Point of View

The novel is presented from an omniscient view, but it remains focused almost exclusively on Valerian. The reader follows Valerian's actions and adventures when he is separated from Laureline, as seen when they manage to gain entrance to the palace. One of the few lapses from that rule occurs when Valerian and Laureline dash through a door into the Enlighteneds' inner sanctuary. The guards do not immediately follow, though they apparently could choose to do so. The perspective changes for a single frame, focusing on the guards and explaining that they are frightened to go into that inner sanctuary. Valerian is a stereotypical hero, which makes the perspective appropriate to the novel.

Information about events that occur outside Valerian's perspective are explained through dialogue and narration. The book opens with the narrator giving some basic information about Sytre to bring the reader into Valerian's current...