The planet Papathea is a devout world that has long been governed by strict religious rules and beliefs, overseen by two female Pope’s—Papesses, the sisters Lodovica and Agape. However, after the defrocking and disappearance of the more spiritual sister, Agape, the Church falls under the control of the heavy-handed and power-hungry Lodovica, who uses her singular position to tighten her grip over the planet and its people. Seeking to expand her empire further, Lodovica sends missionaries to other worlds to spread Papathea's religious doctrines and bend them to her will. Her latest target is the planet Aqua, which boasts a philosophy of individuality, despite all of the residents being clones led by a guru, Gaia.
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| Lodovica and Agape |
Lodovica dispatches two of her trusted mercenaries, the hard-boiled, fanatical Jahu, and the mild-mannered, more open-minded Roy, in hopes of converting the Aquarians. However, their mission is interrupted when they find that their space cruiser has taken on a stowaway: Noa, a Sky Doll. Sky Dolls are robotic female dolls created for sexual pleasure, but Jahu and Roy quickly find that Noa seems to have a mind and agenda of her own — a fact that is reinforced when they discover that this artificial beauty's ex-owner has been brutally murdered. Given the vital importance and urgency of their mission, Jahu grudgingly agrees to allow Noa to accompany them to Aqua. However, what Roy doesn't know is that Jahu has received an updated mission - and what Jahu doesn't know is that Roy has warmed up to Noa, and also discovered that she may have some kind of connection to the missing Papess Agape!
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| Roy and Noa |
Arriving on Aqua, the three must put themselves into a state of relaxation in order to gain entrance - which Noa and Roy manage, but Jahu cannot. Noa brings Elianthe, her pet Skrope - a small creature who hides a secret: he is the mysterious "first element." Gaia leads Noa and Roy on a tour of Aqua, but it seems to consist solely of products and services that have to be purchased.
Gaia explains that Papess Agape visited them and became entranced with their philosophy's mystical side. In fact, she was allowed to experience the "sacred fish," which Gaia says is the heart of all cosmic energy and holds the key to her species' survival.
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| Noa and Elianthe |
Meanwhile, Lodovica is attacked during a ceremony by a follower of Agape. Shaken, she falls into the arms of her Miracle Genie - the special-effects coordinator for her public appearances - who roughly seduces her, but calls Agape's name. On Aqua, Noa has a vision of some kind of water being, which becomes Elianthe. In the vision, it leads her to the "second element," the sacred fish at the center of Aqua, which Noa ingests.
Jahu takes a drug to achieve the trance state, and gains entrance to Aqua. He arrives at the sacred fish - and destroys it! Robots attack the three as they try to escape, and Elianthe sacrifices himself to save them. Jahu explains that the whole mission was a covert attack planned by Lodovica
- a revelation that creates a wedge between the three. As they head home, hailed as "heroes," a
sad Noa pets Elianthe's body - who then wakes up, seemingly fully recovered!
Goodreads Review
Sky Doll by Alessandro Barbucci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sky Doll is an adult-focused space opera that explores themes of religion & power, media manipulation, and the effects of blind belief
The book is pretty well written, with complex and relatable characters although underdeveloped. The world-building is very well done and quite creative, it’s an intriguing space opera and religious odyssey mashup that instantly captivates readers. The pacing is also great, but the plot sometimes gets lost and confusing, losing focus on its core, I’m still not sure what the core objective of the story is though, but it captivated me enough to read the entire series and eagerly await more.
The art is just fantastic, the technology, clothing, and character designs are exquisite and extremely detailed. The characters (especially Noa) faces are extremely expressive, the many species in the books universe vary extensively in appearance, and are unique and captivating to look at. The colors, backgrounds, and scenes are lovely and perfectly bring the futuristic, culture rich world to life. Lots of erotic and sexual imagery, various panels with partial female nudity, especially scenes with Agape, who is almost always nude.
Overall a lovely book that I strongly recommend. This collects the first three volumes/chapters published in English by Marvel, there’s a fourth chapter that was later released and was published by Titan comics in English (Sky Doll: Sudra), and two special/prequel volumes also.
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