Estelle Faye

Un reflet de lune' (rough translation: A moon reflection) is Ms Faye's latest offering. The story is set in the same universe/world as Un éclat de givre, but can be read independently. So, you don't have to have read the first book. As I haven't read it, I can assure you... you must have read 'Un éclat de givre', or rather, I strongly recommend that you do before you tackle this new one, 'Un Reflet de lune'. Then again, both stories are indeed completely independent, but it's the characters who are the same.

So, what's 'A moon reflection' about? It takes place in Paris, like the first book, in a post-apocalyptic setting. The city is being drowned by heavy rainfall, which makes the river Seine flow over, causing floods.

Main character Chet (based on Chet Baker or not, I'll leave that in the middle) is a jazz singer, known as Thaïs, and has his personal pianist, Damien. When Chet transforms into Thaïs, he dresses up, gets his heels on, make-up, ... the lot, in short.

Chet is not a hero as we usually depict them, rather an anti-hero. Somehow, at some point, someone (close to Chet) created doubles based on him. These doubles wreak havoc, commit crimes, and what have you. Chet is totally unaware of this at first, until some of his friends start wondering and ask him related questions. At some point, he has no other choice but to try to investigate who's behind all this and why he was chosen as reference character for those doubles.

In this new book we learn more about Chet, about his way of living, about the people he meets, the friends he has, the relationships he has (Chet like men ánd women, he's very free-spirited here), and not in the least, the city he lives in: Paris. Chet's walks, wanderings, escapes, investigations, ... take us to the Sorbonne, Trocadéro and surroundings. Everything takes place around or near the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, ... That area of Paris. (personal note: I haven't seen much of Paris before, except the Château de Fontainebleau, Dôme des Invalides, the Musée de l'armée, ... back in the summer of 2019 and only during a short stay. Paris is expensive, but has a certain charm, which makes me want to go back and "explore" some more)

Of course, Chet is not alone, more like caught between two fires, if I managed to get the gist: the Mareyeurs (Fishmongers) and the Fils de Noé (Sons of Noah). Oh wait... Did Estelle Faye use the flood myth to depict a flooded Paris and go from there for the rest of the story?

I'll cut to the chase here. Despite a few scenes in the book and especially in the last 50 pages, the story went completely over my head, as not everything was explained or cleared up. Maybe the current situation (Corona and political decisions) (also) had an impact on my concentration, I can't tell for sure.

Chet's experiences are written from his point-of-view, the first person. That's fine in itself, as this creates the feeling that the character is personally telling his story to you, the reader. The way the story was written for 'Un Reflet de lune' created the impression I was reading more about Chet's behaviour, emotions, thoughts, the clothes he wears, than about the intrigue and unravelling the mystery. As if the intrigue was subordinate to presenting Chet and making everything revolve around him: Chet being a bit too self-centred, I would say. This made it difficult to imagine and sympathise with the other characters, be they on Chet's side or his opponents', and thus put the pieces together.

I'll repeat what I wrote in the beginning: I strongly recommend that you first read 'Un Éclat de givre' before you read 'Un Reflet de lune', if only to learn more about Chet and understand his ties with Damien, Gabriel, François-Alexandre (Faxe), and others. Obviously, it would also help to have a better understanding of the setting. Unfortunately, I haven't read the first book, which undeniably has influenced my reading experience.

'Un Reflet de lune', while not a perfect story (even on its own), shows Mrs Faye's love for this city through the eyes and behaviour of Chet aka Thaïs. The style is quite poetic, but allows for a smooth read, especially if you master the language sufficiently. Nevertheless, the story is a bit too character-centred, drowning the real adventure, the real mystery.

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My experience with Estelle Faye's writings was so far limited to a number of short stories and one novel:

* Trolls et Légendes - L'Anthologie Officielle (my review)
* Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016 (my review)
* Utopiales 2016 (my review)
* Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017 (my review)
* Utopiales 2017 (my review)
* Créatures, anthologie des Imaginales 2018 (my review)
* Natures - Anthologie des Imaginales 2019 (my review)
* Les Seigneurs de Bohen (my review)

On my TBR-pile:
* No(s) Futur

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I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (altro)

Talk about a heavy tome: 592 pages of dense, French writing. Despite my French having improved a lot over the last few years, I still don't slide through texts like this one.

Either way, I'm glad I finally read one of Mrs Faye's novels, for a change. My previous reads were short-stories, as you can see via the following links:
* here ([b:Trolls et Légendes - L'Anthologie Officielle|25301813|Trolls et Légendes - L'Anthologie Officielle|Valérie Frances|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1428245862s/25301813.jpg|45029808])
* here ([b:Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|29848394|Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|Jean-Claude Vantroyen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460013912s/29848394.jpg|50209665])
* here ([b:Utopiales 2016|32655423|Utopiales 2016|Gérard Klein|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476695805s/32655423.jpg|53228504])
* here ([b:Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017|35004321|Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017|Stéphanie Nicot|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493381757s/35004321.jpg|56282674])
* here ([b:Créatures, anthologie des Imaginales 2018|40131137|Créatures, anthologie des Imaginales 2018|Stéphanie Nicot|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526470147s/40131137.jpg|62247823])

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What's this stand-alone (!), epic story about? About the downfall of an empire called Bohen (wordplay on Bohemia?), somewhere in Eastern Europe, judging by the certain names and products: Katow-Ser (Katowice?), Denepr (Djnepr river?), kvas (alcoholic drink), ...

The empire of Bohen is one of the richest and greatest out there, thanks to the metal lirium (resources are always crucial in an empire's richness, be it oil, minerals, ...). However, its population isn't that satisfied with how politics run this empire. At several places, protests and rebellion break out, not in the least via an army of mercenaries, led by Sorenz, a fierce warrior who needs no body armour when in combat mode, cunning and fast as he is.

Other brave souls are an ordinary clerk (Wenceslas aka Wens), a (powerful) mage called Janosh Schneewitch (whose speech skills were taken from him through the removal of his tongue, as he spoke "unholy" words), Sélène (Janosh's sister, ends up in the monastery after Wens's intervention with Janosh to save her from working in the lirium-mines), Valentyn aka Saint-Étoile (trad.: Holy Star) (a young monk who's urged to flee as the monastery is attacked and burnt down; he will play a key role in the story), and some others.

Saint-Étoile, shortly after his escape, is "taken care of" by a forest-witch, who decides that Valentyn (his former name) will lead a totally new life. She gives him a new face, so to speak, and puts a little daemon in his head: Mord. However, we will never know why she did this, nor who or what Mord is, only that Mord helps and often goes into philosophical discussion with Saint-Étoile).

There's also Maëve, a young sorceress with the power of salt. She's in a relationship with Lantane, a powerful sorceress who tries to keep off the Black Vessels that threaten her people. Her abilities are somewhat similar to the Skill of the rulers in [a:Robin Hobb|25307|Robin Hobb|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1397885202p2/25307.jpg]'s The Farseer Trilogy.

Maëve is the daughter of a famed sailor, who didn't really see his daughter as his successor, despite her desire to be a sailor and lead ships to victory. So she set out into the world to prove him wrong.

The Black Vessels are remnants of the Age of the Wurms, dragon-like creatures, or rather, a ruling class that dressed up like dragons and kept the population under control. At some point, they were so into their little "game", they tried to become dragon-like creatures, even attempted to run some experiments. The result is those Black Vessels, on which those creatures are doomed to live forever, trapped in a sort of time-bubble, if I understood correctly.

As several forces converge on the powers that be, i.e. the emperor and empress, they also encounter difficulties and are therefore thrown into the dungeons, far enough from the castle, far enough from the masses. Or they have to work in the mines. Still, at some point, the rebellion is too strong, so the guards and armies, who are too few in number, can only be in one place at a time.

Also, on a regular basis, young kids are kidnapped and manipulated to become an army of gullible warriors, whose only goal is to make "the enemies" cross over and see the "Light". Of course, even if you agree to convert, you'll end up dead anyway.

The empire has, ultimately, fallen. The rebellion could not be stopped, certainly not when creatures like golems and ghouls took part in the various battles. The rulers have stepped down, a new order will be put in place to restore the economy, especially with the various ports, and daily life in general.

As I wrote above, this is a dense novel. There are many characters, primary and secondary. There's no list of who's who, unlike in e.g. the books of [a:Joe Abercrombie|276660|Joe Abercrombie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1421267339p2/276660.jpg], with whose works this book is compared. 'Les Seigneurs de Bohen' is also compared to [a:Glen Cook|13026|Glen Cook|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207159752p2/13026.jpg]'s 'The Black Company', but I haven't read those books. I can understand the why of the comparison, but Abercrombie's books contain more blood and gore and are, in my humble, easier to read.

Mrs Faye leaves a lot of holes, I found, throughout the book. I wondered a lot when some of my questions would be answered, if all pieces of the puzzle would be put together. And indeed, there are some holes filled, mainly in the last 50-100 pages.


* It turns out that Sorenz - who dies in battle, while trying to take control of the mines, but is stopped by Wens and Janosh, who discover only afterwards that they were actually on the same side as Sorenz - is the son of emperor Iaroslav, who at the end of his term, is worn out, tired, almost like King Theoden in 'Lord of the Rings'. He was also exhausted, but for another reason: Wormtongue.
* Valentyn / Saint-Étoile is said to be the last descendent of a notorious, but murdered, Wurm-leader. This he is told by the author of the book 'La Fin des Empires'.


One major question, or two, is still not solved: Who is Mord? And why was he put into Valentyn's head?

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This novel is about the downfall of an empire, as many people want change. A bit like the 'gilet jaunes' of today in France and elsewhere in Europe. See also the climate marshes, for example. These things happen when the same ruler(s) have been occupying this position for too long. If one wants change, by what must the current situation be replaced? Some just want to overthrow a government, an emperor, ... Other have a more detailed plan in mind. The heroes are thus not really heroes, but characters with flaws, each from a different background and upbringing.

All things considered, I found this a good story, but not free from critique: it's dense, you have to take your time to "see" or "understand" what's going on. Like I mentioned earlier, a "who's who" would have been nice. Authors like [a:Stefan Platteau|8182054|Stefan Platteau|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], [a:Pierre Grimbert|602190|Pierre Grimbert|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1363108478p2/602190.jpg], [a:Guy Gavriel Kay|60177|Guy Gavriel Kay|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1218804723p2/60177.jpg], ... have done so previously. But Mrs Faye addresses relevant and contemporary topics in terms of politics, sociology, sexual orientation, ..., which is very good. Add the historical context, for which she's done quite some research (mainly on Bohemia and Moravia in the 12th-13th centuries AD), and it adds that extra touch to the whole.

Meanwhile, a stand-alone sequel has come out: [b:Les Révoltés de Bohen|44444665|Les Révoltés de Bohen|Estelle Faye|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1552754818s/44444665.jpg|69004733]. This story takes place 15 years after the events in 'Les Seigneurs de Bohen'. In other words, it's best to read both books in chronological order. I'm not sure yet if I'll read the sequel, since 'Les Seigneurs' didn't totally captivate me, despite its themes and premise.

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I do have two points of critique, though:

1) So yes, there's a good dose of LGBT : Maëve and Lantane, Maëve and Sascha (leader of a group of smugglers of contraband), Maëve and Sigalis aka Cigale (they'll later live together), Sorenz and Saint-Étoile, ... Nothing against this kind of element in a story, as it can help to make it more accepted, especially in this day and age. However, what bothered me: if one partner is no more, let's move on to a next without even taking the time to "get to know" each other. Or, after each insignificant battle or happening, falling into each other's arms and make love. One can exaggerate, but this is just a wee bit too much of it, in my humble opinion. Not even [a:Becky Chambers|8389735|Becky Chambers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494228249p2/8389735.jpg] went this far in her books. But maybe we have to put things into context: there's a war brewing, an empire to be brought down, ... Circumstances are never cheerful and merrymaking in such a case.

2) My second point of critique involves the map of the empire: it's too small and the middle part is hidden in the fold, where the pages are glued together. Furthermore, I'm not fond of the font of the place names, especially not when these place names are put over the drawing.

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An interesting interview about the book and more can be found at JustAWord.fr.… (altro)