Review by Ian Keogh
Frédéric Richaud and Iván Gil return to the subject of Napoleon’s early 19th century mishaps by adapting another of Patrick Rambaud’s historical novels. The Battle placed fictional characters in real events around the Battle of Essling, the first time anyone had managed to prevent Napoleon’s advance across Europe, although only by generating a stalemate. Berezina details his first complete disaster.
Napoleon’s recovery from the setback at Essling was swift, and in 1812 he turned his attentions to Russia, sending his army toward Moscow. The opening pages detail how this was far from a glorious march, as the Russian general Kutuzov’s forces withdrew ever further northward, drawing an ill-supplied French army ever further into Russia. When they reached Moscow they charged in force toward a near-deserted city where anyone of consequence had evacuated.
This may have been incredibly frustrating for the French as they occupied palatial accommodation with no resistance, but it enables Gil to present page after page of glorious scenery as army marches ever onward. Gil never cheats the reader, presenting views from distance, and even then ensures uniforms are correctly drawn in full. His character designs are showcased by three pages prior to the story. It’s a shame what he drew as a tryptich couldn’t be supplied as a fold-out insert, but better split full pages than a vastly reduced complete illustration.
The primary narrative voice is that of an officer for a long time never addressed as anything other than Captain. D’Herbigny is a practical man with an infirmity downplayed well by Gil, who shows it without attracting attention, so the revelation comes as a surprise. He gradually realises that Moscow is a trap as food stores have been emptied and fires are being set, and this opening volume ends with the chaos of evacuation.
Any opening chapter needs to set the scene and introduce the cast, which is competently handled, delivering a sense of foreboding, but with little hint of the disaster to come. Rambaud’s original novel hasn’t been translated into English, so only those who’ve read Il neigeait in the original French will be aware of how sympathetic the adaptation is, but it seems thorough. However, at times there’s a wish Rambaud had allocated less time to distractions such as a troupe of French actors already in Moscow, and spent more exploring more direct consequences of the invasion. As in The Battle, the opposing forces are kept at a distance, although almost all the Russians seen in cameos are interesting, be they murderous insurgents or stiff servants. Gil ensures everything looks spectacular, but the plot picks up in Book 2.
