Edouard H. Blaes

'Le Silence des Carillons' (transl.: The Silence of the Carillon Bells) is the debut novel of French author Edouard H. Blaes, published by Éditions ActuSF in 2023. It is the story of a girl who seeks to find her place in the world, to prove her worth, to show who Ermeline Mainterre is, particularly because she's never been taken seriously by her father, but most of all by her brother. She has one dream/passion: to become a renowned magician. The only place to become one, is at the belfry of Tinkleham. So she secretly applied. And so, they responded... positively.

Why is this so important to Ermeline? Because Tinkleham is threatened by wraiths and the Belfry's carillon bells and its congregation of singing magicians help fend off the attacks. Normally, these creatures can't cause any harm, because there's a magical Mist that serves as a thick barrier between the people and the sky and in particular the sun. However, one day, the Mist starts to dissolve here and there, which allows for the wraiths to come through more easily. If touched by a wraith, the person suffers from a horrible death, even disappears entirely. Where these wraiths come from and why they seek to exterminate the population of Tinkleham, is not explained. Is Tinkleham the sole surviving city, as it seems to be the only one covered by the magical mist?

Once arrived and installed, Ermeline gets the required teachings, magic, singing and other, like Anyelle (Premier Souffle, Les Quatre Vérités) and Clour (Le Rebord du monde) in the series 'Les Énigmes de l'aube' by Thomas C. Durand. On a side-note, yes, there are various similarities between these books, as 'Le Rebord du monde' and 'Le Silence des Carillons' were released with a month's difference. Obviously, the pattern of a young child going to a school of magic has been used for decades.

The main subject is of course singing, developing one's vocal skills to become the new generation to fend off the wraiths. The magicians/teachers make sure that all voices are well-aligned, sound harmonious. And yet, Ermeline will soon stand out from the crowd. Teachers and fellow students won't all put up with that. Fortunately, she will find support with her friends - with whom the first contacts didn't go that well (here as well, I see similarities with Mr Durand's books) - and some of the other teachers.

Ermeline's curiosity involving the carrion bells and singing magicians will be peaked one day and on a next occasion she would manage to go all the way to the top and witness this special event. Which would not be to the liking of the principal, as no one is allowed to witness this gathering. He, the principal, would play a dirty role, being rather two-faced and in the end causing more misery to the Belfry, its inhabitants, and the city. All because of some prophecy he falsely believed and interpreted.

Speaking of her friends: one would be a girl, who'd be quite like your everyday teenager, another would be the tough boy, who knows his way around the Belfry. Last but not least, the reclusive, silent boy, who has the talent of foresight of dramatic events. A bit like Raistlin in Dragonlance, though without the hourglass eyes. He keeps silent about them, as uttering any words would cause these events to be unleashed. He would, as Ermeline insisted, reveal that Ermeline's presence would be detrimental to them. As you can imagine, she couldn't believe that, but would soon enough realise the truth of his words. Ermeline might be an adolescent, and you can spot that in the writing style of the author and the dialogues, but her stubbornness and clumsiness - especially in the midst of the "war" (using magic to create light, when magic attracts wraiths) - would cause even herself more harm than she thinks. Then again, some magicians aren't exactly examples of perfect behaviour either.

Needless to say, all's well that ends well. Not exactly, but sort of. With the help of surviving magicians, Ermeline would be able to reach the top of the Belfry and together they would, through chant, drive off the wraiths, and so bring back peace to the city, whose population was decimated and its Belfry in tatters, yet still standing.

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For a debut novel, Mr Blaes has written quite an entertaining story, with an original premise. Or a classic premise with an original twist, and will therefore provide enough reading pleasure in-between some heavier tomes, despite a style that, while accessible, can cause some nerve-wrecking, in my humble opinion. Then again, the second part of the story was better, for that matter. To close off, there is room for a sequel, even a prequel. Because... how did Ermeline fare? How did the congregation and the Belfry fare? What about the world outside of Tinkleham?

Nonetheless, 'Le Silence des Carillons' is not perfect, there are some happenings and descriptions that are questionable, for example:
* pitch-black yet seeing shadows (Ermeline when hiding in a family's house, in the second part of the book)
* many repetitions, or rather, rephrasing or amplifying what was written before, but meaning the same thing. Especially when a metaphor had been used as well.
* "Il faut dire" (transl.: "You have to say", but in context: "I must say"), a wee bit too often for my taste. Especially in the beginning/first chapters. Yes, colloquial language, but I understand Mr Blaes was only conveying Ermeline's thoughts and sayings.

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I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (mehr)