Adrien Tomas
Autore di La geste du sixième royaume
Serie
Opere di Adrien Tomas
Etichette
Informazioni generali
Utenti
Recensioni
'La Geste du Sixième Royaume' is the debut novel of French author Adrien Tomas. It was originally published in 2011 and republished in "pocket" format in 2013. 700 pages of "pocket" or a thick brick. As it tells the tale of a sixth kingdom that is being attacked by a joint-venture of the five others, it's no wonder the book is so thick. Under other circumstances, it would have been split into two or three parts. Not that that is always the better option.
There is a map that depicts the world in which the events take place. The respective kingdoms are - and there is at the back and explanation of each kingdom's characteristics. In clockwise order:
* Evondia
* Sélénir
* Zoroskorya (home of the dwarves, mountainous area)
* Terres de Seï
* Vale (desert)
* Rym
* Plaine de Khara
* and in the middle, covering a large area: the Great Forest or Grande Forêt; the center of attention, almost literally. The forest is home to everything magical and fantastic: Elves, dragons, sylphides, and more.
This fight between good and evil is also one between gods, with a big, ancient tree (le Père, the Father) in the Forest vs l'Autre/le Maître (the Other / the Master) - whom we never get to see, as far as I know - guiding the opponents. Each side has chosen its heroes, so to speak, to help set up defences and apply their talents to fight off the enemies.
The book is divided into four parts:
1) L'Appel (The Calling)
2) Le Rassemblement (The Gathering)
3) La Guerre (The War)
4) La Chute (The Downfall)
Each part also ends with some chronicling, an overview of events that are of influence on the world's happenings.
This story has several similarities with a.o. Dragonlance and 'The Lord of the Rings':
* Hérauts (heralds) (Dragonlance: Heroes of the Lance / LOTR: the Fellowship)
* a chronicler who chronicles every important event (battle, encounter, meeting, death, birth, ...) (Dragonlance: Astinus of Palanthas)
* an influencer who tries to manipulate a king to take decisions that benefit the war, even if said war is of no benefit to this king and his people (LOTR: Wormtongue)
* fantastic creatures and populations (Dragonlance and LOTR also are peopled with such creatures)
* standing up for one's beliefs and convictions, not be swayed by false promises
* magic is of high importance, on both sides
* nature is of crucial importance (as Mr Tomas is a schooled biologist)
The heralds (each having lived a different life prior to their calling: thief, warrior gone trader, warrior gone bard, ...) are provided with a gift, a special power adapted to their characters, to their roles. They hail from various regions and are to convince other peoples (like the dragons) that everyone has to take part in this war, because everyone's lives are at stake. The enemies will stop at nothing to obtain their goal: the eradication of the Great Forest, so that mankind can progress.
The sylphides, a sort of warrior faeries, act as one entity (as each thought, each scent, ... is picked up by all of them). Their population is very large, as they are the Forest's first defenders. The sylphides are also in direct contact with the plants and trees in the Forest.
No matter how heavy and bloody the war is, good vs evil is not always black and white. Some will change sides, for whatever reason. Others will change sides based on false pretences, false promises, by which they exclude themselves from both sides. With severe consequences. Each is also battling with his/her own feelings and emotions. Being chosen is not always a choice and comes with great responsibility.
As push comes to shove, some will see the light, see the error of their ways.As it turns out, the war against the Great Forest was a lure, so that the king of Seï could take the rest of his army - the group that didn't take part in the war, that didn't join forces with Evondia, Rym, Sélénir, ... - to expand his kingdom. Or, as Brain from Pinky and the Brain would say: try to take over the world! Luckily, one attentive king - who didn't really have much power as a neighbour and vassal - saw through the smokescreen and took out the power-hungry king; not in a fight, but by poising the other's drink during a friendly meeting in which the other explained his plans of world-domination.
It wouldn't be a good story if there wasn't an "all's well that ends well". There is, sort of. But both parties have suffered a great deal with many losses. And yes, for some the saying 'what goes around, comes around' applies. When all is done, a new cycle begins.
----------
'La Geste du Sixième Royaume' - la? Well, yes, see L'Internaute: une geste = a cycle of poems telling the tale of a hero's adventures (in this case, several heroes, eh, heralds) - is not only a thick brick, it's also a dense story. There are no chapters, but the focus shifts between the various characters (primary or secondary). It is therefore important to remain focused, although some aspects get repeated if you forgot who's who.
As someone else here wrote: there are many characters. And that's what is really missing: a who's who. An overview of the various characters and their roles. If there is an explanation of the various kingdoms, then adding a characters list would have taken a few extra pages.
However, Adrien Tomas wrote the story like a page-turner. Of course there are slower passages, which under other circumstances would have been truncated or cut out, but they allow the reader to be more immersed and experience (or imagine) what is going on.
That's also, in my opinion, one of the story's messages: magic and imagination are important in life, in all life. It's the stuff that makes things happen, that makes people do great things, together or alone. Nature is of vital importance for everyone. It's the basis of life and provides for everyone, not only produce, but also tranquillity, inspiration, ...
'La Geste du Sixième Royaume' is also about respect, respect for life, respect for one another. It's a book with a message that's more pertinent than ever, especially in the light of the last elections: the rise of far-right, nature losing ground (currently: forest fires in Africa, Brazil, ...) because of man's greed and hunger for "progress".
Heavily recommended reading! (don't worry, there's also a larger hardback of the book)… (altro)
There is a map that depicts the world in which the events take place. The respective kingdoms are - and there is at the back and explanation of each kingdom's characteristics. In clockwise order:
* Evondia
* Sélénir
* Zoroskorya (home of the dwarves, mountainous area)
* Terres de Seï
* Vale (desert)
* Rym
* Plaine de Khara
* and in the middle, covering a large area: the Great Forest or Grande Forêt; the center of attention, almost literally. The forest is home to everything magical and fantastic: Elves, dragons, sylphides, and more.
This fight between good and evil is also one between gods, with a big, ancient tree (le Père, the Father) in the Forest vs l'Autre/le Maître (the Other / the Master) - whom we never get to see, as far as I know - guiding the opponents. Each side has chosen its heroes, so to speak, to help set up defences and apply their talents to fight off the enemies.
The book is divided into four parts:
1) L'Appel (The Calling)
2) Le Rassemblement (The Gathering)
3) La Guerre (The War)
4) La Chute (The Downfall)
Each part also ends with some chronicling, an overview of events that are of influence on the world's happenings.
This story has several similarities with a.o. Dragonlance and 'The Lord of the Rings':
* Hérauts (heralds) (Dragonlance: Heroes of the Lance / LOTR: the Fellowship)
* a chronicler who chronicles every important event (battle, encounter, meeting, death, birth, ...) (Dragonlance: Astinus of Palanthas)
* an influencer who tries to manipulate a king to take decisions that benefit the war, even if said war is of no benefit to this king and his people (LOTR: Wormtongue)
* fantastic creatures and populations (Dragonlance and LOTR also are peopled with such creatures)
* standing up for one's beliefs and convictions, not be swayed by false promises
* magic is of high importance, on both sides
* nature is of crucial importance (as Mr Tomas is a schooled biologist)
The heralds (each having lived a different life prior to their calling: thief, warrior gone trader, warrior gone bard, ...) are provided with a gift, a special power adapted to their characters, to their roles. They hail from various regions and are to convince other peoples (like the dragons) that everyone has to take part in this war, because everyone's lives are at stake. The enemies will stop at nothing to obtain their goal: the eradication of the Great Forest, so that mankind can progress.
The sylphides, a sort of warrior faeries, act as one entity (as each thought, each scent, ... is picked up by all of them). Their population is very large, as they are the Forest's first defenders. The sylphides are also in direct contact with the plants and trees in the Forest.
No matter how heavy and bloody the war is, good vs evil is not always black and white. Some will change sides, for whatever reason. Others will change sides based on false pretences, false promises, by which they exclude themselves from both sides. With severe consequences. Each is also battling with his/her own feelings and emotions. Being chosen is not always a choice and comes with great responsibility.
As push comes to shove, some will see the light, see the error of their ways.
It wouldn't be a good story if there wasn't an "all's well that ends well". There is, sort of. But both parties have suffered a great deal with many losses. And yes, for some the saying 'what goes around, comes around' applies. When all is done, a new cycle begins.
----------
'La Geste du Sixième Royaume' - la? Well, yes, see L'Internaute: une geste = a cycle of poems telling the tale of a hero's adventures (in this case, several heroes, eh, heralds) - is not only a thick brick, it's also a dense story. There are no chapters, but the focus shifts between the various characters (primary or secondary). It is therefore important to remain focused, although some aspects get repeated if you forgot who's who.
As someone else here wrote: there are many characters. And that's what is really missing: a who's who. An overview of the various characters and their roles. If there is an explanation of the various kingdoms, then adding a characters list would have taken a few extra pages.
However, Adrien Tomas wrote the story like a page-turner. Of course there are slower passages, which under other circumstances would have been truncated or cut out, but they allow the reader to be more immersed and experience (or imagine) what is going on.
That's also, in my opinion, one of the story's messages: magic and imagination are important in life, in all life. It's the stuff that makes things happen, that makes people do great things, together or alone. Nature is of vital importance for everyone. It's the basis of life and provides for everyone, not only produce, but also tranquillity, inspiration, ...
'La Geste du Sixième Royaume' is also about respect, respect for life, respect for one another. It's a book with a message that's more pertinent than ever, especially in the light of the last elections: the rise of far-right, nature losing ground (currently: forest fires in Africa, Brazil, ...) because of man's greed and hunger for "progress".
Heavily recommended reading! (don't worry, there's also a larger hardback of the book)… (altro)
Liste
Premi e riconoscimenti
Statistiche
- Opere
- 13
- Utenti
- 46
- Popolarità
- #335,831
- Voto
- 3.6
- Recensioni
- 2
- ISBN
- 18
- Lingue
- 1
- Preferito da
- 1
That's where the veneurs (French for huntsmen; CNRTL.fr) come in:
* Aidan Malcolm Arlington (former journalist)
* Jonas Jorgensen (master of the forge for the silver bullets)
* William "Billy" Winters (the youngest one, sometimes a little too naive)
* Wilhelm Friedrich Würm (a German huntsman who already hunted down the werewolves on European soil; also responsible for the group's finances)
* Evangeline (responsible for the pack of dogs, as a trainer, not a caretaker; she's also the only black person, speaks very little; her being silent does have a reason, as the saying goes: Still waters run deep.)
* Waukahee Oowesha (a redskin, Native American, whose people were brutally taken out; to avenge their deaths and also take down the Lady of the Wolves - same goal as the huntsmen - she decides to join the group, though that doesn't go as smoothly as hoped/expected)
* Jack (fierce and authoritative leader, though he does rely on Würm's advice now and then).
All these people were forced, by their own initiative or because they experienced the atrocities of the wendigos first-hand, to become a veneur. However, one does not simply become a veneur by choice: one must prove one's worth and skills. Can you handle a weapon? Are you a good shot? Are you precise? Do you think for the group? When hunting down wendigos, it's of the essence to "be quick of be dead" (any link with this Iron Maiden song is purely coincidental ;-)).
The only one not accustomed to using revolvers or firearms in general is Waukahee Ooweesha, as she's been using bow and arrows (with silver heads) for years. She's as good with her weapons as the veneurs are with their firearms. However, she too possesses the skills to melt and remelt the silver in order to reuse the heads or bullets. As silver is a precious element and a huntsman can't carry truckloads of bullets with him/her, taking back the bullets from the corpses is key before undertaking the next hunt.
Each character has his/her own chapter, but you'll only understand the story if you read it in the right order: from the first page to the last, as each new chapter continues where the other left off (
At the end, there's an extract from the Archives of the Würm domain, explaining who the Lady of the Wolves originally was and how she became the Lady of the Wolves. Throw in a bit of Circe, and Romulus and Remus (for the founding of Rome), and you've got an attractive bit of background story in your hands here.
Although you are instantly thrown into the story, the little lack of build-up or world-building is actually not a flaw, even if a few tens or hundreds (?) of pages to amend that would be welcome; or perhaps another such book, but focusing on the hunters' experiences in Europe, prior to the events in North-America. Nevertheless, this is an exciting, western-influenced quest, topped with a bit of horror, taking place near the west coast of North-America in 1868, a period in which racism was not yet abolished and women needed to stand their ground to be respected for whom they are (as shown in the characters of Evangeline and Waukahee); something that is still the case today. The dense forests, the cold winter nights, ... all help create the perfect, eerie scenery for this kind of story, not to mention the tension between the various hunters, when they (and mainly Jack) can finally end their decade-long quest/mission.
If you're unfamiliar with Adrien Tomas's writing and want to start with something small, then 'Notre-Dame des Loups' is an ideal starting point.
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What I previously read by Adrien Tomas:
* [b:Trolls et Légendes - L'Anthologie Officielle|25301813|Trolls et Légendes - L'Anthologie Officielle|Valérie Frances|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1428245862l/25301813._SX50_.jpg|45029808] (my review)
* [b:Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|29848394|Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|Jean-Claude Vantroyen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1460013912l/29848394._SY75_.jpg|50209665] (my review)
* [b:Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017|35004321|Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017|Stéphanie Nicot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493381757l/35004321._SY75_.jpg|56282674] (my review)
* [b:Créatures - Anthologie des Imaginales 2018|40131137|Créatures - Anthologie des Imaginales 2018|Stéphanie Nicot|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526470147l/40131137._SY75_.jpg|62247823] (my review)
* [b:La Geste du Sixième Royaume|19201656|La Geste du Sixième Royaume|Adrien Tomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386232857l/19201656._SY75_.jpg|17790125] (my review)… (altro)