On May 5, the superb collection Métamorphose published by Soleil was enriched by the second volume of the steampunk diptych Dreams factory, entitled La chrysalide des cœurs, written by Jérôme Hamon and illustrated and colored by Suheb Zako according to an idea common to both authors.
A steampunk tale
In a working-class town in the heart of 19th century London, the majority of children work in the coal mine of Cathleen Sachs, owner of the mine and toy factory. In the first volume, Eliott, Indira's younger brother, had mysteriously disappeared, adding to the ever-increasing number of missing children in the city. In this second volume, the mysteries surrounding the characters, the mine and the toy factory are finally revealed to the delight of readers.
A magnificent work
Like the other books in the Metamorphose collection, The Chrysalis of Hearts, the second volume of Dreams Factory, is a magnificent object. The neat cover is a perfect taste of the fantastic 76-page content. Suheb Zako's illustrations highlight the exciting story of Indira and Eliott. It is a whole universe, both dark and fascinating, that is created within Dreams Factory and that the reader leaves with regret when the last pages close.
A deep history
Not content with being very successful visually, this diptych carries strong and important words. Dreams Factory intelligently addresses the issue of child labour, working conditions, the abuses of consumer society and the thirst for power. Far from being treated in a Manichean way, these subjects are instead presented in their complexity, which gives great coherence to the story and captures attention. The characters and feelings of the characters, main or secondary, are subjected to the same meticulous treatment, thus giving them a breadth and humanity facilitating the attachment of the reader. Dreams Factory is a superb diptych, both in form and substance, which finds in this second volume a conclusion that lives up to the expectations that the first had raised in the hearts of its readers.
