Brief review of “L’Histoire de Tomb Raider” by Alexandre Serel
In a fandom who was splitted up in the year 2006 and in which the misinformation and the lack of proper research is too much frequent, it is refreshing to find this exhaustive, thoroughly researched and well written book who digs up in the origins and evolution of this iconic franchise since its origins in the 90s, through the years of success with Core Design, the movie and comic phenomenon, the downfall of the British studio and the first reboot with Crystal Dynamics, to the second and most recent reboot in 2013.
Righteous and not biased at all, Serel makes an exhaustive research on the history of Tomb Raider by interviewing developers, artists, designers involved, even to the point of granting unedited extracts of non used content, earlier versions or even first hand information from deleted and cancelled games and sequels, TRAOD and Kurtis spin-off games included. To be honest it's not an easy read since most of the book is text riddled with data and sources, and the fact that's only been published in French so far doesn't help, but the best about it's that the book provides unbiased facts, strict reasoning and critical study for all eras, while providing some photographic and exclusive illustrated content. I also must say I haven't bothered to read further once past the Core Design era pages because I have not the least interest in Crystal era, BUT it's important to remark that 70% of the book is about Core Design era, 20% about LAU trilogy era and only the last bit, 10%, to the second reboot (2013). Thus offering the reader and the fan a more deep exploration of the origins of the franchise and less about the last years. It's also a book who uses official sources and private interviews, made exclusively for the book, while acknowledging some relevant fan contributions in light of information and source material, but without featuring cosplayers, fanart or fanfiction - because the book isn't about the fandom, but about the official products.
Exclusive illustrations by Célia Beauduc. This one depicting Lara in her visit to Cappadocia. Chapter for The Lost Dominion (cancelled TRAOD sequel).
I can't recommend this book enough for every TR fan who searches for information and facts and desires to read unbiased data from a freelance author who is not bonded to any studio or works for any company, and thus has no marketing responsibilities to promote and praise an studio over another.
Rating: 9/10