Alex James's Blog: AlexJamesNovels Blog - Posts Tagged "steampunk"

It seems awkward to write a frank review of a book by a deceased author, but that is what I shall attempt to do. Before reading War of the Worlds, my only experience of the story was the Tom Cruise film. I was quite astonished when I started reading to see that the setting is not the modern world. (How could it be, when the author wrote War of the Worlds at the end of the 19th century?). Instead it was Victorian London, a world without computers and flying machines.

When a shooting star is seen by telescope, wonder was the only possible emotion for the narrator/main protagonist. Wonder of what is, and would could be? It’s satisfying to know there were keen minds that thought further than the town and society they lived; indeed much criticism was made of the common people who could not even conceptualise or imagine what an alien was. An alien, as in a being from a different planet, would appear as man does, would it not?

From this setting, HG Wells uses his flair for description to give us a vivid and at first terrifying glimpse of London under siege by Martian terror machines. It was not simply an attack of superior weaponry against humanity, but one of psychology, for the human race was ill-prepared to foresee such brutal and uncompromising attacks. An intelligent race that would ignore all attempts at communication and prioritise the destruction of humanity was outside the realms of reason. From apathy to mindless terror we are reduced to, and I could not help but see the irony of it all. The narrator’s biggest fear was that the Martians would be carnivores, i.e like man. Many comparisons are made between how a man sees and treats harmless insects or bees, and how the Martians, in their massive killing machines, may well perceive humanity. Yet, the main protagonist had to scour the countryside for animals to kill and eat in his desperate escape.

Another point of criticism was that, though the description and use of language was superb, I felt it lacked certain immediacy. When other characters are introduced, it is also through the narrator/main protagonist’s thoughts and there are large gaps between current events and these digressions. The reaction to dead bodies reads numbly throughout, but I’m not sure if this was intentional. Some modern readers may well be put off by the London setting, which may not have a lot of relevance to the present.

What I liked most about War of the Worlds was, strangely, the horror of it all. In the first six or seven chapters, I was there, witnessing something so terrible and abhorrent mainly because it was mysterious and unfathomable. In the great machinations of the universe, humankind seemed miniscule, irrelevant even. Overall the human response to such an overwhelming event was educational, and I would read more of HG Wells’ books because there was a stroke of originality in it, set apart as it is from the present. And no mention of computers!

Firstly, before I say anything else, I will say that The Watch is a stimulating post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure with flowing writing and overall a well put-together story. It’s about the Union, struggling to rebuild Earth in the wake of the terrifying Doctors (“wet his flaying knife before peeling off her skin”) and the uncontrollable Filavirus. However, at Base One (Union HQ) there is a hope for a band of vigilantes to escape on the ship Clarity, but first they need a Watch…

Orphan Ren has been running from the Doctors since childhood, as a presumed carrier of the Blood Plague. When she is captured by rough-around-the-edges vigilante leader Sloan, she attempts to join his armed group for protection and companionship. First she needs to convince them that she and the Watch that she wears can be assets for the group to use to gain entry into Base One, if she is to ensure her own survival. As conversations took the form of jabs at Ren’s ignorance, morality, and “Disposable” class; we are provided with short glimpses into Ren’s past, which made me wonder who Ren really was in the world she was only beginning to understand and of what her destiny would turn out to be. Ren’s adventure is made difficult because of her perceived complicity in the group’s uncompromising fight for survival because she is a moon-soul, required by monk instruction to be compassionate above all else.

The descriptions of the characters made for an absorbing visual adventure and the writing had a nice flow and rhythm that kept my mind bouncing through pleasantly. This skill was demonstrated early on, and it made for a good impression. Briana Herlihy’s attention to detail was superb: be it clothing, ships, the setting, rifles, or abstract technologies. It wasn’t too scientific, and its abstract sci-fi could probably pass as steampunk because it was set in a society that wasn’t too primitive or advanced. I would certainly consider reading more from this author. If it’s her debut novel, then it was one of the most engaging and well-written debut novels I can remember reading for a while. I was brought into the world effortlessly, and the bonds and contrast between the characters never tired.

Criticism: I found more than a few misspelled or incorrect words, in only the first three chapters. These continued throughout, but didn’t obstruct from the narrative or flow. Sometimes there were too many character directions in the same paragraph, which made it difficult to keep track of the general idea of what was happening at any given moment. Individual characteristics of each character were strong, which was likely why the author emphasised these repeatedly, though this particular problem only began to bother me in the second half of the story.

It’d be nice to know how the author found the inspiration for The Watch. Indeed, I’d go as far as to say the theme, or otherwise combination of genres, does have a stroke of originality in it. The Watch will definitely appeal to both hard scientific sci-fi readers and those who prefer their sci-fi otherwise like myself, for the attention to detail had a character-focused “soft sci-fi” delivery. I wonder if this is a winning combination? Either way, I have a feeling this series will be well-received.

A Switch in Time (ASIT) is a ‘switch’ in lifestyle for two siblings, who swap with another two. We see through the eyes of 19th century coal barge workers John and Alice, how strange our modern world really is to the average Victorian young person: a world of motorised vehicles, mobile phones, global warming; and of noises, people, and futuristic buildings. It’s a time of great opportunity, but gross inequality and I think inequality is the main message in ASIT.

Much of ASIT is about spoilt, wealthy, and hateful Alicia who treats people ‘beneath her’ like dirt in modern times. She is chosen to leave these times with her brother Jamie, perhaps so she can see the value of a proper day’s work, doing as she is told, getting her fingers dirty, and of being in a loving family. She must live on the coal barge vacated by John and Alice.

Some of the values author John Paul Bernett shares include the benefits of being poor, of having more love for people than possessions, valuing hard work above reward, and respecting other people. These themes fit in nicely with the Victorian setting, where it brings forward the toil, suffering, and hardship. It’s not a Victorian novel that conforms to modern times and attitudes, and I think that’s the point.

If I thought anything could be improved in ASIT, I thought the inclusion of some scenes that related to the author’s Reaper series stuck out and didn’t conform to the general feel of the story, in my opinion. These scenes were very few. I feel the same about how some elements of the story concluded in the last chapter.

One of the things I liked best about A Switch in Time was the level of research and care taken into giving it that Victorian feel, with steam engines, barges, coal, museums, and canals. Note that my words do not do the author justice in the last sentence. Many of the locations were set in Leeds, such as Armley Mills, where I’ve been fortunate to have seen the author at steampunk events and I know and trust that he knows his steampunk as much as his horror. This is why he’s the best person to have written A Switch in Time.

When I first read Geomancer, new to science fiction and fantasy, I got the impression it was a complex and structured fantasy novel with worldbuilding taken seriously. That impression has remained on second reading. The first way to describe it was that it was ‘creepy’, in good ways and bad ways.

On the good side of creepiness, the world of Santhenar was one populated by humans under siege by mutated feline creatures, the Lyrinx, who once came out of a void and attacked but have now evolved – or de-evolved in some cases – into formidable clans that wage war against human settlements, having the upper hand. I found the way the idea was developed was sinister, and interesting: the reader, as with the protagonists, doesn’t know exactly which secret arts are used by the enemy or how they live. There were other fascinating concepts, such as main protagonist Tiaan’s job as an artisan using crystals and finding their power source so that they can be used as energy for the war’s machine-like clankers.

On the bad side of creepiness, Tiaan was a target of jealousy for her dedication to her work, though this meant she couldn’t find a partner, which was an increasing concern in the war-time conditions they lived in where reproduction had taken on great importance. She’s often pushed or threatened into joining a ‘breeding factory’ where she would spend her life ‘doing her duty’, indentured, not being allowed outside, so that the right qualities could be put together for future generations. There were few examples of these qualities or how they were nurtured alongside what we know of the existing energy-harnessing families.

The story almost ventured into a love affair between a human and a Lyrinx at one point, which I felt was a step too far, even if it was known Tiaan was desperate to find love.

Overall, there was a lot of explaining in Geomancer, but if you persevere and can tolerate the bad creepiness and the unintentional humour of everything going wrong in every adventure for the characters, there are super interesting morally grey characters and a fantasy world that wouldn’t be far from steampunk.