The Thanatonauts

The science fiction novel Les Thanatonautes (The Thanatonauts) by French writer Bernard Webber puts into question the problem of knowing what happens after death. The novel gradually presents the problem of death and how a group of scientists manage to come back from a self-inflicted state of coma that grants them access to the mysteries of life after death.

However, even though it's interesting in its idea of how the soul is transported through different environments, and how the process of reincarnation is further discussed with The Three Archangels, the book puts into question a much more subtle problem. The issue of how people manage this kind of information is debated here with the realization that everybody would be too scared to do anything “wrong” and be “degraded” in the after life to a world of suffering.

Though fictional, the events presented follow a very real logic in a contemporary world of 1994. The style of writing is captivating but it should always be kept in mind that it is all fiction. The book is not recommended for children and teenagers unless under parental supervision, as the events and death ideas might be too heavy.

All in all, the book is an interesting view upon death and has a comforting and mysterious answer at the end. However, this is only the first part of a nice trilogy. The other two novels, L’empire des anges (The empire of the angels) and Nous les dieux (Us the Gods) complete the trilogy.