By Mézières & Christin
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 9781849181907
One of the most important and exciting aspects of science-fiction stories is that they can take a story in a direction that other narratives are unable to do simply by incorporating a potential future technology or situation that then opens up all manner of new possibilities. So in On The False Earths, we get Valerian struggling heroically against the odds in what appear to be moments in history on Earth but, more shockingly, his struggle ends in his death each time.
Laureline is observing all this from the comfort of orbit, but although she seems concerned, Valerian’s death doesn’t quite bring the trauma and horror you would expect. Laureline’s also having to cope with the presence of a difficult and unpleasant individual from Galaxity who is an expert in Earth’s history. It transpires that somebody is making small but perfectly formed copies of aspects of our home planet’s past and the only way to track down who is to send Valerian to each of these worldlets to face the inherent danger and obtain new co-ordinates. These will push them on to the next False Earth and, they judge, closer to the the architect of these worlds. But then there’s the problem that Valerian keeps dying
For Mézières this is another opportunity to show his vast capabilities as an artist as Valerian is set down in the different periods and geographical locations, while Christin gets to flex his storytelling muscle by playing out the possibilities generated in such an extraordinary concept. We all know that they’re not going to bump off Valerian for real, so your interest is instead piqued by the how of it all.
The creators don’t rely on over-arching stereotypical baddies to pad out their plots, but how a fascinating idea could play out given the right circumstances. It’s for this reason that Valerian and Laureline is still, decades later, a captivating and enjoyable read that can still surprise and entertain. Exactly what good science-fiction should be.
And if you liked that: Volume 8 coming soon
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