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it's a unlikely crime story, settled in a small town in the Normandy in the years just after the Second World War.

it starts as a warm, but slightly uncomfortable satire on life in such small towns, far from the center. but then it unveiled the racism lying underneath the little flaws in the characters and how ready and quick such community is to get on each others throats. and it is fitting, that neither police nor judge solve the case. (but it will be solved)

the main reason to read this, is Véry's poetical language, which really creates a kind of fairy tale out of the classical whodunnit.

the lone survivor of a black space mission tries to save his former enemies from destruction. in the process, to ensure lasting peace and wellfare he develops a ever higher consciousness.

the start wasn't promising at all. the reader stumbled together with the hero of the book from one scene to another by hard cuts. i was worrying, is it bad story telling or some kind of broad allegory? but when the first plot elements become recognisable, i learned to like this book a lot. the philosophical premise and thoughts woven into the rather plain story have a unique effect. (it's like one of the good written dr. who episodes, if i have to compare it.)

i really wanted to like this one. the topics are important, the messages, as far as i could grab, right.

but the art of telling the tale... until the end of the first part everthing was fine: the characters, the development of the story. the second part started the build up with new characters and arc anew, but in lesser time, and the third rushed the same process even more. and the grand scheme in the background didn't deepen with the new parts, but lost every time some of it's aspects to get a conclusion.

this book is like these kinds of enjoyable b-movies

Firth tries to sell hiking in Derbyshire -- which is, i'm pretty sure, an experience. but seldom he got the strength to focus on his subject. more often he rants about insignificant monuments, ugly new(er) buildings -- this book is from the 1920s -- and bad poetry. yes! because, like every good teacher in local history, he manages to cite obscure poets about some rocks or creeks. and has tons of anecdotes about mary queen of scots and dr. johnson, who happen to be there in this region also.

it's a fun. and the picture are really cool.

i really liked this one. it's a mixture of really funny stretches (some kind of self-escalating situations), of -to be honest- quite conservative commenting on human and society of its time, bound together by the story of a youth and his fostering uncle. i think, it has the warmth and tone of Guareschi, which pleased me most. and you can feel the inner struggle, not to be romantic and ironic and in the same time being exactly that. i wonder, what took me so long to find Topffer.

it's a fun and easy read: lot's of charming characters --maybe you have to read the first volume though-- in strange situations. a cool mystery story with an ending, which opens this world wider to the next book. and a little bit of satire tossed in.

again, as the second of the series, it is a solid mystery of a special brand. and because it is also a well-known classic i only want to add, how easy you can miss out the bleak and noir depiction of us society in the sixties. not in the mention of deep distrust in the police force, in the side plot to the civil rights, but how the need to profit wrecks both personal morals and eventually society's will to perfom justness

"magische" geschichten verweist nicht auf zauber und fantasy, sondern auf ein spirituelles weltbild, das der hintergrund ist. die magischen geschichten sind in einer unvergleichlich traumnahen art geschrieben. die gespräche, begegnungen oder handlungen wandern mühelos aus dem alltäglichen in eine vertraut wirkende unwirklichkeit -- allein dies macht sie schon lesenswert. mit motiven wie nahtod, schicksal und geistererscheinung wird auf diese art in sehr stimmungsvoller weise umgegangen. oftmals sind auch spekulierende, wissend raunende gespräche eingeflochten, die ich allerdings ebenfalls eher der stimmung zurechnen möchte.

allerdings, die geschichten haben, trotz der thematik, keine wendung, keinen erzählerischen schlußeffekt -- das muss man mögen.

ich finde die, im laufe der handlung als geheimnis enthüllte, grundidee spannend, aber für den roman ist das eigentlich nur der macguffin. in wahrheit will er ein leichter, filmisch wirkender thriller sein. aber auch dafür reicht es nicht ganz, weil sich die handlung beeilen muss (warum eigentlich) und deshalb ständig mit kurzschlüssen arbeiten muss, um das personal zusammenzubringen.

if you are in a story filled up to the brim with all the fantastic tropes and clichés of action cinema, i would highly recommend this series.