that not every question can be answered. Especially not when the question is aimed at themselves.
"What do you need?" can be answered in many ways or can result to a wide variety of answers, but all depends on context, on your person, your feelings, your past, your outlook on the future, ... It's not always about needing money to do this or that, or to need a car to get somewhere. It's also about one's happiness, about concepts like friendship, and so on. And it's a question that's difficult to answer. What do you need?
"A Prayer..." does indeed stretch the story, the adventures Dex and Mosscap had, needlessly sometimes. I find it, therefore, a less attractive story, put a bit of a damper on the reading experience. And yet, some scenes form the basis for what comes next.
Long story short: "Monk and Robot" is a (recommended) collection of two connected stories "for anyone who could use a break" (in these rat-race times or when things get tough/rough) and "for anybody who doesn't know where they're going". They're - as I see them - stories about life, about finding your way, finding a purpose, despite the constraints, the sociopolitical situations, and whatever else you went through. You can read the stories as entertainment, but in essence, they're an invitation to reflect on how your life has been until now and which way you would like to go (be it possible or not) and perhaps aim to do so, one way or another, be it in small or bigger steps.
----------
----------
Previously read by Becky Chambers:
* The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1) (review)
* A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2) (review)
* Record of a Spaceborn Few (Wayfarers, #3) (review)
* The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers, #4) (review)
* To be Taught, If Fortunate (review) show less
"La Pratique, l'horizon et la chaîne" is my second read by Sofia Samatar. Last year, I was introduced to her writing via (the French translation of) "Hard Mary". See here. So, yes, the second time is also in French.
The story is set in space. A fleet of spaceships has set course to dig for minerals on asteroids. Who does the filthy and hard work? Slaves, held in the Hold (la Cale). They're packed together and chained together. The slaves can't go upstairs, unless selected because of some skill or otherwise. Upstairs are is the upper and middle classes, like in contemporary society. Slaves, if in possession of a certain skill, can get an "upgrade" and be part of the middle class. Slaves and middle class wear chains: a proper, iron chain, lining everyone, disabling personal mobility and freedom for the slaves, whereas middle class wear blue ankle bracelets. But these bracelets are interactive in that they can be controlled via a smartphone, making one move or suffer as one of the doctors (same title, Dr, for teachers) see fit. Finally, only the upper class people have names, middle and lower classes are anonymous, which also shows how "important" they are and how their rights are seriously limited, if non-existent.
And so, one boy (aka the Boy) manages to catch the attention of the guards because of his uncovered talent: drawing things on his cell walls with his chain or a piece of iron, a skill he would have time to use because of his cellmate, the prophet: an old man very show more knowledgeable on language, and someone the boy would rely on for answers. The boy would be free, free from the oppressing environment (decided by the chain, which serves as link with everybody else, as support, but also as punishment - though the blue ankle bracelet would just be a more modern "chain", thus also limiting his freedom), and "free" to develop his skills under the auspices of a female teacher (known as the Woman). She also grew up in the Hold, with her father. Both of them then got promoted to become a teacher. He for New Knowledge, she for Savoirs Premiers or First Knowledge, despite the academia insisting on "old" and "new". Her mother was always part of upper class.
As the boy is being taught things, has to adopt a new way of living, he does manage to learn to live with his new "chain", i.e. the blue-lit ankle bracelet. So the boy will have to learn a lot, not just language - new language even and the various meanings of words, contrary to how language was used in the Hold - and further developing his drawing skills, which will mean more than just drawings. He'll be bullied, because that's what fellow students do with someone strange or "different". And the boy will not immediately realise he's being bullied, because that's not what life was like in the Hold, where everyone had to work together to get things done, to help someone out. The chains made sure you followed the flow.
The boy would also be subjected to tests and even put in the spotlight on an event celebrating diversity, like you would welcome a famous artist and interview him on stage, or how Africans were shown to the western world so many decades ago: like a weird creature being shown in a circus. This would have a serious impact on the boy's mental health.
The woman, his teacher, examined how slave children played games together, as one, which rules they followed, and so on. This and other subjects were of no concern or interest to any of the other teachers, who also weren't always happy to have a former slave in their classes. For her research, or was it the visions that the boy had, she and the boy went down into the Hold again to question the prophet (the boy's cellmate). The man told he had had a daughter, who had been taken away and sent to another ship of the fleet. The boy would, in his visions, know where she was, and together the woman and him would go on a trip to find/meet with her, bring her back to the prophet and... make a first move in putting an end to the misery of many.
Once again, Sofia Samatar manages to address socio-political issues that have been present for many decades, if not centuries. History repeats itself, time and again. Apparently she often writes stories based on her own experiences and as she's a teacher/professor/scholar, "The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain" couldn't be further from her field. While some more background information can be desired, especially regarding the upper class, and how this life in space came to be, the focus was on how people don't really treat each other differently in space. Certain standards and ways of life must be maintained. Man is a wolf to man. Too many people, not enough jobs for everyone in a capitalistic system that thrives on profit (and cheap labour), different ways of living (or suffering) according to your means, ...
While "The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain" could (should?) be worked out into a full-blown novel (to further explore how the fleet came to be, the Hold, ..., to see the bigger picture, in other words), this novella keeps it concise and in conveying its symbolic message in this way, it is a story that needs to be read, because mankind doesn't seem to learn from its mistakes, not when money and riches are the goals one wishes to meet for which many need to suffer. As the late Pierre Bordage, inspired by the late Krishnamurti, said in an interview ( this one, I think): humans have not yet learnt to be human.
----------
You can read about this story in this interesting interview: link. show less
The story is set in space. A fleet of spaceships has set course to dig for minerals on asteroids. Who does the filthy and hard work? Slaves, held in the Hold (la Cale). They're packed together and chained together. The slaves can't go upstairs, unless selected because of some skill or otherwise. Upstairs are is the upper and middle classes, like in contemporary society. Slaves, if in possession of a certain skill, can get an "upgrade" and be part of the middle class. Slaves and middle class wear chains: a proper, iron chain, lining everyone, disabling personal mobility and freedom for the slaves, whereas middle class wear blue ankle bracelets. But these bracelets are interactive in that they can be controlled via a smartphone, making one move or suffer as one of the doctors (same title, Dr, for teachers) see fit. Finally, only the upper class people have names, middle and lower classes are anonymous, which also shows how "important" they are and how their rights are seriously limited, if non-existent.
And so, one boy (aka the Boy) manages to catch the attention of the guards because of his uncovered talent: drawing things on his cell walls with his chain or a piece of iron, a skill he would have time to use because of his cellmate, the prophet: an old man very show more knowledgeable on language, and someone the boy would rely on for answers. The boy would be free, free from the oppressing environment (decided by the chain, which serves as link with everybody else, as support, but also as punishment - though the blue ankle bracelet would just be a more modern "chain", thus also limiting his freedom), and "free" to develop his skills under the auspices of a female teacher (known as the Woman). She also grew up in the Hold, with her father. Both of them then got promoted to become a teacher. He for New Knowledge, she for Savoirs Premiers or First Knowledge, despite the academia insisting on "old" and "new". Her mother was always part of upper class.
As the boy is being taught things, has to adopt a new way of living, he does manage to learn to live with his new "chain", i.e. the blue-lit ankle bracelet. So the boy will have to learn a lot, not just language - new language even and the various meanings of words, contrary to how language was used in the Hold - and further developing his drawing skills, which will mean more than just drawings. He'll be bullied, because that's what fellow students do with someone strange or "different". And the boy will not immediately realise he's being bullied, because that's not what life was like in the Hold, where everyone had to work together to get things done, to help someone out. The chains made sure you followed the flow.
The boy would also be subjected to tests and even put in the spotlight on an event celebrating diversity, like you would welcome a famous artist and interview him on stage, or how Africans were shown to the western world so many decades ago: like a weird creature being shown in a circus. This would have a serious impact on the boy's mental health.
The woman, his teacher, examined how slave children played games together, as one, which rules they followed, and so on. This and other subjects were of no concern or interest to any of the other teachers, who also weren't always happy to have a former slave in their classes. For her research, or was it the visions that the boy had, she and the boy went down into the Hold again to question the prophet (the boy's cellmate). The man told he had had a daughter, who had been taken away and sent to another ship of the fleet. The boy would, in his visions, know where she was, and together the woman and him would go on a trip to find/meet with her, bring her back to the prophet and... make a first move in putting an end to the misery of many.
Once again, Sofia Samatar manages to address socio-political issues that have been present for many decades, if not centuries. History repeats itself, time and again. Apparently she often writes stories based on her own experiences and as she's a teacher/professor/scholar, "The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain" couldn't be further from her field. While some more background information can be desired, especially regarding the upper class, and how this life in space came to be, the focus was on how people don't really treat each other differently in space. Certain standards and ways of life must be maintained. Man is a wolf to man. Too many people, not enough jobs for everyone in a capitalistic system that thrives on profit (and cheap labour), different ways of living (or suffering) according to your means, ...
While "The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain" could (should?) be worked out into a full-blown novel (to further explore how the fleet came to be, the Hold, ..., to see the bigger picture, in other words), this novella keeps it concise and in conveying its symbolic message in this way, it is a story that needs to be read, because mankind doesn't seem to learn from its mistakes, not when money and riches are the goals one wishes to meet for which many need to suffer. As the late Pierre Bordage, inspired by the late Krishnamurti, said in an interview ( this one, I think): humans have not yet learnt to be human.
----------
You can read about this story in this interesting interview: link. show less
"Demain, les origines" must be Christian Chavassieux's most epic work to date, even it's a reworking of something that was previously released in several parts, if I understood that correctly. It's also my third encounter with the man's bibliography. I previously enjoyed "Les Nefs de Pangée" (review) and "Je suis le rêve des autres" (review). My expectations for his latest book were therefore sky high.
In some interviews, Mr Chavassieux mentioned that "Demain, les origines" is the prequel of a novel he wrote several years ago, "Mausolées", but one can read both works independently. As aforementioned, "Demain, les origines" is a reworking of its previous version, not only shortened, but the various stories don't follow the original order. This is most apparent for the last story, "Livre de Syrrha", which was now put at the end of the book, but that also breaks the chronology of the whole. I can confirm that, as, on the one hand, the story reads as an addendum without clear links or references to the previous chapters or "stories". On the other hand, it's a matter of interpretation by the reader: some may indeed have a bit of difficulty connecting it which was preceded, others may be perfectly fine with this story put at the end.
"Demain, les origines" is a geopolitical, dystopian story, set in the second half of the 21st century. Europe is experiencing an ecological disaster, with severe consequences: war, famine, energy problems (petroleum shortage, nuclear reactors not show more maintained, ...), food supplies in danger, and peoples of different faiths (here Christianity vs Islam) being set up against one another, families ripped apart, ... Self-reliance is key, the state won't or can no longer offer support for those in need. It's a matter of the West vs the East, France vs Russia (or the USSR of old), with the dictator (Modkine) of the East trying to conquer the West. Police control the streets, but are aided by or even replaced by soldiers, without forgetting rebel formations. Journalists don't exist any more, it's now up to the "watcheurs" and "watcheuses" to bring the news, based on facts. In short, as if influencers have replaced the classic journalists and press.
It all begins with a small farming community trying to sell its harvest in the city, but is controlled by a military patrol. As the world has become more chaotic, so has language. The philosopher who's with the farmer is a little too expressive about the whole situation and unfortunately pays too heavy a price, as the military patrol abuses its power. They decide who is allowed to proceed and who isn't, no matter the existing laws.
People can also come to this one farm and buy food. One day, a group of teenagers arrives with a particular type of machine gun, very rare and only used by a specific group of soldiers. The farm community does not want this as a form of payment, they know it will cost them dearly if the military finds out. Alas, before they can even undertake anything to avoid the worst, the worst will have found them. Not to mention that giving back the body of the philosopher to his relatives didn't go as planned. It could have gone well, but as the situation caused even more stress and anxiety, the farm was in even more trouble now.
And that's when a woman wants revenge for what the military police have done to so many innocent people, ruining the farm and its community. Drastic measures have to be taken, such behaviour cannot be left unpunished. Said woman, taking up all her courage, go out, try to go undercover and confront the soldier who's responsible for the mess that was caused. It would be quite an ordeal, one that would change her life, as she would be, unknowingly and not having been careful enough, part of a secret genetic project. Mentally, but not in the least physically. And those scenes are brutal, Mr Chavassieux didn't hold back, or just a bit. Not for the faint of heart.
This genetic project would not go as smoothly as expected or desired, because of political decisions, but also scientific outcomes no one ever expected to happen. Grace, the woman who sought revenge for the death of her partner, Malik, with whom she had a son with the same name, would be at the centre of it. Also to her surprise. But determined as she was, Grace would press on until she had the answers she was looking for and until wrong was put aright. Her survival and actions would soon be known with many people, and this would lead to Grace being considered as the new Messiah. Grace would also be known as Grace Vœux and even Christosa, as a reference to Christ and his resurrection. She would gain a massive following of people believing in her and that she could lead them out of their misery.
Not only would Christosa (Grace) look to avenge her husband's death, but also want to know what happened to her son, whom she entrusted to her sister. Malik would be known later as Robur, as he would much later be adopted by a "normal" family, which already had a daughter. The meeting of mother and son turned out to be a bit awkward, as she hadn't been there to feed him, help him grow up, bond with him. The circumstances were just too horrible for a child to grow up in. Fortunately and despite everything both of them went through (Malik/Robur would also be subjected to experiments: injected with some kind of symbiosis - "Prima", from the verb "primer", to surpass, to dominate -, which would use his body as a vessel and control him, until both would separate after things had got out of control; an experiment also set up by the same "scientists" who had "transformed" Grace ), both would indeed reunite, yet realise that their lives were both too different to remain together. However, the renewed connection (and separation) resulted in both having the same ideals, but in their own, respective ways.
Politics play a crucial role in this story. We have a dictator, Doline (derived from De Holine), who can be compared to the former Soviet dictator Stalin. There's Hennolier, who has performed operations on Grace, and who's to roll out Doline's doctrine. Despite that, he would help Grace one way r another, as he was blown away by the fact that his experiments worked and that Grace survived the operations. The capitalistic Chinese-German alliance called Huan-Bayer is involved in the "research" commanded by Doline and Hennolier. This project was based around transhumanism, symbioses, ...
There were also concentration camps for Muslims. Yes, religion has always has a political side and if you look at the past decades, Islam and Muslims vs Christianity has been and still divides people. Just look at the current war in the Middle East.
Despite the misery that is caused on a grand scale, the world continues to turn. Not everyone is suffering, especially the rich and wealthy are not in the least concerned, as investments and tourism continue to flourish.
While "Demain, les origines" follows some chronological order, the last part (or "book") was supposed to be added between earlier chapters. But author and editor decided to set "Livre de Syrrha" apart from the others for the sake of interpretation after having read the main stories. It is also quite a separate story, if you ask me. I found it hard to link it with what had preceded in those 400 pages. These last 60 pages focus on books, on reading, on libraries. What does it mean, to read to write? How important are books and libraries? What if they all disappeared in a dystopian world set up by Doline and Hennelier? Or, as probably was the basis for this story, what if World War 2 had had a different ending and not brought freedom in the West (or Western Europe)?
Coincidence or not, but the main character's name is Alexandre. The link with the ancient and vanished library of Alexandria (Wikipedia) can thus be easily made. You could also, and I wholeheartedly recommend this book, see a similar story (or at least the themes) in Laurent Queyssi's "Trystero" (review), for example. Or maybe Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451".
Christian Chavassieux's latest opus is one massive brick to tackle, not at all a walk in the park, even if French is your mother tongue. However, hats off to Mr Chavassieux for this titanic effort, truly. "Demain, les origines" takes an important and terrible period of human history, projects it into the (near) future and revised it to match contemporary evolutions in the world of medicine, science, technology, and of course recurring/looming ecological disasters. With the big question typical for uchronia: What if?
It's a demanding story - more than the previous two of his that I've read -, I have to admit. It's a book that needs to be read at least twice. Why? It has many layers that make you rethink how the world works, to make you look at the world through a different lens. From a personal standpoint: I had read most of the book back in November 2025, but had to restart due to external circumstances; it's never good to read a serious book like this one when you can't fully concentrate.
The first tens of pages were quite clear and exciting, as I wanted to know what happened next. After a while, things weren't that clear any more for me, regrettably. My main problems in fully appreciating the story may seem trivial, but they are crucial in a heavy tome like this one:
* no dramatis personae, i.e. a list of the characters and their roles: farmer, politician, professor, soldier, ...
* a huge lack of subclauses with various characters, which brings me back to the first element. I often wondered "Who's this character again?", "Why is important in this chapter?", "What's the link with (event, other character, ...)?". Something many authors (and publishers) need to pay attention to, especially with thick bricks or demanding stories like "Demain, les origines".
Next to the aforementioned works with similar themes, I thought at least two books, if not three, by the late (2025) Pierre Bordage were inline with "Demain, les origines".
* Les Derniers Hommes (review)
* Chroniques des Ombres (review)
* Le Jour où la guerrre s'arêtta (review)
And for those interested, here are two interviews with Mr Chavassieux about his latest opus:
* RCF (link)
* C'est plus que de la SF (link)
----------
I was sent this book by Les Éditions Mnémos for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. show less
In some interviews, Mr Chavassieux mentioned that "Demain, les origines" is the prequel of a novel he wrote several years ago, "Mausolées", but one can read both works independently. As aforementioned, "Demain, les origines" is a reworking of its previous version, not only shortened, but the various stories don't follow the original order. This is most apparent for the last story, "Livre de Syrrha", which was now put at the end of the book, but that also breaks the chronology of the whole. I can confirm that, as, on the one hand, the story reads as an addendum without clear links or references to the previous chapters or "stories". On the other hand, it's a matter of interpretation by the reader: some may indeed have a bit of difficulty connecting it which was preceded, others may be perfectly fine with this story put at the end.
"Demain, les origines" is a geopolitical, dystopian story, set in the second half of the 21st century. Europe is experiencing an ecological disaster, with severe consequences: war, famine, energy problems (petroleum shortage, nuclear reactors not show more maintained, ...), food supplies in danger, and peoples of different faiths (here Christianity vs Islam) being set up against one another, families ripped apart, ... Self-reliance is key, the state won't or can no longer offer support for those in need. It's a matter of the West vs the East, France vs Russia (or the USSR of old), with the dictator (Modkine) of the East trying to conquer the West. Police control the streets, but are aided by or even replaced by soldiers, without forgetting rebel formations. Journalists don't exist any more, it's now up to the "watcheurs" and "watcheuses" to bring the news, based on facts. In short, as if influencers have replaced the classic journalists and press.
It all begins with a small farming community trying to sell its harvest in the city, but is controlled by a military patrol. As the world has become more chaotic, so has language. The philosopher who's with the farmer is a little too expressive about the whole situation and unfortunately pays too heavy a price, as the military patrol abuses its power. They decide who is allowed to proceed and who isn't, no matter the existing laws.
People can also come to this one farm and buy food. One day, a group of teenagers arrives with a particular type of machine gun, very rare and only used by a specific group of soldiers. The farm community does not want this as a form of payment, they know it will cost them dearly if the military finds out. Alas, before they can even undertake anything to avoid the worst, the worst will have found them. Not to mention that giving back the body of the philosopher to his relatives didn't go as planned. It could have gone well, but as the situation caused even more stress and anxiety, the farm was in even more trouble now.
And that's when a woman wants revenge for what the military police have done to so many innocent people, ruining the farm and its community. Drastic measures have to be taken, such behaviour cannot be left unpunished. Said woman, taking up all her courage, go out, try to go undercover and confront the soldier who's responsible for the mess that was caused. It would be quite an ordeal, one that would change her life, as she would be, unknowingly and not having been careful enough, part of a secret genetic project. Mentally, but not in the least physically. And those scenes are brutal, Mr Chavassieux didn't hold back, or just a bit. Not for the faint of heart.
This genetic project would not go as smoothly as expected or desired, because of political decisions, but also scientific outcomes no one ever expected to happen. Grace, the woman who sought revenge for the death of her partner, Malik, with whom she had a son with the same name, would be at the centre of it. Also to her surprise. But determined as she was, Grace would press on until she had the answers she was looking for and until wrong was put aright. Her survival and actions would soon be known with many people, and this would lead to Grace being considered as the new Messiah. Grace would also be known as Grace Vœux and even Christosa, as a reference to Christ and his resurrection. She would gain a massive following of people believing in her and that she could lead them out of their misery.
Not only would Christosa (Grace) look to avenge her husband's death, but also want to know what happened to her son, whom she entrusted to her sister. Malik would be known later as Robur, as he would much later be adopted by a "normal" family, which already had a daughter. The meeting of mother and son turned out to be a bit awkward, as she hadn't been there to feed him, help him grow up, bond with him. The circumstances were just too horrible for a child to grow up in. Fortunately and despite everything both of them went through (
Politics play a crucial role in this story. We have a dictator, Doline (derived from De Holine), who can be compared to the former Soviet dictator Stalin. There's Hennolier, who has performed operations on Grace, and who's to roll out Doline's doctrine. Despite that, he would help Grace one way r another, as he was blown away by the fact that his experiments worked and that Grace survived the operations. The capitalistic Chinese-German alliance called Huan-Bayer is involved in the "research" commanded by Doline and Hennolier. This project was based around transhumanism, symbioses, ...
There were also concentration camps for Muslims. Yes, religion has always has a political side and if you look at the past decades, Islam and Muslims vs Christianity has been and still divides people. Just look at the current war in the Middle East.
Despite the misery that is caused on a grand scale, the world continues to turn. Not everyone is suffering, especially the rich and wealthy are not in the least concerned, as investments and tourism continue to flourish.
While "Demain, les origines" follows some chronological order, the last part (or "book") was supposed to be added between earlier chapters. But author and editor decided to set "Livre de Syrrha" apart from the others for the sake of interpretation after having read the main stories. It is also quite a separate story, if you ask me. I found it hard to link it with what had preceded in those 400 pages. These last 60 pages focus on books, on reading, on libraries. What does it mean, to read to write? How important are books and libraries? What if they all disappeared in a dystopian world set up by Doline and Hennelier? Or, as probably was the basis for this story, what if World War 2 had had a different ending and not brought freedom in the West (or Western Europe)?
Coincidence or not, but the main character's name is Alexandre. The link with the ancient and vanished library of Alexandria (Wikipedia) can thus be easily made. You could also, and I wholeheartedly recommend this book, see a similar story (or at least the themes) in Laurent Queyssi's "Trystero" (review), for example. Or maybe Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451".
Christian Chavassieux's latest opus is one massive brick to tackle, not at all a walk in the park, even if French is your mother tongue. However, hats off to Mr Chavassieux for this titanic effort, truly. "Demain, les origines" takes an important and terrible period of human history, projects it into the (near) future and revised it to match contemporary evolutions in the world of medicine, science, technology, and of course recurring/looming ecological disasters. With the big question typical for uchronia: What if?
It's a demanding story - more than the previous two of his that I've read -, I have to admit. It's a book that needs to be read at least twice. Why? It has many layers that make you rethink how the world works, to make you look at the world through a different lens. From a personal standpoint: I had read most of the book back in November 2025, but had to restart due to external circumstances; it's never good to read a serious book like this one when you can't fully concentrate.
The first tens of pages were quite clear and exciting, as I wanted to know what happened next. After a while, things weren't that clear any more for me, regrettably. My main problems in fully appreciating the story may seem trivial, but they are crucial in a heavy tome like this one:
* no dramatis personae, i.e. a list of the characters and their roles: farmer, politician, professor, soldier, ...
* a huge lack of subclauses with various characters, which brings me back to the first element. I often wondered "Who's this character again?", "Why is important in this chapter?", "What's the link with (event, other character, ...)?". Something many authors (and publishers) need to pay attention to, especially with thick bricks or demanding stories like "Demain, les origines".
Next to the aforementioned works with similar themes, I thought at least two books, if not three, by the late (2025) Pierre Bordage were inline with "Demain, les origines".
* Les Derniers Hommes (review)
* Chroniques des Ombres (review)
* Le Jour où la guerrre s'arêtta (review)
And for those interested, here are two interviews with Mr Chavassieux about his latest opus:
* RCF (link)
* C'est plus que de la SF (link)
----------
I was sent this book by Les Éditions Mnémos for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. show less
Heureux comme jamais: Ou comment les ultrariches ont cessé d'errer dans l'espace après avoir fui la Terre by Guillaume Chamanadjian
Guillaume Chamanadjian is first and foremost known for his excellent trilogy "Capitale du Sud", one of the two trilogies that make up the "Cycle de la Tour de Garde", co-written with Claire Duvivier ("Capitale du Nord"). In 2024, the man wrote "Une Valse pour les grotesques", which I'm currently reading. But as if that wasn't enough, and as long as the well of inspiration continues to provide, he recently finished a satiric little story titled "Heureux comme jamais". For once, it's not (historic) fantasy, but science fiction.
So, what's it about? Nothing ground-breaking - or is it? - and not hard SF either, as the focus lies on the characters, on the philosophical aspect of the story. We're in space, the timeline is the second half of the 21st century. Earth has been destroyed ecologically and a bunch of billionaires decided to flee with a spaceship called the Space Dragon and terraform a faraway planet, Callisto - aren't most other planets simply... far away? -, to continue life there, far from the trouble on Earth. Trouble also caused (in)directly by them, but that's just a detail, at least in their views.
However, as those billionaires don't have any engineering skills, there are two "poorer" people on board to help with the mechanics of the ship: Noah, who grew up on the ship, and her father. But he can't always help out on things, as he's fallen seriously ill. Therefore, it's up to Noah to keep a check on things. The rest of the tasks are fulfilled by AI and androids. show more Each AI also has a particular name, like BINS-HAL9000 (a reference to Arthur C. Clarke and his "Space Odyssey" series) or BINS-42 (see Douglas Adams and "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which I read several years ago; maybe I should re-read it someday).
Not all AI's will be as bright or intelligent as the other, as the contrast between Noah's AI (BINS-42) and that of the ship's originator will prove. One will have full conscience whereas the other will act only as programmed. This is most clear when it comes to news about the terraforming of Callisto or news about the ship or its passengers. BINS-42 will also help Noah whenever possible, even provide music, films, ... Noah is a girl who needs structure, support, music, films, ... but especially music to get through the day. Music and white noise, as she's using headphones all the time. In that respect, could we say she's autistic? Hats off then to Mr Chamanadjian for not taking the obvious kind of character and show that autistic people also have their place in society, perhaps more than that extra billionaire.
Next to the AI's, there are various androids that help out with catering, repairs, maintenance, cleaning, ... but they too are controlled via AI and subjected to the whims and desires of the ship's originator, who's the supreme leader of the voyage towards Callisto. When a mechanic has to show up to report, he better not be late. Or unwanted. This was the case for Noah, who had to replace her father during an important meeting with the leading committee of the ship.
There had been a message from Earth, stating that the situation had been restored to that of 2016 or many decades ago. The vessel could turn back and return to Earth. Bonus: The billionaires would be absolved from any charges or payment or imprisonment. Main question: Was this message authentic or a trap? Noah would also be asked about it and would learn that one states what the leader wants to hear, not what one had learnt or knows. Noah would also have a hard time being that obedient, especially with her personal AI, BINS-42, suddenly taking up a more than human role. An AI is also just supposed to support its owner, not question anything or even act as a personal guard. But BINS-42 wouldn't be just an AI, rather more like an entity acting under the cover of AI.
Noah's intervention would in action a chain of events and bring out the best (or worst) in some billionaires, who had their own view on things and their own agenda. It is not because many billionaires fled Earth to safeguard their lives, their fortunes (which in space are non-existent), that they fled Earth for the same reasons. One wrong word, gesture, ... could completely jeopardise the voyage and project, especially after some footage showing the real progress made so far on Callisto.
Now, Noah wouldn't be the only teenager on board, no. There was also the daughter of a French entrepreneur who, through manipulation of Noah, would gain access or knowledge about the ship's computer systems. She would manipulate the ship's computational resources for other means, be them financial: bitcoins or one of the many variants, and so become the wealthiest passenger. Her intervention would, alas, cause a lot more damage than just using the ship's resources. Music, films, ... would be lost. Noah didn't care about the project or the billionaires wishes, she did care deeply about music. And it would be an eclectic selection. Each song would pass the revue, with a few lines of lyrics presented as Noah went through her daily tasks, each song's lyric inline with whatever was happening.
Louis Prima - Buena Sera (1956)
Yoko Kanno - Myung Theme (1994)
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie (1888)
Rage Against the Machine - Bullet in the Head (1991)
Green Day - American Idiot (2004)
Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M. (1993)
Fugees - Ready or Not (1996)
Kansas - Dust in the Wind (1977)
The Kills - Happier than Ever (2024)
Harry Dacre - Daisy Bell (1892)
Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill - Seeräuber Jenny, by Lotte Lenya (1931)
Political games, financial sabotage, manipulation, the ship's androids out of control because one man sought to regain full power, her father still suffering from a severe illness, ... Noah would be in the midst of it all. Fortunately for her, BINS-42 would guard over her. Don't panic, in other words?
In the end, as the billionaires turned upon themselves out of greed and power, all of which started with a positive message from Earth calling for the ship to turn back (and Noah wondering if her mother still lived, as she had not joined her husband and her daughter onto the Space Dragon), the Space Dragon had become a modern... Noah's Ark.
"Heureux comme jamais", were those billionaires ever happy with fleeing from Earth? Who was the happiest of the pack? At the start and in the end? While it's supposed to be an entertaining read, the philosophical aspect of the story puts forth a lot of questions, next to BINS-42's contemplations about mankind.
* Do we really need billionaires?
* What's the added value of billionaires?
* If trouble arises, who will be saved first?
* If trouble arises, who will have to do the cleaning?
* If money does not exist in space (or only digitally and even without use), what does that say about the situation on Earth?
* If there are no engineers and alike to accompany them, how do those billionaires think they'll survive?
* Changing one bit (in computer terms) can dramatically change one's financial, social, ... situation or that of many. AI in the wrong hands can also wreak a lot of havoc. How does happiness fit in there?
* Why do we need skills if there are androids and AI can provide an answer to just about everything? (not mentioning that not every answer is correct or right, but without critical thinking, you won't know)
* Why do we let billionaires run the Earth?
...
....
"Heureux comme jamais" is a short novel, very fluently written and quite a page-turner. That's one of the Mr Chamanadjian's skills: a fluent style, very comprehensible and addressing themes about humanity and more precisely, how the common man has to deal with the political/socio-economic/... situations set out by the noble, the elite. Guillaume Chamanadjian strikes again, this time in the field of science fiction.
On a side note: While they are/were very different authors, I (other may have other references to choose from) do see some similarities with, for example, the late Pierre Bordage. "Heureux comme jamais" is, like "Le Dixième vaisseau" (review), set in space. The crew and passengers have to live together for many light years, but there are external forces at work to set people up against each other. Rich vs poor, dark vs light, good vs evil. They're not the same story at all, but both have a positive outcome. show less
So, what's it about? Nothing ground-breaking - or is it? - and not hard SF either, as the focus lies on the characters, on the philosophical aspect of the story. We're in space, the timeline is the second half of the 21st century. Earth has been destroyed ecologically and a bunch of billionaires decided to flee with a spaceship called the Space Dragon and terraform a faraway planet, Callisto - aren't most other planets simply... far away? -, to continue life there, far from the trouble on Earth. Trouble also caused (in)directly by them, but that's just a detail, at least in their views.
However, as those billionaires don't have any engineering skills, there are two "poorer" people on board to help with the mechanics of the ship: Noah, who grew up on the ship, and her father. But he can't always help out on things, as he's fallen seriously ill. Therefore, it's up to Noah to keep a check on things. The rest of the tasks are fulfilled by AI and androids. show more Each AI also has a particular name, like BINS-HAL9000 (a reference to Arthur C. Clarke and his "Space Odyssey" series) or BINS-42 (see Douglas Adams and "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", which I read several years ago; maybe I should re-read it someday).
Not all AI's will be as bright or intelligent as the other, as the contrast between Noah's AI (BINS-42) and that of the ship's originator will prove. One will have full conscience whereas the other will act only as programmed. This is most clear when it comes to news about the terraforming of Callisto or news about the ship or its passengers. BINS-42 will also help Noah whenever possible, even provide music, films, ... Noah is a girl who needs structure, support, music, films, ... but especially music to get through the day. Music and white noise, as she's using headphones all the time. In that respect, could we say she's autistic? Hats off then to Mr Chamanadjian for not taking the obvious kind of character and show that autistic people also have their place in society, perhaps more than that extra billionaire.
Next to the AI's, there are various androids that help out with catering, repairs, maintenance, cleaning, ... but they too are controlled via AI and subjected to the whims and desires of the ship's originator, who's the supreme leader of the voyage towards Callisto. When a mechanic has to show up to report, he better not be late. Or unwanted. This was the case for Noah, who had to replace her father during an important meeting with the leading committee of the ship.
There had been a message from Earth, stating that the situation had been restored to that of 2016 or many decades ago. The vessel could turn back and return to Earth. Bonus: The billionaires would be absolved from any charges or payment or imprisonment. Main question: Was this message authentic or a trap? Noah would also be asked about it and would learn that one states what the leader wants to hear, not what one had learnt or knows. Noah would also have a hard time being that obedient, especially with her personal AI, BINS-42, suddenly taking up a more than human role. An AI is also just supposed to support its owner, not question anything or even act as a personal guard. But BINS-42 wouldn't be just an AI, rather more like an entity acting under the cover of AI.
Noah's intervention would in action a chain of events and bring out the best (or worst) in some billionaires, who had their own view on things and their own agenda. It is not because many billionaires fled Earth to safeguard their lives, their fortunes (which in space are non-existent), that they fled Earth for the same reasons. One wrong word, gesture, ... could completely jeopardise the voyage and project, especially after some footage showing the real progress made so far on Callisto.
Now, Noah wouldn't be the only teenager on board, no. There was also the daughter of a French entrepreneur who, through manipulation of Noah, would gain access or knowledge about the ship's computer systems. She would manipulate the ship's computational resources for other means, be them financial: bitcoins or one of the many variants, and so become the wealthiest passenger. Her intervention would, alas, cause a lot more damage than just using the ship's resources. Music, films, ... would be lost. Noah didn't care about the project or the billionaires wishes, she did care deeply about music. And it would be an eclectic selection. Each song would pass the revue, with a few lines of lyrics presented as Noah went through her daily tasks, each song's lyric inline with whatever was happening.
Louis Prima - Buena Sera (1956)
Yoko Kanno - Myung Theme (1994)
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie (1888)
Rage Against the Machine - Bullet in the Head (1991)
Green Day - American Idiot (2004)
Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M. (1993)
Fugees - Ready or Not (1996)
Kansas - Dust in the Wind (1977)
The Kills - Happier than Ever (2024)
Harry Dacre - Daisy Bell (1892)
Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill - Seeräuber Jenny, by Lotte Lenya (1931)
Political games, financial sabotage, manipulation, the ship's androids out of control because one man sought to regain full power, her father still suffering from a severe illness, ... Noah would be in the midst of it all. Fortunately for her, BINS-42 would guard over her. Don't panic, in other words?
In the end, as the billionaires turned upon themselves out of greed and power, all of which started with a positive message from Earth calling for the ship to turn back (and Noah wondering if her mother still lived, as she had not joined her husband and her daughter onto the Space Dragon), the Space Dragon had become a modern... Noah's Ark.
"Heureux comme jamais", were those billionaires ever happy with fleeing from Earth? Who was the happiest of the pack? At the start and in the end? While it's supposed to be an entertaining read, the philosophical aspect of the story puts forth a lot of questions, next to BINS-42's contemplations about mankind.
* Do we really need billionaires?
* What's the added value of billionaires?
* If trouble arises, who will be saved first?
* If trouble arises, who will have to do the cleaning?
* If money does not exist in space (or only digitally and even without use), what does that say about the situation on Earth?
* If there are no engineers and alike to accompany them, how do those billionaires think they'll survive?
* Changing one bit (in computer terms) can dramatically change one's financial, social, ... situation or that of many. AI in the wrong hands can also wreak a lot of havoc. How does happiness fit in there?
* Why do we need skills if there are androids and AI can provide an answer to just about everything? (not mentioning that not every answer is correct or right, but without critical thinking, you won't know)
* Why do we let billionaires run the Earth?
...
....
"Heureux comme jamais" is a short novel, very fluently written and quite a page-turner. That's one of the Mr Chamanadjian's skills: a fluent style, very comprehensible and addressing themes about humanity and more precisely, how the common man has to deal with the political/socio-economic/... situations set out by the noble, the elite. Guillaume Chamanadjian strikes again, this time in the field of science fiction.
On a side note: While they are/were very different authors, I (other may have other references to choose from) do see some similarities with, for example, the late Pierre Bordage. "Heureux comme jamais" is, like "Le Dixième vaisseau" (review), set in space. The crew and passengers have to live together for many light years, but there are external forces at work to set people up against each other. Rich vs poor, dark vs light, good vs evil. They're not the same story at all, but both have a positive outcome. show less
"Les Mille Verbes" is the second comic book in the Ithaque collection of Éditions ActuSF. "Fahrenheit 451" is the first one, which I read recently. This second one is also a hardback. I'm currently "discovering" comics more and more, though novels and alike remain my reading medium of preference.
While in novels, typesetting and writing style, how phrases are formed, which words are used, etc. are key, in comics it's the dialogues, but also and foremost the illustrations, the drawings, as they are supposed to draw the reader into this world. "Les Mille Verbes" has a drawing style that one could describe as "draft", "sketched, but coloured in". Something I'm not fond of, to be honest.
What's the story about? About a man of low descent who seeks to improve his living standards through deceit, robbery, and alike, and doesn't hesitate to use a little violence and bloodshed to acquire what he wants. Obviously, at some point, messing around with the wrong people - like gypsies - karma will come around to haunt him. Claude, our man, is cursed with a thousand verbs. He has a thousand verbs left before he perishes.
Because what goes around, comes around is also applicable to him, he does feel remorse at some point and to escape his fate and the curse, he decides to take up a calmer life. But life's not easy in the convent either, even if they live a secluded life and know more tranquil moments. But alas, karma will have its way.
That's basically what I understood of the story. The show more chapters or passages are in an achronological order, as the story goes back in time, sometimes forward (?). There are several pages without dialogues or speech bubbles, pages that jump from one point in time to another without explanation, ... Some drawings fill an entire page to reflect the thoughts and feelings of our man, Claude.
While the story itself was alright, i.e. the idea, the scenario, I found the biggest jammer, so to speak, to be - curiously enough - the drawings. They are, as I wrote above, sketchy, never finely detailed, making it also hard to see who was doing or saying something and why. Some speech bubbles were also superimposed, which then hid the lower bubble partly, cutting off the text. Also, with regards to the text: it was tiny in some bubbles. A frustrating combination that put quite a damper on the reading experience, as I had good hopes for this one.
Long story short: a good idea, but too frustrating a read to be positive about it, alas.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. show less
While in novels, typesetting and writing style, how phrases are formed, which words are used, etc. are key, in comics it's the dialogues, but also and foremost the illustrations, the drawings, as they are supposed to draw the reader into this world. "Les Mille Verbes" has a drawing style that one could describe as "draft", "sketched, but coloured in". Something I'm not fond of, to be honest.
What's the story about? About a man of low descent who seeks to improve his living standards through deceit, robbery, and alike, and doesn't hesitate to use a little violence and bloodshed to acquire what he wants. Obviously, at some point, messing around with the wrong people - like gypsies - karma will come around to haunt him. Claude, our man, is cursed with a thousand verbs. He has a thousand verbs left before he perishes.
Because what goes around, comes around is also applicable to him, he does feel remorse at some point and to escape his fate and the curse, he decides to take up a calmer life. But life's not easy in the convent either, even if they live a secluded life and know more tranquil moments. But alas, karma will have its way.
That's basically what I understood of the story. The show more chapters or passages are in an achronological order, as the story goes back in time, sometimes forward (?). There are several pages without dialogues or speech bubbles, pages that jump from one point in time to another without explanation, ... Some drawings fill an entire page to reflect the thoughts and feelings of our man, Claude.
While the story itself was alright, i.e. the idea, the scenario, I found the biggest jammer, so to speak, to be - curiously enough - the drawings. They are, as I wrote above, sketchy, never finely detailed, making it also hard to see who was doing or saying something and why. Some speech bubbles were also superimposed, which then hid the lower bubble partly, cutting off the text. Also, with regards to the text: it was tiny in some bubbles. A frustrating combination that put quite a damper on the reading experience, as I had good hopes for this one.
Long story short: a good idea, but too frustrating a read to be positive about it, alas.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. show less
Éditions ActuSF has launched a new collection this year (2026): "Nagori", reserved for novellas. Artwork is handled by Melchior Ascaride, previously at work for the defunct publisher Les Moutons Électriques. After Le Bélial with "Une Heure-Lumière" and Argyll with "RéciFs", this is the third French publisher having such a collection. The first volumes are "Des Perles pour les truies" by Maeve Spiral and "Fragments d'un dieu mourant" by Jonathan Brychcy.
The story is set in a fantasy setting. We follow the doings of a personal guard of a newly chosen king of a fictitious kingdom. Which kingdom is not told, nor do we know much about the kingdom, its people, its economy and so on. Yes, it's a novella, so world-building is limited, but here it's quite inexistent, almost. The new king is chosen by the Goddess, so religion or spirituality plays a bit of a role here. Here as well, not much information about the divine world either, unfortunately.
However, the new king has many doubts about his new job, and fears he won't succeed or meet the people's expectations, needs, and wants. His personal guard, with whom our king also has a love affair - the love at first sight never happened faster, especially because of the eyes of the king, oh those eyes, how marvellous they are, those eyes, how captivating that look, but especially his eyes -, vows to protect his lover and king at all times, so no harm comes to him. He therefore undertakes a quest into the realm of the divine to show more find a solution and help for the man's ails.
The king's emotional state of mind determines the weather of his kingdom. If happy, then all is well, beautiful weather, sunshine and whatever more. If sad or depressed, then the kingdom succumbs under storms, heavy weather, people die, ...which makes the king even more sad or depressed, which leads to even more bad weather and events. So yes, the king must be made happy, a solution must be found to address and solve this critical problem, which indirectly affects everyone.
So, while a personal guard undertakes this mission for the good of all, it's also out of personal and very devotional love for his king and lover. And lovers they are, because the sexual scenes are legion, and very explicit even. Some call it "romance", but "erotic" would be a better term, I believe. Aside from that, the "love" our guard feels for his king read as "possessive", if you ask me. At some point, it wasn't about the king any more, who seemed to be alright when his guard wasn't around every day, whereas the guard couldn't live or find a purpose if he wasn't with his lover/king. In other words, our guard, clingy as he was, needed this relationship and "goal in life" to fill a void, especially after the death of his dear mother, who used to tell him stories.
Jonathan Brychcy used a very poetic writing style for this story, which of course is shown in the writing itself, but also the layout of some pages, where the text and typesetting were adapted to the scene, to the guard's feelings and expressions. For that, hat's off! The story itself, on the other hand, was not really my cup of tea.
"Fragments d'un roi mourant" (transl.: Fragments of a dying king) looked promising from the blurb, but it's far from your typical fantasy/Middle Age story with a kingdom experiencing problems because of its ruling king. It's, roughly analysed, a love story (with very explicit, erotic scenes - most of which unnecessary, if not uncalled for - and an actually selfish guard, who had some mental issues himself) with the fantasy context (how flimsy it may be) just serving as a decor, a background, but you could even transpose this into a more modern setting as well. Again, hats off for the eloquence, but it didn't really make the story as compelling as it could have.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. show less
The story is set in a fantasy setting. We follow the doings of a personal guard of a newly chosen king of a fictitious kingdom. Which kingdom is not told, nor do we know much about the kingdom, its people, its economy and so on. Yes, it's a novella, so world-building is limited, but here it's quite inexistent, almost. The new king is chosen by the Goddess, so religion or spirituality plays a bit of a role here. Here as well, not much information about the divine world either, unfortunately.
However, the new king has many doubts about his new job, and fears he won't succeed or meet the people's expectations, needs, and wants. His personal guard, with whom our king also has a love affair - the love at first sight never happened faster, especially because of the eyes of the king, oh those eyes, how marvellous they are, those eyes, how captivating that look, but especially his eyes -, vows to protect his lover and king at all times, so no harm comes to him. He therefore undertakes a quest into the realm of the divine to show more find a solution and help for the man's ails.
The king's emotional state of mind determines the weather of his kingdom. If happy, then all is well, beautiful weather, sunshine and whatever more. If sad or depressed, then the kingdom succumbs under storms, heavy weather, people die, ...which makes the king even more sad or depressed, which leads to even more bad weather and events. So yes, the king must be made happy, a solution must be found to address and solve this critical problem, which indirectly affects everyone.
So, while a personal guard undertakes this mission for the good of all, it's also out of personal and very devotional love for his king and lover. And lovers they are, because the sexual scenes are legion, and very explicit even. Some call it "romance", but "erotic" would be a better term, I believe. Aside from that, the "love" our guard feels for his king read as "possessive", if you ask me. At some point, it wasn't about the king any more, who seemed to be alright when his guard wasn't around every day, whereas the guard couldn't live or find a purpose if he wasn't with his lover/king. In other words, our guard, clingy as he was, needed this relationship and "goal in life" to fill a void, especially after the death of his dear mother, who used to tell him stories.
Jonathan Brychcy used a very poetic writing style for this story, which of course is shown in the writing itself, but also the layout of some pages, where the text and typesetting were adapted to the scene, to the guard's feelings and expressions. For that, hat's off! The story itself, on the other hand, was not really my cup of tea.
"Fragments d'un roi mourant" (transl.: Fragments of a dying king) looked promising from the blurb, but it's far from your typical fantasy/Middle Age story with a kingdom experiencing problems because of its ruling king. It's, roughly analysed, a love story (with very explicit, erotic scenes - most of which unnecessary, if not uncalled for - and an actually selfish guard, who had some mental issues himself) with the fantasy context (how flimsy it may be) just serving as a decor, a background, but you could even transpose this into a more modern setting as well. Again, hats off for the eloquence, but it didn't really make the story as compelling as it could have.
----------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust. show less
I had to DNF this one, unfortunately. Sometimes not everything you read is a success. Sometimes it's half a success, sometimes it's no success at all. Convincing yourself to stop reading when the going gets tough (and no, "the tough get going" doesn't apply here) is not easy, but maybe one should be more strict in such cases.
Giving it the benefit of the doubt, I checked out this little anthology consisting of 3 well-known (at least in the Francophone spectrum?) French authors. Their main playing field is science fiction, but for this occasion, their writing skills were appealed to for detective reasons. Because in all three stories, there's a matter of kidnapping or abduction. And so, each other gives (fictitious) account of how their services were requested and put to good (?) use.
The "Préambule" explains in a few words the situations at hand, trying to keep it light and funny, which is also the basis for each of the three stories. Laurent Genefort and Pierre Bordage are the only authors whose works I've read previously. Laurent Whale would thus be a "discovery". My first and only encounter with Laurent Genefort's writing was "Lum'en" (review), which wasn't that much of a success.
Pierre Bordage, on the contrary, has been on my reading list far more and still many more times to go. He was also one of my favourite French authors. It would therefore be interesting to see if at least these two writers could pull it off with a detective story.
Each story revolves thus around show more its respective author, whose role as detective is flawed from the start. But they are apparently the only hope to find the loved one or objects that were respectively kidnapped or stolen. In Genefort's and Bordage's stories, it's an alien who's been kidnapped (or abducted, to use the right term). Of course, in both cases, as both stories are quite similar, the fellowship consists of our respective author-detectives, the partner of the supposedly kidnapped alien and a few other non-human beings. In Bordage's case ENHA, which misses an N: ENHNA, Espèce Non Humaine Non Animale, which he reused a few years ago in his novel "Le Dixième vaisseau" (review). But he first used it in this short story here, "Où es-tu, mon Choo ?".
Both stories are similar, also in our author-detectives getting paid for their "hard" work and investigations. Genefort is cheap, 20 EUR per day (but raises it to 25 EUR after his first "successful" mission), whereas Bordage is happy to charge at least 50 EUR, but will be rewarded more in the end, after having found out how Choo (also a synonym for nicknames like Honey, Dear, Sugar, ...). Turns out not every human being liked alien migration and assimilation, fearing Earth would be conquered by aliens and humans being replaced by them.
Genefort's "Jennifer a disparu" is a simple story, nothing fancy, just entertainment, even if xenophobie is an ingredient; obviously, it's the aliens who are at fault and should be removed. I did fail to see any humour in it or properly enjoy the story itself, some comparisons were also quite flat and ordinary. Oh yes, Jennifer was a male character, despite the female name. I liked Bordage's effort better, though that too wasn't his best either. As usual, he tried to incorporate his classic themes about racism, religion, ... His writing made it complete. In that regard, Bordage was a master storyteller. Whether or not you like the story, is a different question. Of the three, I liked this one the most or found it the least bad.
Last but (not?) least, there is Laurent Whale's tale, "L'Affaire du FBG", the longest of the pack (+130 pages) and revolving around the disappearance of an alien called Flugmitz Bliatouchni Galamounat and it was a turtle with 12 eyes on its shell that came to report FBG missing. For the solving of the problem, Laurent W. would be greatly rewarded, a whole lot more than our two other authors. This story takes time to unfold. I can't fault the writing, because it is actually very good, even if a bit heavy. However, too many references to other authors or characters (from books or films) made it a bit of a mess that went over my head quite rapidly. Add some old-fashioned and outdated "humour" and a DNF is close-by.
Short stories or novellas can be nice for in-between. I had good hopes for this little anthology, if you can call it that, but unfortunately, it couldn't really entertain me. Not that I can't appreciate French humour, on the contrary even: Raymond Devos, Louis de Funès, ... Some counter-examples of parodic stories I did like and found funny: "Cardboard Box of the Rings" (review), a parody trilogy consisting of "Bored of the Rings", "The Soddit", and "The Sellamillion", to name one counter-example. Or some of the late Terry Pratchett's works, in this case his "Discworld" series: "Mort", "Reaper Man", "Hogfather", ... show less
Giving it the benefit of the doubt, I checked out this little anthology consisting of 3 well-known (at least in the Francophone spectrum?) French authors. Their main playing field is science fiction, but for this occasion, their writing skills were appealed to for detective reasons. Because in all three stories, there's a matter of kidnapping or abduction. And so, each other gives (fictitious) account of how their services were requested and put to good (?) use.
The "Préambule" explains in a few words the situations at hand, trying to keep it light and funny, which is also the basis for each of the three stories. Laurent Genefort and Pierre Bordage are the only authors whose works I've read previously. Laurent Whale would thus be a "discovery". My first and only encounter with Laurent Genefort's writing was "Lum'en" (review), which wasn't that much of a success.
Pierre Bordage, on the contrary, has been on my reading list far more and still many more times to go. He was also one of my favourite French authors. It would therefore be interesting to see if at least these two writers could pull it off with a detective story.
Each story revolves thus around show more its respective author, whose role as detective is flawed from the start. But they are apparently the only hope to find the loved one or objects that were respectively kidnapped or stolen. In Genefort's and Bordage's stories, it's an alien who's been kidnapped (or abducted, to use the right term). Of course, in both cases, as both stories are quite similar, the fellowship consists of our respective author-detectives, the partner of the supposedly kidnapped alien and a few other non-human beings. In Bordage's case ENHA, which misses an N: ENHNA, Espèce Non Humaine Non Animale, which he reused a few years ago in his novel "Le Dixième vaisseau" (review). But he first used it in this short story here, "Où es-tu, mon Choo ?".
Both stories are similar, also in our author-detectives getting paid for their "hard" work and investigations. Genefort is cheap, 20 EUR per day (but raises it to 25 EUR after his first "successful" mission), whereas Bordage is happy to charge at least 50 EUR, but will be rewarded more in the end, after having found out how Choo (also a synonym for nicknames like Honey, Dear, Sugar, ...). Turns out not every human being liked alien migration and assimilation, fearing Earth would be conquered by aliens and humans being replaced by them.
Genefort's "Jennifer a disparu" is a simple story, nothing fancy, just entertainment, even if xenophobie is an ingredient; obviously, it's the aliens who are at fault and should be removed. I did fail to see any humour in it or properly enjoy the story itself, some comparisons were also quite flat and ordinary. Oh yes, Jennifer was a male character, despite the female name. I liked Bordage's effort better, though that too wasn't his best either. As usual, he tried to incorporate his classic themes about racism, religion, ... His writing made it complete. In that regard, Bordage was a master storyteller. Whether or not you like the story, is a different question. Of the three, I liked this one the most or found it the least bad.
Last but (not?) least, there is Laurent Whale's tale, "L'Affaire du FBG", the longest of the pack (+130 pages) and revolving around the disappearance of an alien called Flugmitz Bliatouchni Galamounat and it was a turtle with 12 eyes on its shell that came to report FBG missing. For the solving of the problem, Laurent W. would be greatly rewarded, a whole lot more than our two other authors. This story takes time to unfold. I can't fault the writing, because it is actually very good, even if a bit heavy. However, too many references to other authors or characters (from books or films) made it a bit of a mess that went over my head quite rapidly. Add some old-fashioned and outdated "humour" and a DNF is close-by.
Short stories or novellas can be nice for in-between. I had good hopes for this little anthology, if you can call it that, but unfortunately, it couldn't really entertain me. Not that I can't appreciate French humour, on the contrary even: Raymond Devos, Louis de Funès, ... Some counter-examples of parodic stories I did like and found funny: "Cardboard Box of the Rings" (review), a parody trilogy consisting of "Bored of the Rings", "The Soddit", and "The Sellamillion", to name one counter-example. Or some of the late Terry Pratchett's works, in this case his "Discworld" series: "Mort", "Reaper Man", "Hogfather", ... show less
Ray Bradbury's classic "Fahrenheit 451" has been on my wish-list for a long time, and it still is. However, as I came across a comic version of it and having long not read any comics, I decided to read that version. Of course, a comic "based on..." is never the full story, yet tries to convey the most important parts and keeping it coherent.
The French publisher Éditions ActuSF published the French translation of the Spanish original (by Victor Santos). To cut things short: "Fahrenheit 451" is a dark story, dystopian, and a threat to us all, be you a reader or not. Books, or the words and stories they contain, are an important cultural product and good. They help people see life from a different angle, offer entertainment, help them through difficult situations, and more. This in contrast to the mind-numbing TV-shows about celebrities and alike, for example. Not to say there aren't any good TV-programmes, on the contrary. But in the book, the contrast is set up like that, almost like in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", for example.
With novels, your mind creates the images; with comics, the images are there for you to observe and take in, your own imagination is put less at work. Each medium has its particular (dis)advantages.
Victor Santos left out a lot of the novel - again, that's normal for adaptations -, which did make the reading a bit rough. There were no transitions, so to speak, it went from one scene to the next, characters popping up from out of nowhere show more (background information missing), which made the impression of "something was left out" all the greater. This could have been handled better, I believe. Also a word about the translation: I don't know if the Spanish dialogues were so cold and "unnatural", but the French translation felt clunky and weird at times, not natural.
The message of the story was clearly conveyed, without question, especially when fireman Guy Montag showed remorse for his "sins" and saw the error of his ways, tried to set aright the harm to society that been caused several years prior. Again, books are more than "containers of words and/or images", as they also are made possible by people: writers, publishers, illustrators, ... and foremost readers.
Long story short: a worthwhile story, a nice adaptation (which comes with four pages on the conception of the characters), but it should have contained a bit more pages to make it more complete. Unless leaving out scenes was part of the job and a reflection of what the story is/was about? Guess I'll have to read the novel sooner rather than later. show less
The French publisher Éditions ActuSF published the French translation of the Spanish original (by Victor Santos). To cut things short: "Fahrenheit 451" is a dark story, dystopian, and a threat to us all, be you a reader or not. Books, or the words and stories they contain, are an important cultural product and good. They help people see life from a different angle, offer entertainment, help them through difficult situations, and more. This in contrast to the mind-numbing TV-shows about celebrities and alike, for example. Not to say there aren't any good TV-programmes, on the contrary. But in the book, the contrast is set up like that, almost like in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", for example.
With novels, your mind creates the images; with comics, the images are there for you to observe and take in, your own imagination is put less at work. Each medium has its particular (dis)advantages.
Victor Santos left out a lot of the novel - again, that's normal for adaptations -, which did make the reading a bit rough. There were no transitions, so to speak, it went from one scene to the next, characters popping up from out of nowhere show more (background information missing), which made the impression of "something was left out" all the greater. This could have been handled better, I believe. Also a word about the translation: I don't know if the Spanish dialogues were so cold and "unnatural", but the French translation felt clunky and weird at times, not natural.
The message of the story was clearly conveyed, without question, especially when fireman Guy Montag showed remorse for his "sins" and saw the error of his ways, tried to set aright the harm to society that been caused several years prior. Again, books are more than "containers of words and/or images", as they also are made possible by people: writers, publishers, illustrators, ... and foremost readers.
Long story short: a worthwhile story, a nice adaptation (which comes with four pages on the conception of the characters), but it should have contained a bit more pages to make it more complete. Unless leaving out scenes was part of the job and a reflection of what the story is/was about? Guess I'll have to read the novel sooner rather than later. show less
The French author Pierre Bordage sadly passed to the other side on 26th December 2025. He had been one of my favourite authors since I "discovered" him in 2016 with "Chroniques des ombres" (review). While the last works I read by him didn't entirely convince me, his talent of storytelling was very much present. Hence also trying to complete my collection as much as possible by trying to find short stories that were not republished in any of his four collections, but also by adding his last books to my TBR-pile.
One of these last novels is "Le Dixième vaisseau" (transl.: The Tenth Vessel/Spaceship). This one was published in 2022 by Éditions Scrinéo (J'ai Lu reissued it in pocket format in 2024), one of the first of their new SF-collection. Scrinéo mainly aim at children and young adult readers, though they have books for adult readers as well. It is clear, however, that Bordage's novel is aimed mainly at young adult readers. This can be deduced from the accessible writing style, the short chapters and the "page-turning" character of the story. It doesn't mean, however, that adult readers shouldn't read or can't enjoy this story.
The book was, all in all, not that well received by many of his long-time readers and I can understand why. I therefore also long hesitated to read it, also because I was expecting something else from him. Maybe the blurb or promotion campaign behind it didn't properly present the book, even it was aimed at a younger public.
----------
What is is show more about? About a man called Livio Squirrel who was condemned for supposedly having thrown some passengers out of his spaceship - thus not bringing them to their planned destination - and kept their money. He could redeem himself, and avoid a prison sentence, if he accepted to undertake a voyage to the Triangle Galaxy. There had been signals of intelligent life and an investigation was needed. Unfortunately, the nine previous attempts to send a spaceship had all failed. Livio Squirrel and his Esmerillo (name of the ship) would be the stars of the tenth mission, which would hopefully be successful and bring back good news.
But... because the CSH - Conseil Supérieur de l'Humanité - didn't fully trust Livio, they had injected with a virus that would break out after two years. Livio had two years to accomplish his mission and receive an antidote upon return, if he wanted to be released from his sentence and continue to live. The Triangle Galaxy is 3 millions light years away and the Esmerillo had never flown so far, wasn't even a state-of-the-art ship. Furthermore, to save time, Livio would plan a few jumps, each next one longer than the previous one, something never attempted before and putting the ship under serious strain.
Life onboard wouldn't be easy. The various passengers and crew members were a colourful mix of humans and aliens or ENHNA (Espèce Ni Humaine Ni Animale), something he started in his story in "Crimes, aliens et châtiments" (2017), which also features stories by Laurent Genefort and Laurent Whale. Each has his/her character, language, ... The voyage would be full of intrigue, trust and mistrust, opposition, obstruction, power, friendship, love, and determination. No space opera without a bit of AI to guide and control the ship. Yet this AI would not have access to every part of the ship, which would show how some would take advantage of that and set up a scheme to undermine the mission and survival of some key characters.
The AI acted similar to the one in Becky Chambers' wonderful novel "The Long Story to a Small, Angry Planet" (review). In fact, Pierre Bordage admitted he was inspired by this novel for "Le Dixième Vaisseau". And there are some similarities, of course: the mixed crew, the AI (who would also have an own body for a while, albeit an existing one in Bordage's story), a spaceship on a long journey, ...
Silvio Squirrel would, despite all, be tested to stand his ground, to protect his crew (divided as they were, some even extremist, and yet... when push came to shove, would show their human side for the greater good) and be sure to make the mission a success, if only for his own sake. However, friendship and cooperation would be badly needed to bring out the best in everyone and even uncover a secret about his mechanic Flogg, who was not Flogg in reality, but also manipulated and brainwashed. She would play a crucial role in the final outcome. All would be revealed in due time, especially when the Esmerillo approached the scene of the crime to aid humans on a colonised planet fighting off the attacks of the Nbr (short for Ténèbres), an alien species with pith-black spaceship and they too being of the volatile kind, so to speak. They need solid bodies to operate or communicate with humans or ENHNA or even sabotage, for example. Bordage would surprise by hiding some Nbr here and there, keeping some surprises.
As before, the focus lies on the characters, Bordage always starts with the characters, as he said time and again. There is world-building, of course, otherwise why bother? Could it have been explored further? Yes, but for the story itself, which focused on a specific mission with a specific set of characters, no more was needed. This doesn't mean a sequel couldn't have been written, like for "Gigante" (review), for example, where there was more than enough room to explore the world more and create a follow-up story.
Is this Bordage's best novel? Of course it isn't. Is it a good place to start reading Bordage's work? For Bordage's core themes, his earlier works are a much better place to start and from there you can move back and forth. He was a very versatile writer, but tried to stay true to specific humanistic themes. The accessibility (writing, story) of "Le Dixième Vaisseau" does make it an easier entry and perfect for in-between more advanced stories, especially if you're a seasoned Bordage reader. It's an adventure novel set in space, aimed at a broad public, therefore also not hard SF at all. This novel is also a breakaway from his usually more dystopian stories (though with a silver lining) and actually one very positive addition to his complete works. Proof that Bordage still had some surprises up his sleeve.
----------
Previously read by Pierre Bordage, in chronological order: (not counting his stories published in various anthologies since his last collection)
* Chroniques des ombres (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (my review)
* Le Jour où la guerre s'arrêta (my review)
* Entretiens avec Pierre Bordage (my review)
* Contes des sages d'autres mondes et d'autres temps (my review)
* Contes des sages pas sages (my review)
* Dernières nouvelles de la Terre... (my review)
* Les Dames blanches (my review)
* Nouvelle Vie™ (my review)
* Les Derniers Hommes (my review)
* La Désolation (Arkane, #1) (my review) + La Résurrection (Arkane, #2) (my review)
* Gigante (my review)
* Contes des sages d'outre-tombe (my review)
* Inkarmations (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (my review) show less
One of these last novels is "Le Dixième vaisseau" (transl.: The Tenth Vessel/Spaceship). This one was published in 2022 by Éditions Scrinéo (J'ai Lu reissued it in pocket format in 2024), one of the first of their new SF-collection. Scrinéo mainly aim at children and young adult readers, though they have books for adult readers as well. It is clear, however, that Bordage's novel is aimed mainly at young adult readers. This can be deduced from the accessible writing style, the short chapters and the "page-turning" character of the story. It doesn't mean, however, that adult readers shouldn't read or can't enjoy this story.
The book was, all in all, not that well received by many of his long-time readers and I can understand why. I therefore also long hesitated to read it, also because I was expecting something else from him. Maybe the blurb or promotion campaign behind it didn't properly present the book, even it was aimed at a younger public.
----------
What is is show more about? About a man called Livio Squirrel who was condemned for supposedly having thrown some passengers out of his spaceship - thus not bringing them to their planned destination - and kept their money. He could redeem himself, and avoid a prison sentence, if he accepted to undertake a voyage to the Triangle Galaxy. There had been signals of intelligent life and an investigation was needed. Unfortunately, the nine previous attempts to send a spaceship had all failed. Livio Squirrel and his Esmerillo (name of the ship) would be the stars of the tenth mission, which would hopefully be successful and bring back good news.
But... because the CSH - Conseil Supérieur de l'Humanité - didn't fully trust Livio, they had injected with a virus that would break out after two years. Livio had two years to accomplish his mission and receive an antidote upon return, if he wanted to be released from his sentence and continue to live. The Triangle Galaxy is 3 millions light years away and the Esmerillo had never flown so far, wasn't even a state-of-the-art ship. Furthermore, to save time, Livio would plan a few jumps, each next one longer than the previous one, something never attempted before and putting the ship under serious strain.
Life onboard wouldn't be easy. The various passengers and crew members were a colourful mix of humans and aliens or ENHNA (Espèce Ni Humaine Ni Animale), something he started in his story in "Crimes, aliens et châtiments" (2017), which also features stories by Laurent Genefort and Laurent Whale. Each has his/her character, language, ... The voyage would be full of intrigue, trust and mistrust, opposition, obstruction, power, friendship, love, and determination. No space opera without a bit of AI to guide and control the ship. Yet this AI would not have access to every part of the ship, which would show how some would take advantage of that and set up a scheme to undermine the mission and survival of some key characters.
The AI acted similar to the one in Becky Chambers' wonderful novel "The Long Story to a Small, Angry Planet" (review). In fact, Pierre Bordage admitted he was inspired by this novel for "Le Dixième Vaisseau". And there are some similarities, of course: the mixed crew, the AI (who would also have an own body for a while, albeit an existing one in Bordage's story), a spaceship on a long journey, ...
Silvio Squirrel would, despite all, be tested to stand his ground, to protect his crew (divided as they were, some even extremist, and yet... when push came to shove, would show their human side for the greater good) and be sure to make the mission a success, if only for his own sake. However, friendship and cooperation would be badly needed to bring out the best in everyone and even uncover a secret about his mechanic Flogg, who was not Flogg in reality, but also manipulated and brainwashed. She would play a crucial role in the final outcome. All would be revealed in due time, especially when the Esmerillo approached the scene of the crime to aid humans on a colonised planet fighting off the attacks of the Nbr (short for Ténèbres), an alien species with pith-black spaceship and they too being of the volatile kind, so to speak. They need solid bodies to operate or communicate with humans or ENHNA or even sabotage, for example. Bordage would surprise by hiding some Nbr here and there, keeping some surprises.
As before, the focus lies on the characters, Bordage always starts with the characters, as he said time and again. There is world-building, of course, otherwise why bother? Could it have been explored further? Yes, but for the story itself, which focused on a specific mission with a specific set of characters, no more was needed. This doesn't mean a sequel couldn't have been written, like for "Gigante" (review), for example, where there was more than enough room to explore the world more and create a follow-up story.
Is this Bordage's best novel? Of course it isn't. Is it a good place to start reading Bordage's work? For Bordage's core themes, his earlier works are a much better place to start and from there you can move back and forth. He was a very versatile writer, but tried to stay true to specific humanistic themes. The accessibility (writing, story) of "Le Dixième Vaisseau" does make it an easier entry and perfect for in-between more advanced stories, especially if you're a seasoned Bordage reader. It's an adventure novel set in space, aimed at a broad public, therefore also not hard SF at all. This novel is also a breakaway from his usually more dystopian stories (though with a silver lining) and actually one very positive addition to his complete works. Proof that Bordage still had some surprises up his sleeve.
----------
Previously read by Pierre Bordage, in chronological order: (not counting his stories published in various anthologies since his last collection)
* Chroniques des ombres (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (my review)
* Le Jour où la guerre s'arrêta (my review)
* Entretiens avec Pierre Bordage (my review)
* Contes des sages d'autres mondes et d'autres temps (my review)
* Contes des sages pas sages (my review)
* Dernières nouvelles de la Terre... (my review)
* Les Dames blanches (my review)
* Nouvelle Vie™ (my review)
* Les Derniers Hommes (my review)
* La Désolation (Arkane, #1) (my review) + La Résurrection (Arkane, #2) (my review)
* Gigante (my review)
* Contes des sages d'outre-tombe (my review)
* Inkarmations (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (my review) show less
11 years ago I read "Stalker, pique-nique au bord du chemin" (see here), my first and only encounter with the writings of the Russian brothers Strougatski (Strugatsky). And it was pretty much alright.
Their sophomore novel was also said to be worth checking out. It's been on my TBR-pile for also almost a decade. As the French edition is only 290 pages thin, I reckoned it's be nice to read in-between two other books, which are a bit heavier to get through.
First of all, the premise/blurb really looked interesting, also to see the ways of the Soviet Union in an SF-jacket. Second and last of all... I didn't understand what the story was about, could absolutely not make the link with the blurb. So I stopped the self-torture a little over halfway.
Maybe other readers had a different edition, a different text, a better translation perhaps, but my copy... had some problems and I don't know if it's due to the translation (Russian to French) or if the original work was set up like this.
* Scenes/events follow each other in quick succession, no time for world-building, no time to "see" and try to "understand" who the characters are, how they're communicating with each other (strange dialogues, no real conversations), what their exact role is.
* No line-breaks to indicate a new paragraph giving account of a new event or scene. Hence: confusion. One moment, a character is outside, the next, they're inside a restaurant at a table, eating lunch. Confusion also, because it's up to the reader show more to fill in the many blanks, as if the text had been truncated, many bridging scenes and descriptions cut out.
* Not at all possible to sympathise with any of the characters.
To cut things short: As good and relatively clear as "Stalker" was, so incomplete and confusing "Il est difficile d'être un dieu" (It's Hard to be God, see also Wikipedia) is/was, at least for me. Again, is it due to the translation or was it translated respecting the Russian version's, I can't tell. However, alcohol was very important and "normal" back then, apparently. show less
Their sophomore novel was also said to be worth checking out. It's been on my TBR-pile for also almost a decade. As the French edition is only 290 pages thin, I reckoned it's be nice to read in-between two other books, which are a bit heavier to get through.
First of all, the premise/blurb really looked interesting, also to see the ways of the Soviet Union in an SF-jacket. Second and last of all... I didn't understand what the story was about, could absolutely not make the link with the blurb. So I stopped the self-torture a little over halfway.
Maybe other readers had a different edition, a different text, a better translation perhaps, but my copy... had some problems and I don't know if it's due to the translation (Russian to French) or if the original work was set up like this.
* Scenes/events follow each other in quick succession, no time for world-building, no time to "see" and try to "understand" who the characters are, how they're communicating with each other (strange dialogues, no real conversations), what their exact role is.
* No line-breaks to indicate a new paragraph giving account of a new event or scene. Hence: confusion. One moment, a character is outside, the next, they're inside a restaurant at a table, eating lunch. Confusion also, because it's up to the reader show more to fill in the many blanks, as if the text had been truncated, many bridging scenes and descriptions cut out.
* Not at all possible to sympathise with any of the characters.
To cut things short: As good and relatively clear as "Stalker" was, so incomplete and confusing "Il est difficile d'être un dieu" (It's Hard to be God, see also Wikipedia) is/was, at least for me. Again, is it due to the translation or was it translated respecting the Russian version's, I can't tell. However, alcohol was very important and "normal" back then, apparently. show less
I haven't read this anthology ("Elric et la porte des mondes"), published in 2006, about Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock. I don't know if it's still available. However, I did find on YouTube (link) a reading of Pierre Bordage's story: "L'Archiviste". Meanwhile, I haven't read anything about Elric of Melniboné (yet?), and it's a bit unclear to me where to start, as there are so many editions of the series.
Pierre Bordage wrote about an Elric who stood out from the rest of mankind, with his white hairs and not perfect health, while his parents did not desire to keep him because of these defaults. Elric find a job as an archivist, but has to obey his master(s) in search of a certain file. But he will discover more than just what he's ordered to do. Like an archivist of old, Arioch, having awaited thousands of years for "the chosen one" to take over his role as master of the world. But was it all a dream? Elric will have profoundly changed after the meeting, no doubt about that. The relationship with his parents would never be the same again. The sword he acquired would make sure of that.
The world-building is fantastic, the description of events, actions, environment... Pierre Bordage was doing more than great at the time when writing stories. A dark story, to say the least.
The narrating is actually quite well done, a soft voice trying to adapt to the various events and scenes. Background music and accompanying sounds (cracking doors, for example) help to bring the show more story to life. show less
Pierre Bordage wrote about an Elric who stood out from the rest of mankind, with his white hairs and not perfect health, while his parents did not desire to keep him because of these defaults. Elric find a job as an archivist, but has to obey his master(s) in search of a certain file. But he will discover more than just what he's ordered to do. Like an archivist of old, Arioch, having awaited thousands of years for "the chosen one" to take over his role as master of the world. But was it all a dream? Elric will have profoundly changed after the meeting, no doubt about that. The relationship with his parents would never be the same again. The sword he acquired would make sure of that.
The world-building is fantastic, the description of events, actions, environment... Pierre Bordage was doing more than great at the time when writing stories. A dark story, to say the least.
The narrating is actually quite well done, a soft voice trying to adapt to the various events and scenes. Background music and accompanying sounds (cracking doors, for example) help to bring the show more story to life. show less
I haven't read the entire anthology, just the story by the late Pierre Bordage, which is apparently free to read online. See here or here, for example. There's also an audio version on YouTube.
Pierre Bordage sadly passed away on 26th December 2025. While I've read quite a lot by him, there's more that awaits me and which I'm looking forward to. A story short like this one here can help to read something in-between other books and discover something that was not republished elsewhere.
"Fonds d'écran" is a story from 2005 and shows that Pierre Bordage didn't have to stick to science fiction to write a good short story. The public for this anthology are/were young children, hence also the simpler writing style. In addition, the first link I mentioned has some verbs and expressions explained in proper French.
Anyway, it's about a boy who's bought a new mobile phone with his monthly allowance. Barely 20 EUR, it was a bargain, and he got to keep his older phone as back-up. The phone was produced by a company called ReFNe (enfer mirrored; enfer = hell). And our boy would soon find out why the phone was so cheap, although he primarily used it to show off with his fellow pupils in school and in particular one girl, who didn't really fancy him, though.Each fellow pupil he called with his new phone would mysteriously disappear each time they "facetimed", talked to each other by video. The call would end abruptly, but a photo of their frightened expression would be saved onto his show more phone, weirdly enough. Police would investigate and know who last was in touch with them.
He too would suddenly be contacted by ReFNe with a specific message to not do anything suspicious with his phone or he would suffer similar consequences. To close off, his ringtone would be changed for a horrific laughing voice.
An accessible and fast-paced story, but even I find it a little scary and would certainly have found it scary if I'd been +/-13 years in 2005. Unlike (and like) many of his other stories, this one was not republished in any of his four short story collections:
* Nouvelle Vie™ (2004) (my review)
* Dernières Nouvelles de la Terre (2010) (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (2016) (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (2025) (my review)
----------
Previously read by Pierre Bordage, in chronological order: (not counting his stories published in various anthologies since his last collection)
* Chroniques des ombres (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (my review)
* Le Jour où la guerre s'arrêta (my review)
* Entretiens avec Pierre Bordage (my review)
* Contes des sages d'autres mondes et d'autres temps (my review)
* Contes des sages pas sages (my review)
* Dernières nouvelles de la Terre... (my review)
* Les Dames blanches (my review)
* Nouvelle Vie™ (my review)
* Les Derniers Hommes (my review)
* La Désolation (Arkane, #1) (my review) + La Résurrection (Arkane, #2) (my review)
* Gigante (my review)
* Contes des sages d'outre-tombe (my review)
* Inkarmations (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (my review) show less
Pierre Bordage sadly passed away on 26th December 2025. While I've read quite a lot by him, there's more that awaits me and which I'm looking forward to. A story short like this one here can help to read something in-between other books and discover something that was not republished elsewhere.
"Fonds d'écran" is a story from 2005 and shows that Pierre Bordage didn't have to stick to science fiction to write a good short story. The public for this anthology are/were young children, hence also the simpler writing style. In addition, the first link I mentioned has some verbs and expressions explained in proper French.
Anyway, it's about a boy who's bought a new mobile phone with his monthly allowance. Barely 20 EUR, it was a bargain, and he got to keep his older phone as back-up. The phone was produced by a company called ReFNe (enfer mirrored; enfer = hell). And our boy would soon find out why the phone was so cheap, although he primarily used it to show off with his fellow pupils in school and in particular one girl, who didn't really fancy him, though.
He too would suddenly be contacted by ReFNe with a specific message to not do anything suspicious with his phone or he would suffer similar consequences. To close off, his ringtone would be changed for a horrific laughing voice.
An accessible and fast-paced story, but even I find it a little scary and would certainly have found it scary if I'd been +/-13 years in 2005. Unlike (and like) many of his other stories, this one was not republished in any of his four short story collections:
* Nouvelle Vie™ (2004) (my review)
* Dernières Nouvelles de la Terre (2010) (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (2016) (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (2025) (my review)
----------
Previously read by Pierre Bordage, in chronological order: (not counting his stories published in various anthologies since his last collection)
* Chroniques des ombres (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (my review)
* Le Jour où la guerre s'arrêta (my review)
* Entretiens avec Pierre Bordage (my review)
* Contes des sages d'autres mondes et d'autres temps (my review)
* Contes des sages pas sages (my review)
* Dernières nouvelles de la Terre... (my review)
* Les Dames blanches (my review)
* Nouvelle Vie™ (my review)
* Les Derniers Hommes (my review)
* La Désolation (Arkane, #1) (my review) + La Résurrection (Arkane, #2) (my review)
* Gigante (my review)
* Contes des sages d'outre-tombe (my review)
* Inkarmations (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (my review) show less
Le Veston ensorcelé et autres nouvelles inquiétantes: Gautier, Poe, Maupassant, Buzzati, Matheson, Bordage by Dino Buzzati
I haven't read the entire anthology, just the story by the late Pierre Bordage, which is apparently free to read online. See here or here, for example. There's also an audio version on YouTube.
Pierre Bordage sadly passed away on 26th December 2025. While I've read quite a lot by him, there's more that awaits me and which I'm looking forward to. A story short like this one here can help to read something in-between other books and discover something that was not republished elsewhere.
"Fonds d'écran" is a story from 2005 and shows that Pierre Bordage didn't have to stick to science fiction to write a good short story. The public for this anthology are/were young children, hence also the simpler writing style. In addition, the first link I mentioned has some verbs and expressions explained in proper French.
Anyway, it's about a boy who's bought a new mobile phone with his monthly allowance. Barely 20 EUR, it was a bargain, and he got to keep his older phone as back-up. The phone was produced by a company called ReFNe (enfer mirrored; enfer = hell). And our boy would soon find out why the phone was so cheap, although he primarily used it to show off with his fellow pupils in school and in particular one girl, who didn't really fancy him, though.Each fellow pupil he called with his new phone would mysteriously disappear each time they "facetimed", talked to each other by video. The call would end abruptly, but a photo of their frightened expression would be saved onto his show more phone, weirdly enough. Police would investigate and know who last was in touch with them.
He too would suddenly be contacted by ReFNe with a specific message to not do anything suspicious with his phone or he would suffer similar consequences. To close off, his ringtone would be changed for a horrific laughing voice.
An accessible and fast-paced story, but even I find it a little scary and would certainly have found it scary if I'd been +/-13 years in 2005. Unlike (and like) many of his other stories, this one was not republished in any of his four short story collections:
* Nouvelle Vie™ (2004) (my review)
* Dernières Nouvelles de la Terre (2010) (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (2016) (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (2025) (my review)
----------
Previously read by Pierre Bordage, in chronological order: (not counting his stories published in various anthologies since his last collection)
* Chroniques des ombres (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (my review)
* Le Jour où la guerre s'arrêta (my review)
* Entretiens avec Pierre Bordage (my review)
* Contes des sages d'autres mondes et d'autres temps (my review)
* Contes des sages pas sages (my review)
* Dernières nouvelles de la Terre... (my review)
* Les Dames blanches (my review)
* Nouvelle Vie™ (my review)
* Les Derniers Hommes (my review)
* La Désolation (Arkane, #1) (my review) + La Résurrection (Arkane, #2) (my review)
* Gigante (my review)
* Contes des sages d'outre-tombe (my review)
* Inkarmations (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (my review) show less
Pierre Bordage sadly passed away on 26th December 2025. While I've read quite a lot by him, there's more that awaits me and which I'm looking forward to. A story short like this one here can help to read something in-between other books and discover something that was not republished elsewhere.
"Fonds d'écran" is a story from 2005 and shows that Pierre Bordage didn't have to stick to science fiction to write a good short story. The public for this anthology are/were young children, hence also the simpler writing style. In addition, the first link I mentioned has some verbs and expressions explained in proper French.
Anyway, it's about a boy who's bought a new mobile phone with his monthly allowance. Barely 20 EUR, it was a bargain, and he got to keep his older phone as back-up. The phone was produced by a company called ReFNe (enfer mirrored; enfer = hell). And our boy would soon find out why the phone was so cheap, although he primarily used it to show off with his fellow pupils in school and in particular one girl, who didn't really fancy him, though.
He too would suddenly be contacted by ReFNe with a specific message to not do anything suspicious with his phone or he would suffer similar consequences. To close off, his ringtone would be changed for a horrific laughing voice.
An accessible and fast-paced story, but even I find it a little scary and would certainly have found it scary if I'd been +/-13 years in 2005. Unlike (and like) many of his other stories, this one was not republished in any of his four short story collections:
* Nouvelle Vie™ (2004) (my review)
* Dernières Nouvelles de la Terre (2010) (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (2016) (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (2025) (my review)
----------
Previously read by Pierre Bordage, in chronological order: (not counting his stories published in various anthologies since his last collection)
* Chroniques des ombres (my review)
* Hier je vous donnerai de mes nouvelles (my review)
* Le Jour où la guerre s'arrêta (my review)
* Entretiens avec Pierre Bordage (my review)
* Contes des sages d'autres mondes et d'autres temps (my review)
* Contes des sages pas sages (my review)
* Dernières nouvelles de la Terre... (my review)
* Les Dames blanches (my review)
* Nouvelle Vie™ (my review)
* Les Derniers Hommes (my review)
* La Désolation (Arkane, #1) (my review) + La Résurrection (Arkane, #2) (my review)
* Gigante (my review)
* Contes des sages d'outre-tombe (my review)
* Inkarmations (my review)
* Nouvelles Vagues (my review) show less
A free story (downloadable here and here). It's set in the city of Liège, Belgium, a few decades ago. Dominique Warfa has his roots there, so... Various references are also part of the story: Montagne de Bueren (a very large, stone staircase of over 300 steps - Wikipedia), authors like Jean Ray and Arthur Conan Doyle, to even H. P. Lovecraft.
The protagonist is interviewed by a radio journalist. He describes his life as an author and how he discovered urban exploration (urbex), to explore his native city's history. And so, a magical story, with dark and sinister touches, unfolds. As if they, via that house, visited another world, but with severe consequences. And was it all real or just a figment of their imagination, a hallucination?
However, the way it was written - a conversation between our (former) author and the journalist recording and writing - and described was a bit of a hurdle for me. The main character offered a lot of information on his upbringing, the schools he went to, how he got into science fiction, ... before detailing the enterprise of diving into the city's history. While I was looking forward to read some more Belgian stories, I guess Mr Warfa's writing just isn't my cup of tea.
I've only read one story by Mr Warfa so far, published in the anthology "SOS Terre & Mer", see here. Unfortunately, I don't remember what it was about or if I liked it enough. There's one more to read, published in the anthology "Solarpunk - Vers des futurs radieux" (2024), but show more that's for a later occasion. show less
The protagonist is interviewed by a radio journalist. He describes his life as an author and how he discovered urban exploration (urbex), to explore his native city's history. And so, a magical story, with dark and sinister touches, unfolds. As if they, via that house, visited another world, but with severe consequences. And was it all real or just a figment of their imagination, a hallucination?
However, the way it was written - a conversation between our (former) author and the journalist recording and writing - and described was a bit of a hurdle for me. The main character offered a lot of information on his upbringing, the schools he went to, how he got into science fiction, ... before detailing the enterprise of diving into the city's history. While I was looking forward to read some more Belgian stories, I guess Mr Warfa's writing just isn't my cup of tea.
I've only read one story by Mr Warfa so far, published in the anthology "SOS Terre & Mer", see here. Unfortunately, I don't remember what it was about or if I liked it enough. There's one more to read, published in the anthology "Solarpunk - Vers des futurs radieux" (2024), but show more that's for a later occasion. show less
A nice little story (downloadable here and here) about a small sailor's crew at sea (or rather, the Atlantic Ocean). They hear sounds, yet aren't sure what they are, fear it's something evil, malicious. On the contrary, the boat's leading lady knows exactly what those sounds are, where they come from. Whales, whales guiding the ship through heavy weather into safer water in the large region of Mauritania, as the ship set sail from Dakar, Senegal.
It's a children's story, but very nicely written. Somehow, it reminded me of the novel "Mermere" by the French author Hugo Verlomme, of which I have read the 2020 reissue. See here.
Bonus points for language lovers: This short story contains and the French text and the Walloon text, so it's ideal to learn some dialect or spice up your knowledge of it.
It's a children's story, but very nicely written. Somehow, it reminded me of the novel "Mermere" by the French author Hugo Verlomme, of which I have read the 2020 reissue. See here.
Bonus points for language lovers: This short story contains and the French text and the Walloon text, so it's ideal to learn some dialect or spice up your knowledge of it.
A touching story (downloadable here or here), something a lot of teenagers will have gone through and which can have a lasting impact, about two teenagers (boys in this case) from two different backgrounds, spending the holidays together. Or rather, having a sleep-over. The boys, Charlie and François, get along really well, have the time of their lives, even give each other nicknames and replay scenes from a famous US police series ("Chips").
Their backgrounds couldn't be more contrasting: one with parents who quarrel, and don't really care what their son (François) is up to vs his friend's (Charlie) "perfect" family, though they too have their problems. The contrast creates some tension between the boys: François wishes his parents were more like his friend's, while Charlie would like François to be a bit stronger, mentally, have more courage.
At some point, the friends' comradeship is fractured. And it doesn't take much, when a teenager, to have one's feelings mocked/insulted/hurt. Here it's about animals and how the other treats them, even if they're dead. One thing leads to another, no more laughing, playing, ... Suddenly, the "perfect" family isn't so perfect any more in the eyes of the other. One incident causes so much (psychological) devastation that the boys no longer speak to each other.
Both boys do seek each other out, but never meet again, their paths don't cross any longer: they see the other's home situation and this causes François even more hurt, as show more the "perfect" family continues life as if nothing happened. Our little François can't bear this, unfortunately, and this will have severe and undesired consequences for him. show less
Their backgrounds couldn't be more contrasting: one with parents who quarrel, and don't really care what their son (François) is up to vs his friend's (Charlie) "perfect" family, though they too have their problems. The contrast creates some tension between the boys: François wishes his parents were more like his friend's, while Charlie would like François to be a bit stronger, mentally, have more courage.
At some point, the friends' comradeship is fractured. And it doesn't take much, when a teenager, to have one's feelings mocked/insulted/hurt. Here it's about animals and how the other treats them, even if they're dead. One thing leads to another, no more laughing, playing, ... Suddenly, the "perfect" family isn't so perfect any more in the eyes of the other. One incident causes so much (psychological) devastation that the boys no longer speak to each other.
Both boys do seek each other out, but never meet again, their paths don't cross any longer: they see the other's home situation and this causes François even more hurt, as show more the "perfect" family continues life as if nothing happened. Our little François can't bear this, unfortunately, and this will have severe and undesired consequences for him. show less
A little story (downloadable here or here) by the Belgian Félicien Rops (1833-1898), a painter, illustrator, caricaturist and a prolific and innovative print maker (Wikipedia), apparently an assembly of extracts from letters to some of his colleagues, like Théodore Hannon and Léon Dommartin. There are references to the museum dedicated to Rops' life and works, and to the Château de Thozée, whose natural location was of great importance to Mr Rops.
This here is a very short story about riches and happiness in life. When you have all you can buy, you belong to the high society, do you feel fulfilled? Do you have everything your heart desires? Well, not for Mr Rops, who very much appreciated and was jealous of the simplicity of street artists, and foremost... rowing on the river Meuse, which flows through the city of Namur, Belgium.
Of course, one could probably appreciate this text a little more when knowing (some of) the history of this city. I've never been to Namur (yet), so those few references are lost on me. But the text... there's truth in the man's words: all the glitter and glamour, large houses, fat bank accounts may solve some problems, but often the simpler things in life provide more comfort.
This here is a very short story about riches and happiness in life. When you have all you can buy, you belong to the high society, do you feel fulfilled? Do you have everything your heart desires? Well, not for Mr Rops, who very much appreciated and was jealous of the simplicity of street artists, and foremost... rowing on the river Meuse, which flows through the city of Namur, Belgium.
Of course, one could probably appreciate this text a little more when knowing (some of) the history of this city. I've never been to Namur (yet), so those few references are lost on me. But the text... there's truth in the man's words: all the glitter and glamour, large houses, fat bank accounts may solve some problems, but often the simpler things in life provide more comfort.
I've never read anything by the Dutch author Thomas Olde Heuvelt, who seems to be quite popular. But I think that the story was offered as a free download a few years ago, during COVID. I also don't often (if not ever) read fiction in Dutch, except the occasional translation into Dutch perhaps.
"Je weet hoe dit verhaal gaat" (Transl.: You Know How the Story Goes) is part of the short story collection "Om nooit meer te vergeten" (Transl.: To Never Forget). It's about a hitchhiker and a female driver who's... mentally ill, let's say. Something about going to one Udur, who's not a good man, and hearing rain in her head, having wasps nested in her head.
A story to quickly forget, not just because it's confusing, but also incomplete and written in a rather gawky manner. Some phrases looked like a bad translation from English to Dutch.
"Je weet hoe dit verhaal gaat" (Transl.: You Know How the Story Goes) is part of the short story collection "Om nooit meer te vergeten" (Transl.: To Never Forget). It's about a hitchhiker and a female driver who's... mentally ill, let's say. Something about going to one Udur, who's not a good man, and hearing rain in her head, having wasps nested in her head.
A story to quickly forget, not just because it's confusing, but also incomplete and written in a rather gawky manner. Some phrases looked like a bad translation from English to Dutch.
A children's story, illustrated, free to download at this location (direct link) or the general page.
A rabbit sees a juicy apple hanging on a tree, wishes to grab and eat it, if only a small bite. None of his fellow animals can help him, however. Until bear... who has a different take on it.
All in all, a good story, though more aimed at very young children.
A rabbit sees a juicy apple hanging on a tree, wishes to grab and eat it, if only a small bite. None of his fellow animals can help him, however. Until bear... who has a different take on it.
All in all, a good story, though more aimed at very young children.
An illustrated short story for children (downloadable here or here), telling about how people often follow the herd to be liked, to feel part of the pack, to feel respected. Not because of what they do or who they are, but what they wear, what they buy, ... in short: looks. And woe onto him/her who does not wear something by one of the best-known brands, even less-known brands might offer better quality or a lower price. And so, people also promote expensive brands, which means those companies don't have to spend money (or spend less money) on marketing. Customers do it for free.
Definitely a children's story, as shown by the drawings, but also important to teach them - especially in this time of influencers - that looks aren't everything. Or rather, wearing something by the biggest brands (and spending your budget on expensive things just to belong to a group) doesn't make you better than anyone else. Think before you buy, make your own choices, and keep your budget in check.
Definitely a children's story, as shown by the drawings, but also important to teach them - especially in this time of influencers - that looks aren't everything. Or rather, wearing something by the biggest brands (and spending your budget on expensive things just to belong to a group) doesn't make you better than anyone else. Think before you buy, make your own choices, and keep your budget in check.
"Le Troué" is a lovely story (downloadable here or here) about someone who loves to tell stories, who's a master of the written/spoken word.
This vagabond unleashes his skills when he is asked by a young boy why the people of a certain street (la rue du Chat qui Pêche; transl.: The Street of the Cat that Fishes) have lost their smile. They all look sad, indifferent, ... don't like interference, prefer to keep their problems or "secrets" to themselves. And so, after our vagabond has written a lovely letter to each of them to try to lure them out of their misery by revealing some of their "secrets", a change has been set in motion, with every inhabitant smiling again, leaving their sorrows behind and adopting a positive mindset once more.
Moral of the story, as I take it: Not worry too much, not let the burdens of life dominate or take away our joy. Enjoy the good things in life, focus more on what brings happiness.
This vagabond unleashes his skills when he is asked by a young boy why the people of a certain street (la rue du Chat qui Pêche; transl.: The Street of the Cat that Fishes) have lost their smile. They all look sad, indifferent, ... don't like interference, prefer to keep their problems or "secrets" to themselves. And so, after our vagabond has written a lovely letter to each of them to try to lure them out of their misery by revealing some of their "secrets", a change has been set in motion, with every inhabitant smiling again, leaving their sorrows behind and adopting a positive mindset once more.
Moral of the story, as I take it: Not worry too much, not let the burdens of life dominate or take away our joy. Enjoy the good things in life, focus more on what brings happiness.
"Va, rêve et reviens" (transl.: Go, dream and come back) is a children's book by Chiara Arsego, an author unknown to me, also because I don't read children's books any more. And yet, there's nothing that says that adults can't read such stories. This little story was offered (for free) during the two COVID-years (2020 and 2021) during an online "operation" (Opération Bol d'Air) in France to which various French publishers contributed with short stories, graphic novels to full-blown novels. All in e-format, of course (epub, PDF, ...) and free to download.
This richly illustrated book, very important for the development of children's fantasy and imagination, is about a young girl who's playing with some of her friends. They're inside, near the fireplace. The cat suddenly attracts the attention of our protagonist, Maya. She follows the cat, supposedly to the garden, but she arrives somewhere completely else; a walled garden where shadows welcome her. At first, this reminded me of Plato's allegory of the cave in which people observe shadows, taking them for real objects and creatures. But soon, little Maya realises all those shadows are created by her own imagination.
And so, she explores the garden here and there, lets her imagination run unbound, but is also conscious enough to get back on time, so as not to cause any trouble. And she'll be back in a jiffy. Has she even been outside or was it all a figment of her imagination? Especially since her friends never suspected or show more noticed anything.
A wonderful story not just for children but also adults. As we grow up, something that is lost very rapidly - or pushed to the back -, is our imagination. This is one of the various works out there to remind us to not stop using our imagination, despite contemporary times more often than not putting a strain on us. show less
This richly illustrated book, very important for the development of children's fantasy and imagination, is about a young girl who's playing with some of her friends. They're inside, near the fireplace. The cat suddenly attracts the attention of our protagonist, Maya. She follows the cat, supposedly to the garden, but she arrives somewhere completely else; a walled garden where shadows welcome her. At first, this reminded me of Plato's allegory of the cave in which people observe shadows, taking them for real objects and creatures. But soon, little Maya realises all those shadows are created by her own imagination.
And so, she explores the garden here and there, lets her imagination run unbound, but is also conscious enough to get back on time, so as not to cause any trouble. And she'll be back in a jiffy. Has she even been outside or was it all a figment of her imagination? Especially since her friends never suspected or show more noticed anything.
A wonderful story not just for children but also adults. As we grow up, something that is lost very rapidly - or pushed to the back -, is our imagination. This is one of the various works out there to remind us to not stop using our imagination, despite contemporary times more often than not putting a strain on us. show less
Alien Clay: An incredible science fiction tale of first contact with the unknown by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Adrian Tchaikovsky is a very prolific author, no need to address that point any more. Also no need to worry about "What else should I read by him?", as there's a huge list to choose from: series, stand-alone novels, short stories, ...
"Alien Clay" is a novel set in space, on a planet called Kiln. People have colonised Kiln and try to discover what other creatures and civilisations have been there and created the ruins that are left behind. However, this is not just doing some archaeology or space investigation. The work is done, under the guidance of scientists and archaeologists, by cheap labour: dissident people, who have opposing political and cultural views and values. The Mandate, the totalitarian society on Earth, then sends them away on spaceships, like cargo, to Kiln. There, they are housed in a labour camp, under severe conditions. The entire camp is covered by a protective dome.
The story is divided into three parts, like the words from the French Revolution: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. Each part describes the colonists' situation in chronological and parallel order with their fellow workers and the local fauna, bacteria, creatures... whichever term you wish to apply.
While a variety of characters pass the revue, the story is mainly told from the perspective of professor Daghdev, who's been sent to Kiln for opposing the Mandate's vision. He will, over the course of a few months, discover what that French motto means on Kiln. This is, by the way, not the show more only French that Adrian Tchaikovsky used here, also in some descriptions he added some short French terms/expressions. On the other hand, one of his desires was to study alien life. Only... not under such severe and life-threatening circumstances.
Kiln is not a safe environment: one needs protection to go outside and decontamination in an airlock when coming back from searching for artifacts and evidence of past civilisations. The protection is paper suits, just to have something. Decontamination is done with high pressure cleaners, with really high pressure, as part of the punishment for their political or cultural beliefs. Labour forces have no rights, only obligations.
Of course, the scientists and archaeologists themselves don't go out in the field at all, because it's a dangerous world out there; if you're infected, it could harm your entire being and behaviour. Also, the workers are divided into groups and sent out on a planned basis. Each decontamination occurs after a number of days, if not the same day. However, when new members join a group, the decontamination occurs after the next cycle. Example: decontamination every two days. A new member arrives? Add another two days to the last day of the current cycle. A question of keeping the workers attentive and in line, as they will work out their anger on the newcomers for the delay in decontamination.
At some point, something's got to give, not in the least when a group of workers rebels. Our protagonist, Dr Daghdev, is with them as punishment for not obeying the Mandate's orders. Being dropped farther than before, they're left with small rations and no transport back. The leader, an experienced worker, manages to get the group back alive and... as well as can be, thanks to a tight plan of rationing and using his senses and intuition to find a way back to camp. Obviously, not without a scratch or anything. Even our professor will have undergone some changes, impacting his mindset and insight on Kiln. It reminded me of, for example, the explanation of Neil DeGrasse Tyson on the Conan O'Brien Show in 2017: see here.
In the end, all's well that ends well, in the sense that mankind and "alien clay" will find a way to live together. In fact, it's mankind that's the alien clay on Kiln. Mankind that invaded this planet/world and set to work to make it their own, while there was/is local fauna that has lived there for ages, yet never was hostile to the newcomers. On the contrary, mankind was also subject to research. And as push comes to shove, alien nature fought back, retaliated. Sauve qui peut, but not all would be saved. Only those with the right conviction and reason of existence.
The book reminded me of, for example, "Quest" by Andreas Eschbach or the "Proxima" duology by Stephen Baxter. Specifically for the part about "lost civilisation", "alien species", ... and how mankind sends out space ships and "colonisers" to go investigate. Obviously, as Adrian Tchaikovsky has a degree in Zoology, there are some similarities with some of his other works, like his famed "Children of Time" series.
While I expected this to be written like an action novel, it was anything but that. The story is told from the perspective of our professor, like a diary or full report on his stay on Kiln. And through his writing, we learn of the circumstances and, not in the least, the scientific view of Kiln. Yes, the "science" factor is prominent in this story. An original approach, I must say. At the same time, considering the political background of the story, isn't it also a critical stance on communism and more precisely that of the USSR?
----------
----------
Previously read:
* Children of Time (Children of Time, #1) (2016) (review)
* Children of Ruin (Children of Time, #2) (2019) (review)
* Children of Memory (Children of Time, #3) (2023)
* The Doors of Eden (review)
* Human Resources (review)
* Service Model
To be read:
* Cage of Souls (2019)
* Shards of Earth (The Final Architecture, #1) (2022)
* Eyes of the Void (The Final Architecture, #2) (2023)
* Lords of Uncreation (The Final Architecture, #3) (2024) show less
"Alien Clay" is a novel set in space, on a planet called Kiln. People have colonised Kiln and try to discover what other creatures and civilisations have been there and created the ruins that are left behind. However, this is not just doing some archaeology or space investigation. The work is done, under the guidance of scientists and archaeologists, by cheap labour: dissident people, who have opposing political and cultural views and values. The Mandate, the totalitarian society on Earth, then sends them away on spaceships, like cargo, to Kiln. There, they are housed in a labour camp, under severe conditions. The entire camp is covered by a protective dome.
The story is divided into three parts, like the words from the French Revolution: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. Each part describes the colonists' situation in chronological and parallel order with their fellow workers and the local fauna, bacteria, creatures... whichever term you wish to apply.
While a variety of characters pass the revue, the story is mainly told from the perspective of professor Daghdev, who's been sent to Kiln for opposing the Mandate's vision. He will, over the course of a few months, discover what that French motto means on Kiln. This is, by the way, not the show more only French that Adrian Tchaikovsky used here, also in some descriptions he added some short French terms/expressions. On the other hand, one of his desires was to study alien life. Only... not under such severe and life-threatening circumstances.
Kiln is not a safe environment: one needs protection to go outside and decontamination in an airlock when coming back from searching for artifacts and evidence of past civilisations. The protection is paper suits, just to have something. Decontamination is done with high pressure cleaners, with really high pressure, as part of the punishment for their political or cultural beliefs. Labour forces have no rights, only obligations.
Of course, the scientists and archaeologists themselves don't go out in the field at all, because it's a dangerous world out there; if you're infected, it could harm your entire being and behaviour. Also, the workers are divided into groups and sent out on a planned basis. Each decontamination occurs after a number of days, if not the same day. However, when new members join a group, the decontamination occurs after the next cycle. Example: decontamination every two days. A new member arrives? Add another two days to the last day of the current cycle. A question of keeping the workers attentive and in line, as they will work out their anger on the newcomers for the delay in decontamination.
At some point, something's got to give, not in the least when a group of workers rebels. Our protagonist, Dr Daghdev, is with them as punishment for not obeying the Mandate's orders. Being dropped farther than before, they're left with small rations and no transport back. The leader, an experienced worker, manages to get the group back alive and... as well as can be, thanks to a tight plan of rationing and using his senses and intuition to find a way back to camp. Obviously, not without a scratch or anything. Even our professor will have undergone some changes, impacting his mindset and insight on Kiln. It reminded me of, for example, the explanation of Neil DeGrasse Tyson on the Conan O'Brien Show in 2017: see here.
In the end, all's well that ends well, in the sense that mankind and "alien clay" will find a way to live together. In fact, it's mankind that's the alien clay on Kiln. Mankind that invaded this planet/world and set to work to make it their own, while there was/is local fauna that has lived there for ages, yet never was hostile to the newcomers. On the contrary, mankind was also subject to research. And as push comes to shove, alien nature fought back, retaliated. Sauve qui peut, but not all would be saved. Only those with the right conviction and reason of existence.
The book reminded me of, for example, "Quest" by Andreas Eschbach or the "Proxima" duology by Stephen Baxter. Specifically for the part about "lost civilisation", "alien species", ... and how mankind sends out space ships and "colonisers" to go investigate. Obviously, as Adrian Tchaikovsky has a degree in Zoology, there are some similarities with some of his other works, like his famed "Children of Time" series.
While I expected this to be written like an action novel, it was anything but that. The story is told from the perspective of our professor, like a diary or full report on his stay on Kiln. And through his writing, we learn of the circumstances and, not in the least, the scientific view of Kiln. Yes, the "science" factor is prominent in this story. An original approach, I must say. At the same time, considering the political background of the story, isn't it also a critical stance on communism and more precisely that of the USSR?
----------
----------
Previously read:
* Children of Time (Children of Time, #1) (2016) (review)
* Children of Ruin (Children of Time, #2) (2019) (review)
* Children of Memory (Children of Time, #3) (2023)
* The Doors of Eden (review)
* Human Resources (review)
* Service Model
To be read:
* Cage of Souls (2019)
* Shards of Earth (The Final Architecture, #1) (2022)
* Eyes of the Void (The Final Architecture, #2) (2023)
* Lords of Uncreation (The Final Architecture, #3) (2024) show less
"Das Untier von Aachen" (2014), my third encounter with Günter Krieger's writings, following Die Tage der Sintflut - Roman über die Belagerung Aachens 1248 (2017) and Furor Normannicus (2022), previously known as "Drachensturm" (2002).
This book here is based on the saga of the Bahkauv (Wikipedia), a monstrous creature that attacked people late at night, if not also robbed them of their precious belongings. The scene is Aachen, Germany, but in the 17th century, more precisely the year 1605. Ruling king is Pepin the Short (Wikipedia), father of Charlemagne (Wikipedia). Author Günter Krieger mixed the saga on this creature with the version that existed back then to create a page-turning story.
While many times people mocked those who were supposedly attacked - mostly drunk people -, they had to change their mind when all of a sudden, someone perished at the claws of the Bahkauv. Now, people started wondering if there really was such a monster that came out under the cover of darkness and attacked innocent people.
Meanwhile, the goldsmith Paul Kalkbrenner, who's madly in love with the eldest innkeeper's daughter (Magdalena), decides to investigate the matter, if only the win her love, because she's playing very hard to get. No to mention that she has a sister who's more of a sociable human being, yet every virile young man, including one of Paul's friends, is more interested in Magdalena. In other words, one must be of decent descent to win her heart, because she likes show more expensive stuff and attire.
And so, our goldsmith will do everything in his power to convince her of his love. But it will be children, like Paul's little sister and her good friend, who will somehow save him from disaster. Especially when all suspicions of the aforementioned murder would be directed at Magdalena. The truth would prove otherwise, but she would be the focal centre nevertheless.
"Das Untier von Aachen" brings alive a well-known, albeit rather local, saga and puts the city of Aachen once more in the spotlight. I've been there only once, but there's still so much more to discover. While the historical factor is important (it's about a saga, after all), it shows that (unanswered) love can blind ("All that glitters is not gold") and, with jealousy, turn people into vile creatures who would do anything to achieve certain goals: from betrayal to crime. But who really wins from such a behaviour? Especially when karma would do its work.
Another recommended read by Günter Krieger show less
This book here is based on the saga of the Bahkauv (Wikipedia), a monstrous creature that attacked people late at night, if not also robbed them of their precious belongings. The scene is Aachen, Germany, but in the 17th century, more precisely the year 1605. Ruling king is Pepin the Short (Wikipedia), father of Charlemagne (Wikipedia). Author Günter Krieger mixed the saga on this creature with the version that existed back then to create a page-turning story.
While many times people mocked those who were supposedly attacked - mostly drunk people -, they had to change their mind when all of a sudden, someone perished at the claws of the Bahkauv. Now, people started wondering if there really was such a monster that came out under the cover of darkness and attacked innocent people.
Meanwhile, the goldsmith Paul Kalkbrenner, who's madly in love with the eldest innkeeper's daughter (Magdalena), decides to investigate the matter, if only the win her love, because she's playing very hard to get. No to mention that she has a sister who's more of a sociable human being, yet every virile young man, including one of Paul's friends, is more interested in Magdalena. In other words, one must be of decent descent to win her heart, because she likes show more expensive stuff and attire.
And so, our goldsmith will do everything in his power to convince her of his love. But it will be children, like Paul's little sister and her good friend, who will somehow save him from disaster. Especially when all suspicions of the aforementioned murder would be directed at Magdalena. The truth would prove otherwise, but she would be the focal centre nevertheless.
"Das Untier von Aachen" brings alive a well-known, albeit rather local, saga and puts the city of Aachen once more in the spotlight. I've been there only once, but there's still so much more to discover. While the historical factor is important (it's about a saga, after all), it shows that (unanswered) love can blind ("All that glitters is not gold") and, with jealousy, turn people into vile creatures who would do anything to achieve certain goals: from betrayal to crime. But who really wins from such a behaviour? Especially when karma would do its work.
Another recommended read by Günter Krieger show less
I got this book from my sister, back in eh... 1994, I reckon. Not sure anymore. Anyway, at the time I was a massive Metallica fan, they were my Metal gods, so to speak. And so it was interesting to read about their career until the early 1990s. Yes, this book came out a few years before the band changed their image and style that lead to Load and Reload.
The book has glossy pages, lots of very beautiful photos and well-written stories. Recommended for any 'tallica fan, without question!
The book has glossy pages, lots of very beautiful photos and well-written stories. Recommended for any 'tallica fan, without question!
A wonderful, free short story (link) for children, but for adults as well.
Grandmother has died, but the casket has disappeared the day before the burial. The entire family - with its imperfect relations - comes together, is in shock, even the police have trouble finding out "whodunit". But the culprit did honour her last wishes. ;-)
Not only that, the ending confirms how (un)tight the family ties were.
Grandmother has died, but the casket has disappeared the day before the burial. The entire family - with its imperfect relations - comes together, is in shock, even the police have trouble finding out "whodunit". But the culprit did honour her last wishes. ;-)
Not only that, the ending confirms how (un)tight the family ties were.