Valerian & Laureline Vol 9: Châtelet Station, Destination Cassiopeia

By Mezières and ChristinValerian_9
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 978-1-84918-244-7

When you pick up a Valerian and Laureline book it’s in the knowledge that’s it’s a classic series that helped to shape the modern medium, so expectations are going to be high. It’s not really fair to judge any tale by contemporary standards as something that may have been daring and original thirty years ago now may well be part of the mainstream, so with this particular series I always try to remind myself before I start reading it to bear all of this in mind, and to date I’ve really enjoyed all of the Cinebook English language translations. I couldn’t honestly say it’s a favourite ongoing series, but there’s been plenty to pique my interest and keep me intrigued. And then along came this one.

Laureline and Valerian are off on two separate but linked investigations. Laureline, at the start of the book, is in the densely populated Cassiopeia constellation while Valerian is in a bar, on our Earth, in our time period, and they’re discussing what they’ve been up to by some form of space-time crossing telepathy. The juxtaposition of these two scenarios, launched into without preamble, is a nod to the reader’s ability and will to hit the ground running, and I’m pleased to say I was completely hooked.

Valerian is attempting to get to grips with otherworldly apparitions that appear to represent the four elements, aided by Galaxity’s representative on the ground. Meanwhile Laureline’s investigation has taken her to the living keepers of a particular planet’s history, holed up deep beneath the surface on a planet that’s eternally sinking in on itself. Both of them are slowly piecing together a mystery through the strangest of means, although, it has to be said, Laureline appears to be coping rather better with her side of the task.

The book leads straight into volume 10, so to say much more of the plot would be unfair, but suffice to say that the inventiveness of the story and it’s execution upon the page make for a read that fulfils the promise of this series. In a time when so much storytelling is a rehash, reworking, extension or homage, it’s good to be surprised by a book that first saw the light of day several decades ago. If you’ve not tried this series yet then this is certainly not a bad place to start.

And if you liked that: You’ll be wanting to pick up volume 10, then

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