Date de parution : 13 avril 2014.
Auteur : Chris Beckett.
Editeur : Broadway Books (VO).
Pages : 400.
On the alien, sunless planet they call Eden, the 532 members of the Family take shelter beneath the light and warmth of the Forest’s lantern trees. Beyond the Forest lie the mountains of the Snowy Dark and a cold so bitter and a night so profound that no man has ever crossed it.
The Oldest among the Family recount legends of a world where light came from the sky, where men and women made boats that could cross the stars. These ships brought us here, the Oldest say—and the Family must only wait for the travelers to return.
But young John Redlantern will break the laws of Eden, shatter the Family and change history. He will abandon the old ways, venture into the Dark…and discover the truth about their world.
Already remarkably acclaimed in the United Kingdom, Dark Eden is science fiction as literature: part parable, part powerful coming-of-age story, set in a truly original alien world of dark, sinister beauty and rendered in prose that is at once strikingly simple and stunningly inventive.
Tout d’abord, je remercie NetGalley et Broadway Books pour cette lecture. J’étais curieuse de découvrir ce roman de science-fiction, que je recommanderais davantage à des adultes, notamment à cause du langage sophistiqué qui y est employé. Pour faire simple, tout tourne autour d’une nouvelle société qui nous est inconnue, à savoir des aliens.
D’ailleurs, je pensais que ces aliens allaient être très différents de nous mais ce n’est pas vraiment le cas. On fait la connaissance de John, que je qualifierais d’ambitieux et d’insatiable. En effet, John ne cesse de questionnaire son monde et, contrairement à sa société, il ne compte pas attendre que l’on vienne le chercher.
Ainsi, on suit une trame plutôt basique : des personnages courageux, ayant le destin de leur société entre leurs mains, vont aller contre le conservatisme de la société en se rendant en territoires inconnus. Jusqu’alors, leur univers est construit sur des légendes, mais cela ne leur suffit pas. Au cours de l’histoire, ils vont dévoiler certains mystères. J’ai parfois été surprise, mais j’en attendais un peu plus, notamment sur la fin.
J’ai apprécié découvrir ce monde à la fois différent et inquiétant. On assiste au développement d’une société. Sur ce point, je peux garantir que les éléments sont riches, on ne peut pas se plaindre. Mais il ne va pas sans dire que certaines coutumes nous surprennent parfois…
De fait, dans cet univers, les sentiments ne sont pas vraiment les mêmes : si les femmes, notamment Tina, couchent à droite et à gauche – et tant qu’à faire, avec notre beau personnage principal – cela n’offusque personne. Alors, même si je veux bien accepter que c’est un monde à part, certains personnages auraient mérité d’être développés pour que l’on comprenne un peu mieux. Sinon, c’est difficile de s’y identifier.
– English review :
[spoiler] Thank you to NetGalley and Broadway Books for this reading. I was curious to discover this science fiction novel. I would recommend it more to adults, especially because of the sophisticated language. Basically, everything revolves around a new society that is unknown to us : there are aliens.
Besides, I thought that these aliens would be very different from us, but that’s not really the case. We met John, I would describe him like an ambitious and insatiable man. Indeed, John wants to know his world and, on contrary to his society, it doesn’t want waiting for until we pick him.
Thus, the story follows a rather basic frame: courageous characters, having the fate of their society in their hands, will go against the conservatism of their world by traveling to unknown territories. Until then, their world is built on legends, but this is not enough for them.
I enjoyed discovering this different and disturbing world. We are witnessing the development of a society. On this point, I can guarantee that the elements are rich, you can’t complain. But it’s not going to say that certain customs surprise us sometimes …
In fact, in this universe, the feelings are not really the same: women, including Tina, sleep with a lot of characters – and for that matter, with our beautiful main character. This offends anyone. So even if I accept that this is a world apart, some characters deserved to be developed to our understanding. Otherwise, it is difficult to identify with it.
In short, it’s an enjoyable read which I do not, however, keep great memory. If language is curious and if the society is very original, I haven’t hooked to the characters and their adventures. In normal times, it’s not really the kind of story I like, but the concept is still interesting… [/spoiler]
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