Tag: fiction

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Novels

The novel « Que notre joie demeure », by Kevin Lambert.

The novel "Que notre joie demeure" by Kevin Lambert.
The novel “Que notre joie demeure” by Kevin Lambert.

Kevin Lambert’s novel “Que notre joie demeure” caused a stir when it was published. While writing the book, the author allegedly consulted people to ensure that they would not be offended by the book’s content. Some saw this as a desire to be politically correct towards the various interest groups represented in the story.

Once the crisis has passed and the criticisms have been addressed, I must emphasize the excellence of the plot and the skill with which the writer transports us into the salons of the upper middle classes. The novel won the Prix Médicis 2023.

Through the open windows of a luxurious Montreal estate, we breeze into the world of the well-to-do and witness the attitudes, conversations and intrigues taking place throughout this social evening, where a renowned architect plays the starring role.

We take part in the life and story of this famous woman, who is planning the construction of a huge building in a less affluent part of Montreal. Where does she come from and how did she acquire her letters of nobility? How is a woman regarded in the architectural world, and what pitfalls does she still have to face to preserve her reputation in a male-dominated environment?

The story is a skilful presentation of the constraints faced by creators in Quebec, and especially in Montreal, when it comes to architecture. The new building will encroach on spaces long adopted by the less well-off. What role does information play, and how are pressure groups organizing to try and thwart the project in progress? What excesses can we expect?

The main character is going through a media storm at a time in her life when she’s approaching a well-deserved retirement. How does she see her contribution and how does she adjust, if at all?

The author maintains our interest from beginning to end, adopting a literary style that favors immersion. He also uses the feminine gender whenever possible.

Happy reading!

Click on the link for other novels on my blog.

Title: Let Our Joy Remain

Author: Kevin Lambert

Publisher: Héliotrope

© 2022

ISBN : 9 782 898 220 876

Categories
Graphic novels and comics

Graphic novel: “L’expert”.

The graphic novel "L'expert" by Jennifer Daniel.
The graphic novel “L’expert” by Jennifer Daniel.

The story takes place in 1977 in West Germany. A road accident that claims the lives of a woman and her child attracts the attention of a morgue employee, a man with high standards of professionalism and who is well regarded by his general manager.

This employee is Monsieur Martin, a former soldier who once fought in the Second World War and for whom the word “responsibility” weighs heavily in his existence as an older man. He conducts his own investigation, and naturally upsets people in high positions who have decided to look the other way to preserve their reputations.

Such a theme will always be relevant, as it affects not only German society but all nations across the planet, where individuals who have the most to lose in a given situation choose to disregard their obligations, despite the injustices.

The graphic novel “L’expert”  is very well done. I like the drawings, the scenario, the choice of colours, the period and the location where the story takes place. The Germans must certainly have appreciated its publication in 2022.

Click on the link for more graphic novels in my blog.

Title: The Expert (original German version as “Das Gutachten”)

Author: Jennifer Daniel

Publisher: Casterman, ©2024 for the French translation. Original German edition Carlsen Verlag GmbH, © 2022.

ISBN: 978-2-203-28080-9

Categories
Graphic novels and comics

Brüsel

Cover of the "Brüsel" comic book
Cover of the “Brüsel” comic book

Brüsel will delight fans of well-crafted comics. There’s everything in this book: top-quality graphics, attention to detail, an overflowing imagination on the part of the authors, a little humor and sensuality, a touch of cynicism.

We find ourselves with familiar themes, but developed backwards from common sense to pique the reader’s curiosity. Society will be saved by the advent of plastics, a veritable revolution. And we’ll finally be able to get rid of the plants we have to look after, which wither away and constantly need a little water.

The authors also take an original approach to the deterioration of hospital care. The script shows us a patient who is always promised incredible treatments by a doctor whose reputation is beyond reproach. However, no intelligent action is taken, and the patient gradually recovers from the lack of treatment.

The hero of the story and an employee he meets by chance form an unconventional duo and take us into the twists and turns of a city in the making that a megalomaniac is designing without consulting the citizens.

The few people appointed to obey the wishes of a single man walk around with scaled-down buildings under their arms and place here and there the skyscrapers of the future city. It’s all decided behind closed doors and in the interests of a few, as sometimes happens in city planning.

In short, if you’re looking for a story and graphics out of the ordinary to escape from déjà vu, this is the comic for you.

Click on the link for more graphic novels and comics on my blog.

Title : Brüsel

Authors : Schuiten-Peeters

© Casterman, 2023

ISBN : 978-2-203-27639-0

Categories
Graphic novels and comics

Comics : 13h17 dans la vie de Jonathan Lassiter

The comics " 13h17 dans la vie de Jonathan Lassiter".
The comics ” 13h17 dans la vie de Jonathan Lassiter”.

“When you’ve got nothing left to lose, you can take all the risks…”. This is the sentence [translated] on the back of the comic strip “13 h 17 dans la vie de Jonathan Lassiter” (13:17 in the life of Jonathan Lassiter), which best sums up this French-language work published in 2023.

Jonathan Lassiter works as an insurance agent in Keanway, a small, remote town in Nebraska. Overnight, his wife leaves him, he loses his job and his wallet is stolen. In short, his life suddenly takes an unexpected turn. He has two choices: either he feels sorry for himself, or he changes. His chance encounter with Edward, a “distinguished, cultured and cynical” man, forces him to take a stand.

It was the quality of the graphics that caught my eye. This isn’t one of those publications where you wonder whether the design can be done in a month, and which pretends to be original through the absence of detail, and therefore of work. A great deal of effort went into this album, and it shows at first glance.

Back cover of the comic strip "13h17 dans la vie de Jonathan Lassiter".
Back cover of the comic strip “13h17 dans la vie de Jonathan Lassiter”.

It’s got it all: the judicious choice of angles, the refined, masterful drawing, the skilful maintenance of atmosphere through well-dosed, under-saturated colors, the well-crafted script. This comic strip keeps the reader’s interest from start to finish, with no downtime. 

The main character reminded me of the famous actor Vincent Price.

Vincent Price
Vincent Price

Click on the link for other graphic novels and comics on my blog.

Title: 13 h 17 dans la vie de Jonathan Lassiter

Author : Éric Stalner

© 2023 Bamboo Edition

ISBN : 978-2-8189-9880-9

Categories
Graphic novels and comics

Lovecraft’s works: Les montagnes hallucinées.

Cover page of the manga "Les montagnes hallucinées", by Gou Tanabe.
Cover page of the manga “Les montagnes hallucinées”, by Gou Tanabe.

Gou Tanabe presents H.P. Lovecraft’s masterpiece “Les montagnes hallucinées” (the French version of “At the Mountains of Madness”) as a two-volume manga. Leafing through Lovecraft is in itself a journey into the strange, but to do so by starting at the end of a book and reading from right to left adds to the weirdness of the experience.

This transposition of Lovecraft into manga is a success. And the statistics prove it. The 382 reviews left on Amazon show clear customer satisfaction, with a total of 4.9/5 stars at the time of writing.

I normally prefer color comics and graphic novels, but the black-and-white interpretation of Lovecraft’s work is a perfect match for the fantasy world into which Tanabe plunges us.

A page from the manga "Les montagnes hallucinées" from Lovecraft, by Gou Tanabe.
A page from the manga “Les montagnes hallucinées” from Lovecraft, by Gou Tanabe.

Lovecraft makes a phantasmagorical work credible by integrating a well-balanced mix of real and fictional elements into the plot. Unless you’re an archaeologist and paleontologist yourself, it’s hard to tell which data really belong to science. This helps to frame the reader. You recognize moments of pure imagination, but you’re still hooked.

I put myself in the shoes of someone who lived in Lovecraft’s time, when Antarctica was still a mysterious continent, unexplored in its entirety. A story filled with elements of fiction would gain in credibility, while no one could really confirm or deny some of the author’s statements.

A page from the graphic novel "Les montagnes hallucinées".
A page from the graphic novel “Les montagnes hallucinées”.

In “Les montagnes hallucinées”, we read about sailing, aviation, extreme weather and survival in icy, isolated spaces. Readers witness the problems experienced by the various crews exploring Antarctica. The scientists’ increasingly startling discoveries force them to make risky decisions that plunge them into an unknown world. In short, themes that still appeal to most people today.

The two volumes total around 650 pages, which can be flipped through with interest in a single day, since many plates include no text at all.

Click on the link for more graphic novels and comics on my blog.

Title: Lovecraft’s Masterpieces – Les montagnes hallucinées tomes 1 and 2.

Author: Gou Tanabe

TANABE Gou, 2017. Printed in Italy August 2022.

ISBN: 979-10-327-0398-4

Graphic adaptation: Clair Obscur

Translation: Sylvain Chollet

Categories
Graphic novels and comics

Blake and Mortimer in painting.

Blake and Mortimer "La vallée des immortels tome 1" final version of my 24x36 acrylic painting.
Blake and Mortimer “La vallée des immortels tome 1” final version of my 24×36 acrylic painting.

I finally completed the final stage of the 24″ x 36″ canvas of Blake and Mortimer ,  “The Valley of the Immortals, Volume 1”. I had hoped to finish the whole thing before the summer, but other more pressing obligations disrupted the planned schedule.

The whole project will have taken around 200 hours and required the creation of some 130 colors in an attempt to imitate the album, at least in part.

I deliberately lightened the original work, especially the left-hand side, as I hang the painting on a wall and found the scene far too dark. My version respects the idea of chiaroscuro while adding a little light. Painting the canvas yourself also lets you play with the different shades of the bricks on the left-hand wall.

Painting of Blake and Mortimer : la vallée des immortels.
Painting of Blake and Mortimer : la vallée des immortels.

For the progression of the various stages over the past year, click on the link to the graphic novels and comics on my blog. There are several publications in that section, but you’ll get there gradually.