Wild Hearts Catamaran 2009

Serge Brussolo

Wolf broke his chain. It is there, short
giant figure on the horizon of the world. He hastens to
an appointment with death fixed for all eternity.

Captured and sold into slavery by Viking raiders, Inga is bought by a strange lady nicknamed "Black Princess". What is the secret of this lonely woman who reigns supreme in a mansion in ruins where it collects disabled children abandoned by their parents? Inga feels that a mystery hangs over the scene. Adolescents whose custody she whispered to some curious stories about a creature that haunt the subways. A murderer who, like the ogre tales, with each new moon would take its toll of flesh. Hiding under the mask of a god barbarian to commit his crimes with impunity? What shenanigans are afoot in the secret dungeon?

Having read and loved The Winds of Winter the same author that I had been in partnership, I had only one desire: to immerse myself in a of his novels. It's been a while since The black princess in my library but it was not about to be read. Finally, the partnership with Livraddict finally gave me the opportunity to get out.

Again, Serge Brussolo takes us to the Viking era. We can find topics such as beliefs, but this book addresses primarily the case of disabled children (born with a disability) and their conditions in society. Indeed, they are most often rejected, thrown to the wolves ... It was a very interesting read and discover. However, it is truly atmosphere that prevails throughout the book that I liked the most. It is both dark and disturbing, sometimes frightening. Moreover, during much of my reading, I wondered if I was not reading a fantasy novel. Indeed, the boundary between reality and fantasy is rather thin. I questioned if there really was a monster in the basement of the castle or a werewolf loose in the plains ... The answers to all my questions were given as and when reading. Some were amazing and others a little less since I expected.

I loved the character of Inga. I had great empathy for her. I was really afraid for her at times. It is rather endearing, full of good intentions towards children gathered by the lady of the castle. It may not be naive, it is even more intelligent. She does not understand everything right away. However, the most fascinating character in the novel is the black princess. We do not know anything about the reasons that led her to collect disabled children, history, ... A character gives us a version that will be contradicted by another, ... Thus, one often wonders who she is really. My feelings against him have been rather changeable. At first I liked him in spite of the mysteries that seemed to surround him, but gradually I found myself hating it. In other words, I found it frankly antipathetic.

I devoured this novel from beginning to end. Pages paraded at breakneck speed because I could not stop until you know the end. This is the second book I read Serge Brussolo and every time I had a great time. I have even more desire to discover his bibliography. Also, if you have suggestions to make, please!