The first volume of Frederik Peeters’ ongoing far-future science fiction epic, Aama. It came out in English last fall in the UK. It’s out now in the U.S. You can get it.
Jonathan of Page 45 calls it:
Pure science fiction heaven. I now see exactly why this won the prestigious Best Series of 2013 prize at Angoulême. As utterly bizarre and charming in its own way as perhaps the greatest science fiction graphic novel ever THE INCAL, yet without the existential farcicality and turbo paced freneticism of that particular classic, it won me over instantly. Possibly the highest personal praise I can pro-offer is it greatly minded me of Iain M. Banks prose, in the sense that we are presented with a highly complex and well developed universe and cast of characters, but there is a real sense of mystery to the plot which immediately draws you in. The art also, has a lightness of touch yet richness of detail which engendered a sense of real wonderment in me. Suspension of disbelief complete, this was a joyful thirty minutes reading indeed. For someone who likes his fiction with a futuristic twist, this is as close to nirvana as it gets.
Fans of Frederick, who’ve already read the autobiographical BLUE PILLS, the enigmatic ‘Tales of the Unexpected’-esque SANDCASTLE and the equally surreal PACHYDERME, will already know of his ability to craft and illustrate stories with an almost cinematic sense of pacing and scope, to display genuine emotional depth in characters both lovable and loath-worthy alike. This is probably his most complete and indeed accessible work for me, despite the genre which will probably limit its appeal to some people, although it really shouldn’t. I am pleased the jurors of Angoulême and just European readers of bande dessinee in general, are able to appreciate greatness irrespective of its flavour. I am delighted also to report this is merely volume one in what I hope to be a long running epic.
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