While
House of The Dragon
, the prequel to
Game of Thrones
will soon land on HBO, we can only see the obvious: the screen adaptation of major works of fantasy has become commonplace.
But in this genre where making less than 600 pages per book is almost a bad taste, there are still many masterpieces that have not yet been brought to the screen.
20 Minutes
recommends six of them.
Winning the War
, by Jean-Philippe Jaworski, is a swashbuckling fantasy novel, carried by flamboyant and virtuoso writing.
The saga that we present to you has two specificities.
First, it is written by a Frenchman, Jean-Philippe Jaworski.
As the success that
The Witcher
saga , written by the Polish Andrzej Sapkowski, has already demonstrated, fantasy is not the prerogative of the Anglo-Saxons.
Let it be said: French fantasy is of high quality and Jaworski is one of its best representatives.
Then, unlike the other sagas in our summer fantasy series,
Winning the War
has only one volume – quite substantial, all the same, preceded by a short story in the
Juana Vera
collection .
The two are brought together in the same book, entitled
Tales from the Old Kingdom
, published by Folio SF.
The novel received the Imaginales prize for the best French-language novel in 2009. There is a comic book adaptation, signed Frédéric Genêt, published by Le Lombard editions.
What does it say?
In a universe that evokes the Roman Empire, Benvenuto Gesufal is an assassin and spy in the service of the Podesta of the Republic of Ciudalia, Leonide Ducatore, to whom Machiavelli would pass for a Care Bear.
The latter entrusts him with a high-risk mission.
As in
The Royal Assassin
, by Robin Hobb, the story is told in the first person – from Benvenuto's point of view.
The comparison stops there: the henchman of the podesta does not have the nobility of heart and the cases of conscience of Fitz.
He's tough, real, violent, racist, mysogynistic and you can go on.
But the dirtiest in history is not necessarily the one we believe.
How is it ?
In its extreme violence and humor,
Winning the War
resembles
The First Law
, which we covered this week.
With the flamboyant and precise style of Jaworski in addition.
On the political intrigue side, we lean more towards
Game of Thrones
.
What magic?
There are powerful wizards and elves in
Winning the War
, but magic is relatively secondary to the plot.
Is it adaptable to the screen?
Sure.
Who doesn't like watching a movie or a series with a cynical and cunning killer, who spends his time killing or getting beaten up in the service of a cynical and corrupt magistrate?
That aside, Benvenuto's adventures are highly telegenic, especially this fantastic chase across the rooftops of Ciudalia.
Books
Fantasy: "Sons of the Mists", by Brandon Sanderson, screaming metals
Books
"The First Law" by Joe Abercrombie, between laughter and fights in the land of "grimdark"
Books
Literature
fantasy
Saga