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Cycle des Anges #1

Les Thanatonautes

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Bernard Werber nous entraîne à la découverte du continent ultime, au-delà de notre imaginaire. En suivant les Thanatonautes, vous connaîtrez des rêves et des terreurs insondables, vous subirez les lois d'un univers étrange, où se cache l'énigme qui hante les hommes depuis toujours� Jamais personne n'est allé aussi loin que les Thanatonautes. Ils ont exploré la vie après la vie. L'odyssée la plus stupéfiante de tous les temps.

502 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

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About the author

Bernard Werber

243books1,653followers
Bernard Werber's "Ants" trilogy made him one of France's most popular science fiction novelists in the 90s. Werber began studying journalism in 1982 in Paris, where he discovered the work of sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick. In 1991 he published the novel Les Fourmis (Empire of the Ants), a complex fantasy novel in which ants were the heroes and humans the pesty antagonists. The novel became a cult hit across Europe, and Werber followed it with two other books in the same vein: Le Jour des Fourmis (Day of the Ants,1992) and La Révolution des Fourmis (Revolution of the Ants, 1995). His other books include L'Empire des Anges (Empire of the Angels, 2000) and L'Arbre des possibles (The Tree of Possibles, 2002).

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews
Profile Image for Adriananas.
58 reviews13 followers
April 10, 2015
DNF

That's it, I give up on this book...For the excitement and awesomeness I was expecting from a book about life after death, this is unbelievably boring. Everything is written so clinically, so devoid of enthusiasm. The author is merely reporting events and there is little attempt to fascinate the reader.

Not to mention the depressing characters. The main character, Michael, is so passive and spiritless, I found it hard to keep reading the story through his eyes. You want to root for characters, not want to kill them. Unless the book wants you to hate its characters and I don't think this was the case.

But mainly, the biggest problem is this book's theme. It's obviously trying to take a philosophical stance on death, life and god; it hits us with passages from different religion's holy books; Michael repeatedly wonders about the ethics of intruding in the realm of the dead etc. And yet, all this talk about death felt so bland and uninspired. It was so tedious, really. So much death and not one sentiment was triggered in my body.


To be fair, I really don't think I am part of this book's target audience. So, I don't think it's a bad book, it's just not for me. I like inspiring books and this wasn't.
Profile Image for Olethros.
2,705 reviews523 followers
December 10, 2022
-Frialdad cínica, crítica gélida.-

Género. Narrativa fantástica.

Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Los tanatonautas (publicación original: Les Thanatonautes, 1994) nos presenta a Michael Pinson, un joven muy particular y con una extraña relación con la muerte que hace amistad con Raoul Razorback, quien comparte su particular interés. Años después, uno médico anestesista y el otro biólogo en un centro de investigación, cuando el presidente francés tiene una experiencia cercana a la muerte, Pinson y Razorback reciben el encargo de dirigir un programa de estudios experimentales en el Ministerio de Investigación con la ayuda de una enfermera, Amandine Ballus, y un grupo de reclusos voluntarios que serán conocidos como los primeros tanatonautas.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

Profile Image for Claudia.
99 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2020
Overall a good idea, the story starts well and it has an interesting ending. The research is cool too. But good lord, these must be the flattest, shallowest characters in the history of all characters.

The women especially seem to come right out of those memes about male authors writing female characters: you got the sexy nurse, the neurotic mom, the sassy fat girl. Their existence, of course, orbiting the absurdly inexpressive guys who, in the meantime, are waving their dicks around and making all the decisions.

My eyes bled a little.
Profile Image for Oleh Bilinkevych.
475 reviews114 followers
September 19, 2024
Жахлива книга. Жахливе письмо. Жахливі персонажі. Справжній посібник "Як не потрібно писати". Це наче читати обісраного Коельйо. Все погано, ще й на тебе ллється потік дешевих "вк-цитаток".
Якщо цікавить довкола смертний досвід, краще гляньте оригінальний фільм "Коматозники".
Profile Image for Stacy.
52 reviews
February 11, 2013
This book takes place in my heart and in my mind. The logo of Michel and Raul 'You and me against the morons' will be my logo. Sometimes I had a thought that B. Werber is the one from the Great Initiated.
Actually I believe in his Paradise. It's so well-prescripted, considered and absolute. I hope it' true=)
Now I gonna read and
Profile Image for Maria.
48 reviews11 followers
March 17, 2014
I still have mixed feelings about this book. The beginning was awesome and kept me going, I almost swallowed every chapter but starting from the middle of it I was more and more bored. The idea had potential but got lost somewhere by the author, this lively spark simply disappeared so I had to force myself sometimes to finish. Such a pity... but I'm not giving up on Werber's works just yet.
Profile Image for Jesslivraddict.
493 reviews306 followers
November 1, 2015
L'UN DE MES LIVRES CULTES !
LE livre qui m'a fait découvrir Werber et devenir complètement fan de l'auteur !
Le gros bémol : la suite ! Si ça passe encore avec l'Empire des Anges, je trouve que Werber a totalement dénaturé le personnage de Michael Pinson et son histoire avec la trilogie des Dieux. Une trilogie que j'ai encore bcp de mal à lui pardonner aujourd'hui.
Profile Image for Esraa Gibreen.
269 reviews246 followers
February 20, 2024
كان ممكن اختصار الستمائة صفحة في نحو ٢٥٠ صفحة. يوجد كثير من التكرار الملل. الربع الأول كان أفضل جزء.

نجمة ونصف.
Profile Image for Artem Huletski.
566 reviews17 followers
June 27, 2012
Роман рассказывает о покорении terra inсognita XXI века - Континента Мёртвых. Идея интересна, но в значительной мере строится на туманных предположениях, поэтому неправдоподобна. Социолог из автора намного лучше, чем писатель. Примерно на середине книгу стоило бы закончить - тягомотина невыносимая. Кажется, что высосано уже всё, как Вербер внезапно находит ещё пару пальцев. Не хочу продолжать знакомство: слишком много дешёвой философии в манере Коэльо.
Profile Image for Юлія Бернацька.
236 reviews69 followers
July 12, 2024
Починалось для мене доволі цікаво, а потім трохи скотилося в якийсь цирк шапіто з будиськими монахами, воюючими релігійними сектами і персонажами, які крутять ласо зі своїх ектоплазматичних пуповин, що прив'язують їх до життя.

Ідея книжки інтригуюча, але, як на мене, автор просто не має нічого суттєвого сказати на тему смерті і потойбіччя, тому тут все відчувалось якось поверхнево.
Profile Image for Mathias Chouvier.
127 reviews4 followers
February 11, 2022
Eh oui ce fut long, mais sans rapport avec la qualité du roman qui était très sympathique. Cette SF à la française, mélangée avec tout un tas de connaissances sur des religions très variées, offre une aventure très riche peuplée de personnages attachants et habitée par un message de tolérance. En voulant percer le secret de la mort, les thanatonautes vont réaliser que rien ne compte plus que la vie, peu importe laquelle. Un roman palpitant, habilement construit et terriblement sous estimé.
Profile Image for Mahmoud Megdad.
22 reviews1 follower
December 12, 2022
ما بعرف شو مشكلة الفرنسين مع العرب والمسلمين على وجه الخصوص بتصويرهم ارهابيين.
مع هيك ما بقدر انكر العمل رائع
Profile Image for Kurkulis  (Lililasa).
524 reviews96 followers
Read
January 12, 2021
Sāku lasīt patiešām ar aizrautību, bet - lai arī ar prātu sapratu, ka tas velk uz farsu, tomēr virsroku ņēma riebums (pāri pār simtu nomira, kamēr viens atgriezās).
Bet iestarpinājumi no mitloģijas un dažādu tautu vīzijām par pēcnāves valstību man patika.
6 reviews
April 6, 2021
Un roman qui commence avec énormément de potentiel et qui met la table pour une très bonne réflexion sur la vie et la mort, mais qui malheureusement m'a noyé d'ennui avec des personnages auxquels c'était impossible de m'attacher, une histoire lourde et redondante, puis une vision du rôle de la femme digne du siècle précédent.

Autant j'étais excité à l'idée de lire ce "classique" de Bernard Werber, j'ai rapidement été déçu par ce roman qui n'est vraiment pas venu me chercher.
Profile Image for Dimitar Stefanov.
36 reviews6 followers
November 23, 2015
Je congnoys que pauvres et riches,
Sages et folz, prebstres et laiz,
Noble et vilain, larges et chiches,
Petitz et grans, et beaulx et laidz,
Dames а rebrassez colletz,
De quelconque condicion,
Portant attours et bourreletz,
Mort saisit sans exception.

Francois Villone - Grand testament, XXXIX

I doubt if there exists a thinking creature who hasn’t questioned itself about matters concerning death. What is it, how does it work exactly, what happens after that, can we escape from it� Almost all religions and spiritual teachings speak of life after death, in Heaven or Hell (of the particular religion), or again on our Earth but in a different body, learning yet another lesson in the circle of reincarnations allotted to everyone.
Confirmed materialists and atheists strongly deny the possibility of a world beyond the grave. For them, anything that can’t be sensed simply doesn’t exist. And maybe the truth is out there, somewhere in the middle� Well, in his book Bernard Werber tries to present his point of view.

Police file

Request for personal data records

Family: Werber
Name: Bernard
Hair: greyish
Eyes: brown
Height: 1.78 m
Special peculiarities: wears glasses
Notes: one of the founders of the Thanatonauts movement
Weak spot: writer

We have all heard of the visions of people who have gone through a clinical death or have come out of a coma. White tunnels, meeting friends who have died, dazzling light. These are only some of the things that can be seen, when one has a Near-Death Experience (NDE). But what happens when the President of a whole country goes through such an experience? It is most logical that he should encourage research in this field. And there is no lack of eager scientists. That is how they set out to explore the Continent of the Dead. It may sound absurd, but a few centuries ago, it sounded just as absurd that there existed a continent east of Indonesia.

Well, yes, but there was a real continent � with plains, trees, animals, aborigines!"
"That’s easy to say in the 21st Century, but at that time, just imagine! To talk about the Australian lands was as strange as to look for the continent of death now.

The analogy with Australia is even more complete, because the pioneers here are also prisoners, but the stakes are incredibly higher. In the beginning, as in every experiment, the death toll is high, but soon come the first successes. After entering a comatose condition artificially (which is the easier part of the task), the volunteer must keep his connection with our world and at the same time investigate the Continent of Death in as much detail as possible. Little by little, the map of this mysterious place starts growing. Just as naturally, the prisoners give way to inquisitive people with a free spirit, and successes are quick to follow.

Revealing the secrets of death inevitably impacts people's life on Earth. Passing across seven areas (blue: of attraction and joy, black: of facing your most painful memories, red: of encountering the most perverse vices, orange: of confronting time, yellow: of the absolute knowledge, green: of the absolute beauty, and white), the soul of the dead (or the living thanatonaut) faces a trial, where it's held responsible for its actions during its earthly pilgrimage. The trial determines its reincarnation or leaving the wheel. If one has heaped up bad karma, he makes it up with his next life. He has a much harder start than people who have lived righteously. Well, with that knowledge, interesting times come to Earth. People become better, yet not because this is their way but because of petty selfishness. Suicides become the norm for those who aren't pleased with their present state of life. And why wouldn't they, knowing that what lies in store is the inevitable reincarnation in a new, better and different life. Mankind loses its will to live, evolve, advance. It merely goes with the tide, not living, but semivegetating.

The dessert in the book is, then, the moment that I believe has everyone excited by this point. What EXACTLY happens when you pass from this existence into the next? What happens if you still have lessons to learn and lives to live? What is beyond the trial in the seventh area, beyond death?

Beyond death, there is�

The Thanatonauts is a book that, although at times striking me as slightly overswollen, makes for an easy read and gives interesting “possible answers� to even more interesting questions. Still, in order to ask the right question, you must first know the larger part of the answer.

---
Translated by Kalin Nenov
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Noémie J. Crowley .
610 reviews105 followers
October 4, 2020
2,5/5

Bon � On ne va pas tourner autour du pot : je n’ai pas aimé. Non pas que l’histoire soit mauvaise, je pense que ce n’est pas mon style. En soi, le prémisse est super intéressant : deux amis d’enfance décide de découvrir ce qu’il y a après la mort. Thanatonaute signifie «voyageur de la mort». C’est plutôt original, et j’avais plutôt hâte d’en découvrir plus.

Sauf que � Quelque chose ne va pas. Déjà, les personnages n’ont aucune profondeur, et sont tous des caricatures ou des stéréotypes, surtout les femmes. Ensuite, le livre prend le parti d’intégrer beaucoup de religions, ce qui fait sens vu son histoire, mais à ce niveau, c’est juste trop. Il aurait été beaucoup plus intéressant, à mon avis, s’il avait gardé un oeil plus agnostique, pour ne pas dire neutre, sur la question.

Beaucoup de passages m’ont laissé un arrière goût légèrement amère, et je crois vraiment ne pas être le public. Ce n’est pas un mauvais livre, il n’était juste pas pour moi. Il est très bien noté par ailleurs �


Well � let’s not beat around the bush : I did not like it. Not that the story is bad, I think it’s just not my style. In and of itself, the premise is very interesting : two childhood friends decide to discover what happens after death. Thanatonaute means «death traveler». It’s quite original, and I was looking forward to know more about it.

Except that � Something isn’t going well. Firstly, the characters have no depth, and are only caricatures or stereotypes, especially women. Then, the book choses to integrate many religions, which is fine considering the story, but this is just way too much. It would have been more interesting, in my opinion, to keep a more agnostic, if not neutral look, on the matter.

A lot of parts just let me with a sour aftertaste, and I don’t think I am the right target. It’s not a bad book, it’s just not for me. It’s quite well marked otherwise �
Profile Image for Claire.
9 reviews
September 2, 2014
J'ai beaucoup aimé le début de ce livre. L'intrigue, les personnages, l'écriture ...
Malheureusement, je l'ai trouvé un peu long à partir de la moitié du livre. Le suspense s'estompe, et même si l'histoire reste intéressante, j'ai eus tendance à décrocher, et à espérer finir vite ce livre.
Dommage !
Profile Image for Атанас Илиев.
151 reviews16 followers
August 1, 2018
� след литературния ступор до който ме докара „Тютюн� на Димов и от който много трудно се излиза, за мен лекарството е само едно и това е Бернар Вербер и отлежаващата вече почти година на рафтa „Танатонавтите� � книга 1 от поредицата: „Империята на ангелите�, „Ни�, боговете�, „Дъхъ� на боговете� и „Загадкат� на боговете�.

ТАНАТОНАВТ � същ. м. р. (от гръцки: Танатос � бог на смъртта, и навт � мореплавател, пътешественик, изследовател) � изследовател на смъртта

Като абсолютен фен на този френски автор, споделям голямото си разочарование, че той е толкова слабо популярен у родна България. Не мога да си го обясня, при положение, че е такава зарибявка. Вербер е същинска модерна енциклопедия, която с лекотата и увлекателното си писане, грабва и не пуска до последната страница. Чиста наука, примесена с огромна фантазия и щедро количество философия � какво повече му трябва на човек?!?

Бернар Вербер и неговите наклонности да рационализира и обясни необяснимото, го прави лично за мен авторът, който не може да писне, омръзне или разочарова. В „Танатонавтите� той затвърждава на 100% това мое становище. Зачитайки книгата, ще се сблъскате с безграничното човешко любопитство, което този път ще бори Светия Граал на всяка една религия � смъртта. Ще станете свидетели на откриването на нов континент и неговото постепенно овладяване. По пътя Вербер ще задава въпроси, на които вие ще трябва да отговорите сами за себе си. На разположение ще имате една група френски и чуждестранни учени, духовни лица (сиреч � авантюристи, ама тотални), които ще са вашите ориентири в целия калабалък от настъпилите катаклизми.

И кой, ако не един французин, ще роди идеята за Съюз на добродетелните, при овладяването на смъртта, защото новото глобално знание, ще роди новите и още по-големи глобални проблеми. Но девизът на нашите главни герои учени Микаел и Раул е „Заедн� срещу тъпанарите�, тъй че очаквайте много. От Вербер винаги очаквам много, а той никога не разочарова. Книгите насетне са доста и не съм сигурен, дали ще успее да задържи нивото, но проверката е задължителна.
Profile Image for Mdg2810.
336 reviews19 followers
April 13, 2020
Mon tout premier Werber et c'est une pure merveille !
Si précis, j'ai voyagé avec Michael, Raoul et le reste des thanotautes. On a là un vrai sujet, qui ne ressemble à rien de ce que j'avais vu et qui permet de philosopher également.
Profile Image for Maja.
51 reviews13 followers
May 10, 2020
The premise of the story was more than promising: an original mix of philosophy, adventure and sci-fi dealing with humanity's biggest mystery. Unfortunately, the challenge of actually making this work in literary terms turned out to be harder than the author seems to have anticipated.
I loved the first 100 pages of the book, with the childhood stories of Michael and Raul. They start out as characters full of potential, wise beyond their age, misfits brought together by their morbid fascination with death. It's therefore all the more disappointing that particularly Michael becomes such an uninspiring and spineless hero, wallowing in loneliness and self-pity that don't seem to subside even after his thanatonautic achievements bring him success and fame.
The main plot line of the exploration of the "continent of death" is initially fascinating enough, but becomes somewhat repetitive, and feels a bit forced at times even considered from the perspective of the "sci-fi fairytale" genre. If not before, the author certainly lost me at the depiction of Heaven - I really wasn't expecting such utter lack of originality.
But what definitely ruined it for me were the ridiculous romantic stories that felt totally out of place. I kept wondering: could this book benefit from a more heavy-handed editor or is it vice versa: a publisher eager to sugar-coat a somewhat shaky adventure story plot with a little erotic suspense? But even if that were the case, the love stories are so inconsistent it makes you cringe. We have to endure Michael's pining after Amandine for over 100 pages, and then all of a sudden, Rose is mentioned one single time and 3 pages later, she's Michael's wife?! Excuse me?
What I enjoyed most were probably the excerpts from the death and afterlife stories from different mythologies. Which sadly means that the best part of this book was not what was actually written, but what was curated from existing religious texts.
Profile Image for Mouse.
184 reviews20 followers
March 23, 2011
I read that book when I was in high-school and it really did something to me; it's a clever and original novel about the discovery of the last land unknown to mean, Death. It's about discovery and passion, life and death and love and friendship, it's mythical and magical, it's moving and funny.

And when I said it was 'clever', Bernard Werber's novels always are; he has a knack for teaching you things without your really noticing it. Here the lesson is about world's religions and myths. The fiction part of the story is cut by real passages and tidbits about myths and legends from all over the world. It makes the story so much more intense somehow... and intense it is, I know I couldn't put the novel down.

The good news is that Les Thanatonautes is but the first novel of a long series so when you come to the ending, don't be too sad, there are many more stories to come.
Profile Image for Христо Блажев.
2,485 reviews1,696 followers
September 25, 2011
Бернар Вербер повежда сред живота след смъртта в “Танатонавтите�


На младини четох доста езотерика, но тази страст приключи рано, за добро или лошо. Но Вербер не пише езотерика. Не пише и фантастика. Още по-малко научно изследване. Какво пише Вербер? Не знам, по много от всичко, и е страхотно.
Profile Image for Anita Šteinberga.
113 reviews8 followers
August 21, 2019
“Lai dzīvotu, ir vajadzīga Nāve.�

Nāve ir klātbūtnīga jebkurā grāmatā, tā pavīd pat aiz pasakas pirmajiem vārdiem “reiz bija�. Retāk sastopamas grāmatas (te es domāju nevis filozofiskus apcerējumus, bet daiļliteratūru), kas veltītas tieši Nāvei. Šī ir viena no tām.

Kā tas sākās? “Esmu no valdības saņēmis zaļo gaismu pētījumu veikšanai, izmantojot kā brīvprātīgos labošanas iestādes ieslodzītos. Viņi ir mūsu piloti uz Viņpasauli. Viņi ir, khm� tanatonauti. No grieķu vārdiem thanatos � nāve un nautes � navigators. Tanatonauti.�
�1492. gads tiek sperti pirmie soļi uz Amerikas kontinenta. 1969. gads tiek sperti pirmie soļi uz Mēness. 2062. gads tiek sperti pirmie soļi uz Nāves kontinenta. 2068. gads pirmās publikācijas par reinkarnācijas ceļu.�

Pēc pašdarbības, medicīnas, baiļu, vēlmju, ekonomijas, astronomijas un vardarbības laikmeta tur, nāves zonā, iestājas likumdošanas laikmets.

Ik pa brīdim man sev bija jāatgādina: “tā ir zinātniskā fantastika�, “tā ir fantāzija�, “tas ir izdomājums�. Grāmata uzrakstīta tik paticami, ka nepārtraukti aizmirsti, ka tā nav absolūta patiesība. Ik pa brīdim tiek īsi citēti dažādu un pilnīgi atšķirīgu reliģisko un filozofisko mācību priekšstati, lai parādītu, cik tomēr maz atšķirību ir, piemēram, kabalā un aborigēnu cilšu pasaules uzskatos.

“Visas reliģijas ir labas. Tikai atsevišķu indivīdu centieni ir ļauni � to, kuri uzskata, ka ir vienīgās īstās ticības sargātāji.�

Lai arī tēma varētu šķist nomācoša, es teiktu, ka grāmata ir pozitīva � jo kurš gan teicis, ka nāvei ir nopietna? “Kāds kaut kur ir nepareizi izskaidrojis Dieva vārdus, viņš man paziņoja. Kāds puskurls pareģis saklausījis, ka “Dievs ir mīlestība�, nevis “Dievs ir humors� ! Itin viss, arī nāve ir jocīga. Kā gan es bez humora izjūtas būtu spējis pieņemt savu aklumu? Jāsmejas par visu, turklāt bez aiztures.�

Palasot atsauksmes, nākas secināt, ka daudzi šo grāmatu ir uztvēruši negatīvi tieši savas pārmērīgi nopietnās attieksmes dēļ. Un sāk kritizēt autoru par viņa vienkāršoto reliģiju izpratni vai amorālajiem uzskatiem (sak, kā gan var attaisnot 123 ieslodzīto nogalināšanu, lai pārvarētu nāves robežu, kā gan var atļauties novietot Paradīzi kaut kādā Melnajā caurumā!).

Es šajā grāmatā saskatu kaut ko pavisam citu. Tā precīzi attēlo cilvēku un sabiedrību kopumā. Cilvēka domāšanas un sabiedrībā notiekošo procesu absurdu “paceļot debesīs�, tas kļūst par dubultabsurdu. Nu piemēram:

“Drīz vien arī lielajām firmām ienāca prātā sākt nodarboties ar ektoplazmisko mārketingu. Pirmo reizi kā mirušo, tā tanatonautu uzmanību 2068. gadā piesaistīja kāda reklāma, kas bija izvietota uz reinkarnācijas ceļa. Tā bija Koma-Kola reklāma: “Atsvaidziniet savu dvēseli ar Koma-Kola.� Apdrošināšanas aģentūras sekoja kādas Atlantas kompānijas piemēram. “Esat te nokļuvis? Tātad kaut ko būsiet darījis nepareizi. To nedrīkst atkārtot. Nākamās reinkarnācijas laikā izmantojiet Londonas Galvenās Apdrošināšanas kompānijas pakalpojumus. LGAtā ir drošība visās jūsu eksistencēs!�
Klientu netrūka. Koma-Kolai un LGA juku jukām sekoja ektoplazmisko ceļojumu tūroperatori (“Ar Nāves gaisa līnijām garantējam turp un atpakaļ ceļu�), pamperu ražotāji (“Jutīsieties ērti savā nākotnes jaundzimušā ādā ar Impermeablex pamperiem, kas piemēroti gan kādreizējiem večukiem, gan zīdaiņiem, par kuriem tie pārvēršas nākotnē�). Tika reklamēti piena produkti (“Pateicoties jogurtam “Tranzīts�, jūs bez smaguma sajūtas nokļūsiet īstajā Paradīzē�), gultas piederumi (“Somnis matrači veiksmīgas meditācijas noslēpums�), mana brāļa Konrāda starta krēsli (“Imperatora troņi katapultas uz Viņpasauli, ar kurām apsteigt citus mirušos�), rokmūzikas grupas (“Dead-Stroy mūzika pat eņģeļus padarīs mēmus�) un alkoholiskie dzērieni (“Lucillius augļu aperitīvs, ko jauki dzert ar serafiem�).�

Tad kāda tā ir � nāve, un kas jādara, lai satiktu Dižo Visuma Arhitektu (starp citu, grāmata tā arī nedod atbildi uz jautājumu � vai tas maz eksistē). Tikvien kā jāsastopas ar savām atmiņām, jāiziet cauri bailēm, līdz riebumam jānododas baudām, jāzaudē pacietību, jānokļūst absolūtu zināšanu gūstā, jāapdullst no ideāla skaistuma � un tad jau “tiksimies septītajās debesīs�, kā mums zināmajā dziesmiņā dungo “Opus�.

Protams, nekas nav tik vienkārši, kā izskatās, jo cilvēce, uzzinājusi VISU, izrādās, nav sapratusi neko. Kā noprotat, nāve ir tikai sākums� turpinājumam. Un grāmatas notikumi turpinās grāmatās “Eņģeļu impērija� (2000) un “Mēs dievi� (2004) (kura pati par sevi arī ir sākums triloģijai).

Kā vienmēr � izrakstu citātus par grāmatām un lasīšanu.

“Manā vērtību skalā literatūrai ierādīta ļoti liela loma. Es zinu, ka tās galamērķis nav veidot skaistas frāzes vai jaukus varoņus un pat ne interesantu sižetu. Literatūras mērķis ir ļaut cilvēkiem sapņot aizvien pārdrošākus sapņus.�

“Tādu rakstnieku, kuri nebūtu garlaicīgi, nemaz nav tik daudz. Lielākā daļa rakstnieku ir iedomājušies: jo sarežģītāki viņi ir, jo inteliģentāki šķiet. Un tad nu viņi teikumus izstiepj divdesmit rindu garumā. Pēc tam viņi saņem literārās balvas, bet cilvēki pērk viņu grāmatas, lai ar tām izrotātu viesistabu un liktu noticēt tiem, kas viņus apciemo, ka ir spējīgi lasīt kaut ko tik izsmalcinātu. Esmu pāršķirstījis pat tādas grāmatas, kurās vispār nekas nenotiek. Pilnīgi nekas. Kāds ierodas un sāk aplidot simpātisku sievieti. Sākumā viņa tam pasaka, ka nezina, vai ar viņu gulēs vai ne. Pēc astoņsimt lappusēm viņa beidzot paziņo, ka pilnīgi noteikti negulēs. Bet kāpēc gan jāraksta grāmatas, kurās pilnīgi nekas nenotiek? es vaicāju. Tāpēc, ka trūkst izdomas un iztēles, tiek rakstītas biogrāfijas, autobiogrāfijas un biogrāfiskie romāni� Rakstnieki, kas nespēj izdomāt jaunu pasauli, apraksta savu personisko pasauli, lai cik nabadzīga tā arī būtu. Pat literatūrā vairs nav izgudrotāju. Un tā satura trūkuma dēļ rakstnieki izkopj stilu un izstrādā formu. Apraksti uz desmit lappusēm, kā tu nomokies ar furunkulu, un tev ir izredzes saņemt Gonkūra prēmiju.�

“Brīvība slēpjas bibliotēkā�

“Laba bibliotēka ir visu pasaules guru un viedo vērta!�

Vērtējums 4/5

Tiem, kuriem nav reliģisku un filozofisku aizspriedumu, un kas nemeklē zinātni fantastikā.
Profile Image for Maria Garalova.
95 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2019
Смъртта..., представете си, че бяхме безсмъртни! Дали щяхме да ценим живота по същия начин?! Дали щяхме да се борим за успеха и мечтите си или просто щяхме да оставяме всичко за вечността, но никога не и за този момент?! Трябва да вярваме, че сме безсмъртни, но в същото време да се страхуваме и малко от смъртта, тя е нещо като краен срок, но колко е хубаво всъщност, че не знаем точната дата. Вербер се впуска в приключение за изследване на смъртта, което отива твърде далеч. За това и по-висшите сили вземат мерки, необходимо е сравнително равновесие, за да се постигне прогрес!
Profile Image for Amandine Desmousseaux.
85 reviews2 followers
September 7, 2021
Je suis toujours très impressionnée par la façon dont Werber mélange science et religions sans créer de quelconque polémique où délivrer un avis tranché sur la question. Ce n’est de toute façon pas le but du bouquin.
Un sujet original qui est abordé ici : qu’y a-t-il après la mort ? Comme d’habitude avec Werber j’aime beaucoup la façon dont il incorpore les différents «supports» de son histoire comme pour ce bouquin les fiches de renseignement de la police ou bien les chapitres se référant à la science ou la mythologie. On a l’impression à la fois de s’évader dans un nouveau monde fantastique tout en apprenant des choses.
Profile Image for Florin Constantinescu.
531 reviews26 followers
July 4, 2024
I can't remember the last time I was so impressed by the first novel I read from a new sci-fi author. Actually, even if the premise is set in the first pages to the (for me at least) dreaded "on-Earth near-future" setting, the book manages to compensate beautifully.

Granted, character development is sub-par, but the author compensates by a quite unique ironic and catchy writing style, vivid imagination, a very engaging plot and an amazing finish.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews

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