Review: Castle in the Stars: The Space Race of 1869
A steampunk-fantasy coming-of-age space-travel adventure with such lavish illustrations and heartfelt story-lines, it will be an adventure just reading it!
In search of the mysterious element known as aether, Claire Dulac flew her hot air balloon toward the edge of our stratosphere―and never returned. Her husband, genius engineer Archibald Dulac, is certain that she is forever lost. Her son, Seraphin, still holds out hope.
One year after her disappearance, Seraphin and his father are delivered a tantalizing clue: a letter from an unknown sender who claims to have Claire’s lost logbook. The letter summons them to a Bavarian castle, where an ambitious young king dreams of flying the skies in a ship powered by aether. But within the castle walls, danger lurks―there are those who would stop at nothing to conquer the stars.
In this lavishly illustrated graphic novel, Alex Alice delivers a historical fantasy adventure set in a world where man journeyed into space in 1869, not 1969.
So much for the premise and I might add this does sum up most of what you would need to know before getting this must-read steampunk adventure. I have read premises that are less complete and inviting, that is for sure.
The book is sooooo much on so many levels. It is steampunk, of course. It is a coming of age book in which Seraphin discovers more about himself and what drives him, while searching for answers on his mother’s disappearance. The book is also historical in its Germany-France imbued story and even is a “space race” book but with zeppelins and air-balloons (or aether-balloons) rather then giant rockets!
I daresay that some folks would never even finish the story, due the minute details the art will try and distract you with. The combination of loose pencils, with tiny details, with artwork that startle yet ease you with watercolor-illustrations that are just about sublime…. or even subliminal in its haunting nature.
All in all, you can only ache for Book 2 to finally read the conclusion of one of the best steampunk-stories around!
Castle in the Stars: The Space Race of 1869
Creator: Alex Alice
Writer: Alex Alice
Artist: Alex Alice
Colorist: Alex Alice
Translation: Anne Smith & Owen Smith
Pub Date: Sept, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62672-493-8
Page count: 64pp
Format: (oversized) HC
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.2 x 11.3 inches
Publisher: First Second Books
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About the Author
Richard Boom Richard is the driving force behind Comics for Sinners. His love and admiration for female comic book characters is virtually unparalleled, which immediately explains his biggest 'sin': his Hot Mummy fetish. This sketchbook theme is philogynistic in nature and even the source of his WIP comic book series "The Sisterhood".
