Reviews and Comments

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.

There are a few interesting elements in this classic premise of "a bunch of different people are stuck at the edge of the universe and must save it", and while the worldbuilding and powers at play aren't bad at all, there's just something missing. It isn't badly written either (although writers need to ban the words groaning/grunting forever), but again, it isn't very special. Not sure I'll dig in the second volume.

Je voulais lire un livre qui parle de Paris mais pas de St Germain des Prés et effectivement... Il y a le côté authentique de l'auteur, son maniement de l'argot et le goût de l'expérience vécue. Mais le trash fait aussi un peu épate-bourgeois.

Another little gem of a book that brilliantly plays with the tropes of the haunted house, a small town with too many sins and secrets and the power of stories and dreams. Gothic and lovely at the same time.

Une collection de moments, d'anecdotes et de réflexions personnelles tirée des 8 ans de journalisme politique de l'auteur. S'il n'y a rien de vraiment "croustillant" sur les politiques, l'auteur offre un point de vue intéressant sur ce monde en vase clos, chacun se renvoyant l'ascenseur ou se faisant des petites crasses, loin du quotidien des gens. Ce n'est pas un scoop, et probablement rien ne va changer après ce livre, mais c'est déjà un petit coup de pied dans la fourmilière.

It starts like a whodunnit and wanders off to (almost) horror, revisiting the genre of the haunted place. An entertaining read.

As heartbreaking and enraging as it is beautifully written, it is a must-read to understand the profound changes in the West Bank and occupied territories over the years. It had been on a sort of books-to-check-out list for years, I almost regret that I didn't read it sooner...

I was surprised that it was only the length of a novella, but it's a fun read.