Critiques et Commentaires

A fast-paced trip in the dyke San Francisco of the early 90ies that reminded me of my early 20ies in Paris: frienships, drama, sex and too much alcohol in the usual dyke hang-outs (they're all closed now, so maybe it's just a bit of nostalgia). All in all a fun read.

It's not just that the title of this anthology is genius, these are stories of ghosts, encounters, lost lands, resistance and connexion, and they are heartbreaking in a million ways.

Hilarious and frantic, this book grabs you and seem to take you nowhere -- or at least, no further than the East Village, but then, right at the end, the author unties all the threads he had playfully tangled all along, and leaves you breathless and content.

Des journalistes, des marchands d'art, des vieilles et des vieux rebelles, un secret, quelques mystères, et un roman bien fichu pour parler de la place de la femme dans l'art.

Always enchanting, the Singing Hills novellas are little gems of storytelling, you want to read them all quickly and make them last as long as possible at the same time.

Un court essai à l'écriture percutante et drôle, qui remet une pièce dans la machine de l'interprétation des contes pour enfants.

A fun and original take on magic, and the politics and plot are interesting. I don't know if it was the world-building or me, but I was a bit confused at times. A good read nevertheless!

I enjoyed a lot this classic and convoluted mystery, set in a magical empire that has enough weirdness to grab you from the start. Many authors try a bit too hard to be light or funny, it feels effortless here. All in all, a very enjoyable book.

Un roman court et sinueux où l'auteur convoque à nouveau son père, la vérité, celle que l'on se dit, celle que l'on raconte et l'écriture. J'ai eu envie de me replonger dans ses romans après avoir écouté cette émission de France Culture : www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/serie-sorj-chalandon-le-juste-et-le-vrai Il y parle, comme dans ce roman, de trouver le mot adéquat, le mot juste, et c'est passionnant.

Un court roman, percutant comme un coup de fusil, plein de ces choses qu'on sait peut-être déjà mais qui font du bien de voir écrites comme ça.

This is an ode to books, the power and poetry of words and stories, and it's gorgeously written, without pretention, in a way that takes the reader seriously and transports them instantly into the maze of the author's imagination. The world created isn't a typical western-middle-age fantasy world, it's strongly influenced by south asia, and north and east africa. If you're longing for something poetic and vivid, it's a rewarding read.

It feels like the author took his dream RPG and wrote it as a novel. There's magic, and of course, dwarfs and half-elves, wizards who need to sleep to recuperate all their capabilities, small side-quests leading to the big one, an engaging heroin and queer flavours added here and there. All in all, not revolutionary, but entertaining.

Un roman en forme de WTF frénétique, improbable, brillant, traversé d'un humour subtil, sans doute moins accessible que les autres romans de l'autrice.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but the mix of classic space opera and magic was weird. There were fun moments, some action and a few relatable characters, but the worldbuilding was lacking (when you can't say for sure if a place is a planet or a city at the end of a book, maybe something is missing). Some characters were flat, and it also felt like there were discrepancies, notably with the vilain(s), their goal and motivation.