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

The story of Mamluk is the story of a prototype reptilian soldier stranded on a primitive planet, fighting for survival and learning and using every device at his disposal to launch back towards the safety of the Protectorate empire that created him; a ruthless expanding empire that sends in enhanced soldiers to wipe out indigenous species in expectation of a second wave of colonisation. Along the way Mamluk will witness the growth of a civilisation, make many enemies, and even find what it means to have friendship and mutual respect.

The most compelling aspect was the friendship between Mamluk and a feline predator he names Madcat, especially when they are threatened by groups of savage tribal people that makes you wonder who the real predators are. Through stages of civilisation, in which technology ever increases, Mamluk and Madcat must work together to survive and protect their territory; which starts as a familiar cave but expands at a nice pace to encompass a lava tube, valley, forest, etc. The second half of the story complements the first well, filling it with emotion and purpose and adding significance to the main struggles Mamluk had faced and the people whose lives he touched. In this way there were potent messages in this story, of the impact of individual actions and how they shape the future in terms of war, monuments, and records.

Author James Jackson’s use of the first-person present tense gave him a platform for connecting scenes together with immediacy, thrill, and visual clarity. It enabled him to build Mamluk’s situation without interfering with other plotlines. What suggestions I have for improvement are minor. I’d have liked to learn more about the periods on the planet, or involve more complexities between Mamluk and the main people he comes across; mostly those referred to later on. I didn’t think any more depth needed to be added to the people, beasts, or the environment. The simplicity of the descriptions was why many chapters worked so well in connecting the rest of the plot into a cohesive and comprehensible whole. I did occasionally feel as if there was a bit too much fighting, but I gradually came to accept this made sense as Mamluk’s genetics, training, and his way of dealing with problems; which were abundant because he looked like a monster to the locals. An extra scene break or two might not have gone amiss; it would have disrupted the flow in some chapters; but would have given that extra breathing room between fighting in others.

Mamluk is a concise and well-structured novella that doesn’t try to be too clever by introducing events on a grand scale, instead presenting them in a relatable way through the immediate action Mamluk faces. This is quite despite the fact that author James Jackson has thought a lot about his world-building. For example, in reference to an expanding empire: ‘numerous space-factories churn out a steady stream of defence platforms to fill gaps in the grid as it expands’, shows that he has thought about solutions to his creation. Mamluk is a thoughtful novella that makes you think about what’s really important on a world that appears cruel, barbaric, and yet familiar. The setting surprised me with its familiarity to a medieval fantasy, but thankfully it only dips into the similarities enough to make the second half of the story plausible. Yes, you really need to read the second half to get the full benefit. I’d say Mamluk was a tidy novella overall, with all the elements in their allotted place; a feat I can imagine to be quite difficult for the average author. Supposedly advanced technology wasn’t so much explained, as it was delivered in terms that are well known to most avid genre readers, which made reading effortless. Make no mistake though that it’s quite clear throughout that you’re reading a science-fiction story. With Mamluk, I think James Jackson’s writing has made an impression on me, and has given me confidence he can craft engaging stories with vision, balance, and brevity. I have a newfound appreciation for his writing and hope he continues to think, write, and share his creations!

What was remarkable about Augmented Reality was the ideas and how they evolved throughout the book, changing society in new ways and giving the characters new problems to tackle. As a science fiction reader, I felt I got more out of it than just any dystopian society with characters fighting the status quo. Events run at a fast pace in first person, present tense. The story reads a bit like a film, based on fast-moving description with events brought to Joe’s eyes in real time or moving so fast that each chapter is relevant.

Joe is being manipulated, for the reason that the Central Authority is trying to rid itself of enemy subverts. He’s given a job position predicting stocks and a suite in a prestigious block, and is acquainted with beautiful women. Joe is shocked at his newfound success, but he keeps having dreams about coming to the rescue of a young woman and her daughter. Learning the truth about human society and the past will bring Joe revelations he could only have imagined. Acting on what he finds, with the help of many talented people, is the real challenge if they are to escape the augmented reality they were brought up believing in.

Unlike most dystopian society science fiction, author James Jackson lets us know from the first chapter that hiding the truth is normal, almost hinting that there will be no conspiracy or betrayal to come, as in Philip K Dick novels. Why is the truth being hidden? Most science fiction blames a government or corporation, but we don’t often hear the reasoning, with a mind to accept it for its virtues. At first Augmented Reality seems to be about how happiness and perfection in society is just an illusion, but there is so much more to the book than illusion. The hidden truth may be the literal opposite to happiness and perfection.

I took a lot of pleasure from reading this book, and I couldn’t stop reading the last third to see how the characters would end up because their situations kept changing in response to new problems. That being said, I especially liked the scenes with Joe, Miranda, and Gordon earlier on because they brought out Joe’s innocence and I got a good sense of what was at stake. I suppose I was curious where the story would take me. I got more out of Augmented Reality than I expected. Author James Jackson is full of surprises in his fiction.

How I attained this book?
In HMV there was a sale. Dozens of dystopian books surrounded me, and I took time choosing which I wanted, to my family member’s chagrin. I thought I’d settle with a Philip K Dick book alongside another that had been recommended to me – Fahrenheit 451. I could trust Philip K Dick could write a good novel from when I read much of him in 2010 and 2011.

How does it start?
When Nick Appleton’s son, Bobby, finally takes the civil service test, and fails, as everybody told him he would because they’re biased, we don’t even know what he’s truly feeling, but he’s changed. His wife is now an agent of conformity bent on using Nick to perpetuate their family’s survival instead of the notion of real love.

Is OFFF8 typical Dick?
In some ways, yes, it’s typical of author Philip K Dick. Main protagonist Nick Appleton loses affection for his wife, distrusts her even, and then goes looking for a rebellious young female who can teach him something new about life, allow him to be a bit naughty, and explore his ‘human’ side and the revolution-in-works. In this sense it’s a bit like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

In other ways, it’s not so typical. There aren’t any conspiracy theories, and the tables don’t turn on the main protagonist in quite as dramatic a way as they do in Total Recall or Minority Report. We’re looking at a fight against a dystopian system, but it’s not one that can be sought from the protagonist searching for clues, as in Paycheck. Instead we’re anticipating news from the character Thors Provoni who had abandoned Earth on a ship and seeks to elude destruction, before deciding to make a return and change things for the better, this time accompanied by a giant protoplasmic slime alien. As far as the establishment is concerned, Thors Provoni is a villain, and I’m sure the medication-reliant majority on Earth agree, except those daring enough to sell rebel preacher material.

What flavour of dystopian are we in for?
Our Friends From Frolix 8 (OFFF8) shows what happens when those in power are victim to the fear and pressure they exert on the population on a daily basis, and likens those certain people to children in their eagerness to possess, and proclaim the absolute certainty of things.

Very much a vision of a future where population control, enforced conformity, ‘relocation camps’ as punishments, surveillance, and biased two-party political systems are the norm. It makes you appreciate that from a time long ago authors such as Philip K Dick could see disadvantages with the current political model. We see news broadcasters underplaying revolutionary events to support the system in power, and their paid positions, twisting fact with fiction in a way that’s reminiscent of every time there is a real election.

I was beginning to get the feeling I was reading the solution to a problem we’re seeing emerge in modern day of increased surveillance and infringement of privacy that comes with technological advancement, and of severe measures taken against minorities or any who don’t conform to the standard majority mode of living.

Is it good?
OFFF8 is possibly the best PKD book I’ve read, and the most relevant to read now. Though it bears similarity to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, there isn’t anything much more original than a protoplasmic slime alien, and it was fun reading how the tyranny struggles to react to this. I kept talking about the book. Must read!

Sleepwalkers by Felix Fife is a strongly relatable book, using masks to describe the way people in our world interact, motivated by deals, the latest technologies, and algorithms, while missing out on all the real right beside them, ignoring proper meals just to get ahead in the game without realising the world may be crumbling around them. Masks themselves were aptly used as an idea in Sleepwalkers: masking behaviour online to deny culpability in real life by engaging in virtual reality. People don’t need to act like their true selves because they can be anyone they want, giving them a façade, distorting perceptions of what’s real.

Praise
I became attached to the characters in Sleepwalkers and the rhythm of life in what-isn’t-exactly-an-everyday-bar in a quasi-futuristic setting where visitors come in with masks all the time, only talking about masks, and Kyro the bartender and chef isn’t interested, fighting a one-man cause against the world. Slowly, the worldbuilding, environment, and bigger picture unravels without being overwhelming – an error many debut science fiction novelists make.

I was interested where the author was taking Sleepwalkers. It went in revolutions, from the centre, building greater description and complexity with each new chapter, as if the author was unearthing the story. There was something subtle at play. I knew I wanted something drastic to happen to Kyro’s life, for the sake of reader enjoyment, and I wanted to know, when it did happen, whether this was going to be subtle or terrible.

Criticism
I was confused about the terraces at first but, eventually, I was able to picture them; more description may have helped. Life’s rhythm is nice in the bar, however, sometimes it was repetitive, with Kyro fending off peer pressure about the masks, cooking a meal with Ayla’s help, experiencing the wolf maskers. I’d have preferred more POV action or a bumpier or faster pace in more scenes.

The dialogue was stiff, monotone. It worked for Kyro who was just doing his job and didn’t care any more about what others thought, but maybe didn’t work as well for his dialogue with everyone else. In long scenes, I was almost praying for a scene break.

Overall
Sleepwalkers had an intriguing premise, and was more than just an action-oriented page turner. From the blurb and the beginning more than just a sci-fi is promised. Did it deliver? Situations escalated. There were setbacks, and character growth. Worldbuilding expanded during the story’s course. The beginning captures reader interest, and it improves from there. What Sleepwalkers did deliver was a low-profile environment, a world in miniature, a bar that was a window into the world and its circumstances and struggles. And it delivered a rigid character, Kyro, who had to learn loosen up. It didn’t build momentum, and there wasn’t great synergy between the characters’ dialogue or sub characters. There was an innocent love interest going on between Kyro and his new chef Ayla, and this was interesting because it involved maskless Kyro and tested courage that we’d have expected him to already possess.

Sleepwalkers had a careful writing style, which was relatable and gave grounds for building the story and characters. But … read the last chapter and you’ll see immediately that author Felix Fife can do even better!