Grandville is a British graphic novel written and drawn by Bryan Talbot. Published on 15 October 2009, it is a mixture of the "steampunk", "alternative history", and "thriller" genres. A sequel, Grandville Mon Amour, is currently in production and due to be published some time in 2010, with another possible three books to be made if the first two are received well.
Plot
Set in a world in which France won the Napoleonic Wars and invaded Britain, and in which the world is populated mostly by anthropomorphic animals, the plot of the first book, entitled Grandville, follows a British anthropomorphic badger, Detective Inspector Archie LeBrock of Scotland Yard, investigating a murder which leads him to visit Paris in order to solve the crime, which itself leads him to uncover a political conspiracy.
Steampunk Influences
Grandville is set in a steampunk world, featuring steam powered motor vehicles, air transport, robots (known as "Automatons") and televisions. In this world, Britain lost the Napoleonic War and was invaded by France, and the British Royal Family were guillotined. Britain was later given independence from the French Empire following "a prolonged campaign of civil disobedience and anarchist bombings." Following independence, Britain became "The Socialist Republic of Britain". 23 years later, by which time the English language is only spoken in rural communities, Britain is linked to the French Empire by the Channel railway bridge, and Paris is the biggest city in the world.