Hugo Verlomme

> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Verlomme-Sables--Les-enfants-perdus-de-Mermere/40...

> SABLE, de Hugo Verlomme - Éd. J.C. Lattès. — Hugo Verlomme, l’auteur de Sables - la suite tant attendue de Mermere, le roman culte des “mériens”, ces amoureux de la mer qui voient les dauphins comme des sages - pense que les premiers hommes ont dû appararaître sur une plage, lieu magique entre tous, à la limite de l’eau, du ciel et de la terre, dans ce “solide liquide” qu’est le sable.
Mermere était le roman amphibie d’un schisme fondamental de l’évolution humaine : les rebelles devenaient des êtres aquatiques, vivant sur des radeaux d’algues et dans des cités sous-marines ; les autres, restés terrestres, s’enlisaient sous le joug militaro-industriel. Un quart de siècle plus tard, Sables reprend cette histoire, mais dans une sorte de bouddhéité, comme si l’humanité avait commencé à se calmer : nettement moins de trafic, moins de production, infiniment plus de nature. Les héros vivent sur un îlot d’origine volcanique, qui leur offre de fantastiques refuges sous-marins, où ils peuvent se cacher à la façon des poissons de rocher - comme ceux de Mermere, mais dans un scénario moins SF et avec une sagesse en plus. Comme si, en mûrissant, le romancier avait éprouvé le besoin de revenir à quelque chose de plus humain, plongeant dans les profondeurs des êtres... Sans cesser de surfer avec les plus grosses vagues pour autant (Patrice van EERSEL)
—Nouvelles Clés… (más)

'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 [a:Ursula K. Le Guin|874602|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1244291425p2/874602.jpg], 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 rel="nofollow" target="_top">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 (Brainwashed orcas, implanted with a neurological device, attacked the noés in order to decimate them, as instructed by the antagonist in the story, Al Kaswini. There were many casualties, including the mother orca, who died by Horn's powerful intervention. Her baby, who would later be adopted by the noés and called Viva, would lead a life for the better.), he decides to go on a quest: To set foot on land and find out about the Earthlings and the rest of his history. Horn's mother committing suicide, because she couldn't continue living at sea, and his father Noah having disappeared - was he murdered by the modified orcas? - only convinced him more to seek new endeavours. However, by doing so, he's putting his and other noés's lives at risk. Al Kaswini, whose scientific researcher Tion Fa modified the orcas and is tasked to find out about the noés, lured him into a trap. A bounty hunter had to capture a handful of noés, but only Horn and a girl who previously lived at sea were captured. She didn't survive, but Horn did. Thanks to his special eyes, Tion Fa was convinced she was committing a grave error and set him free. In fact, she tricked (and accidentally killed? Not sure) her employer to be able to make her plan come to fruition. She would, after the perilous escape, become a member of noé society.

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.

This novel is, on the other hand, not without flaws. The writing-style and vocabulary acquires a certain knowledge of the French language (C2, or at lest 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 subjects:

* [b:Stein und Flöte und das ist noch nicht alles|17902188|Stein und Flöte und das ist noch nicht alles|Hans Bemmann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368028190l/17902188._SY75_.jpg|240883] by [a:Hans Bemmann|145305|Hans Bemmann|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201439959p2/145305.jpg] (see my review here, in Dutch, though)
* [b:De man die de taal van de slangen sprak|25586742|De man die de taal van de slangen sprak|Andrus Kivirähk|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432374224l/25586742._SY75_.jpg|6534241] (The Man Who Spoke Snakish) by [a:Andrus Kivirähk|337614|Andrus Kivirähk|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1337250660p2/337614.jpg] (see my review here)
* [b:The Overstory|40781099|The Overstory|Richard Powers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553427352l/40781099._SY75_.jpg|57662223] by [a:Richard Powers|11783|Richard Powers|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1263155076p2/11783.jpg] (see my review here)

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I was sent this book by Éditions ActuSF for review. Many thanks to them for the trust.… (más)

> LA NUIT DES DAUPHINS, par Hugo Verlomme,. — Un conte moderne en ce solstice d’hiver. Près de l’équateur, le ciel se fait orageux. Comme chaque année, à cette même date du 21 décembre, à la même heure, Monsieur Gris, chasseur de mots rares, attend le retour de Josépha, l’amour de sa vie, partie sept ans plus tôt pour une baignade, disparue en mer et jamais revenue. Le petit Tom, le garçon aux intuitions magiques, l’aurait-il vue sur la plage ? Dehors, la tempête hurle et voilà soudain, échoué sur la plage, un dauphin. C’est une femelle, elle est blessée. Vite, il faut la soigner et la remettre à l’eau ! Mais... ne dirait-on pas qu’elle ressemble à Josépha ?
Commence alors pour Monsieur Gris une descente dans les profondeurs du temps, de la destinée... et de l’océan. Ses compagnons sont le petit Tom, Jock le maraudeur, la belle Zora, les marins Tino et Lino, ainsi que Gary le jeune savant... Cette drôle de bande va vivre la plus étonnante des Nativités, prise dans la ronde planétaire des dauphins. Un joli conte de Noël, qui unit la terre, les vents, les hommes et les dauphins. Ed. J.-C. Lattès. (Patrice VAN EERSEL)
—Nouvelles Clés, (12), Hiver 1996, (p. 71)… (más)

> L’eau est là
« L’eau est là », de Hugo VERLOMME. Hugo Verlomme nous parle d'un monde gagné par l'eau, ou plutôt conquis par elle, souvent par la force et au prix de grands désordres. Si l'on en croit les commentaires de la quatrième de couverture, ce roman visionnaire fut achevé peu de temps avant le tsunami qui ravagea les côtes asiatiques. Mais ce livre ne relate pas uniquement l'attente d'un cataclysme, au-delà il parle d'espoir. Cette histoire à dimension variable s'en va puiser au plus profond des symboles pour nous tenir en alerte. Et au fil des pages émerge une interrogation plus profonde, d'une audace certaine, à laquelle l'auteur répond affirmativement : l'avenir de l'humanité serait-il aquatique, et plus précisément océanique ? L'Eau est là possède en effet une vertu peu commune chez les romans, qui dérangera certains mais que d'autres trouveront au minimum fort intéressante, et troublante : décentrer nos perspectives d'indécrottables terriens et nous conduire à quitter la terre pour rejoindre cet élément mythique : l'eau. Grâce au truchement de ses personnages, souvent des navigateurs avertis tels un spécialiste de vagologie et une chamane charmeuse venue d'un peuple des pirogues, l'auteur rappelle que cette terre que nous croyons nôtre n'affiche, en comparaison aux océans, que de modestes proportions, ocres, brunes et vertes au milieu du grand bleu.
La portée anthropologique et écologique de cette interrogation saute aux yeux : avec le réchauffement climatique, la montée des eaux va amoindrir encore davantage la part des terres émergées. Quelle stratégie déployer pour assurer notre avenir ?
L'eau monte, menace les habitations en bord de côte. L'eau gagne l'intérieur des terres en enflant les rivières et en inondant les vallées. Que faire face à un tel désordre ? L'auteur suggère de s'adapter. Acquérir de nouvelles visions et de nouveaux savoir-faire.
L'Eau est là ruisselle de partout ; il regorge de pluies diluviennes, d'océans tantôt apaisants tantôt déchaînés. Les torrents dévalent aux flancs des pentes, suivis par un sage ascétique accompagné d'une prostituée ingénue et attentive. Des vivants et des morts prennent la mer pour d'improbables rencontres, tandis que d'autres s'accrochent désespérément à leurs biens, terrestres, au péril de leur vie. Se tisse, ligne après ligne, un cosmos de correspondances où le charnel répond au symbolique, lorsque les corps font l'amour et, ce faisant, raccommodent le monde et repoussent la catastrophe. Une idée ne cesse toutefois de filer son chemin, au fil des pages et dans l'esprit du lecteur, troublé, un défi planétaire attend l'humanité : apprendre à vivre avec l'eau sans la craindre, accomplir un renversement de perspectives et devenir marine plutôt que terrienne. L'eau, par-delà les catastrophes de ses invasions brutales, représente également la vie. La montée des eaux marquerait le début d'une nouvelle aventure humaine. Emerge alors comme une urgence : retrouvons l'eau, protégeons-la, respectons-la, éprouvons-la de toutes nos fibres. De nouvelles navigations nous attendent sur la matière de l'origine. Ed. Jean-Claude Lattès (2005), 280 p. - 19 €. Rodolphe CHRISTIN
—Revue S!lence, juil. 2005. … ; (en ligne),
URL : https://www.revuesilence.net/numeros/325-Alternatives-en-Nord-Pas-de-Calais/… (más)