Absolu is a YA dystopian trilogy published by Big Bang / Hachette (France).
Winner of the Halliennales Literary Award 2023
Winner of the 2024 Vannes Young Adult Prize
Winner of the Booklover Award (Ages 16–20), 2024
Finalist – Imaginales Young Readers Award 2024
Absolu is a dystopia trilogy presented by the Young Adults Big Bang collection of Castelmore (Bragelonne/Hachette) in France.
Having already convinced more than 40,000 copies sold since its release, Absolu is a reference in French science fiction in Young Adult. This first volume highlights characters searching for identity in an unstable, terrifying universe.
Between Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Attack of Titans, and Fullmetal Alchemist, Absolu is a choral novel with frightening realism.
Enter a city that only opens once a year.
Childhood friends Prym and Joanna have a promising future within the nation of Erit, built on the ruins of a ravaged Poland. Their life changes on the day they are chosen to be sent to the Zone where the Thing prowls. The mobilized have only one mission: defeat the most dangerous creature created by Man, or die trying.
Nineteen generations have passed through the gates of the Zone. No one has ever come out.
For Prym and Joanna, it is a great honor – a feeling that Edward does not share, convinced that his linguistic talents will not be helpful to him on the other side of the Wall. Their tumultuous arrival in the Zone gives him the reason: between wars of territories and increasingly strange phenomena, the Zone is lawless. Inside these walls, the monster may not be the one we think…
What if the Thing was not the most formidable threat that awaited them?
The mission is successful, and the mobilized people wake up in Erit hoping to resume everyday life. If Prym, celebrated as a hero, sees his patriotic dreams come true, others will not have this chance. Golden prison for Aleksander and Lise, uncertain future for Edward, forced enlistment for Olimpia, and strange encounter for Zuzanna: no one is safe anymore.
When a civil war breaks out and divides the country, the survivors of the Zone face a thorny choice: to make a place for themselves in Erit society and survive political intrigues, total surveillance, and media propaganda, or try to regain their freedom, whatever the cost.
Unless the past sweeps away their last certainties… What if the actual conflict was brewing in the shadows?What if the Thing was not the most formidable threat that awaited them?
The final battle for freedom is coming—ready to consume everything in its path.
Hunted as traitors by their own nation, the former Mobilized fight desperately to survive outside Erit’s iron grasp. Confronted with horrors beyond imagination and entangled in fragile alliances, they struggle to separate truth from lies. Could Prym’s past hold the answers that might shatter the very foundations of their world?
Amidst the chaos of rebellion, an even greater threat looms on the horizon. Time is running out, as Adam and his Zduhaci move in the shadows to overthrow the current regime and establish a new world order.
Between war propaganda and the fight for the future, will the people of Erit finally open their eyes?
High-concept, fast-paced YA dystopia with a fresh mythos
Standalone trilogy – no waiting for sequels
Crossover potential with adult readers
Perfect timing: renewed appetite for YA dystopias worldwide
“Dark, immersive, and impossible to put down.” – Early French readers
Strong sales momentum in YA sections across French bookstores
Engaged online community sharing fanart, reviews, and TikToks
Margot Dessenne is a French YA author and creator of Les Mots Raturés, one of the biggest French writing podcasts. With over 25,000 readers and writers following her daily on Instagram, she has built a loyal and international-minded audience.
Her next YA novel, We’ll Become the Hurricane (Big Bang, 2026), is a cyberpunk standalone exploring female friendship, vengeance, and identity.
If you want more information or are interested in any of our books, please contact us :
Rights Director
Ms. Yolande Rochat de la Vallée – y.rochat@bragelonne.fr
Agents
German language for all titles: Editio Dialog
Mr Michael Wenzel – dr.wenzel@editio-dialog.com
Russia and Central and Eastern Europe for all titles: Laura Karayotov
Mrs Laura Karayotov – lester.agency.ext@gmail.com
Korean rights for all titles: Danny Hong Agency
Mr Danny Hong – danny@dannyhong.co.kr
Inscrivez-vous pour recevoir dans votre boîte mail les premiers chapitres du tome 1, du tome 2 et du tome 3.
Pour ne rien manquer sur mes prochaines sorties de romans, mes actualités littéraires, mes recommandations et les dédicaces près de chez vous.