Les Chevaliers de Mars

Le Château des étoiles ALBUMS #3

by Alex Alice

Séraphin et ses amis sont de retour sur Terre, trouvant refuge dans un manoir breton. Ils ont révélé au monde le secret du voyage spatial mais leur engin volant est l'objet de toutes les convoitises.

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Fantasy, Fiction

64 pages, Hardcover

First published July 9, 2014

About the author

Diplômé d'une école de commerce, Alex Alice est un dessinateur et scénariste français de bande-dessinés, connu principalement pour sa série "Le Troisième Testament".
Cette série de quatre albums est un thriller ésotérique largement inspiré des œuvres d'Umberto Eco.
Passionné par les opéras de Wagner, Alex Alice travaille actuellement sur une trilogie basée sur le mythique "Der Ring des Nibelungen", et prépare un film d'animation se déroulant dans le même univers.
Il a par ailleurs récemment publié une prequel au "Troisième Testament" : Julius.

Reviews

[asiya | アセヤ (free palestine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

EDIT: You guysssss. 😭 I wanted to review this book SO badly, but it looks like my little brother returned it back to the library. 🥲 It's fine though, I'll most probably be buying the entire series and re-reading it again, so hopefully the *OFFICIAL* review will come out during that time!! 😓

But if there are a FEW things that you should know of if you're STILL hesitating to start this book;

💫 Sophie becomes a girlboss.

💫 A *new* (potential?) lover shows up. 😏

💫 And "cognoggin" never felt like a better term to use while reading this.

Oh.

💫 And science wins. Period.

My astronomer mind needs more books like this. 😩

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book was impeccably gorgeous to say the least. 😍 Such a nice break from that pain in the arse I finished not too long ago. 😀

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tercer tomo del Castillo de las Estrellas y es que el da el comienzo del segundo arco. No puedo mencionar mucho sin hacer spoiler. Solo puedo decir que la historia se desarrolla bastante bien, y los personajes mejoran muchísimo más. Por otro lado, el dibujo con acuarelas sigue siendo una maravilla.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

After their adventures on the Moon, Hans, Sophie, and Seraphin are hiding out in a village in Brittany while Seraphin's father heads to England to set up a scholarly society for the exploration space using aether. The Prussians however, want space for themselves, and arrange a kidnapping to anchor a trip to Mars. Too much left unexplained in this installment, and too little plot development. Artwork still amazing though so 3 stars. Hopefully, the story will blossom again in Book 4.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Con este tercer volumen de ‘El Castillo de las Estrellas’, comienza una nueva aventura de nuestros protagonistas. Los conocimientos sobre el éter se han extendido por el mundo entero, pero los prusianos tienen en mente una meta, Marte, y para ello harán todo lo que crean necesario. Séraphin y sus amigos tendrán que evitarlo. Buena historia y dibujo.

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was prepared to rate this as the best one yet, full 5 stars...and then Alice introduced a pointless teen love triangle. One of my most loathed tropes. Resonant with the French national character? Absolument, oui! But it still forces me to deduct a star because it ruined the finale and leaves me less confident about the rest of the series...

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seraphin and his father are working to keep the secrets of aether out of the hands of the Prussians, and trying to track the whereabouts of the missing Bavarian king. Eventually, their search will lead them to the red planet, Mars.

I love this graphic novel from start to finish! The artwork is delicate yet bold, with beautiful colors, clear action, hilarious character expressions, gorgeous designs, and emotional scenes.

The story is full of suspense, adventure, and family! I loved the friendships, the family dynamics, and the history that made this a deep and emotional tale.

I love the main character, Seraphin, more and more in every book. He’s brave and loyal and true. He meets every challenge with intelligence and resilience. I loved seeing him learning and taking more responsibility in this volume.

The supporting characters are varied and unique, from the scientists to the evil Prussian spies. Each person rings true and real.

I can’t wait to read more volumes in the series!

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

La saga est toujours publiée sous forme de gazette, mais j'avoue que je ne cède à la tentation que lors de la parution des albums tant ils sont magnifiques. Les éditions Rue de Sèvres savent mettre en valeur leurs publications, mais je trouve que c'est encore plus vrai pour cette série. Les couvertures sont soignées, on y découvre de multiples détails, cela passe aussi par le contact avec les doigts qui ressentent les reliefs, les changements de textures... Idem pour la qualité du papier sur lequel est imprimé l'intrigue. C'est du bonheur et c'est limite sensuel. Si, si !
Cela peut paraître un peu surfait, mais pour les amoureux des livres, c'est très important surtout quand au niveau du tarif, cela ne se ressent pas trop.

Pour parler plus précisément ensuite du contenu, là aussi on reste dans du haut niveau. Les dessins sont toujours aussi travaillés, on a encore cette impression de lire une œuvre à l'aquarelle avec tout ce que cela présuppose comme nuances possibles, comme finesse et floutage quand on le désir. Les rendus sur les planètes, l'espace, les paysages, le ciel... sont parfaits.
Les protagonistes principaux grandissent, doivent mûrir plus vite que prévu et on est de tout cœur avec eux. On oscille entre les puissants, le simple peuple et les aventuriers. Chacun a son niveau de compréhension de la situation et ses souhaits. Je trouve cela bien vu et apporte une certaine profondeur, encre plus le récit fantastique dans une certaine réalité, crédibilité. On y croit d'autant plus et on est forcément un peu frustré quand on arrive à la dernière page.

Vivement la suite même si ce ne sera pas pour tout de suite évidemment.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Castle in the Stars books make me feel young and curious and creative again - which is secretly the number one thing I look while reading. So, that's just about the highest praise I can offer a book.

Specifics, though. The Knights of Mars picks up some time after The Moon-King, giving the world (in particular, the vile Prussians) time to get up to speed on the whole aether deal. Much like the Force in Star Wars, aether has all kinds of applications, the most prominent being a gravity-defying quality. Naturally, the Prussians decide this feature would be best applied towards a journey to Mars, so they attack young Seraphin and crew, the only known holders of aetherite.

It might sound like I'm razzing the book a bit, but these silly plot points come across as a great fun adventure when they flow from Alex Alice's pen. The art is stellar, a wonderful return to color after the gloomy whites and blues of the Moon in the previous book. The action is Tintin-esque: humorous duels are mixed in with real peril and startling betrayals. All of these Castle in the Stars books are essentially for kids - but I think any open-minded adult could find real fun here.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

1870, a steampunk adventure full of space exploration and evil Prussians. King Ludwig is stranded on Mars. Like the other two volumes, this one is full color throughout - watercolor at that, and breathtakingly beautiful. This series is so dreamy!

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art continues to be top notch but the story suffers here a bit with things not moving forward enough but even what is presented fumbles a bit.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most amazing graphic novels about cosmic adventures I have ever read :) Highly recommend these books to every fan of adventure stories, graphic novels, sci-fi and steampunk!

[Christina Baehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent instalment. It’s really a serial in my mind - I can’t remember where one ends and another begins. I loved the Breton scenes.

[vic · Rating 4 out of 5]

mon dieu la suite n'est plus dispo à la bibliothèque comment vais-je faire

[Michelle Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series. The art is absolutely beautiful and the plot has been pretty interesting, too. :)

[Pixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quelle merveille que cette série ! Un pur plaisir à chaque nouvelle plongée dans cet univers. Toujours aussi fan du dessin et de la mise en couleur, si douce et immersive. Hâte de découvrir le prochain volume !

[Ken Yuen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately a bit earthbound this time. The art's still wonderful and the dream of space is still strong, just wish we spent more time out there in adventure

[Malex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un plaisir de replonger dans cet univers avec des personnages qui ont gagné en maturité.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Three and a half stars rounded down to three.

The Knights of Mars is the third volume in this fabulous series. We are still following Seraphin, Hans, and Sophie as they navigate a world where space travel is a reality thanks to the discovery of a substance called aetherite. After returning from their voyage to the moon, they have to hide on an island to protect their secret from the Prussians, who are eager to control their technology. Meanwhile, Seraphin's father, who has founded the International Society of Aether, disappears, leading the Knights of Aether to search for him and Professor Dulac on Mars. The story involves a thrilling chase across the Prussian empire, culminating in a journey to the uncharted planet of Mars.

I still love the whole steampunk theme of these graphic novels. I am also continuing to find the story quite immersive - once I start reading one of the novels, I find myself involved in the story until the end. This one was a bit harder to follow than the first two. I realise that it is translated to English from French, and they have done an exceptional job doing so. I don’t think that me finding it slightly harder to follow has to do with the translation. I think it has more to do with the panels where the story is represented entirely by pictures and not words. I would closely examine what was happening in each panel and I could get a general idea of what was happening, but sometimes they were just so crowded with things happening that it was a bit much. I don’t know if that makes sense. This wasn’t something I noticed in the first two books, and it also wasn’t the whole graphic novel that I noticed this in, just certain parts.

Though I definitely still enjoyed this novel, I think it just lacked some of the excitement and adventure that filled the first two. There was definitely sustained moments of action, but also pages where both a lot was happening. Anyway, like the others, it ended on a cliffhanger, so I am going to get going on the fourth book in the series. I am definitely invested enough to keep reading. There are questions that need to be answered! What happened to Seraphin’s parents all those years ago? Will he ever find his grandfather? What will they find on Mars? Will the chamberlain cause further trouble (probably)? I guess we will have to wait and see!

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The race to the planets is on. Seraphin, Sophie, Hans, and Seraphin’s Grandfather are hiding out trying to keep aertherite a secret while they probe its secrets. Meanwhile, Seraphin’s father is conscripted by the Prussians for a trip to Mars, and soon others will be on their way there as well. It is a race for control of Mars.

A little colonial-ish period competition reimaged as spread to the reaches of space with imaginative steampunk apparatuses to get them there. This volume in our heroes’ adventures has to pack in a bit about what’s going on with other interested parties, so we don’t spend quite as much time with the 3 kids. What we do spend with them, though, is entertaining. I felt like this book more than any other in the series ended in quite the cliffhanger. I really want to know what happens next! Hand this series to kids and teens who like space adventures, steampunk, reimagined histories, and graphic novels.

Notes on content [based on ARC]: One instance of swearing in German. No sexual content. Two fatalities (not much gore shown), some punches thrown.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third installment in a promised four-part series follows Seraphin, Hans, and Sophie after they've returned to Earth from the moon. They are staying on a remote island because they want to keep secret the fact that they have returned with aetherite, a material that somehow works against gravity. The three friends end up on a mission to Mars where they hope to rescue a king and a scientist. I loved the idea of having space exploration take place a century before it actually did--in 1869. I also found the watercolor illustrations in this graphic novel's panels to be simply lovely. There is a bit of jumping around from place to place and character to character that is jarring and might detract from reader's enjoyment of the story, and a little more background for what happened previously would be helpful. Still, the idea here is original and interesting to follow as it's developed. It will be interesting to see how the author/illustrator concludes this series. Readers who delight in books exploring alternative realities will enjoy this one but will want to read all the titles together for the full experience of being immersed in this world.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was rather a let down after the first two. It is an enjoyable read, and the artwork is glorious as always, but overall it is too much of a transitory volume. There is a decent amount of action in this book, but none of it is particularly interesting in its own right, it is all about moving the story, and the characters, from where they were at the end of the previous volume to some potentially interesting and exciting new situation to appear in the next volume (not out for another 8 months at this point). It is probably necessary groundwork, but it didn't really hook me, whereas the ongoing hints of some ancient aether-faring civilization, and of exotic life on other planets, is far more intriguing but has had little attention so far.

Also, what is up with their stowaway? It is sort of weird that he never even gets a name that I can see, and he is introduced as though he's a native of the little French islands on which they are hiding out, so why does he so readily throw in with the Germans as though he was a spy the whole time? Another of those things left unresolved in this volume.

[Mathou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tout s’accélère dans l’espace

La petite troupe est de retour sur terre, l’information de la vie possible sur la lune est internationale…mais la course à la conquête de l’espace par les différents pays le devient tout autant!

Le père de Séraphin tente de retrouver des scientifiques qui pourraient faire plier les différents gouvernements pour que l’espace appartienne à tout le monde, et ainsi éviter une guerre mondiale de l’espace. Malheureusement le père de Séraphin est enlevé par la Prusse qui l’envoie sur mars avec une expédition.

De son coté, Séraphin aussi doit faire face à la convoitise et de nouveaux problèmes se dressent sur son chemin.

L’histoire demeure toujours aussi palpitante et pleine de rebondissements. Ce n’est pas parce que l’on change de planète, passant de la conquête de la lune à celle de mars, qu’il ne s’agit que d’un recommencement. Il n’y a aucune redite, toute l’intrigue regorge de nouveauté et les planches de dessin magnifiques ne nous font que plonger encore plus passionnément dans cette histoire incroyable.

[Yuyine · Rating 5 out of 5]

J’ai un immense respect pour l’oeuvre de Jules Verne, et croyez-moi, dire de cette série BD qu’elle aurait pu être une de ses oeuvres, c’est un immense compliment! Alex Alice nous propose une oeuvre riche, intense et épique, mêlant découvertes scientifiques, conquête spatiale et aventures. Dans un univers à la fois ancré dans des faits réalistes et hautement fantastique, nous sommes amenés à suivre l’histoire de Séraphin et ses compatriotes, à la conquête des étoiles dans une course effrénée avec un ennemi cherchant à s’accaparer ces découvertes pour assurer son pouvoir et sa domination. C’est une ode à la science, une ode à l’espace aussi, et enfin, une ode à la rêverie. Car cette série me fait véritablement rêver, elle me transporte via un récit d’une intensité rare et c’est avec [...]

Pour lire la suite, rendez-vous sur yuyine.be !

[Joseph R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a successful trip to the moon (except for losing King Ludwig, who may have been transported to Mars), our heroes (Seraphin, Hans, and Sophie) return to Earth. Their next plan is to fix up the ship and have Seraphin's father, Professor Dulac, form an International Society of Aether. The society will establish peaceful exploration and settling of the other planets without nationalistic claims bringing war into space. It's a great ambition but the meeting is sabotaged. Dulac disappears and the Prussians put a lot of effort into finding his ship. The kids have the ship on an island off the coast of Brittany. When the Prussians show up, they are forced to leave for Mars in the professor's ship. The Prussians have already sent a warship to Mars. A warship that hasn't reported back and is long overdue....Maybe Mars already has some locals itching for a fight?

The story is interesting and the art is delightful. I can't wait for the next issue.

Highly recommended.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.

The Knights of the Aether are hiding out at Seraphin's grandfather's house in Brittany. Seraphin's father travels to London to a society of the best minds, a group he calls "The International Society of the Aether." He seeks to showcase aether ships and to recruit anyone willing to be an ally against the Prussian forces. But, their meeting is sabotaged, and Seraphin loses contact with his father. Meanwhile, King Ludwig's sister begs for more information about her brother's whereabouts, and she won't believe he is traveling to Mars. Then, the Prussian forces are upon them, and it will take everything the Knights have to outwit and escape them, on board a ship hurtling towards Mars!

This volume has plenty of action on every page, and I am thoroughly enjoying this Jules-Vernian story of aether ships and lost civilizations on other celestial bodies. Seraphin is a very brave and strong main character, but right there next to him is Sophie, who is not going to let any boy push her around. She's strong willed, a little short tempered, and quick-witted. Then there's Hans, the comic relief who can't stop complaining about sharing his beer rations with other people. The watercolor artwork is beautiful, and I appreciate the detailed schematics of the aetherships when they're included. There are many different aetherships in this volume, and they are all elegant and beautiful with lovely steampunk elements. This is a great adventure story that doesn't seem to have an end in sight.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-8

[L'Abri des Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Pensez à votre gloire. Mais pensez surtout à votre patrie. Pensez que vous fondez un empire à travers les étoiles..."

Cette saga de bandes dessinées est un mastodonte, et en plus de cela français ! Quel bonheur ! La série me fait penser aussi à du Pierre Pevel, c'est délectable à souhait. Le Tome 3 est le moins "wow", simplement parce qu'il s'approche plus de l'action pure qu'à la beauté impressionnante des autres jusque là. C'est la Terre et après le 1 et le 2, je m'en lasse de notre planète, je veux savoiiiiir, je suis dans l'attente et je lis moins vite. Oh la relou impatiente 🥴 à la fin de chaque tome, je suis comateuse, dans un état second. Je n'arrive pas à m'en remettre mais en vérité je n'en ai aucune envie 😱🤯

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAwAPsUtBtH/

[Krys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
The Knights of Mars picks up shortly after book 2. Our intrepid travelers having returned from the moon set their sights on Mars to find both the King and Seraphin’s father who went missing after a meeting and is believed to have been taken captive. Sophie, Hans and Seraphin brave space travel again to find the answers they seek.
I love the art of this story and the steampunk aesthetic. Sophie and Seraphin are by far my favorite characters but Hans grows on me a bit more each time I read another volume of this series.

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I can really comment on the story yet. I haven't read the first two volumes, and this really feels like a single work. The setting reminds me of an RPG called Space 1889.

What I will comment on is the artwork. This is simply a gorgeous work. You can easily distinguish all the main characters by mannerism, by silhouette, and by colour palette. The detail on both real and imagined "set decoration" and "props" is amazing, and many background shots are simply breathtaking.

This particular volume doesn't take place in England so it isn't strictly Victorian, but I consider this closer to Victorian SF than steampunk.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schöner Auftakt zur zweiten Episode des kaiserzeitlichen Raumfahrerepos. Tritt etwas langsamer in der ersten Hälfte, dafür überschlagen sich die Ereignisse aber bald genug. Ähnlich wie bei Hubs Okko Serie würde "Das Schloss der Sterne" vermutlich davon profitieren, wenn die Alben sofort als Doppelbände veröffentlicht würden. Hier bleiben wir bei einem Cliffhanger stehen, der es ganz schön ins ich hat udn Lust auf mehr hat. Dafür weiß man allerdings noch nicht so ganz, woran man im Ganzen hier ist. Trotzdem: Wunderschön gezeichnet bzw, koloriert und gelungen erzählt - und das als Einzelleistung von Alice!

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, such beautiful artwork! And again, a cliff-hanger ending. I appreciate the historic and scientific detail that goes into this series. For the longest time I thought Hans was a short adult (probably because of his beer and smoking habits), but in this third book in the series, Hans was a little more believable as a kid (there was one spread in particular that made it more clear, maybe there was a slight change in his design graphically?). Looking forward to the next book!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!