Fabien Cerutti

'Les Secrets du Premiers Coffre' (transl.: The Secrets of the First Chest; even though 'coffre' can mean something else according to the context) is a collection of short stories (well, more like novellas, as each consists of about 60 pages) that were published the previous years in the annual anthologies of Les Imaginales, France's biggest festival on the imaginary. Those three stories, revised for this collection, were joined by three new stories, not published elsewhere (yet?). I did not compare these new versions with their original ones, however.

Each of these stories is said to be independent. However, there are two of them which are best read in-between the novels, as I wrote in my respective reviews of the series 'Le Bâtard de Kosigan', because, yes, these six stories all take place in that same historical setting.

Book 1: L'Ombre du pouvoir
Book 2: Le Fou prend le roi
Book 3: Le Marteau des sorcières
Book 4: Le Testament d'involution

Warning: Books 3 and 4 are directly linked, like one story cut in two. In any case, it's best to read the books in chronological order, so start with 'L'Ombre du pouvoir' and end with 'Le Testament d'involution'. Keep 'Le Secret du Premier Coffre' for last.

This collection of short stories is prefaced and interfaced (each interface adds a few last words on the preceding story as well as a few introductory words on the story that follows) by Elisabeth Hardy, a character from the fourth novel, 'Le Testament d'involution'.

The book is spiced up with a map. Well, two maps. The stories are also arranged in geographical order, which means you'd best read them in that order, even if each of them is independent from the other. That way, you can see how the journey starts in France, Europe, and goes eastwards (from the western point of view, of course) into Asia, more particularly China, and back into France.

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Table of contents:
01) Légende du premier monde (previously published in Créatures - Anthologie des Imaginales 2018)
02) Ineffabilis Amor (new)
03) Le crépuscule et l'aube (previously published in Fées et Automates - Anthologies des Imaginales 2016
04) Fille-de-joute (new)
05) Jehan de Mandeville, Le Livre des merveilles du monde (previously published in Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017)
06) Les jeux de la cour et du hasard (new)
Annexe (the one present in each of the novels, explaining the currency and a few other details)

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Légende du premier monde
I was told by M. Cerutti himself to read this story after [book:Le Testament d'involution|40222016], as it reveals some information on the Elves in the series, told by Mendorallen, a character in the fourth book. Also, it's best to have read the series first, as you might feel lost or not like the story as much, if you haven't read any of the books so far. What's it about? About creating natural creatures and keeping them alive. So far, no structural solution has been found. The creatures must also obey three rules, like Asimov's robots:
1) a creature must obey its creator, the people of the archipelagos of Atalan'théïs as defined by the creator, and every official representative of the empire, in hierarchical order.
2) a creature may not harm any member of the people of the archipelagos of Atalan'théïs, whoever he (that member) may be.
3) a creature must protect each member of the people of the archipelagos of Atalan'théïs from immediate, physical danger

Ineffabilis Amor
As the title indicates, this is a story about an ineffable love: Pope Innocent III is the central character and the love he seeks/desires comes not from a woman, but from a mythological creature: a female satyr, in particular the representative of the satyr population. He is the middle man, the negotiator - by his own initiative, also as an excuse to meet his love more frequently - to ensure a truce, a peace between the Church and the satyrs, so that each can continue to live their own lives without fearing an attack by one or the other; on the contrary, Lotario, as he's accepted by the tribe, teaches them Holy Scripture, while the faunes teach him their belief, so a mutual understanding and respect arises. However, as heavenly that all sounds, Lotario dei Conti (aka Innocent III) will learn a very valuable lesson, as both parties have unmentioned reasons for their behaviour and cunning. As he saw the light and the error of his ways, he would have his revenge.

Le crépuscule et l'aube
This was my first encounter with Mr Cerutti's writing, back in 2016. Not exactly the most accessible read back then. I had been exploring the French/Francophone SFFF-market for barely a year then, slowly improving my French. This story, also set in the world of 'Le Bâtard de Kosigan', is about the creation of an automaton, by the hands of Italian engineer Falco Matteoti, to ensure the survival and prosperity of the faeries, who were on the brink of extinction. A very captivating story. Re-reading it in 2022 brought back memories. Whether or not it's because of Mr Cerutti's revising of the text, or my French having improved over the years (probably that ;-)), I found the text much easier to follow, to understand, and appreciate it even more.

Fille-de-joute
A story told by Kerth Killarden, not exactly a perfect son-in-law either, like the bastard (Pierre Cordwain of Kosigan, mercenary). Speaking of which, his companions and him travel to Italy, after having suffered a serious defeat. They try to keep low profile, pretend to be knights, which will allow them to participate in a tournament, more precisely a jousting; this way they can make a bit of money, too. However, one does not simply go to Florence and take part in a jousting without the proper references. That's when a so-called scribe/poet appears (calling himself Dante Alighieri... of the Divine Comedy, indeed), willing to offer his services to Pierre Cordwain, of course in return for another service or rewards or similar. Sceptic as they are, they accept the deal. Upon arrival in Italy, they meet with Beatrice della Bella, the pupil of Lord Cante dei Gabrielle da Gubbio and princess-to-be. The winner of the tournament gets della Bella's hand. She's the main prize... who also participates in the tournament, though without anyone knowing, except for Cordwain and his gang. Their objective was to ensure that her safety would be ensured and that the "right" man would win the tournament. And it's not who you thought it would be. A page-turner of a short story, nicely divided into chapters, with many historical references.

Jehan de Mandeville, Le Livre des merveilles du monde
As written above, one should - in my humble opinion and for reasons of context (Champagne, the elves, ...) -, but you don't have to, have read the first two books in the series ([book:L'Ombre du pouvoir|21417064] and [book:Le Fou prend le Roi|26106270]), before tackling this short story. Jehan de Mandeville, an explorer, is send out on a quest to contact the elves (and other magical creatures in far Asia; dragons, snake-people, and so on) to join Cathern an Aëlenwil (last Faëdin of the elves of the county of Champagne) to seek shelter and a new home elsewhere, away from Earth, as they are no longer safe. But the elves in Asia once had a thriving civilisation, until one Khan decided to use his power to destroy them and drive them back. His grandson lures de Mandeville into a second quest, claiming he wants to apologise for his grandfather's actions and wishes to help the elves rebuild what they have lost and form a positive alliance. As de Mandeville believes in the good nature of his words, he conveys both messages (after a long journey towards the hiding place of the elves, which he only finds by chance, and he alone), but soon finds out that he was deceived. A fierce and bloody battle is the result, but most creatures manage to find a gap in the magical wall (as the master-magician of the Khan breaks the magical circle to step forward and confront de Mandeville) and flee to Champagne. After months of traveling back, de Mandeville also manages to arrive in Champagne. The departure for a new destination occurs in about the same way as it did in Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings'. I think Mr Cerutti used that scene to add it to this story, although that's speculation from my part, of course. Still, all in all, a worthwhile intermezzo.

Les jeux de la cour et du hasard
I was pleasantly surprised and humbled when Mr Cerutti asked me to beta-read this play, a play in three acts and in prose. I've never read plays - except when I had to perform back in school (not such fond memories of that, though) - so reading such a text was really out of my comfort zone. Reading it in its definitive version - or is it? Perhaps a "retouched" version will see the light of day in the future, as was the case with three of the other stories here - and with the right mindset created a refreshing approach to the world of the bastard. Naturally, dialogues in a play are unlike dialogues in a novel, but Mr Cerutti more than succeeded to create a funny and exciting story. I wouldn't mind seeing this brought on stage, obviously with the right men/women (actors/actresses) in the right roles.
What's it about? Games played at the court of Edward III, king of England, and how coincidence influences the events. The story involves love, infatuation, deceit, power, lust and money. In a cunning way, our bastard, Pierre Cordwain of Kosigan, whose presence wasn't coincidental, has a sixth sense that allows him to be involved, while not being suspected of anything. Various schemes were devised, and ultimately, there's only one real winner.

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For those familiar with the series, these stories offer an entertaining way to revisit the setting and the famous (or notorious ;-)) bastard: Pierre Cordwain de Kosigan, but also see some other aspects of the setting given attention. 'Les Secrets du Premier Coffre' offers six diverse stories, each of which confirms Mr Cerutti's writing skills, and is packed with historical references. Like the previous four books, this collection is a must-have!

This revisit made me appreciate the three previously published stories even more. No, I did not verify the differences between the original version and these "retouched" versions.

One remark I would like to make: My copy contains a handful of typos and even errors in the references of the previously published stories, which regrettably puts a stain on an otherwise wholeheartedly recommended book. It's also something I've been seeing more often, regardless of language or publisher: no more time to properly edit/revise a text, therefore letting typos slip through the net. I hope these issues were corrected in the recently published mass market paperback reissue (Folio SF).… (mehr)

This is the sequel to [b:L'Ombre du pouvoir|21417064|L'Ombre du pouvoir (Le Bâtard de Kosigan #1)|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394488252s/21417064.jpg|40718297] (see my review here) and it's best to read the books in chronological order, or you will miss background information on the main character, the Bastard of Kosigan and his gang, on the secondary characters (especially in the war between England and France), and even more on the characters and events that take place in 1899.

This time the main story starts in 1340, whereas the first book started in 1339. Our mercenary, Pierre Cordwain de Kosigan, now has to find out who seeks to dethrone the King of France... and so have England take over command. Both countries aren't exactly friends, especially not with the Hundred Years' War going on in this time period.

As you can imagine, our mercenary takes on the job, but will do it his way, as he's always done. He'll follow the rules where necessary, but doesn't fear bending them to obtain important information or access to certain premises. Of course, all this researching leads him and his gang into trouble, with sometimes severe results (losing comrades), but he manages, thanks to his cunning way of dealing with opponents and certain situations, to come out of it unharmed, or as good as (if his self-healing skills can work undisturbed).

To accomplish the various missions, he has to stir up some hornets' nests, and that's when you discover what dirty games are being played by the king's entourage. Seems like more people would like to see England as sole ruler of England and France. Then there are parties that prefer to see the old religions (pagan) revived, with tbeir own customs and practices.

So, yes, for the Fantasy-aspect: there are Elves, dragons (summoned by calling upon ancient forces), etc. It was a bit strange, though, to suddenly have a dragon in the story, burning down the place. Where did it come from? Did I overlook something? Most likely not, as it's explained later how this dragon came to be.

The other story, which is linked with the Bastard's one, focuses on the research and findings with regards to what Kergaël inherited (the little box with precious content, like rubies and what not). But someone must have found out, because Kergaël ends up in hospital, fighting for his life. During his researches, malicious criminals saw easy money in what Kergaël and his friends were doing to piece together the puzzle of his heritage.

This second book is thicker than the first, as it contains much more information on Western European history. The main story takes place in the north of France (city of Lens), but also in Flanders, more specifically in Bruges and Blankenberge. Fabien Cerutti used historical information on Charlemagne, druidism, pagan mythology, the Templars, the Crusades, and more to weave and enticing, thrilling and sometimes tedious story.

You are offered bits and pieces about historical events and characters, in this way arousing your interest to look up more information about them. What makes the story tedious, in a way, is that it's very detailed: descriptions of the setting, of the actions, ... I can understand this decision from the point of view of wanting to bring the story to life, of giving the reader a first-row seat, of dragging the reader into the story. On the other hand, it puts a bit of a brake on the flow.

One other thing I didn't understand: At some point the Bastard decides to leave his sword and other arms with his mates. Shortly after, he has to fight his way forward, uses an Ogre's sword, but never seems to have his own material back with him when he leaves the place. Why not? Or when he's, once more, in the dungeon, chained, and his papers (letters he obtained in a sly way from Quiéret's office (he's the Constable of France and one of the King's best friends) - it helps when you can send one of your gang members to do the work for you) are checked against his statements. I didn't read anywhere that he took those letters with his when he escaped a little later with the help of Quiéret's daughter, Adelys (of whom we'll read more in book 3, I gather?)

Long story short: Definitely as good as the first book. Thrilling, interesting, enticing, ... but take your time with it; don't rush. History with a touch of Fantasy, but quite educational, in a fun way. Bring on [b:Le Marteau des sorcières|35612355|Le Marteau des sorcières (Le Bâtard de Kosigan, #3)|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499359301s/35612355.jpg|57052633], book three.

P.s.: This time there is extra info on prices (and how they match with the Euro of today), measurements, the different hours of the day (their specific names), and some explanation of the most important characters.… (mehr)

This is book 4 and the final instalment of the series 'Le Bâtard de Kosigan'. It's a direct continuation of the story that started with [b:Le Marteau des sorcières|35612355|Le Marteau des sorcières (Le Bâtard de Kosigan, #3)|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499359301s/35612355.jpg|57052633]. The decision was made to cut the book into two, because it would have been too thick otherwise. And rightly so, I'd say.

The series, which I very much recommend, consists of four books, said to be stand-alone, but it's best to read them in chronological order, so as not to miss some important details about the characters, the events, ... :

1) [b:L'Ombre du pouvoir|21417064|L'Ombre du pouvoir (Le Bâtard de Kosigan #1)|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394488252s/21417064.jpg|40718297] (see my review here)
2) [b:Le Fou prend le Roi|26106270|Le Fou prend le Roi|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439672713s/26106270.jpg|45244891] (see my review here)
3) [b:Le Marteau des sorcières|35612355|Le Marteau des sorcières (Le Bâtard de Kosigan, #3)|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499359301s/35612355.jpg|57052633] (see my review here)
4) [b:Le Testament d'involution|40222016|Le Testament d'involution (Le Bâtard de Kosigan, #4)|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527442334s/40222016.jpg|62461673] (see my review below ;-))

And if you want, you can check out the stand-alone short-stories, which take place in the same world, in the anthologies of Les Imaginales:

1) [b:Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|29848394|Fées et Automates - Anthologie des Imaginales 2016|Jean-Claude Vantroyen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460013912s/29848394.jpg|50209665] - Le crépuscule et l'aube (see my review here)
2) [b:Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017|35004321|Destinations - Anthologie des Imaginales 2017|Stéphanie Nicot|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1493381757s/35004321.jpg|56282674] - Jehan de Mandeville, Le Livre des merveilles du monde (to read after book 2 in the series) (see my review here)
3) [b:Créatures, anthologie des Imaginales 2018|40131137|Créatures, anthologie des Imaginales 2018|Stéphanie Nicot|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526470147s/40131137.jpg|62247823] - Légende du premier monde (still have to read it - Mr Cerutti recommends reading this story AFTER book 4, thus AFTER [b:Le Testament d'involution|40222016|Le Testament d'involution (Le Bâtard de Kosigan, #4)|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527442334s/40222016.jpg|62461673]).

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So, the Inquisition, the eradication of ancient, pagan beliefs in nature, creatures like elves, dragons, and so on. Wiping it all from the face of the Earth, from all of recorded history, but keeping that knowledge for oneself, for one's own benefit and power over the other.

The Testament of Involution plays a key role in this last book, as its title indicates. In fact, there are two copies of the document, one of which is the real deal, of course. Both the witches and Las Casas have it or claim to have proper one.

Some spoilering, trying to be to the point: The battle between the sorceresses and Team Inquisition, lead by Juan Ginès de Las Casas (nicknamed Le Marteau des sorcières - hence the 3rd book's title), cardinal of the High-Office of the Inquisition, thus rages on. Our bastard manages to convince both parties to keep him alive and let him do what he was hired for. Only, both don't really trust him, despite him working for and against both parties, as he has his own agenda. Even Duke von Hohenstaufen seeks to get rid of Las Casas. Unfortunately, he won't live to see that day, as Las Casas will find out about the scheme soon enough.

Meanwhile, another part of his group (Compagnie des loups - Company of wolves) is investigating the actions of Duke Rudolf of Saxe. Rudolf is an important contender to the throne and one of Dagmar's opponents.

As push comes to shove, the Bastard and Las Casas do find out where the ritual described in the Testament of Involution takes place; somewhere underground. The Testament promises divine powers to those who accomplish the job. However, it's all fake. Sure, there is a divine connection: Satan himself, known as Mendorallen, who seems to have been trapped in a sort of capsule for over 150 years. One of the steps described in the Testament frees him from his "prison". That was also the only purpose for this Testament. The rest is page-filling. As you can imagine, Las Casas wanted to execute the ritual himself, believing - like the sisters Stein - he would be as powerful as a god. Alas, nothing of the sort, although there is a devastating battle between both forces. However, first Mendorallen and the Bastard have a little conversation, as the latter seems to have not really suffered from Mendorallen's power. This gives him the opportunity to "interrogate" Mendorallen about his mother, about the Testament, about the whole mess the witches and the Inquisition have got themselves into.

However, little by little, everyone wakes up again from Mendorallen's spell, and as he fears a trap, he clears off in the blink of an eye. As the fighting resumes, Laura Stein manages to save the Bastard and drop him in Mendorallen's capsule. As the lava rises and overtakes all platforms, Pierre Cordwain de Kosigan is one of the few survivors, gets saved by his comrades a little later. Yes, at some point and thanks to Mendorallen having put a spell on everyone, all forces could converge on one another.

All's well that ends well, somehow, despite the bloody battle and several casualties. Afterwards, after his missions in Germany and specifically Cologne, Kosigan returns to his homeland to retire, so to speak, but finds no rest until he has gone against the Church of Rome on last time, against Las Casas, against the Inquisition. It will indeed be his very last time. Or will it? As this fourth book is the end of the first cycle, our Bastard simply can't have perished in the dungeons of Rome, can he?

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With regards to Kergaël's story (the period 1899-1900 and even more recent, the 1970's), the bastard's heir, it seems he got shot when trying to escape from the clutches of The Antagonists (Croix d'Adombrement in a more modern version, say, Team Inquisition II). His friends mourn his loss, but want to find out what really happened, why so much money was set aside for a certain organisation (Old World Corporation), which role Kergaël played in the creation and activities of this organisation, and so on.

This all leads to new names, new developments, new revelations, but not everyone like this kind of nosey business. Eventually, after Mr Cerutti has mislead you (the reader) a few times, deus ex machina (or should I not use this here?): Kergaël is... NOT dead, after all. He did not only play an important part in the developments around his disappearance, but also staged it to be able to find out things for and by himself. And it turns out - major spoiler - that he's not really the heir of Pierre Cordwain de Kosigan... but his clone. Yes, his clone, which means our bastard sort of lives/d on in more recent times. He tells his friends the whole story at a secret meeting in the cellars of a local pub, where they share food and drinks. Until Kergaël sees the time right to disappear (again), like a thief in the night. Will we find out more about him in the second cycle? What with Team Inquisition II, the Arch (a movement created to counter the modern Inquisition? And so on.

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This first cycle ends magically, in a very unexpected manner. Mr Cerutti made a very exciting mix of history and fantasy, with a beautiful homage to the world of fantasy, of imagination, and alike. Fantasy as we know it may have started with, for example, Tolkien, but history proves that this style, this genre, this sort of stories already existed many centuries ago, but somehow got lost along the way and certainly in our present day and age. For shame!

Long story short: All hail Mr Cerutti for this magical journey into history and fantasy.

Bring on the second cycle!… (mehr)

Book 3 in the series. Like I wrote in my reviews of the first two books: It's best to read the books in chronological order, or you will miss background information on the main character, the Bastard of Kosigan and his gang, on the secondary characters (especially with regards to the Inquisition period), and even more on the characters and events that take place in 1899-1900 with the heir of Pierre Cordwain de Kosigan aka the Bastard.

You can find my reviews of the first two books here ([b:L'Ombre du pouvoir|21417064|L'Ombre du pouvoir (Le Bâtard de Kosigan #1)|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394488252s/21417064.jpg|40718297]) and here ([b:Le Fou prend le Roi|26106270|Le Fou prend le Roi|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439672713s/26106270.jpg|45244891]).

The first two books have a more or less closed end, at least with regards to the story-line of the Bastard. Book 3, roughly translatable as "The Hammer of the Witches / The Witches' Hammer", meaning the Catholic Church doing everything in its power (legal or illegal, doesn't matter) to eradicate ancient/pagan beliefs involving sacrifices, rituals, beliefs in supernatural creatures (what we nowadays would catalogue under fantasy, imaginary, ... like elves, fairies, orcs, and so on. Or in one word: Inquisition (Wikipedia-link).

Again, Mr Cerutti has collected some historical information, but has brewed his cocktail by adding elements of fantasy to it and mixing it all, so that you can't find a direct reference to what happened in the past. But as we all know, the Church has committed many crimes to acquire and spread its power, has influenced and converted many people (on penalty of death, for example) to forget about and dismiss their until then current beliefs and faith. One family under God, so to speak. How noble.

Our Bastard, Pierre Cordwain de Kosigan, has fled (or travelled) to Germany, to Cologne in particular, after his travels in France and Belgium in the previous books. While he's still seeking information on his mother's activities and past, he remains a hired gun, so to speak. This time, he takes on two assignments and hopes to hit two birds with one stone, although those birds - Dagmar-Karl von Hohenstaufen (duke of Cologne and Westphalia, and important candidate for the imperial throne) and Willie Stein (an important sorceress/witch) - are neither each other's friends nor should they know about the Bastard's agenda.

Let's see if I can summarise this, one way or another: a young witch (Yannia Königin) was kidnapped and tortured by the dark forces of Juan Ginès de Las Casas (nicknamed Le Marteau des sorcières - hence the book's title), cardinal of the High-Office of the Inquisition, who's ultimate goal is world domination. Officially, he comes across as friendly, but dangerous, while behind the scenes he has installed a dark and evil group (or club) to go on a witch-hunt. Willie Stein wants the Bastard to free Yannia Königin from the clutches of Las Casas, and when possible, also kill Las Casas, which von Hohenstaufen also commanded him to do - thank you, Lianne Pheno, because I had forgotten about von Hohenstaufen's mission (also involving the Bastard to track down the witches who had gone underground since the rise of the Inquisition), as a large part of the story focused more on liberating Yannia Königin.

The Bastard was now also very much involved in managing the different actions and tactics, didn't take much time to sleep or even eat, but constantly reviewed his steps, his tactics, .... Intrigue, espionage, a bit of love (he remains a womanizer, after all) and manipulation, theft, action, you get it all. Hanging Cliff makes sure that you don't know what happens to our Bastard when he has returned Yannia to her people, so to speak. He's lead into a forest, lead underground under the river Rhine, into a tunnel with beautiful, blue tiles. What is the function of the tunnel? Why did the witches bring him here? And why does Laura Stein, Willie's sister, look like Hildane von Brine?

Also, our Bastard has his back always covered, as you can imagine. He's not loved by everyone, after all. And others are sent out on different missions, since Pierre can't be at five places at the same time.

This third instalment also spends more space to elaborate on Kergaël's situation in AD 1899. As you may remember from the previous books, there are other competitors in league to acquire information about Kosigan's writings and experiences. As more research uncovers the mysteries of the Inquisition and the Church's role as described higher, Kergaël's life is also more at stake. At some point, he's even kidnapped to Scotland, in the vicinity of Glasgow. Luckily he can secretly use the telephone in one of the rooms of the large house in which he's kept prisoner, to pass on further information he's gained from the proprietor. Unfortunately, there's a dark scheme behind Kergaël's kidnapping and when the house is set on fire, he can escape, yet has to jump from a few stories high. Did he survive? No further information is available. Damn you, hanging cliff.

'Le Marteau des sorcières' should have been one book, but as it would then be too thick, it was split into two. It is thus of the essence, thanks to the hanging cliffs, that one reads [b:Le Testament d'involution|40222016|Le Testament d'involution (Le Bâtard de Kosigan, #4)|Fabien Cerutti|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527442334s/40222016.jpg|62461673] as soon as possible. It was released in June this year and concludes the first part of the series. The Testament of Involution was briefly mentioned in book 3.

Just like the first two books, I can highly recommend this third one. The suspense, the action, the writing style, the excitement, and, yes, the little bits of history all make this book and series more than worth your while.… (mehr)