This ambitious graphic novel covers the story of the evolution of science fiction from ancient times to today in a mix of visual storytelling, text pages, and suggested reading collections.

It works surprisingly well, especially when various well known SF authors step in to the role of narrator. I must admit I got a kick out of seeing Michael Moorcock acting as a tour guide to H.G.Wells on the development of modern SF.

Given its origins as a French publication the text has a heavy Franco-Anglo-American bias, and it would have been nice to see the impact of other cultures on the genre get more than a passing mention.

There’s a lot of name dropping and I’d suggest that this text would work better for those who already have a familiarity to the field and need a “oh I should read that” refresher, rather than someone just getting interested in SF who may find it a little overwhelming. ( )