Face aux étoiles

One of my Christmas gifts to F was Enki Bilal's latest, La couleur de l'air (the color of air). It is the last of a trilogy. F later bought the first book, Animal'z. I had already read it before, and I reread it after reading La couleur de l'air. I'll start with Animal'z.

The title of the book is related to a few of the characters who can hybridate themselves with animals using packs of some sort. The technology is the product of Ferdinand Owles' research, one of many characters who are all attempting to find safe haven after a planetary event, the "coup de sang" (blood hit). The hybrids aren't the most interesting characters, though: there is a guy who says mostly interesting quotes from famous people who is involved in some kind of duel and there are also cannibals.

La couleur de l'air reunites the reader with characters from the first two books from the trilogy, Animal'z and Julia et Roem, and new characters appear as well. Since I read La couleur de l'air first and had read Animal'z a while ago, I didn't remember the characters from the first book too well. The end ofthe trilogy is pretty surprising and sends a powerful environmental message. I read a review that said the characters lacked emotion, but I believe it is because they are all on a survival mode.

Bilal's drawings, as usual, are very anatomical, and he still uses a lot of blue. At some points in the third book, there are more colors, and those moments are pretty striking. I will be getting the missing second book soon.