A superb novel, despite some weaknesses in the characters

Martyrs is a very interesting book and this in more ways than one. Few French writers who venture in the field of fantasy by describing a great epic and in addition the book is well written and fun to read.

The world and its cosmogony are particularly well described and presented many original features compared to traditional themes of heroic fantasy with a ghostly omnipresence of figures and a duality of religions, an old "who weave" and that develops for a hundred years with prophecies that have always realized.

The plot is always subtle and well done and exciting we feel that in this world the Palerkan, but unseen forces are very powerful in action and revenge and plots are happening to an end after dozens years. The turnaround at the end of the first volume is especially vicious and unexpected but seems to envisage reflection. This is skilful exploitation of this history with its share of intrigue that I particularly liked.

I have more reservations about the different characters of the book. Both the king Karmalys adipose King is well described and although the darkness of the character is only one consequence to his commitment to peace in the kingdom as the two main characters, both orphans and Irmine Hellbrand assassins upset me. Here we find the shortcomings of heroic fantasy, good that the two heroes were abandoned orphans still happening but they behave in much the book as superheroes that annoys me somewhat. Deplus, the romance of Irmine with a Book of secondary characters is so predictable that it becomes mawkish.