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Mermere
Enfin, tant attendue, la réédition de ce livre-culte qui a longtemps servi de mot de passe aux amoureux de la mer.
A l'heure où le Grand Bleu est en danger, les Noés de Mermere n'ont jamais été si actuels.
"Mermère" est à l'océan ce que "Dune" est à l'espace.
A l'heure où le Grand Bleu est en danger, les Noés de Mermere n'ont jamais été si actuels.
"Mermère" est à l'océan ce que "Dune" est à l'espace.
- GenresScience Fiction
384 pages, Hardcover
Published May 16, 1989
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December 10, 2023
'Mermere', as you can deduce from the title, is a merger of two words: mer (sea) and mère (mother). The French version of the Earthsea cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, for example, is translated as 'Terremer' (terre = earth, mer = sea).
'Mermere' was originally published in 1978, reissued in 1995, and a second time in January 2020. In this interview on ActuSF.com the author explains that he didn't rewrite the text, only took out any typos and polished everything up.
What can one expect from this book? It contains a story about sea-faring, well, -swimming and -living, people called noés. These people originally lived on land, but as Earth became uninhabitable for various reasons, several people fled to the seas and decided to spend the rest of their lives there, where everything was pure, or at least purer than all the man-created misery on land. The remaining people on land also live in protected spaces.
In the sea, near an underwater volcano, the noés cultivate herbs, vegetables, foodstuffs in general. To access these places, they use capsules or pods. Each of these people lives on a raft. These rafts are held together by magnets and can sink and rise whenever necessary.
The noés are a peaceful people, but are considered terrorists and savages by the Earthlings (landlubbers). How peaceful (or terroristic) they are is clearly shown in their relationship with nature, with the ocean: Communication occurs through speech or telepathy with other sea mammals like orcas, dolphins, and sperm whales. Speaking of sperm, their relationship with these sea animals also involves... yes, indeed. Of course, when you spend most of your time under water, how do you breath? Well, they have a special tool: okam, a little transplant.
The adventure to this imaginary waterworld starts with the boy Horn, son of Noah (leader of the pack) and Masha, his Russian mother. Horn is a half-breed noé (Noah is a pure noé, Masha was born and raised on land), also has purple eyes, which provide him with a special power/gift. Horn dreamed of a tree, something he's unfamiliar with, as he's never set foot on land. As time passes by, and after a his people (incl. the sea mammals, as they form one big people/family) had to fight for their lives (), he decides to go on a quest: To set foot on land and find out about the Earthlings and the rest of his history.
Meanwhile, and prior to this, the noés has welcomed other refugees from land, whose lives were also threatened by the changes. They integrate rapidly and without too much trouble. They won't be the only ones seeking a new home.
As man was treating his only home, Earth, so well and life on land was getting very difficult, there had been a space mission to find the one planet (Mu, like the lost continent and its utopic history) where life could start anew, where the evolutionary process could get kickstarted by man. That mission did not end successfully, however, as the shuttle crashed and ended up at the bottom of the ocean. Or at least, near the noé population. The bodywork of the shuttle was put to new use, but thorough investigations led to documents detailing the mission.
The author also plays a role: Emmolrev (Verlomme), as a traveller/ethnologist, trying to figure out and document the noés' lifestyle. In the second part of the book, we get to read about his faring through an extract of his diary. Or, the captain's log, as it would be said in 'Star Trek' by Captain Picard.
It wouldn't be a good story if it didn't have a good conclusion. And the conclusion is... that I found the ending confusing, not really wrapped up, as several questions are left unanswered (what with Al Kaswini, the Mu-mission, Masha's last writings, ...). Unless you just focus on the noés and how they could continue their way of life without fearing for their lives - or couldn't they? That man can and should/must live in harmony with nature, for the good of both parties, as all is connected.
..........
I liked how this story takes place in an invented water-based world, showing a different side of nature. How man should (could?) live more in harmony with nature, with sea creatures, although the projected utopia here is far from today's way of life and how we (in general) treat Mother Earth, including the oceans and seas. Mr Verlomme shows a contrast between two people: Earthlings and noés or water-people, if you will. While one seeks to eradicate the other and even one's own species - having no scruples about abusing nature and technology to accomplish this mission -, the other welcomes newcomers and refugees, to live with and not against nature, or against the other.
The writing-style and vocabulary require an advanced knowledge of the French language (C2 level/native, or at least C1). I've read many French books the last few years, and because of that I have greatly improved my knowledge, but 'Mermere' was a rather bumpy ride, to be honest. The second part of the book, where Emmolrev presented a few passages of his diary whilst documenting his stay among the noés, was of a more accessible level. Characters are a difficult aspect, as their attraction is a subjective matter. There were a few characters that stood out, one being Mush (a blind, but wise man), but I had some difficulty liking the others or sympathising with them, because of sometimes questionable behaviour or decisions. Important to note: The number of characters is quite high. As there is no list of who's who's and only a few get most of the spotlights, trying to "see" these characters was a demanding task. I will not deny that external influences might have played a role in this. Might.
'Mermere' is, on its own, an original novel whose story focuses on a water-world (yes, like the film, in some respect) in which man lives in harmony with nature. Certainly for its ecological message, I can certainly recommend it, as it offers interesting food for thought even today, no, since it was first published. Perhaps more than ever, considering the state of the world today with COVID-19 roaming the world and making man question his relationship with nature in general.
For reasons of completion, here are some books I think are related, tackle the same or similar themes:
* Stein und Flöte und das ist noch nicht alles by Hans Bemmann (see my review here, in Dutch, though)
* De man die de taal van de slangen sprak (The Man Who Spoke Snakish) by Andrus Kivirähk (see my review here)
* The Overstory by Richard Powers (see my review here)
---------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.
'Mermere' was originally published in 1978, reissued in 1995, and a second time in January 2020. In this interview on ActuSF.com the author explains that he didn't rewrite the text, only took out any typos and polished everything up.
What can one expect from this book? It contains a story about sea-faring, well, -swimming and -living, people called noés. These people originally lived on land, but as Earth became uninhabitable for various reasons, several people fled to the seas and decided to spend the rest of their lives there, where everything was pure, or at least purer than all the man-created misery on land. The remaining people on land also live in protected spaces.
In the sea, near an underwater volcano, the noés cultivate herbs, vegetables, foodstuffs in general. To access these places, they use capsules or pods. Each of these people lives on a raft. These rafts are held together by magnets and can sink and rise whenever necessary.
The noés are a peaceful people, but are considered terrorists and savages by the Earthlings (landlubbers). How peaceful (or terroristic) they are is clearly shown in their relationship with nature, with the ocean: Communication occurs through speech or telepathy with other sea mammals like orcas, dolphins, and sperm whales. Speaking of sperm, their relationship with these sea animals also involves... yes, indeed. Of course, when you spend most of your time under water, how do you breath? Well, they have a special tool: okam, a little transplant.
The adventure to this imaginary waterworld starts with the boy Horn, son of Noah (leader of the pack) and Masha, his Russian mother. Horn is a half-breed noé (Noah is a pure noé, Masha was born and raised on land), also has purple eyes, which provide him with a special power/gift. Horn dreamed of a tree, something he's unfamiliar with, as he's never set foot on land. As time passes by, and after a his people (incl. the sea mammals, as they form one big people/family) had to fight for their lives (), he decides to go on a quest: To set foot on land and find out about the Earthlings and the rest of his history.
Meanwhile, and prior to this, the noés has welcomed other refugees from land, whose lives were also threatened by the changes. They integrate rapidly and without too much trouble. They won't be the only ones seeking a new home.
As man was treating his only home, Earth, so well and life on land was getting very difficult, there had been a space mission to find the one planet (Mu, like the lost continent and its utopic history) where life could start anew, where the evolutionary process could get kickstarted by man. That mission did not end successfully, however, as the shuttle crashed and ended up at the bottom of the ocean. Or at least, near the noé population. The bodywork of the shuttle was put to new use, but thorough investigations led to documents detailing the mission.
The author also plays a role: Emmolrev (Verlomme), as a traveller/ethnologist, trying to figure out and document the noés' lifestyle. In the second part of the book, we get to read about his faring through an extract of his diary. Or, the captain's log, as it would be said in 'Star Trek' by Captain Picard.
It wouldn't be a good story if it didn't have a good conclusion. And the conclusion is... that I found the ending confusing, not really wrapped up, as several questions are left unanswered (what with Al Kaswini, the Mu-mission, Masha's last writings, ...). Unless you just focus on the noés and how they could continue their way of life without fearing for their lives - or couldn't they? That man can and should/must live in harmony with nature, for the good of both parties, as all is connected.
..........
I liked how this story takes place in an invented water-based world, showing a different side of nature. How man should (could?) live more in harmony with nature, with sea creatures, although the projected utopia here is far from today's way of life and how we (in general) treat Mother Earth, including the oceans and seas. Mr Verlomme shows a contrast between two people: Earthlings and noés or water-people, if you will. While one seeks to eradicate the other and even one's own species - having no scruples about abusing nature and technology to accomplish this mission -, the other welcomes newcomers and refugees, to live with and not against nature, or against the other.
The writing-style and vocabulary require an advanced knowledge of the French language (C2 level/native, or at least C1). I've read many French books the last few years, and because of that I have greatly improved my knowledge, but 'Mermere' was a rather bumpy ride, to be honest. The second part of the book, where Emmolrev presented a few passages of his diary whilst documenting his stay among the noés, was of a more accessible level. Characters are a difficult aspect, as their attraction is a subjective matter. There were a few characters that stood out, one being Mush (a blind, but wise man), but I had some difficulty liking the others or sympathising with them, because of sometimes questionable behaviour or decisions. Important to note: The number of characters is quite high. As there is no list of who's who's and only a few get most of the spotlights, trying to "see" these characters was a demanding task. I will not deny that external influences might have played a role in this. Might.
'Mermere' is, on its own, an original novel whose story focuses on a water-world (yes, like the film, in some respect) in which man lives in harmony with nature. Certainly for its ecological message, I can certainly recommend it, as it offers interesting food for thought even today, no, since it was first published. Perhaps more than ever, considering the state of the world today with COVID-19 roaming the world and making man question his relationship with nature in general.
For reasons of completion, here are some books I think are related, tackle the same or similar themes:
* Stein und Flöte und das ist noch nicht alles by Hans Bemmann (see my review here, in Dutch, though)
* De man die de taal van de slangen sprak (The Man Who Spoke Snakish) by Andrus Kivirähk (see my review here)
* The Overstory by Richard Powers (see my review here)
---------
I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.
September 11, 2024
This was an almost DNF for me … The first 100 pages were absolute chaos. So many different characters, so many things that weren’t explained and no descriptive texts at all. I was also very confused by the lack of character development. We would know the characters’ names and their relations with others but no hint on their personalities, their psychologies … So it was very much a voyage in the dark. But once I pushed through the first 25% of the book, the story finally picked up, the plot was a bit more clear and I really traveled with Hugo Verlomme’s powerful writing.
Overall I really liked it, for its writing style, its plot and its avant-gardiste vision of our Earth and our Oceans and how we are both its protectors and destroyers.
So I’d say it could be a good classic read if you’re into ecological books or if you’re looking to reflect on humanity overall.
Overall I really liked it, for its writing style, its plot and its avant-gardiste vision of our Earth and our Oceans and how we are both its protectors and destroyers.
So I’d say it could be a good classic read if you’re into ecological books or if you’re looking to reflect on humanity overall.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews