« Fascinating characters from start to finish, a fluid and very inventive style “, commented the writer of Pallasof the Autodafeurs and of Dix. With some 311,000 sales of all titles, the successful novelist encourages her readers to immerse themselves, eyes closed, in Nena Labussière’s first novel. The bar is high.
It is with enthusiasm, therefore, that I begin this thick novel of almost 600 pages, with its white cover and accusing raven, a harbinger of a certain darkness. From the first lines, the Charente bookseller invites us to forget all knowledge of the world to throw ourselves into the heart of the city of Kaalun. But, don’t panic, a map of the territory and an index of the 30 characters are there to guide us: be free to see the sign of a complex and thoughtful universe, or the fear of losing your reader along the way…
Blood of ink, the new black plague
It is difficult for a first work, especially when it belongs to the imagination, to stand out among the 459 novels that are also looking for a place on the shelves of bookstores. Let’s look past the simplicity of the cover (which contrasts with the care usually taken by Rouergue) and tackle the plot, which is reminiscent of one of the darkest episodes of the Middle Ages: the Black Death.
Some similarities are thus observed between reality and fiction. In fact, the author takes us into a medieval fantasy, where the people are severely affected by an illness from which there is no cure. Unlike the so-called “black” plague, here, the sick turn blue. Their skin is covered with cracks and fissures, similar to scales. At the slightest movement, an inky blue liquid flows from the mutilated flesh, giving way to pain on disfigured faces, then to death.
The throne is threatened
The epidemic, of unexplained origin, randomly strikes rich and poor. Thus, Evan Tyr, eldest son of the old King, does not escape this sad fate. But, when his condition worsens, it is the entire future of the kingdom that is threatened. The rumor spreads like wildfire in the neighboring cities: the old King, his son heir, and the city of Kaalun are weakened. Various voices take part in the story, who see in this epidemic the unexpected opportunity to take possession of the throne.
To stem the spread of the disease and relieve the prince’s suffering, the King calls upon Olga, a healer from the people, whose talent is unmatched. Despised and full of contempt, the healer demands only one thing: the creation of a dispensary to treat the common people. Thus invested with a new mission, she will meet various characters on her path, whether they are endearing allies or adversaries.
We, the readers, will be placed in the front row of this life-size chess game, where each character will advance his pawns to satisfy his thirst for revenge and pursue his ambitions. Like the game, this confrontation will require strategy, patience and caution.
Gray areas
You will have understood, Blood Ink is not a brutal war story. Exit the reference to Game of Thrones. Here, strategy and diplomacy take center stage, making both the strength and the weakness of this novel, which suffers from a flagrant lack of action. The absence of a real political rebellion against the reign of Saul Tyr is cruelly felt, a role that could have been assumed by the Lettfeti family.
The latter, formerly sharing the throne of Tyr alternately according to Ancient Law, preferred alliance to rivalry, thus opening the way to more discreet enemies, who only appear late in the plot.
A slowness that could have been compensated by the frenetic pace of the changes of perspectives. We follow a dozen characters scattered across the four corners of the kingdom of the Mixed Lands, each engaged in a different struggle. This profusion of information overwhelms the reader, at the risk of making him lose the thread of a plot that is nevertheless well constructed.
Creation of myths and legends
Nena Labussière has paid meticulous attention to every aspect of her novel, breathing a singular vitality into her universe. She has created new myths and legends, an impressive work that gives life to the fatas, half-human, half-fairy beings with magical powers, as well as the beste-fay, half-human, half-animal hybrid creatures.
This precision is found in the choice of words. The characters use a language specific to this medieval fantasy universe, where the ” paper » replaces the paper, and where the swear words refer to the lunar phases: « Bonnelune », « sweet moon », or « Maleleune “This care given to the language contributes to placing the author’s novel among the notable fantasy works of this literary season.
An excerpt from the work can be found by clicking here.
FILE – Literary rentrée 2024: novels in preview
