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Fotografie: Karim Berrouka en dédicace lors de la 15ème édition du festival des mondes imaginaires Les Imaginales à Épinal (Vosges, Grand Est, France). By Damdamdidilolo - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49386302

Werken van Karim Berrouka

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Magie verte (2003) — Auteur, sommige edities8 exemplaren

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1964-05-26
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After the dark/depressing 'Les Derniers Hommes' (my review) by Pierre Bordage, I was in need of something lighter, something more cheerful, no matter how much I like Bordage's stories. But cheerful and Bordage don't match. After going through my TBR-pile, I noticed Karim Berrouka's before-last novel, 'Le Jour où l'humanité a niqué la fantasy' (transl.: The day when humanity screwed fantasy), published in 2021 by Éditions ActuSF. The book was to be reissued in pocket format this autumn (2023), but as ActuSF had to halt all activities since the summer... They've been taken over in October, so that reissue might see the light of day anyway, but then in 2024, I reckon.

As you can imagine, especially with such a title, this is not your typical fantasy novel. On the contrary, as Karim Berrouka has the tendency to add humour and mirth to his stories. Just check out the titles of his other stories, mainly his novels, and you'll see what I mean. You could compare him, in a way, with Terry Pratchett. As I wrote in my review of 'Pam Pam...': Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' stories, Walter Moers's 'Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher', and even a little of 'The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'. It's not different here, the same authors, books, ... popped up in my mind when reading this thick brick. By the way, Berrouka's style is quite accessible and thanks to the short chapters, you just sliiiiide through the book.

It starts with an elf holding people hostage in a library and screaming that they "screwed fantasy!". Indeed, fantasy and its wide range of magical creatures will be the topic around which everything revolves. Well, not all creatures, of course. Mainly elves, faeries/fairies, and a few others. Real people, from solitary humans to a group of punks, will live extraordinary adventures, visit parallel worlds (not by their own desire, of course, but as they've been kidnapped...), and meet a variety of creatures one only meets in books. Not in one's imagination, for these creatures will teach/show them (the humans) what fantasy really is. Not the stuff they've been imagining or promoting all those decades. Like this, it sounds serious, but like Berrouka describes it, it's pure fun.

There are also some cameos. The chosen few are Jérôme Vincent (chief editor of Éditions ActuSF), Stefan Platteay (author), Li-Cam (author), and Élisabeth Ébory (author). They too will be put to the test of what fantasy really is. Though not all of them write stories with dragons, faeries, elves, gnomes, ... And that will also influence the flow and events, also for some people in the audience at the biggest festival in France: Les Imaginales in Épinal.
It must be noted, however, that if you are unfamiliar with the French SFFF-scene (its authors, the books, the publishers, ...), a lot may go over your head. If you are, on the other hand, familiar with all this, and of course Berrouka's stories, then you can enjoy to the fullest the crazy trip Karim Berrouka has reserved for you here.

I guess a novel like this had to be written at some point. There aren't that many authors who could/can pull it off, in my humble opinion and what I "know" about the French SFFF-scene, but Karim Berrouka. There are various Berrouka's in the Anglo-Saxon SFFF-scene and thus many fantasy books where humour is a key ingredient. Karim Berrouka certainly tries his best to show French humour should be more present in the world of fantasy.

Oh yes, be prepared to unlearn what you were taught about those typical fantasy creatures. They don't (always) come in the shape, size or colour you've always taught they come in. Fantasy is large, is everywhere, is subtle and in-your-face.

'Le Jour où l'humanité a niqué la fantasy' is nothing less than highly recommended, funny, and an excellent medicine in these dark(er) days/times. Plus a personal reminder that I have to read the rest of my Platteau TBR-pile.

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Previously read, in order of reading:
* Le truc qui ressemble à une machine (in the anthology Utopiales 2016) (my review)
* Pourquoi dans les grands bois aimé-je à m'égarer? (my review)
* Les ballons dirigeables rêvent-ils de poupées gonflables? (my review)
* Pam Pam au pays des merveilles (my review)
* La bande se métamorphose (in the anthology Utopiales 2021) (my review)

Read by Li-Cam:
* La Map d'Iris (in the anthology 'Nos Futurs Solidaires') (my review)
* Monade Incarnate (in the anthology Utopiales 2018) (my review)

Read by Élisabeth Ébory:
* Fichy chaudron (my review)
* La Fée, la pie et le printemps (my review)

Read by Stefan Platteau, so far:
* Dévoreur / Dévoreur, précédé du Roi cornu (my review)
* Manesh (Les Sentiers des astres, #1) (my review)
* Shakti (Les Sentiers des astres, #2) (my review)
* Meijo (Les Sentiers des astres, #3) (my review)
* Les Enfants d'Inanna (in the anthology 'Nature - Anthologie des Imaginales 2019') (my review)
* Énéide des faés (in the anthology 'SOS Terre & Mer') (my review)
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
TechThing | Nov 29, 2023 |
C'est l'apocalypse à Paname : les zombies ont envahi la capitale !!!
Des punks survivants et occupant un squat décident de se rendre jusqu'à la Tour Eiffel pour y accrocher le drapeau noir de l'anarchie.
Mais ça va pas être facile facile d'arriver là-bas.
Du grand n'importe quoi super drôle.
 
Gemarkeerd
misscharityfromspace | Aug 19, 2022 |
Karim Berrouka, known from stories like 'Fées, weed & guillotines', 'Le Club des punks contre l'apocalypse zombie', the short-story collection 'Les ballons dirigeables rêvent-ils de poupées gonflables ?' (see my review here), and more, has combined forces with graphical artist rel="nofollow" target="_top">Zariel, who's responsible for various book covers for Éditions ActuSF, but also put out a few of his own works.

That collaboration - and as a duo, these guys form a perfect team: Karim the words, spiced with humour, and Zariel to bring the characters to life - resulted in 'Pam Pam au pays des merveilles' or loosely translated: 'Thumper in Wonderland', and not 'Alice in Wonderland'. Yes, they took the rabbit from 'Bambi' to play the lead part in Alice's Wonderland.

The humorous touch already starts with the colourful artwork on the cover. It's a story that simply had to be published under ActuSF Graphic, as the illustrations are as important as Karim's words. Or rather, a loose translation/interpretation (from Rabbit) of original writer Lewis Carrott, eh, Carroll, pun most definitely intended on the first pages of the book.

The story that Thumper (or Pam Pam, as he's called in French) decided to tell, was written in first person, for obvious reasons. Otherwise, he couldn't have given account of the craziness he had experienced. It was a hot summer's day, and Pam Pam was considering his options: Spend time with his spouse, Hildegarde; enjoy the sunshine and what not with a bit of Chopin - Thumper is a cultivated rabbit, mind you; or take a nap under a tree. Oh yes, plants, trees, plains, grass, ... are of vital importance for a rabbit, not in the least for one like Pam Pam, who has a high appreciation for alfalfa and wild cherry.

On that hot day, a girl showed up, coming out of a tree, started to insult him and give him the finger. Flabbergasted, Pam Pam decided that this girl needed to be taught a lesson and started to go after her. Gone was his desire to spend the day in a relaxing way. Only, it would not be that easy to track her down.

As he entered that same tree, he arrived at a large plain and is welcomed by... a leek with moon boots. Zariel's splendid illustration depicted said leek and Pam Pam. As Pam Pam explained the reason for his presence, the leek was willing to guide him on... to his first mission/assignment. Because, yes, Pam Pam would have to solve many riddles to accomplish what he wanted to accomplish.

Be it swallowing a light bulb of a tube amplifier - warning: not just any lamp! The right lamp! (even if the Guardians of the Wall can be confusing in their explanation - solving a meteorological riddle, a train riddle, fighting punky creatures (Mr Berrouka is a punk artist, too, in his spare time), or something else, Pam Pam would have to use all his cunning to not only mislead his adversaries (of all sorts), but also find a way out of this Wonderland.

As he was faced with different missions, adversaries, and even a few allies, if only for a short period of time - Pam Pam was a stranger in Wonderland, after all -, said adversaries would have a hard time eliminating him one way or another. A special superpower and intelligent reasoning would allow him to escape an untimely or horrendous ending. His various adversaries, those having put him to the test, claimed, in the end, that injustices had been inflicted upon them. And so, Pam Pam would have to justify in court his presence and behaviour in Wonderland. A final hurdle he had to overcome, if he wanted to be able to return to reality. He who laughs last, laughs best, as the saying goes. And with that, the circle would be round. Or would it? In a sense, yes, but Pam Pam/Thumper would still not have found the girl, whom everyone in Wonderland knew, but somehow protected, as she was never punished for her behaviour. Another one of the riddles or pitfalls of Wonderland?

'Pam Pam au pays des merveilles' ('Thumper in Wonderland') is a highly recommended variation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale; it reminded me (at least) of, for example, Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' stories, Walter Moers's 'Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher', and even a little of 'The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'. Karim Berrouka marvellously demonstrated his exquisite writing skills, topped with a large touch of humour. Zariel rounded everything off with his splendidly drawn characters and interactions between author, main character, and the reader. This is a story that offers perfect entertainment in today's fast-paced world, where time is of the essence (*pun intended*).

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I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
TechThing | Aug 5, 2022 |
The French writer Karim Berrouka has over the past decade filled his CV with a good handful of books and more when you count the stories. My first and only encounter with the man's work was the short-story [b:Pourquoi dans les grands bois, aimé-je à m'égarer|42383287|Pourquoi dans les grands bois, aimé-je à m'égarer|Karim Berrouka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539848348l/42383287._SX50_.jpg|55973750], which I have read (see target="_top">here) in 2018.

Late in 2020, Éditions ActuSF decided to reissue his 2013 anthology of short-stories and double the number of stories to 20. Twenty short-stories, that's almost overkill, wouldn't you say? Luckily there's a list at the end of the book that indicates where the stories were first published and which story can be found in which of the previous anthologies. When you see (inédite), it means the story was first published in this particular anthology, thus in 2013.

The complete table of contents of this reissue of 'Les ballons dirigeables rêvent-ils de poupées gonflables ?' looks like this, though I have left out the publications in which most stories were first published:

Les ballons dirigeables rêvent-ils de poupées gonflables ? (2013; the paper version is out of print, but the e-version is of course still available)
01) L’Histoire commence à Falloujah (first published in 2009 in Fées dans la ville)
02) Concerto pour une résurrection (2006)
03) Elle (inédite)
04) Éclairage sur un mythe urbain : la Dame Blanche dans toute sa confondante réalité (2007)
05) Dans la terre (2007)
06) Jack et l’homme au chapeau (2006)
07) Le Siècle des lumières (2003)
08) De l’art de l’investigation (inédite)
09) Le Cirque des ombres (2005)

Théâtres de cendres (2013; the paper version is out of print, but the e-version is of course still available)
10) Charbon (2003)
11) Naufrage (inédite)
12) Les sombres (2004)
13) D'or et de diamant (inédite)
14) Théâtre d'ombres (inédite)

Enfances de poussières (2013; the paper version is out of print, but the e-version is of course still available)
15) L'enfant rouge (2008)
16) ... comme un ange gardien (inédite)
17) Le piano (inédite)
18) Conjonction (inédite)
19) Clothilde court dans la forêt (2005)
20) Ils sont cinq (inédite)

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This new edition offers a wide variety of stories, albeit all set in the world of the imaginary (fantastic, fantasy, science fiction, horror, ...). Adding to that variety is the style of each story: Some are written in quite an eloquent way, others have a more vernacular style and vocabulary, which you don't learn (about) in school. This way of writing shows, however, that an author must be able to adapt his style to the story he wishes to tell/write.

I won't review each story, but will make a selection of the more remarkable ones.

As the title of the first story indicates, the journey starts in Fallujah (Iraq) in the year 2004. If I'm not mistaken, it's set in a realistic setting: the Second Battle of Fallujah (Wikipedia). A story in which divine intervention either saves you or takes you to the other side. The next one, 'Concerto pour une résurrection', is about deceased pop artists revisiting the world of the living to try to set up a sort of reunion. A bit like in the film 'Ghost', when I would have to describe their appearances. You could see this as a tribute to former musical heroes, so to speak.

In 'Éclairage sur un mythe urbain : la Dame Blanche dans toute sa confondante réalité', divine spirits in the body of young, barely dressed girls, hitchhike and get in the car of various sorts of people: a tough guy; a very devote, christian couple; drug addicts; ... Each time, the girls are harassed, yet do not speak a word. Eventually they're thrown out of the car. Each of these drivers will suffer the consequences of their actions and behaviour, but this story does have a surprising, somewhat positive ending. It also shows the dark side of man, however.

'Jack et l’homme au chapeau' is an entertaining little story about a man, Jack, who needs some pushing and shoving to make something of his life. It involves a bean he has to plant, which will then grow into the sky for him to climb onto to undertake various quests. This process will be repeated until Jack understands the purpose of it all.

'Le Siècle des lumières' is a story where faeries and humans are each other's ennemies. Faeries are used to illuminate the streets of Paris, but this is detrimental to their health and survival. Until one human, a certain Gregoire, has seen the light and wishes to set the wrongs right. But will it restore the faeries' faith in mankind? Who's the real criminal here? The faeries (for retaliating) or humans (for abusing the faeries)?

'De l’art de l’investigation' is a Sherlock Holmes kind of tale, in which a detective is to investigate the robbery of a large treasure. The victims insist that our detective uses everything in his power to find the thief. They will then proceed with the punishment. Thanks to cunning analysis and application of some manipulative tricks, he manages to not do much, yet get paid more than a fair share, and this without the victims realising how they were "rolled"... two times. It's the kind of tale Terry Pratchett would have written.

A circus of shadows, now that's an idea for a fun story, isn't it? 'Le Cirque des ombres' isn't all that fun, though, as it has a rather dark side with serious consequences. This one was told from the POV of the director of the circus, a man who showed who's boss.

'Naufrage' is a tale in which the sea takes no prisoners. Fishermen, boats, ... all gets lost at sea, except for one lady, Mrs Patterson. To her, it's luck that saved her from drowning. The villagers, however, see it differently, and will do everything to turn the tide. It appears the world works in opposite ways: The sea is her saviour, not land. When one day, a relative has deceased, but left a heritage, Mrs Patterson is to go to the city, but the only and "shortest" way is over land. So, what do you think happened? Yes, maybe it's a little too predictable, but this story too shows how people react in times of crisis.

Man and nature/the environment, it's a marriage that has had many downs the last decades. Here, in 'Les sombres', it's more of a plea to open your eyes for the splendour of nature, for the beauty it holds and reproduces every day. A plea to realise how important bees and alike are for the benefit of all. The interaction between animals reminded me of two books: [b:Stein und Flöte und das ist noch nicht alles|17902188|Stein und Flöte und das ist noch nicht alles|Hans Bemmann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368028190l/17902188._SY75_.jpg|240883] by [a:Hans Bemmann|145305|Hans Bemmann|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201439959p2/145305.jpg] (my review) and [b:De man die de taal van de slangen sprak|25586742|De man die de taal van de slangen sprak|Andrus Kivirähk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432374224l/25586742._SY75_.jpg|6534241] by [a:Andrus Kivirähk|337614|Andrus Kivirähk|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1337250660p2/337614.jpg] (my review).

When you don't follow your instincts, don't listen to good advice, and think you know better, your life may be over before you know it and there's nothing you can do to rectify that, to reverse the result. That's what 'D'or et de diamant' is about. A rather simple story, but it's the message that counts. Quick wins can be more treacherous than expected.

'L'Enfant rouge' made me think of those kids who are seen as the new Dalai Lama, as the reincarnation of Buddha. They are "chosen", have to follow a strict way of life, are worshipped by many, ... One red kid, thus standing out from the rest, and the world goes mad.

As it goes with anthologies, the more stories, the higher the risk of having less captivating ones. So, here's one that wasn't good, in my humble opinion: 'Conjonction' was... not good. Taking the nine planets (Space.com) and humanising them in the context of a family meeting/dinner. No, sorry, just no.

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Like with the short-story collection [b:Fidèle à ton pas balancé|42436040|Fidèle à ton pas balancé|Sylvie Lainé|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540472649l/42436040._SY75_.jpg|53643076] by [a:Sylvie Lainé|2965463|Sylvie Lainé|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] (reviewed in 2019), you get quite a complete package of Mr Berrouka's short-stories that were published by Éditions ActuSF.

Twenty-two stories is a lot. It's thus best to not read these in quick succession, but rather a few each day (during the day or before bedtime, for example), to allow for a better digestion. Fortunately, they vary in length.

I, for one, had a great time with the majority of the original edition of this book. The remainder was overall ok, although I had the impression that somewhere over halfway and especially near the end of the book, the stories were less interesting, less captivating.

The original version of the anthology contained an interview with Mr Berrouka, but it was left out for the reissue. This is probably that interview.

You can watch the man being interviewed and presenting the original anthology in this video of 2013 at the SF-festival Utopiales in Nantes, France. Video by Librairie Mollat from Bordeaux.

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I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
TechThing | Jan 22, 2021 |

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