The Cardinal's Blade

Les Lames du Cardinal #1

by Pierre Pevel

This is Paris. The streets are filled with intrigue, duels, spies and adventure. The skies are filled with dragons. And Cardinal Richelieu's men, the Cardinal's Blades, may be prevailed upon to risk life and limb at a moment's notice.

With war on the horizon, their lives may be in more danger than they think.

An ancient, terrible threat is rising in Spain. A plot to cast a huge dragon-shaped shadow across Europe is being formed and, to counter it, there is only one person Cardinal Richelieu can turn to: Captain La Fargue, and the Cardinal's Blades. Only they can turn the tide - only they have a chance to defeat the deadly Black Claw cult and their plans, even if they have to find traitors to the crown, intercept spies and rescue prisoners to do it.

It's death or victory.
And victory has never been less certain...

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical, Dragons, Historical Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure

371 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Pierre Pevel est l’un des fleurons de la Fantasy française. Il a obtenu le Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire en 2002 et le prix Imaginales 2005. Avec une verve romanesque digne des grandes heures du feuilleton populaire, il signe là tout à la fois un hommage aux romans de cape et d’épée, un récit historique admirablement documenté et une Fantasy épique à grand spectacle. La trilogie des Lames du Cardinal est un éclatant succès déjà traduit en sept langues y compris, événement sans précédent, en Grande-Bretagne et aux États-Unis ! Le premier volume a par ailleurs remporté le David Gemmell Morningstar Award du meilleur premier roman, en 2010.

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The young man entered the tavern, glad to have finally reached a place of relative safety, and warily looked around him. A few of the habitués gave him a quick glance, then returned to their wine or their game of dice. Indeed, there was little in Pierre de Pevel's outward appearance that would attract idle curiosity. His plainly cut doublet and travel-stained boots had clearly seen better days, as had his wide-brimmed hat, ornamented with a single osprey feather. But a closer inspection would have revealed the rapier that hung by his side, forged from the finest Toledo steel, a rarity in the France of 1633 where Cardinal Richelieu's devious policies against Spain had restricted trade between the two countries to the barest minimum. Few men could boast a blade as keen as the one that rested in de Pevel's ordinary-looking scabbard, or a heart that beat as fearlessly and true in the service of the country he loved. Now he sat in the darkest corner of the room and toyed with the curious signet-ring that ornamented the fourth finger of his left hand. A buxom serving-wench came over to greet him.

"Bonsoir, monsieur", she smiled. "Et alors, what can we be getting the gentleman?"

De Pevel relaxed a little as he heard her Gascon accent. "Just a pitcher of Beaujolais," he replied, as he pressed a gold doubloon into her hand. "And if anyone... bookish... should enter, I would greatly appreciate it if you had the kindness to inform me. Immediately."

The girl looked at him, evidently in no doubt as to his meaning. The Chaude-Dentelle, founded by Henri IV shortly after his ascension to the throne in 1589, was the most feared organization in France. Fanatically devoted to high critical standards and taking their recruits only from men with the most impeccable literary antecedents, their web of power stretched throughout the country, and even the Cardinal dared not openly oppose them. Their spies were everywhere, and de Pevel knew he was taking a risk in approaching this unknown girl. But, at the same time, his instinct told him that she could be trusted.

"You need not be concerned, monsieur," she said, as the coin disappeared into her corsage. "In Gascony, we have no love for the Hot Lace. Now I will bring you your wine."

She disappeared in the direction of the kitchen, and de Pevel tried to relax. Surely he had managed to shake off his pursuers? But a moment later, the door opened again, and the blood froze in his veins.

The Chaude-Dentelle. Five of them, led by a man whose face was only too familiar: the Baron de Piquy, last scion of a decadent family who could trace their ancestry back to Dagobert II, and author of countless critical pamphlets, the least of which had the power to make or break an author's reputation. And when the written word was insufficient, de Piquy was known to have other methods at his disposal. He turned his gaze insolently around the room, examining each person in turn until he finally spied de Pevel. An affected smile creased his features as he sauntered over to the young nobleman's corner, his ruffians a step behind.

"But what a pleasant surprise!" he lisped, as he levered his bulk into the seat opposite de Pevel's. "I trust you will not object to my joining you? No? But this is splendid, now we will be able to resume the conversation we were having when we were so... rudely interrupted the other day. You do not agree?"

De Pevel gritted his teeth and said nothing. The critic smiled mirthlessly.

"I was merely offering you a few opinions on your little novel, Les Lames du Cardinal," he continued. "A fine effort, but even the best work can be improved, n'est-ce pas? Perhaps it is a trifle too melodramatic in places? The character development slightly thin? The writing, I dare suggest, lacking a certain je ne sais quoi?"

De Pevel still kept his silence. The critic shrugged.

"I was trying to be constructive, you understand," he said. "All the same, you are right, there is no point in making pretences. The book, let us speak plainly, is abominably badly written. A miserable parody of Dumas. Stilted, unimaginative dialogue. Slipshod construction. Every woman a ridiculous, sexist stereotype. And above all," - his voice slipped into an English accent - "you neglect the most basic rule of competent writing. Show, don't tell."

"I was wondering where the name came from," said de Pevel.

"Toujours du sang-froid," replied the critic. "But is that the best retort you can make?"

"Possibly not," mused de Pevel. "I would also like to add - this!"

With a single motion, he flung the heavy table at his adversaries, drawing his blade at the same time. One of Piquy's henchment was crushed against the wall, and a slash of Spanish steel opened up another's face from chin to eyebrows. Breathing heavily, Piquy drew his own sword, as his two remaining men fanned out, one on each side. De Pevel kicked his left-hand opponent in the crotch, pivoted gracefully, and disarmed the other with a neat flick of his sword. But suddenly he found himself pinned in the corner, Piquy's dagger an inch from his throat.

"I admit it," said the critic. "You do capable fight scenes. But nonetheless---"

With a look of great surprise, he left the sentence unfinished, slumped forward and collapsed on the floor. The serving wench pulled the carving knife from his back and wiped it clean on de Piquy's lace collar.

"That's for 'ridiculous, sexist stereotype'," she murmured. "And now, monsieur de Pevel, I think it is high time we end this terrible review."

[Celestina1210 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alors que dire sur ce livre. Je dois avouer qu'au début j'ai eu un peu de mal à rentrer dans l'histoire, beaucoup de personnages, c'est un premier roman donc il faut le temps de présenter les personnages, l'intrigue. Par contre une fois que j'ai été plongée dans ce roman j'ai adoré. J'adore les romans avec des intrigues des trahisons, des secrets mais alors là je dois avouer que j'ai été servie. Un roman avec Richelieu et des dragons cela promettait d'être explosifs et je n'ai pas été déçue. C'est un pari risqué de l'auteur de choisir une époque historique réelle de rajouter des dragons mais je dois avouer qu'il n'y a pas d'invraisemblance, au contraire, on a à faire à un véritable travail d'historien quant à la reconstitution du Paris de cette époque et l'insertion par touche de la Fantasy ne nous semble pas invraisemblable. Paris, an de grâce 1633. Louis XIII règne sur la France et Richelieu la gouverne. Le Cardinal, l'une des personnalités les plus puissantes et les plus menacées de son temps, doit sans cesse regarder des ennemis de la Couronne. L'espionnage, l'assassinat, la guerre, tout est bon tour parvenir à leurs fins... et même la sorcellerie, qui est l'œuvre des plus fourbes adversaires du royaume : les dragons ! Ces redoutables créatures surgies de la nuit des temps ont en effet survécu et se dissimulent parmi les humains, ourdissant de sombres complots pour la reconquête du pouvoir. Déjà la cour d'Espagne est tombée entre leurs griffes... Alors, en cette nuit de printemps, Richelieu décide de jouer sa carte maîtresse. Il reçoit en secret un bretteur exceptionnel, un officier dévoué que la trahison et le déshonneur n'ont pourtant pas épargné : le capitaine La Fargue. Car l'heure est venue de reformer l'élite secrète qu'il commandait jadis, une compagnie d'aventuriers et de combattants hors du commun, rivalisant d'élégance, de courage et d'astuce, ne redoutant nul danger: les Lames du Cardinal !

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I did like reading this book, I did not think it was up to the back-cover hype. My opinion of the book is complex. It appears that the author did a decent job of researching the period and physical state of Paris. I can't fact-check him, but whether he relied on primary sources or other popular literature for his knowledge may not matter. It was convincing enough that I accepted the milieu and the non-fantasy aspects of his world. In fact, I enjoyed the historical content of the novel quite a bit.

Although the specific characters are unique they do adhere to common types which is almost unavoidable in the fantasy adventure genre. And, because the author has decided on an ensemble-style book, we have a moderately predictable cast of characters. By itself this is not a problem: the spread of personalities allows the book to introduce different aspects of their world and the backstory.

Where I had the greatest difficulty was with the plot and the pacing. I'm likely to be in the minority on the pacing (I have not read any other reviews or opinions, yet.) I found the story to be too choppy. It was as if the book is a screenplay written to give fast-paced action shots and quickly concluded scenes that fill in information or motivation before the next action shot. At the beginning, this didn't bother me as it let the story present a lot of information in a lively manner, but by the middle I was tired of hoping for a scene with more complex character interactions. The interactions do happen they are just spread out over several of the short (2-5 pages) "chapters". I have read plenty of books that use short, punchy chapters to move the story along, but I don't usually get the impression that the device is just that; a device and not a component of the tale. Again, they read like scenes in a TV or movie script.

Although there are a few good plot turns where secrets are revealed, one of the core "mysteries" was obvious long before it was revealed in one of the key chapters. Was that intentional so that the reader felt that they were clever enough to solve the puzzle or just poor writing? It's hard to judge, but specific key facts were presented from the earliest chapters throughout the book, so perhaps Mr. Pevel wanted the reader to know this long before the characters did.

I don't think this is a bad book; just not a great one. It covers an interesting time in the history of France and her neighbors. (What's not to like about anything using Cardinal Richelieu?) These real world components are part of the storyline and I think that the historical aspects create a great and interesting background. The fantastical elements are not objectionable; there seems to be a solid "background" to his world that should develop nicely. If one takes the book as merely one entry in a series of fast-paced light fiction, then I think it does okay. However, if you read a book expecting it to be a good standalone novel, then this isn't that book. Yes one big plot event is resolved along with some smaller ones, but the bulk of the action is carried forward to the next installment. I may go for the next book, but I may wait until I can get the entire set, since I expect that only the whole collection will be equal to one "novel".

[Ranting Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-card...


The Cardinal’s Blades is a work of alternative history set in a vividly realized reimagining of seventeenth century Paris. While many elements of the story and setting stay true to the period, this version of France is no stranger to dark magics and various fantastic, often draconic, beasts. The Cardinal’s Blades is the first book in an ongoing series, also titled The Cardinal’s Blades, by French author Pierre Pével, and was originally published in France in 2007. The first two volumes have since been translated into English with a third due in the not-too-distant future. This review focuses on the English version of the novel, translated by Tom Clegg.

While King Louis XIII may rule in name, the true power in France is Cardinal Richelieu, remembered throughout history for his extensive influence and cunning political manipulations. However, it’s not all fun and games being one of the most powerful and renowned figures of your age. Not only must Richelieu contend with ambitious peers and a nearly constant stream of assassination attempts, but also the threat of war brewing with Spain. All the while, the Black Claw, a notorious sect of dragon descendants, covetously watches France, awaiting an opportunity to establish itself within her borders. In response to this insidious threat, Cardinal Richelieu is compelled to reunite the previously disbanded group of elite spies and swordsmen known colloquially as the Cardinal’s Blades. Unfortunately, the Blades are now scattered across the country, tainted by betrayal and shadowed by loss. They are, however, France’s last defense against the oncoming storm.

Historical Paris with a draconic twist
Pével evokes a vibrant and believable 1633 Paris, from the decadent aristocratic mansions to the stinking, filth covered streets of the city’s slums. Much of the action in the novel takes place within the city walls and Pével frequently makes reference to various distinctive Parisian landmarks. Luckily for those like me who are unfamiliar with the finer details of historical French urban planning, the appendices of the book contain some detailed maps of the city layout to help the reader along. As previously mentioned, one of the key differences between the historical France that we find in the history books and the France depicted in The Cardinal’s Blades is the presence of various dragon-like creatures. While many works of fantasy feature dragons in one form or another, I cannot recall another that contains so many different dragon variations in one novel. Pével’s France is inhabited by many kinds of dragons: cat-sized dragonets that are kept as pets or roam wild throughout the city, flying wyverns that are used as a form of arial transport, humanoid drakes, and half bloods. The most powerful and dangerous dragons, however, are the ancient Ancestral Dragons, whose descendants may move undetected throughout society in human form.

En garde!
A word that frequently recurs in reference to The Cardinal’s Blades is ‘swashbuckling’ and I must agree that this is a completely accurate description. This is no long, drawn out epic, but in essence an action-adventure novel filled with plenty of vicious sword-fights, daring escapes, and nick-of-time rescues. Pével provides us with ample fight scenes complete with detailed play-by-play combat. While the lightning fast pace of the narrative and constant switching between characters take a little getting used to and may be confusing for some, others will absolutely adore the constant engagement this writing style provides.

Colorful characters
The many characters may initially appear to be an extensive collection of character clichés. We have a battle hardened captain; a dashing cad; a good humoured, hard drinking old soldier; a brooding half-breed assassin; a prodigal swordsman; and a strong-willed token female thrown in for good measure. Nevertheless, Pével uses these characters well and as the story progresses it becomes evident that, although they may not be the most fleshed out characters in the fantasy genre, they do indeed have more depth than one may initially assume. I also anticipate that more time and energy will be devoted to characterization in later books, especially as much of the history and other background knowledge have already been laid out in this one. The upside of having so many different characters is that almost any reader should be able to find one or more that they can relate to. While I was fond of most of the Blades, my personal favourite would have to be Agnes, the sole woman on the team. Despite the historical setting, I found it refreshing to find an independent, clever, and unconventional woman who can hold her own amid the men in this kind of novel.

Lost in translation?
Now, it’s all perfectly well to convert a popular title into other languages, but if the translation is subpar it doesn’t matter how well written the book originally was or how interesting its premise. Thankfully, Tom Clegg’s translation is pretty solid and, from all accounts, stays as true to the original as possible. However, one does occasionally get the feeling, especially in some of the more quick witted humour scenes, that a little may have been lost in the translation and that the text probably flowed more smoothly in its native language. Generally though, I would say that the benefit of being able to experience works originally written in foreign languages vastly outweighs any trifling complaints one might occasionally have with the translations. The Cardinal’s Blades is no exception.

Cliffhanger extraordinaire
One aspect of Pével’s writing that may be considered a downside by some and a mark in its favor by others is his seeming infatuation with ending his books on dramatic cliffhangers. While most of the main plot lines are wrapped up neatly enough by the end of the novel, Pével throws in a dramatic revelation right at the end — which is fine if you have the next in the series already on hand, but can be frustrating if you have to wait. If you are a particularly impatient person, I would still recommend The Cardinal’s Blades; however, you may be advised to wait until the series is closer to completion. The overall motives of Black Claw are also left somewhat unclear by the end of the novel. However, I am sure this is not the last we will hear from the malevolent sect.

Why should you read this book?
The Cardinal’s Blades is an extremely colorful, fun and action-packed read that will keep you turning pages. The characters are interesting, the plot is exciting, and the French setting is a nice change from the usual English alternative history fare. This novel also offers a great opportunity to sample some quality translated fantasy, and if the trend to translate popular foreign titles into English continues, we may all get the opportunity to broaden our horizons and experience books and authors we may never otherwise have had access to.

[Blanche · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'aime définitivement la plume de Pierre Pevel.

Ce roman m'a rappelé l'univers de Dumas, non seulement parce qu'il fait figurer Richelieu, mais aussi dans le style et la construction de l'intrigue. J'aime beaucoup les personnages de Pevel, ils sont attachants, bien construits et séduisants (du moins, c'est mon avis). L'histoire progresse bien et est assez captivante, il me tarde de lire la suite de la trilogie.

Coup de coeur, comme lors de ma lecture de la trilogie du Paris des Merveilles.

[Eva Müller · Rating 1 out of 5]

We bought a new blender recently. The manual for it was more interesting than this book. I mean: it has recipes! For 'Cuban Milk' among other things. That's just banana-milk with lemon if you're wondering. And no I have no idea what's Cuban about that either.

Can you tell that I really don't want to talk about this book? I'm just not sure what I can say about it. It's not bad in an entertaining way and (at least) also not in and offensive way, just in a very, very, very, very boring way.

The characters are all so flat that even at the end I still had trouble telling them apart. They are all amazing fighters and that's pretty much it. Marciac sticks out because he has an on-off-girlfriend (whom he treats like crap) and another character has dragon-blood in him which gets mentioned a lot. In fact I'm think he's referred to as 'Mix-blood' almost as often as by his real name which I found...unfortunate. Yes it is just a fantastical creature but I still felt uncomfortable with the obsession about his heritage.

Apart from that...have I mentioned how boring that book was? Cause it was. Most of the time our main characters fight. Usually alone against an overwhelming number of enemies. Of course they win. Always. The one time one of them doesn't it's because his opponent didn't fight fair and brought a gun to a swordfight.
When they're not fighting they are...planning fights, Marciac has sex or one of the characters angsts about their tragic past. But mostly they are fighting. Or fighting. Or fighting. Or...oh right I mentioned that already.
Now I don't mind fights, e.g. James Barclay's Raven-chronicles are also pretty packed with them. But there are two major differences:
a) the Raven sometimes loses. People die or get seriously injured. As mentioned this doesn't happen in The Cardinal's Blades. So why should I worry about them?
b) I actually care about the Raven. I don't want them to die. As mentioned above this doesn't happen in The Cardinal's Blades. So even if there was an actual sense of danger in the books my only reaction would be: great! one less character that bores me to death!

And the worst thing is: the author almost solely relies on the fact that his readers care about these characters and worry about them dying. Almost every chapter ends with some sort of cliffhanger that means danger for them. It often felt like reading fanfiction where the writer needs to make sure that the readers come back the next time. (Except that most fanfiction readers would have quit after that many three or four page-chapters in which nothing happens except fighting.)
The same is true for the ending. We are treated to some more dramatic reveals about the characters and their backstories. I assume that is meant to hook us for the second part but I cared as little about these revelations as about any of the previous ones.

[Livresse de Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un Paris fantastique rempli de dragons et de castagne, c’était si bien !!!!!

J’ai souffert sur la première partie, j’avoue que sur le premier 45% je trouvais le temps long mais parce qu’on découvre chaque personnage à travers son histoire pour que tout se réunisse à la moitié du livre.

La seconde moitié a clairement rattrapé tout le début, j’ai été prise par les intrigues et les retournements de situation (j’en ai vu venir 1 seul mais le reste chapeau). J’ai vraiment trop hâte de découvrir la suite après ce que la dernière phrase nous réserve....

La plume de Pierre Pevel est toujours aussi agréable, avec de belles tournures qui font un peu honneur à son inspiration première pour ce roman : Dumas 🤍

[Mathilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quelle histoire !! Digne d’Alexandre Dumas et les allusions, y sont nombreuses.

J’avais adoré les Trois Mousquetaires et j’ai retrouvé tout ce que j’avais aimé dans cette épopée, Pierre Pevel frôle le maître.

On reconnaît le style de Pevel, il connaît le sujet et retranscrit bien l’époque.
Le bémol vient du nombre très important de personnages au départ et il a été parfois un peu difficile de s’y retrouver. Il faudra être attentif pour suivre les différents enchevêtrements des histoires.
Cela peut paraître long parfois, difficile à suivre peut-être, mais on arrive toujours à un dénouement en apothéose, une fin qui nous conforte d’avoir continué.
J’avais d’ailleurs retrouvé la même construction dans les trois tomes des Paris des Merveilles, tomes où il mettait déjà les dragons en action (l’auteur aurait il une prédilection pour ces animaux???)

Quoiqu’il en soit, c’est captivant ! Et cela tombe bien, il y a 2 autres tomes qui suivent !

[Arsenic · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'était très chouette ! Ça faisait un moment que j'avais pas lu un roman de capes et d'épées et j'aime toujours autant ce genre. Surtout que là, en plus, y'a des dragons !
Le début du livre est un peu confus, on passe d'un personnage à l'autre (et y'en a beaucoup) rapidement. C'est pour la présentation mais j'avais un peu du mal à voir qui était qui.
Mais y'a pas mal d'action, on ne s'ennuie pas et ça se lit très bien.
La fin donne envie de vite se mettre à la suite.

[Miiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNFed. Giving it 3⭐ because it's not bad, I'm just not the person it's intended for. I really like the writing style but everything is way too slow for my liking. Some interesting characters, but too much information and too many POVs for me.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, a point for clarity: in my role as part of the Gemmell Legend Awards Committee I’ve met and talked through email to Pierre a couple of times. He’s a lovely chap, very unassuming and a genuine fan of the genre. He’s also the author of two award winning novels (2002 Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire and 2005 Prix Imaginales) for Best Novel, although The Cardinal’s Blades is Pierre’s first novel to be translated into English. It was a winner of the Gemmell Morningstar Award in 2009.

And therein lies the problem, in that it has put me off reading the book for a while. I really liked the idea when it was explained to me in 2007, but what if I didn’t actually like it? And would reading it conflict with my ‘other’ duties?

Well, I really shouldn’t have worried. Now that I have (finally) got round to reading it, The Cardinal’s Blades is a rip-roaring romp that can be truly said to be swashbuckling.
In summary, and perhaps a little unfairly, it can be summarised as ‘The Three Musketeers with dragons’. And although this is a fair assessment, it’s not the only thing that made me enjoy this book.

Yes, like Dumas, the tale is set in France in the 1600’s, under the rule of Louis XVIII. Like Dumas, in 1633 we also have a Cardinal Richelieu, who is Louis’s principal minister and spymaster: like Francis Walsingham to England’s Queen Elizabeth I (1573 until 1590).

The extra layer to this rather historical novel is that, like Naomi Novik’s Temeraire tales, we have dragons. And there are some intriguing points made throughout the novel to show this. Richelieu has a pet dragonet often perched on his shoulder. Dragons are used for communication, with wyverns ridden like horses. There are dracs, half-breed people, created by human male fathers and dragon mothers. Though in human form (with dragon-like eyes), they have superb reflexes and inhuman strength. Dragons are also able to take on human appearance so they intermix with humans in public. Humans can catch a disease, the ranse plague, from dragons, though its exact cause and cure are unknown.

The Cardinal’s Blades are the legendary group rumoured to have carried out secret missions on the cardinal’s behalf. Disbanded after some 'nasty business during the siege of La Rochelle’, Richelieu and the Crown have need of them again, as there are signs that the Black Claw, a dragon-led secret society, are up to no good, dealing in secret with France’s enemy, Spain. Led by the beautiful-blonde-looking Vicomtesse de Malicorne, the Black Claw are the Blades’ nemesis in this tale.

The first part of the novel therefore introduces us, in the third person, to the original members of the group, led by Captain LaFargue, as they are summoned to return to Paris. This means that we meet a motley group of superb swordsmen and women, all currently pursuing alternative lifestyles. We’re introduced to the characters that make up the band. These include Nicolas Marciac, who spends his time running up debts and duelling, living off the money he makes in such matters. Red spectacle-wearing Saint Lucq is a half-dragon, half human assassin. Arnaud de Laincourt is a Blade suspected of being a traitor to France. We have to add to this a strong heroine, Baroness Agnes de Vaudreuil. The weak point for me was the unfortunately named LePrat (who manages to get injured!) is a bit of a misstep, though clearly just one of those names that just translates badly internationally...

Whilst I’m mentioning the odd misstep, there’s a couple of plot points that jar a little: a survival from ‘death’ that seems a little too convenient, and some other very violent if not visceral deaths. For a book with such a clear point about dragons to make, it was interesting that for much of this book their presence is implied rather than shown. Some readers might complain at the lack of dragons, at least initially, though this did not bother me as it is clear that they are integrated into this society and so seen not as a novelty but as part of the furniture, as it were. By the end the dragons are back, and no doubt will appear more in the next book in the series.

The ‘plusses’ definitely outweigh the minor ‘minuses’ though. The tale’s fast paced, accentuated by the short chapters that flit from character to character. Initially this can make the characters a little interchangeable, but one we’ve got used to them, the pages fly. The prose, no doubt helped by the English translation by Tom Clegg, is great and really made the book feel strangely, yet appropriately, French. This, and the detail of places throughout, added to the allure of the tale.
A real strength of this book is the fight scenes. The action’s pretty frenetic. We’ve swordfights a-plenty, rooftop battles and lots of visits to inns, with alleyway brawls, point-blank shootings and lots of galloping horses. Not to mention some rather extensive dragon damage towards the end.

All in all, a great read. Sorry I arrived late to this one. Can’t wait to get to the next!

[Olga Godim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading this book because of my childish nostalgia for Alexandre Dumas and his famous The Three Musketeers. But Pevel disappointed me. I didn’t like his book at all.
Caveat: as I can’t read the original in French, I can only talk about the English translation of the novel, and it’s lousy, as if the translator has only a passing acquaintance with English grammar. Dangling participles litter every page, and pronouns referring to the wrong nouns mar almost every paragraph. I’m a grammar freak. Each time my eyes stumbled upon such mistakes, frustration built up. I felt jarred out of the story, disoriented.
The story itself is jumbled, built like a series of short vignettes, each one with its own POV. I couldn’t discern one distinctive protagonist or even three. I stopped counting POVs at a dozen, but I think there are more.
The genre of the novel is a political thriller with a nod to fantasy: there’re dragons somewhere in Spain and they, allegedly, threaten France. Cardinal Richelieu opposes the dragons and takes actions to prevent their dominance: he resurrects the company of his spies – Blades – to take care of the dragons’ threat.
The Blades are in the center of the novel, which is a tale of their coming together for their first mission. But the author adopted a puppet master attitude towards his characters: they’re his cardboard marionettes, and he shuffles them like cards, any way he chooses. Lots of page space is dedicated to descriptive details – the color of clothes, the lengths of hat plumes, the streets and architectural history of Paris – but the characters’ emotions are practically hidden, and very little of their thought process is revealed.
As the action jumps abruptly from character to character, the readers lack time to bond with any of them. In any case, no participant in this non-stop adventure is lovable or even likable. They are all two-dimensional, with an emphasis on cruelty. Everyone is bloodthirsty. Everyone kills without hesitation. Betrayal flourishes on every level.
And the leaders on both sides of the conflict are equally ruthless, manipulating their own people for the sake of political expediency. In these conditions, the traitors’ actions actually make more sense than those of the loyal supporters. If your leader or your comrades are as ready to destroy you as your enemies, then maybe money is the only thing of value and loyalty is worthless? Which makes the readers wonder: why should one side win against another? They’re both equally bad.
The only well-defined entity in the entire novel is France of the 17th century. After finishing the book, I got a sense of a barbaric country where brutality was norm, treachery abounded, human life cost nothing, and everyone was drowning in filth. The heroes were supposed to serve France, but she didn’t seem to deserve it. Maybe that was what Pevel wanted to show? If so, he’s a great writer.

[Knigoqdec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Чудесна книга! Действена, с характерни за епохата персонажи, мръсни улици, без бъркащи в здравето политически машинации. Точна, ясна, бърза като... Острие.
Всичко в Париж си е такова, каквото си е през далечния XVII-ти век. Ришельо властва над Франция. Единствената подробност е, че властва в свят, където живеят и... дракончета!
За разлика от типичната френска литература, с която аз лично ама никак не се разбирам, тази книга е по-близка до моя вкус. Уникално добри и талантливи мъже (+ жена), изпълняващи тайни мисии в тъмното, маскиращи се във френския двор и извън него, преследващи тайнствени господа и дами... ами чудесно! Даже прекрасно!
Заложените идеи ми се понравиха много. Макар че магията не беше ясно изразена, а поне на този етап беше просто култ, характерът й много отива на епохата, в която се развива действието. Развитието на събитията също беше представено много добре. Единственото, което лично на мен не ми хареса, беше твърде разхвърляното начало. Макар че може да ми се е сторило така, защото така и не можах да науча по-голямата част от имената, признавам си. Вече казах, че френската литература ми е мъчен въпрос по принцип. А тук се промъкваха и испанци, като за изненадата!
Струва ми се, че останах да гадая за доста голяма част от миналото на героите - както личното им, така и общото им. От една страна няма лошо, че всичко ни се поднася постепенно, от друга страна е трудно да почувстваш "близки" персонажи, за които почти нищо не знаеш. Някои от тях дори бяха доста пасивни. Въпреки всичко Сен Люк е култов образ... дали идеята за него е взета от знаменития в средите на феновете на японската анимация Алукард, или не, оставам да гадая... Марсиак също е много симпатичен персонаж, съчетаващ в себе си, най-вероятно, идеята за френския джентълмен с апетити към особения вид романтика. Тези двамата ми направиха най-вече впечатление, а за останалите вероятно трябва да чета нататък...

Още малко и накратко по темата от друг Книгоядец:
http://knigoqdec.blogspot.bg/2016/07/...

[Rinou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il faut s'accrocher tout au long de la 1ere partie, 90 pages de présentation des très nombreux personnages, avec force descriptions: leurs physiques, leur lieux de vie, les gens qu'ils croisent, leurs habitudes, tout est détaillé à l'extrême. A côté de ça il ne se passe pas grand chose.

Une fois cette lourde 1ere partie vaincue, enfin l'histoire démarre réellement et les descriptions se font plus légères et moins fréquentes. Néanmoins on retrouve des tranches de vie et/ou d'Histoire qui coupent le récit avec des explications plus ou moins longues et pas forcément nécessaires.

Les nombreuses scènes de combat (le plus souvent à l'épée) sont assez visuelles, tellement décrites elles aussi qu'on dirait presque le script d'un film. Mais plutôt irréalistes, car les Lames gagnent toujours même à 1 contre 6 ou 7, avec seulement de petites blessures.

L'histoire en elle-même fait penser à tous les films de cape et d'épée qu'on voyait il y a quelques années, avec espions, agents doubles, et carrosses, le tout parsemé légèrement d'un peu de fantastique avec quelques apparitions de dragons et des membres d'une société secrète.

[Llona ❤️ "Così tanti libri, così poco tempo." · Rating 4 out of 5]

autoconclusivo ma parte di una trilogia
stile ridondante, ritmo cinematografico, personaggi stereotipati... eppure mi è piacito!

ora resta da sapere quante offerte di primogeniti in sacrificio richiede la Mondadori per pubblicare gli altri due volumi

TRAMA
intrighi e contro-intrighi ai tempi dei moschettieri
(ci sono i draghi!)

[Lysda Smythe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Les trois mousquetaires, mais avec des dragons! C'est génial, vraiment bien écrit, trépidant...

[Iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75 ⭐️

[Lloyd Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cardinal's Blades should be an interesting novel: Musketeers meets dragons? How could that fail to appeal?

And in many ways it does. The setting is beautifully done, there is an excellent attention to detail, and there is a political plot that should enthral.

So where does it go wrong?

Simply put, the absence of character.

This is a book full of names, and all of them are meaningless. No one is described by anything other than a habit, mannerism, or even geography.

We meet seven musketeers, The Cardinal's Blades, but all we ever know about them is that one acts broody, one is quiet, one is a drunk, one is a poor Spaniard, etc etc.

At no point do we ever see inside the characters: their thoughts, aspirations, conflicts, doubts, or purpose. Because of that, we are never given any insight to make the reader care for any of them.

Ironically, we learn much more about the various buildings, establishments, and areas of Paris. Somehow, Pevel forgot to do the same to the characters.

The result is that it is impossible to be emotionally engaged by this story.

All too often the author tries to keep as much hidden as possible, and makes the mistake of cutting out any potential emotion. This leaves the characters as flat and lifeless. Supposed cliff-hangars fail for their lack of urgency.

There is also the frustrating habit of the author introducing people who remain anonymous, even when these characters have already been introduced to the reader, for no other reason than cinematographic effect. Other characters come to the fore for no other reason than to update the reader with information already at hand.

The world of dragons is very undeveloped as well, and seems to have been tacked on in the final edit to classify this as a fantasy novel rather than historical fiction.

This creates curious anomalies: for example, the postal service has men riding wyverns, and there is also a messenger service using little dragons instead of pigeons, but life or death political dispatches are sent by lone horsemen who can be waylaid for the sake of plot advancement.

In the end, dragons play no part in the story, instead relegated to a background detail that never materialises into anything significant.

There are more than a few hat tips to the original story of Dumas, yet somehow never acknowledges the plot or politics of that. The King's Musketeers and Cardinal's Guards appear remarkably chummy, and there no apparent tensions between Cardinal Richlieu or King Louis.

The good news is that at least the novel is reasonably well-paced, with most chapters quite short. However, the volume of characters is far too large and the plot itself constantly suffers from lack of stakes which are, ironically, lessened towards the end.

Overall, Pierre Pevel tries too hard to make every single character mysterious by blocking them from the reader. This results in a story that is nothing more than a catalogue of names going through a catalogue of motions that fails to give the reader any reason to care about any of it.

The addition of dragons to the story also reads too much as an afterthought, undermining a key premise and selling-point.

This is the shame as the story has a lot of potential, and if we learned even half as much about the characters as the city of Paris, this could have been a much stronger book.

[Nicolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si la fantasy anglo-saxonne se nourrit de mecs en armures et de grosses épées, la fantasy francophone, elle, préfère l'époque des mousquetaires, le siècle de les lumières. C'est vrai des oeuvres de Laurent Kloetzer par exemple, mais aussi de celles de Pierre Pevel. Par exemple, le chevalier de Wieldstadt doit se passer dans le même contexte temporel : les armes à feux existent, et permettent aux combattants d'abandonner les armures lourdes pour un style plus aérien.
Un style plus aérien qu'on retrouve logiquement dans les dialogues.
Et les dialogues, comme tout le reste de l'oeuvre, doivent beaucoup à l'inspirateur de l'auteur ... ALexandre Dumas évidement !
Et ces lames du Cardinal ont évidement un lien avec les trois mousquetaires (on voit ainsi Athos faire une rapide apparition). Mais l'auteur ne se contente pas d'un pastiche qui serait évidement ridicule. Non.
Il utilise plutôt le décor du Paris de Louis XIII pour y insérer une subtile trame fantasy (avec des dragons qui essayent tant bien que mal de manipuler l'humanité de l'intérieur) et à son tour intégrer cet élément fantastique dans le jeu politique de l'Europe de l'époque. C'est évidement une réussite par la profondeur de la trame mise en place. Surtout quand il ne s'agit en fait que d'un décor pour une intrigue parfaitement dans le ton de l'époque : les lames du cardinal (sept ou huit solides gaillards, habiles à l'épée, intelligents, autonomes, et capables d'accomplir les basses besognes du Cardinal) vont en effet être entrainées dans un complot mêlant leur passé aux liens politiques unissant ou opposant la France et l'Espagne draconique.
Alors bien sûr on se battra dans des auberges, sur les toits de Paris, dans des ruelles mal famées, bref, partout où un homme (ou une femme) habile à l'épée peut embrocher son prochain. Bien sûr aussi le beau garçon de la bande jouera de ses charmes ... pas forcément de façon utile d'ailleurs. Bien sûr enfin les plus vieux de ces lames auront de multiples secrets, qui tous leur seront douloureux.
Tout ça mis bout à bout (avec en plus la scène finale absolument spectaculaire) donne un récit parfaitement divertissant, donnant par ailleurs un joli rôle à ce Paris historique pourtant formidablement sale et décrépit. Un récit qui me donne bien sûr envie de lire la suite, et qui j'espère vous donnera au moins envie de lire ce premier tome.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un livre un peu déroutant dans son rythme de narration mais qui pourtant se révèle intéressant.
J’ai eu beaucoup de mal à entrer dans l’histoire, la majeure partie du livre présentant les différents personnages, je me suis retrouvée perdue plus d’une fois. Ils y a beaucoup de personnages importants et donc beaucoup de descriptions. Le petit souci est que l’on passe trop vite de l’un à l’autre, d’un endroit à un autre et cela amène une sacrée confusion sachant qu’on ne connait pas les protagonistes. On en vient à se demander qui est qui et j’avoue mettre mélangé entre les noms comme avec Saint-Luc et Laincourt ou encore La Fargue et Leprat. D’autant que certains ont des surnoms tel que le Gascon.
Bref, un moment d’inattention et on est perdu.
Un autre petit point négatif: même s’il est agréable de visiter le Paris du 17ème siècle, certaines description trainent en longueur ce qui casse un peu l’action. Donc après avoir tourné dans telle ou telle rue, on se retrouve nous même dans un labyrinthe à ne pas trop savoir pourquoi on a atterris là.
Malgré cela, le côté fantasy qui est amené au cape et d’épée est vraiment très agréable. Il n’est pas trop présent et se mêle très bien à l’histoire, en effet les complots à cette époque étaient assez fréquents et se dire que des dragons qui ont pris apparence humaine les manigancent marche très bien. Un soupçon de magie entre deux combats à l’épée. J’aime.
Pour l’histoire en elle-même, il n’y a pas grand suspense mais de bons retournements de situation amènent du rythme à la lecture d’autant que les 100 dernières pages redonnent un coup de fouet à toute l’histoire.
En résumé, je dirais que le côté trop descriptif gâche un peu la lecture alors que le sujet en lui même est très intéressant. D’autant que la fin éveille sacrément la curiosité…

[Michael Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Remember that two stars means 'OK', not 'bad'!)

Like a few other reviewers, I'm in two minds about this one. The good stuff first: It's a readable romp through the France of The Three Musketeers, with a little fantasy-style magic to add flavour. There's plenty of action and the author slips in lots of details to give a great sense of historical accuracy.

Now the less good. The story and characters are phoned in. All of the 'Blades' - Cardinal Richelieu's elite covert fighting unit - are from central casting and wouldn't be out of place in an 80's action movie, each of them capable of taking on multiple opponents with a sword and a one-shot pistol. Their enemies are supposedly semi-godlike 'dragons' but they only do things via teams of bumbling hoods and consequently it's not a spoiler to say they are easily beaten. For those of you used to your characters actually getting into trouble and even killed, this is like a return to children's stories.

Pretty much the first half of the book could safely be cut, as it is all used to show the Blades getting together (including a bizarrely wasteful intro of the character Saint-Luc, where we follow him for tens of pages on a mission that has nothing to do with the rest of the book).

That said, it's not bad - it just could have been so much better if the author had concentrated less on putting a swordfight in every other page, and more on meaningful character development and plot.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un super livre. Le langage de l'époque est respecté, les decors plantés sont dépaysant et la magie n'est pas trop présente, quant à l'intrigue elle est bien ficelée.

[Kristina Andreeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Първото ми впечатление от книгата беше, че всяко едно описание е кратко, стегнато, но съвсем описателно и изчерпателно. Толкова е лесно да си представиш всичко, което се случва! Описанията на стаи, на бойни сцени и на герои толкова лесно и ярко изникваха в съзнанието ми, съвсем по естествен начин. Освен това книгата е толкова динамична - със заплетени загадки, които се поднасят и разкриват постепенно, така че да не се струпват на куп.
Още тук: http://knigoqdec.blogspot.bg/2016/07/...

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unashamed swashbuckling adventure with a great group of misfits and miscreants as the protagonists... The characters are defined in broad strokes by their actions. Pierre has depth to his writing even with this rollicking kind of adventure tale. I found I really liked the characters and like them even for their faults. They would be the crew if the Firefly had this been a space western.... but it's a musketeer era novel and it's a great read.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 2 out of 5]

Оф, кво да кажа... не че е лоша книга, няма нищо некадърно или особено дразнещо в нея, ама и нищо което да ме накара да продължа да чета също няма. Обикновена книжка, в която героите са тънки като изрязани от вестникарска хартия.

[Reni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ich bin mir nicht sicher ob dieses Buch schon schlimm genug für the-poop-shelf ist, denn da verfrachte ich normalerweise nur Bücher hin, von denen ich mich persönlich beleidigt fühle. Dabei ist die größte Last, die sich Drachenklingen zu schulden kommen lässt, dass es furchtbar langweilig ist. Gut, es ist auch noch furchtbar geschrieben, aber der Inhalt ist wenigstens lediglich öde und nicht derart frei von Verstand, dass es mich gegraust hätte, das Buch in die Hand zu nehmen.

Also Hut ab, Buch, du hast es immerhin geschafft mich nicht menschlich anzuwidern. Auch wenn es ab und zu sehr knapp war.

Dass es noch schlimmere Bücher gibt ist aber wiederum auch nicht unbedingt ein Kompliment für dieses Machwerk. Eigentlich hätte das ein cooles Buch sein sollen. Keine hohe Literatur, und definitiv hätte ich auch keine hohe Schreibkunst gefordert, aber: Drachen in Verbindung mit Musketieren hätten zumindest unterhaltsam sein sollen, unabhängig davon, wieviele gerade Metaphern der Text stricken kann. Allerdings, hier stimmt einfach gar nichts: Die Charaktere sind halbe Klischees! Nicht mal vollkommene Klischees, denn die meisten Klischees haben noch irgendwelche Seiten, denen man etwas Interessantes abgewinnen kann. Der klischierteste, albgehalftertste Grübel-Antiheld hat meistens noch den fatalen Fehler -- der dann oft heiter gering ausfällt, aber wenigstens kann man sich darüber amüsieren.

Die Helden dieses Romanes meistern jede Hürde mit Bravour. Selbst schwerverwundet metzeln sie noch Gegner in Scharen nieder, erfüllen ihre Mission und sehen selbst verschrammt und blutbefleckt allesamt noch supersexy aus.

Und während sie das alles tun, bleiben sie vollkommen seelenlos. Da helfen auch die vielen Anspielungen auf ihre stets dramatischen, verworrenen Vergangenheiten nichts, die allesamt so vage bleiben, dass es den gleichen Effekt hätte, als hätte man nie auch nur einen Satz darüber verloren.

Überhaupt geizt das Buch nicht mit Anspielungen auf Vergangenes, die allesamt ins Leere laufen, da sie wohl erst für die Folgebände relevant werden würden (wenn überhaupt. Ich glaube nicht, dass ich die Muße habe, herauszufinden, ob das wirklich so ist). All das führt nur dazu, dass man beim Lesen das Gefühl bekommt, dass diese angedeuteten Handlungen sehr viel interessanter sein müssen, als die eigentliche Handlung des Buches. Dumm nur, dass die eigentliche Handlung dadurch nicht spannender oder interessanter wird, sondern diese halbgaren Bezüge dem Leser nur deutlicher machen, dass in Drachenklingen nicht wirklich was passiert. Oder, na ja, das ist nicht ganz die Wahrheit: Es passiert schon etwas, aber das ganze wird so versatzstückhaft präsentiert, dass der Leser über 400 Seiten vergeblich darauf wartet, dass der Plot endlich durchstartet.

Spannung wird eher dadurch versucht aufzubauen, dass wirklich jeder Textabschnitt mit einem Mini-Cliffhanger endet, oder zumindest einem Satz der so formuliert ist, als würde er auf irgendwelche ominösen Geschehnisse in der Zukunft hindeuten, weil dieser Satz mit dem vorangehenden Inhalt eines Absatzes rein gar nichts zutun hat.

Letztlich war ich so auf diese Mini-Cliffhanger-Sätze dressiert, dass mir auch bei Abschlusssätzen wie "Marciac ging in den Pferdestall" der Dramatic-Chipmunk im Kopf rumspukte (wer weiß schon, was Marciac mit den Pferden so macht, wenn er allein ist? WER WEISS??).

Das gehört zu einer Subkategorie des Show-don't-tell-Prinzipes gegen das Drachenklingen mit großer Leidenschaft verstößt. Das zieht sich hin bis zu den Talenten der Hauptcharaktere. Angeblich sind die Klingen die besten auf ihrem Gebiet, aber ganz ehrlich: Ich will gar nicht ihre minderbegabten Kollegen treffen. Die Klingen sind ein dummer, arroganter Haufen, die zahlreiche Fehler begehen (siehe meine Status-Updates).

Die Missachtung des Prinzips steckt aber auch bereits einfach im Schreibstil. Hier nur ein Beispiel:

Dort erwartete ihn bereits ein zwielichtiger Mann.

Wer über diesen Satz nicht lacht, tut mir Leid. Einzelne Adjektive und Adverbien ersetzen auf jeder Seite, was bessere Bücher in liebevoll konstruierten Beschreibungen über ganze Absätze verteilen. Das einzige, wozu der Leser tatsächlich ein paar Details vor die Füße geworfen bekommt, die wenigstens versuchen so etwas wie eine Atmosphäre aufzubauen, sind historische Lokalitäten: Etwa Straßen oder Paläste, an denen die Helden vorbeikommen. Die jeweiligen Infodumps entlarven sich aber auch ziemlich schnell lediglich als Versuch Dumas' Schreibstil zu kopieren. Dummerweise sind solche Beschreibungen und Blicke in Vergangenheit und Zukunft der Schauplätze bei Dumas auch immer mit Informationen verbunden, die für das jeweilige Kapitel eine gewisse Revelanz oder zumindest einen Unterton mitliefern, der zur Stimmung der folgenden Szene passt. Diese Ebene fehlt den Beschreibungen in Drachenklinge.

Dass das Buch es sich dabei nicht nehmen lassen konnte auch halb fiktive Charaktere aus Dumas' Werk zu übernehmen wirkt eher wie blanker Hohn als wie eine Hommage. Die armen Kerlchen haben in diesem Schund nun wirklich nichts verloren.

Die kopierten Historienelemente und original erdachten Charaktere sind also schon mal nicht unterhaltsam. Wie sieht es da mit den Fantasyelementen aus? Immerhin handelt es sich hier um einen Drachenroman? Drachen kann man doch gar nicht öde gestalten?! Leider doch. Die Drachen in Drachenklinge tun nie irgendwas Drachiges. Sie sind Nachfahren von Drachen in Menschengestalt und verhalten sich auch wie Menschen. Die Oberschurkin, der wir begegnen, verfügt zwar über ein wenig Magie, aber mehr als ein Blutbad zur Verjüngung zu nehmen, und ein wenig Kauderwelsch aufsagen um einen Spruch zu wirken, der am Ende eh zu nichts führt, bringt auch sie nicht zustande. Die Schurken dieses Werkes hätten auch verkappte Werschnecken sein können und es hätte sich nichts verändert.

Dann gibt es noch drachenartige Tiere: Wyverne, die als Reittiere fungieren, im ganzen Buch aber nur zweimal auftauchen, das nur sehr am Rande. Und Dragune, im Prinzip kleine Drachen, die sowohl Brieftauben als auch Drachen sind. Letzteres ist eigentlich ne ganz coole Idee, aber wirklich viel sieht man von den Draguns auch nicht.

Oh, und dann gab's noch Dracs, die,... ööh, hab ich schon wieder vergessen. Die sind im Prinzip sowas wie ein herkömmliches Alien aus Star Trek, wo jeder Angehöriger einer Spezies dieselbe Persönlichkeit hat -- nur noch flacher. Sowas wie mid-series TNG-Klingonen aber ohne Sprechrolle oder Kultur.

Kurz und knapp: World-building bezüglich der Fantasyelemente ist so gut wie gar nicht vorhanden.

Drachenklingen ist der erste Roman einer Reihe, und wer weiß, vielleicht bessert sich alles im zweiten Teil. Aber Teil 1 hat mir nicht wirklich viele Gründe geliefert, um das wirklich herausfinden zu wollen.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ?

FR

J'ai passé un bon moment, malgré la confusion du début (beaucoup de personnages en peu de temps !) et les rebondissements que j'avais devinés. J'aime l'idée de dragons au XVIIe siècle ! Mais je pense que je m'attendais à un côté Fantasy plus prononcé. Je lirai la suite !
(chronique à venir sur le blog !)

EN
It was a good read, despite some problems I had.

First of all, in the beginning, I was pretty sure I wouldn't love it because of the number of characters introduced to the reader. I got confused. I love when there are multiple characters (big fan of multiple povs books!); but, here, I felt like the reader hadn't enough time to get attached to them. And, it was pretty easy to blend some of them together. Thankfully, there are some elements to tell the difference between them at some point. Moreover, I wanted action, and the introduction of the characters took one part of the book (it is divided in four parts, the last one between super tiny). So, it felt a bit long. And I think I didn't click with the writing style.

Then, I guessed nearly all the twists … and I love to be surprised! Even the only revelation to surprise me wasn't enough because of all the others before it! It was too late! Last negative note: I love the idea of dragons in the XVIIth century, but, I guess I wanted the Fantasy aspect to be more pronounced. Some elements about dragons and their organisation are given, but it was confusing. I didn't understand everything about Spain until the Black Claw was "explained".

I have to say, even if I complain a lot, I had a fun time reading this book. I grew kind of attached to some of the characters - Agnes and Marciac - and think the other books in the series will give me what I want: more surprises, and more dragons! So, I'll read the sequel!

[Pauline (Kiriiti's Blog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bref, ce premier tome de la saga « Les Lames du Cardinal » est très prometteur. L’introduction peut paraître un bon longue mais elle est essentielle à la suite de l’histoire, pour espérer découvrir les secrets de certains avant que la révélation vous saute à la figure. Perso, je n’ai pas vu arriver les trois-quarts des rebondissements, trop concentrée que j’étais à démêler d’autres nœuds xD. J’ai aussi été agréablement surprise par la maîtrise de Pierre Pevel a mélangé des faits réels avec des événements fictifs. C’est toujours fascinant de voir la façon dont les auteurs arrivent à garder la logique et la cohérence de notre monde et notre passif en y ajoutant des éléments magiques. J’ai hâte de lire la suite maintenant !

[Juliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre qui commence doucement et met du temps à se mettre en place mais alors cette fin était explosive !! Que de retournements de situations !

Les personnages sont plus ou moins attachants même s’il m’a bien fallu ce tome 1 pour m’habituer à eux et les reconnaître les uns des autres (pour les hommes, du moins). L’écriture de Pevel est très illustrée, je n’avais aucun mal à m’imaginer les scènes et un Paris du 17e siècle rempli de mousquetaires et de dragonnets…

Par contre j’aurais bien aimé un peu plus de mystère sur certains points, comme « l’espion » des Lames qui cafte auprès du Cardinal. Pourquoi révéler son identité dans le tome 1 alors qu’il reste deux bouquins pour la découvrir ?

Bref, une très bonne lecture somme toute. Très contente d’avoir le reste de la trilogie pour sauter dessus direct !

[Misa · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est mon premier livre de P.Pevel et je dois dire que j'ai beaucoup aimé. La plume de cet auteur est magnifique.
Les lames du Cardinal est un livre de cape et d'épée, le style mousquetaires à l'Alexandre Dumas mais ajouter à cela des dragons maléfiques qui cherchent à envahir l'Europe et la sauce marche drôlement bien, moi même j'était si surprise!
J'ai tout aimé dans cette histoire, que ça soit les intrigues, les personnages, l'action enfin tout de ce livre est fantastique et c'est si divertissant. Je ne pouvais pas dormir sans l'avoir terminer, mais avec une telle fin je me devais de commencer tout de suite le tome 2.