Castle in the Stars: The Moon-King
Le Château des Etoiles #2
By Alex Alice
ISBN13: 9781626724945
Author’s website: alexalice.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar
Summary
What if man journeyed into space in 1869, not 1969? In this breath-taking fantasy graphic novel, Alex Alice draws on Jules Verne and nineteenth-century romanticism to create a watercolor world of adventure and wonder to enchant adults and younger readers alike.
In anticipation of their maiden voyage, Seraphin and the Knights of Aether had prepared for everything—except treason. The villainous chamberlain wants to overthrow King Ludwig and claim the electro-aetheric technology for Prussia. The only escape for the king and his companions lies in the frosty skies above Bavaria.
The aethership’s first flight is a success, but their respite is short-lived. As long as the chamberlain is free to spread his lies, these travelers will find no safe harbor. To save the king’s throne, they must push the ship even farther—out of the sky . . . and into the stars!
Review
Continues the story of Seraphin and his father as they journey into outer space and through the aether barrier, along them come Sophie and brother Hans, and King Ludwig. On their way to cross the Aether barrier (atmosphere) they learn that they are missing a crucial piece of device and end up flowing in space.
As they try to find a way back home to Earth they come across a shiny light from the moon that damages them even more. They now have a small window of time to make the necessary repairs and get back home.
The Castle in the Stars: The Moon-King has very beautiful artwork with a compelling story that captives the reader. The story is interesting and catches the reader’s attention with its mystery and fantasy tale of space travel different to what we have learned in our world. At the same time, the characters are easy to like, their innocence and bravery make them the best candidates for this travel into the stars.
This book has stunning artwork that brings to life the story that is being narrated. Its watercolor technique suits the time setting in which the story takes places and was a great choice to interpret the landscapes of outer space and the moon.
Most of the characters in this expedition have their own agenda and while trying to accomplish their goals they endanger the rest of the crew members and seem to believe they are correct. In my opinion, both the king Ludwig and Seraphin father will do anything to prove they are correct.
While It’s easy to follow along with the story, I do recommend you read the first book in the series to understand better the characters. I’m also interested to see where the author will take the characters after how things ended in this book.
If you are a fan of Alex Alice and his work, then I recommend you Castle in the Stars: The Moon-King. In this book, a family and a king follow a logbook into the stars and end up stranded on the moon.
