Read to live
The news this week centred on the National Days of Action against Illiteracy… A good opportunity to remind ourselves that the best way to expand one’s vocabulary, to stimulate one’s imagination and, above all, to continue thinking for oneself, is still to lose oneself in a book. For young people, all you need to do is dip into the vast array of novels by Franck Lopez, who is releasing a new book this literary season. For adults, we have selected the first volume of a novel written in a style that falls within the fantasy genre.
‘Read to live,’ wrote Gustave Flaubert. An invitation that is perhaps even more relevant today in the age of artificial intelligence, whose emergence in the publishing world is already fuelling debate, particularly regarding the role it may – or may not – play in writing.
‘Irma, Aquila’s Story’ by Franck Lopez
Nine years on… Irma is still fresh in people’s minds, and particularly in Franck Lopez’s. In this new novel, the author revisits one of the most significant episodes in the recent history of Saint Martin. But rather than recounting the hurricane once again through statistics, damage reports or images of devastation, he chooses to bring it to life from a child’s perspective.
Irma is thus revealed through Aquila’s eyes and experiences. The fear, the waiting, the howling wind, and then the discovery of an island in turmoil take on a whole new dimension when recounted in language accessible to the youngest readers. It is a way of passing on the memory of this event to a generation that was sometimes too young to remember it, or had not yet been born.
Behind the narrative lies the story of a region that had to pick itself up, rebuild and find its bearings once more. Without glossing over the violence of the event, Franck Lopez chooses a writing style suited to young readers, which allows this painful chapter to be addressed without making it inaccessible.
A long-time teacher in Saint-Martin, Franck Lopez has published numerous novels, many of which are aimed at young people. With this new release, he returns once again to the island and to a memory that remains very much alive among those who lived through the cyclone.
Published by Nèg Mawon. €12.90.
‘The Angel’s Last War: The Amerine of Ozré’ by Chantal Rainouard
Due to be published on 29 September, *L’Amérine d’Ozré*, the first volume of *The Angel’s Last War*, takes the reader to Pyris, a refuge planet created by the Eternal One, where a silent threat is taking shape. In the shadows, Sayath is extending his influence, corrupting both men and creatures. Standing against him, Helmori, guardian of ancient knowledge; Garadas, a young, innocent soul; and Aatsu-bala, a doctor in search of truth, discover that their destinies are linked to a prophecy capable of upsetting the balance of the world. An intriguing epic on the fringes of the sacred, power and destiny, where ancient mysteries, the struggle against evil and the quest for truth intertwine as the adventure unfolds.
Chantal Rainouard crafts tales steeped in legends, ancient mysteries and epic tales. Drawing on the Caribbean, Europe and other horizons explored during her travels, she draws upon landscapes, myths and atmospheres that become the living fabric of her fictional universe. Her writing, driven by a taste for mystery and adventure, opens the doors to worlds where the unknown constantly challenges the imagination.
Based in Saint Martin, Chantal Rainouard’s *L’Amérine d’Ozré* is the first volume in a fantasy saga in which each character must find their place in the face of a threat that transcends their own destiny.
Published by Le Lys Bleu. €29. Available online: https://www.lysbleueditions.com
