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Explorers of the New Century
"Daily we stumble over shale and flint, toiling onwards in the vague belief that at some distant time and place we'll see the sun rise again; and that spreading before us will be vast, hospitable ranges where the mules may finally be turned loose."
It is the beginning of the century, and two teams of explorers are racing across a cold, windswept, deserted land to reach the furthest point from civilisation. This is, they find, 'an awfully long way'.
We are gripped by the progress of the two rival teams as they struggle with the elements, each other and the mules who accompany them. Johns and his men take the western route, along a rocky scree, gossiping, bickering and grumbling as they go. Meanwhile, Tostig's men make their way along the dry riverbed, in the east. They are fewer, with just five men and ten mules, and better organised than their rivals. But with Johns' team keeping apace in the distance, the race is on to reach the Agreed Furthest Point...
Refreshingly original, finely crafted, and with a unique and comic vision, Explorers of the New Century takes us on an adventure unlike any other.
It is the beginning of the century, and two teams of explorers are racing across a cold, windswept, deserted land to reach the furthest point from civilisation. This is, they find, 'an awfully long way'.
We are gripped by the progress of the two rival teams as they struggle with the elements, each other and the mules who accompany them. Johns and his men take the western route, along a rocky scree, gossiping, bickering and grumbling as they go. Meanwhile, Tostig's men make their way along the dry riverbed, in the east. They are fewer, with just five men and ten mules, and better organised than their rivals. But with Johns' team keeping apace in the distance, the race is on to reach the Agreed Furthest Point...
Refreshingly original, finely crafted, and with a unique and comic vision, Explorers of the New Century takes us on an adventure unlike any other.
186 pages, Hardcover
First published September 5, 2005
12 people are currently reading
268 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
November 18, 2019
The description for this book is all wrong (on the book jacket as well). This is not at all about the age of Shackleton or Perry. This, like all MM's books, is a social satire. Time and place are never relevant in his books, and in fact, never mentioned. What matters is how people mindlessly go about their lives, usually because society has decided on how a scheme must be followed, whether it has any practical value or not (as in "The Maintenance of Headway" and "The Scheme for Full Employment"). At other times, people are convinced to try some new scheme just because they are following the mob (as in "Three to see the King"). In "Explorers of the New Century," we have a civilization (unnamed) who are trying out a new progressive theory in order to solve what they see as a social ill. There are two different teams tackling this problem at the same time, representing different groups in society which attempt to solve social dilemmas, each with their own personal motivations. (In this case, not coincidentally, the social dilemma has been fabricated by the generations of the previous century and the explorers of the new century are completely mistaken about what they perceive to be an all-important problem within their society.)
June 30, 2016
What a sly little book this is!
On the face of it a rather old fashioned tale of The Gentlemen vs The Players, as two bands of explorers race each other to an "Agreed Furthest Point" of undiscovered wilderness, much as Scott and Amundsen had competed to reach the South Pole in the early years of the 20th century.
The imaginary British contingent here are typically amateur, consisting of willing yet naive "what oh!" volunteers, whilst the Scandinavian party is rigorously scientific, yet hierarchical to the point of tyranny.
Both parties struggle with the conditions, with each other and with the train of mules that they have brought with them to help carry supplies, while attempting to try and prove some obscure scientific mumbo-jumbo called the "Theory of Transportation".
I can't really explain what Mills does to completely subvert the genre and make the whole thing a riot, it's a very subtle alchemy, you can't really pick anything out, yet I read pretty much the whole thing with a faint smile on my face, and occasionally a huge grin.
At one point members of the British party have a pedantic disagreement about the correct pronunciation of the word "scones", which slayed me for some reason. Then there were those sorrowful mules...
Comedy gold.
On the face of it a rather old fashioned tale of The Gentlemen vs The Players, as two bands of explorers race each other to an "Agreed Furthest Point" of undiscovered wilderness, much as Scott and Amundsen had competed to reach the South Pole in the early years of the 20th century.
The imaginary British contingent here are typically amateur, consisting of willing yet naive "what oh!" volunteers, whilst the Scandinavian party is rigorously scientific, yet hierarchical to the point of tyranny.
Both parties struggle with the conditions, with each other and with the train of mules that they have brought with them to help carry supplies, while attempting to try and prove some obscure scientific mumbo-jumbo called the "Theory of Transportation".
I can't really explain what Mills does to completely subvert the genre and make the whole thing a riot, it's a very subtle alchemy, you can't really pick anything out, yet I read pretty much the whole thing with a faint smile on my face, and occasionally a huge grin.
At one point members of the British party have a pedantic disagreement about the correct pronunciation of the word "scones", which slayed me for some reason. Then there were those sorrowful mules...
Comedy gold.
June 18, 2022
Magnus Mills writes the strangest books with the most ordinary language.
As usual, I gave no more than a cursory glance at reviews beforehand, and I'm so glad, because some of them are very spoilerish. I only knew there was going to be a plot twist at about two-thirds of the story, but not what it was. The twist when it came was quite . I would have hated for it to have been spoiled, and just in case this is already conveying too much, I will put it under a spoiler tag.
Edit 18 June 2022: adding my text update under the spoiler tag in case it is disappeared:
As usual, I gave no more than a cursory glance at reviews beforehand, and I'm so glad, because some of them are very spoilerish. I only knew there was going to be a plot twist at about two-thirds of the story, but not what it was. The twist when it came was quite . I would have hated for it to have been spoiled, and just in case this is already conveying too much, I will put it under a spoiler tag.
Edit 18 June 2022: adding my text update under the spoiler tag in case it is disappeared:
July 14, 2019
Re-read July 2019, with some additional comments:
The unconsciously, naively hearty and jingoistic narratives of the five explorers represented in Beryl Bainbridge’s The Birthday Boys reminded me of this Mills novel. When I re-read, I saw immediately how the same flat, dead-pan complacent faith in Empire, industry, and fair play had been employed in both books to reveal internal, deconstructive flaws in the very fabric of the protagonists’ implicit cocksure attitudes.
Of course, Mills goes one further than Bainbridge, using the turn-of-the-century Empire arrogance about its degree of civilization to point up its racist failings. This book was no less fascinating on a second reading than it had been on the first, and I was able to focus on the dialogue between the different party members of each of the English and Norwegian groups, noting the wry inanities and pettiness. The image Mills conjures of the four members of Johns’ crew jogging with their “mule” in a litter to the Agreed Furthest Point, a desolated expanse, is at turns hilarious and frightening.
Original April 2014 review
This short novel has the power of parable, much like Kafka’s best stories, a la “The Hunger Artist”. And in this case, it’s disturbing and memorable, with just enough details to cause a certain amount of long-lasting queasiness, a la Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” or Kafka’s “Penal Colony.” I expect that even with time’s ability to erode the sharper edges of my already dull memory, the essential aspect of Explorers of the New Century—a hearty bravado masking an unconscious, supercilious racism—will remain with me. Two other discrete images still stand out: the image of the five revelers (one explorer and four mule women) aboard the Perseverance when come upon by the other, surviving party; and the moment when the leader of the surviving party declares that the AFP (Agreed Furthest Point) is not fit for the mules, and he ascertains that half of his consignment of mules is less fit, summarily shoots them and disposes of the bodies with a “number of other unwanted items” in preparation for his party’s long march back to their ship.
As with other Mills novels (Restraint of Beasts, Three to See the King, All Quiet on the Orient Express), there is a schematic quality to the setting, characters, and plot. These things are kept simple, but there is enough distinction in the character of the two parties involved in the quest, and there is enough detail to give many of the characters their own personalities. What distinguishes most as they travel, however, is the pettiness of their concerns, but this is a seemingly natural consequence of their barren and stark surroundings, where there is a routine of simple tasks alloyed to continual exertion and privation. Where the magic of Mills schematic writing works best is in the portrayal of the general mood, tone, and purpose of the parties’ endeavors to fulfill their quests to reach the AFP. There is in the dialogue and the characterization of the individuals a forthright, purposeful strutting in their behavior and a bravado of assured purpose in their words. This evocation of the purposeful 19th century Victorian Englishman is uncanny, as Mills is able to conjure it with so few ingredients. There are many cheery assertive declarations, numerous expressions of bluff heartiness and fair play, and several allusive and direct comments about the scientific probity that guides them. These are all members of an intellectual and social elite, the cream of the crop of society and civilization as embodied in England immediately before WWI.
The mission of these two parties, to reach the AFP to determine how practical it will be to remove all mules to this part of the world is an unquestioned good, and where quibbles might exist, it’s in details not substance. The mules must be removed, as has been asserted and agreed upon by all sane individuals. This assurance is a tacit immanence that pervades everything; it is again a marvel of economy and evocation that Mills makes palpable so much with so few deft lines. The coup de grace, as in “The Lottery”, is perceiving just what this chronicle of quotidian details and evocation of grand purpose are masking. It’s the gradual recognition that the mules are people, apparently of a different race, that are segregated and now being subjected to an experiment in repatriation. That these people are “mules” serves two purposes; it hides from them and the reader their true nature. The reader early on sees the subjectification of the mules: one “hapless creature” is killed in an accident when grounding the ship. When the party leader is made aware and stoically resolves to make do “with one less mule, that’s all”, he says reasonably to his men, “Could everyone please try to be a little more careful in future? I should hate to lose another.”
The mules continue to be described as if pack animals (they are fitted and tied down with gear each morning, and they are harnessed to one another as they march together, they are tethered at night in a group outside the explorers’ tents), and it’s only when they’ve stampeded into a river (with some of them dying) and they are being rounded up that as if stray animals that an explorer is addressed: “Come on then; catch me if you can.” The rest of the novel is further revelation and recollection of the meaning of the mules in the world of these explorers.
In short, smashing good stuff!
The unconsciously, naively hearty and jingoistic narratives of the five explorers represented in Beryl Bainbridge’s The Birthday Boys reminded me of this Mills novel. When I re-read, I saw immediately how the same flat, dead-pan complacent faith in Empire, industry, and fair play had been employed in both books to reveal internal, deconstructive flaws in the very fabric of the protagonists’ implicit cocksure attitudes.
Of course, Mills goes one further than Bainbridge, using the turn-of-the-century Empire arrogance about its degree of civilization to point up its racist failings. This book was no less fascinating on a second reading than it had been on the first, and I was able to focus on the dialogue between the different party members of each of the English and Norwegian groups, noting the wry inanities and pettiness. The image Mills conjures of the four members of Johns’ crew jogging with their “mule” in a litter to the Agreed Furthest Point, a desolated expanse, is at turns hilarious and frightening.
Original April 2014 review
This short novel has the power of parable, much like Kafka’s best stories, a la “The Hunger Artist”. And in this case, it’s disturbing and memorable, with just enough details to cause a certain amount of long-lasting queasiness, a la Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” or Kafka’s “Penal Colony.” I expect that even with time’s ability to erode the sharper edges of my already dull memory, the essential aspect of Explorers of the New Century—a hearty bravado masking an unconscious, supercilious racism—will remain with me. Two other discrete images still stand out: the image of the five revelers (one explorer and four mule women) aboard the Perseverance when come upon by the other, surviving party; and the moment when the leader of the surviving party declares that the AFP (Agreed Furthest Point) is not fit for the mules, and he ascertains that half of his consignment of mules is less fit, summarily shoots them and disposes of the bodies with a “number of other unwanted items” in preparation for his party’s long march back to their ship.
As with other Mills novels (Restraint of Beasts, Three to See the King, All Quiet on the Orient Express), there is a schematic quality to the setting, characters, and plot. These things are kept simple, but there is enough distinction in the character of the two parties involved in the quest, and there is enough detail to give many of the characters their own personalities. What distinguishes most as they travel, however, is the pettiness of their concerns, but this is a seemingly natural consequence of their barren and stark surroundings, where there is a routine of simple tasks alloyed to continual exertion and privation. Where the magic of Mills schematic writing works best is in the portrayal of the general mood, tone, and purpose of the parties’ endeavors to fulfill their quests to reach the AFP. There is in the dialogue and the characterization of the individuals a forthright, purposeful strutting in their behavior and a bravado of assured purpose in their words. This evocation of the purposeful 19th century Victorian Englishman is uncanny, as Mills is able to conjure it with so few ingredients. There are many cheery assertive declarations, numerous expressions of bluff heartiness and fair play, and several allusive and direct comments about the scientific probity that guides them. These are all members of an intellectual and social elite, the cream of the crop of society and civilization as embodied in England immediately before WWI.
The mission of these two parties, to reach the AFP to determine how practical it will be to remove all mules to this part of the world is an unquestioned good, and where quibbles might exist, it’s in details not substance. The mules must be removed, as has been asserted and agreed upon by all sane individuals. This assurance is a tacit immanence that pervades everything; it is again a marvel of economy and evocation that Mills makes palpable so much with so few deft lines. The coup de grace, as in “The Lottery”, is perceiving just what this chronicle of quotidian details and evocation of grand purpose are masking. It’s the gradual recognition that the mules are people, apparently of a different race, that are segregated and now being subjected to an experiment in repatriation. That these people are “mules” serves two purposes; it hides from them and the reader their true nature. The reader early on sees the subjectification of the mules: one “hapless creature” is killed in an accident when grounding the ship. When the party leader is made aware and stoically resolves to make do “with one less mule, that’s all”, he says reasonably to his men, “Could everyone please try to be a little more careful in future? I should hate to lose another.”
The mules continue to be described as if pack animals (they are fitted and tied down with gear each morning, and they are harnessed to one another as they march together, they are tethered at night in a group outside the explorers’ tents), and it’s only when they’ve stampeded into a river (with some of them dying) and they are being rounded up that as if stray animals that an explorer is addressed: “Come on then; catch me if you can.” The rest of the novel is further revelation and recollection of the meaning of the mules in the world of these explorers.
In short, smashing good stuff!
January 27, 2016
'Now is this rope quite secure at the other end?'
Thegn assured him that it was, and then Thorsson was asked to bring up the first mule from the camp at Lintel Rock. Meanwhile, Thegn was sent back along the ropeway with a secondary line. The moment Thorsson arrived with the mule, Snaebjorn seized it by one ear and forced it to the ground. Quickly it was trussed up and rendered immobile, then slung under the rope and hauled across the river. Guthrum had joined Thegn on the far bank and was charged with leading each mule away. The process of moving them one by one was necessarily slow, but after a couple of hours the men had succeeded in getting all ten mules transferred.
Initially the story seems like a replay of the historical race to the South Pole, with the 'agreed furthest point from civilisation' replacing the pole as the objective of the British and Scandanavian teams, but at certain moments things didn't seem quite right.
It reminded me of watching "Fight Club" in a way, as I knew something was wrong, but wasn't sure what, although in this book you don't have to wait right until the end to find out what is happening.
Thegn assured him that it was, and then Thorsson was asked to bring up the first mule from the camp at Lintel Rock. Meanwhile, Thegn was sent back along the ropeway with a secondary line. The moment Thorsson arrived with the mule, Snaebjorn seized it by one ear and forced it to the ground. Quickly it was trussed up and rendered immobile, then slung under the rope and hauled across the river. Guthrum had joined Thegn on the far bank and was charged with leading each mule away. The process of moving them one by one was necessarily slow, but after a couple of hours the men had succeeded in getting all ten mules transferred.
Initially the story seems like a replay of the historical race to the South Pole, with the 'agreed furthest point from civilisation' replacing the pole as the objective of the British and Scandanavian teams, but at certain moments things didn't seem quite right.
It reminded me of watching "Fight Club" in a way, as I knew something was wrong, but wasn't sure what, although in this book you don't have to wait right until the end to find out what is happening.
January 15, 2025
According to the Goodreads average score this is one of the least loved of Magnus Mills' novels and I am not quite sure why. I was late to Mills and have been very slowly making my way through his work and I loved this. It is not really about the race to the South Pole but it is partially about exploration for the sake of exploration. It is also very much about something else as well, but you know, spoilers.
Mills writes books that are slippery and oblique and I suppose that means that some will bounce off them violently but I find them incredibly accessible. Quick reads on the surface but constantly thought provoking. Is that an amusingly sinister aside or is it a clue to where we're headed. Maybe both.
If anything, I thought that maybe Explorers of the New Century is more obvious in its themes and meaning than some of his work without losing that distinct Millsian sense of mystery.
Mills writes books that are slippery and oblique and I suppose that means that some will bounce off them violently but I find them incredibly accessible. Quick reads on the surface but constantly thought provoking. Is that an amusingly sinister aside or is it a clue to where we're headed. Maybe both.
If anything, I thought that maybe Explorers of the New Century is more obvious in its themes and meaning than some of his work without losing that distinct Millsian sense of mystery.
September 24, 2025
Bloody hell that got dark
Funny, though
Funny, though
January 4, 2019
Mills' first two books (The Restraint of Beasts and All Quiet on the Orient Express) are among my all time favorites, however, his last two (Three to See the King and The Scheme for Full Employment) were deeply disappointing. This latest brief novel has many of the Mills' hallmarks, such as sparse deadpan prose, black humor, and an almost entirely male cast, but ultimately falls more into the disappointing category.
The story is built around a kind of pastiche of the 1911 "race" to the South Pole between Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and British explorer Robert Scott. Set in what seems to be the same era, the chapters alternate between the efforts of an apparently British team and an apparently Scandinavian team to reach the "AFP" (Agreed Furthest Point from Civilization). The composition of the teams mirrors the real Amundsen/Scott race in that the British is made up of a large group of enthusiastic amateurs and the Scandinavian team is a smaller unit of professionals. Like the real-life expeditions, there is much hardship and battling of the elements, although this expedition is not polar, but faces harsh landscapes, bitter wind, and weeks without sun. Since it's not a polar setting, there aren't the sled-dogs one might expect, but instead, there are mule trains, which are vital to the expeditions.
All of this is fairly straightforward stuff, as are the various interpersonal rivalries and jealousies that erupt between the members of the expeditions. The formal, quasi-military groups are the perfect venue for Mills' spare, deadpan style, which perfectly mirrors the psychological discomfort among the men. However, as one would expect from a Mills novel, disparate episodes slowly congeal into a darker atmosphere. For example, what is this "Theory of Transportation" which is the catalyst for the expeditions? And why are the two teams intent not just on reaching the AFP, but of establishing a trail to be used in the future by others? Anyone whose read any of Mills' books knows that All Is Not As It Seems...
It becomes impossible to discuss the novel's larger themes and ambitions without revealing the book's major twist. However, the twist is not a fresh or surprising one (especially to avid readers of classic science fiction), and anyone who's guessed the twist is likely to be left feeling rather underwhelmed by it all. The Amundsen/Scott framework is carried through to the end, but ultimately, this ends up feeling more like a neat idea than an actual novel. It's not bad, just somewhat slight.
The story is built around a kind of pastiche of the 1911 "race" to the South Pole between Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and British explorer Robert Scott. Set in what seems to be the same era, the chapters alternate between the efforts of an apparently British team and an apparently Scandinavian team to reach the "AFP" (Agreed Furthest Point from Civilization). The composition of the teams mirrors the real Amundsen/Scott race in that the British is made up of a large group of enthusiastic amateurs and the Scandinavian team is a smaller unit of professionals. Like the real-life expeditions, there is much hardship and battling of the elements, although this expedition is not polar, but faces harsh landscapes, bitter wind, and weeks without sun. Since it's not a polar setting, there aren't the sled-dogs one might expect, but instead, there are mule trains, which are vital to the expeditions.
All of this is fairly straightforward stuff, as are the various interpersonal rivalries and jealousies that erupt between the members of the expeditions. The formal, quasi-military groups are the perfect venue for Mills' spare, deadpan style, which perfectly mirrors the psychological discomfort among the men. However, as one would expect from a Mills novel, disparate episodes slowly congeal into a darker atmosphere. For example, what is this "Theory of Transportation" which is the catalyst for the expeditions? And why are the two teams intent not just on reaching the AFP, but of establishing a trail to be used in the future by others? Anyone whose read any of Mills' books knows that All Is Not As It Seems...
It becomes impossible to discuss the novel's larger themes and ambitions without revealing the book's major twist. However, the twist is not a fresh or surprising one (especially to avid readers of classic science fiction), and anyone who's guessed the twist is likely to be left feeling rather underwhelmed by it all. The Amundsen/Scott framework is carried through to the end, but ultimately, this ends up feeling more like a neat idea than an actual novel. It's not bad, just somewhat slight.
May 7, 2010
Having thoroughly enjoyed my previous Mills expeditions - Restraint of Beasts, Scheme for Full Employment - I was impressed by the way he has forged onward into new territory here. Opening as a pastiche of the Scott/Amundsen race to the pole, it will gradually dawn on the reader that something is rotten in this dark fictional landscape. Suffice to say that the truths eventually unleashed in its second half make Explorers a genuinely perturbing read, which will have you retracing your steps at journey's end. Perhaps due to this tone, the comic moments are not quite as enjoyable as in, say, Restraint of Beasts, which despite its macabre twists, seems more played for laughs. However, full marks for scope, ambition and invention. I am sure the reputation of this and other Mills' books will go on growing.
July 13, 2013
I don't get it. Well, yes, I can see what he's doing and the way the twist is revealed halfway through is very, very clever. I thought I'd figured out what the point of the expedition was, but I'd only grasped one aspect of it. The book didn't make me smile, and I definitely didn't laugh: the deadpan style is just too deadpan, the dialogue too flat and absurd.
For some reason it reminded me of Jose Saramago's Blindness, I suppose because of the dystopian bleakness and the flatness of the characters. It wasn't nearly as difficult to read as the Saramago,but if it hadn't been so short I wouldn't have finished it. I normally enjoy books N recommends, but this one left me cold.
For some reason it reminded me of Jose Saramago's Blindness, I suppose because of the dystopian bleakness and the flatness of the characters. It wasn't nearly as difficult to read as the Saramago,but if it hadn't been so short I wouldn't have finished it. I normally enjoy books N recommends, but this one left me cold.
March 19, 2015
Quite a funny little book: I mean that both in the sense of "haha" and also "a little bit odd." The story starts as familiar sort of exploration into unfamiliar lands and I was expecting it to largely continue in that vein.
Around half way things become a little different. It would spoil your enjoyment of the book to discuss the plot development in any degree of detail, but suffice it to say it's quite a fascinating and gradual change in direction.
My one complaint is the book is almost too short to do justice to the themes Mills starts to engage with. As a result the book soemtimes feels like one excellent idea that is stretched out. It would be either a fantastic short story or a brilliant longer work.
The valley it sits in now feels a little too 'between' to be successful on a deeper level.
Around half way things become a little different. It would spoil your enjoyment of the book to discuss the plot development in any degree of detail, but suffice it to say it's quite a fascinating and gradual change in direction.
My one complaint is the book is almost too short to do justice to the themes Mills starts to engage with. As a result the book soemtimes feels like one excellent idea that is stretched out. It would be either a fantastic short story or a brilliant longer work.
The valley it sits in now feels a little too 'between' to be successful on a deeper level.
April 12, 2020
A common factor in the works of Magnus Mills is that his stories start as some sort of enterprise or adventure that runs the usual course, bound by the rules of logic and common sense. They might remind you of other real life endeavours that are now narrated anew. As you start reading you might notice some lack of clarity in the situations or some slight insistence on unexpected facts, some disturbance to what you expect from a story, but it is only as you go on reading that you are faced with the unexpected. Telling more about the Explorers of the New Century or from the other novels or short stories by Mills would be spoiling the reading... I just invite you to try with some of them. You won't be deceived, or to be more precise, you will.
September 7, 2015
This is one of those books, where you can find out about a person from their experience of it. Read a few of the reviews which have been posted, and you soon get a feel of the different personalities of the reviewers. Some can peel away the layers like an onion, whilst others see just a plain adventure yarn with a confusing and frustrating seam of fantasy. A truly clever book, I think you'll find what you're looking for, if you don't, then that's probably just as well, because it hints at a something truly dark and disturbing about the nature of human progress.
October 12, 2018
Quite a fascinating little pastiche, contrasting two teams of explorers - scientific and rational Scandinavians, bumbling and very proper British - as they set off on a vague and ill-defined exploration into a wilderness. A magnificent little turnaround halfway sets the whole book on another tack. Quite beautifully done.
November 5, 2010
Amazing book: something happens halfway through - I can't tell you what, exactly, but "something" - which suddenly skews the whole novel thus far, and causes us to question things we've possibly taken for granted... Fantastic flight in folly too!
December 7, 2011
There is a really unexpected twist a bit more than half way through the novel, which is revealed in quite a subtle and effective way. Turns out to be quite a bit different than you think, in a good way.
November 6, 2009
Hugely disappointing. Like Magnus Mills doing a Magnus Mills impression. Badly. Akin to Chuck Palahniuk's fall from grace (though Pygmy was back to form).
May 24, 2013
This starts of as a pastiche of Scott v Amundsen but, as with this author's other books, becomes more and more surreal.
April 12, 2016
One of Mills's better books, I'd say -- and with a plot that goes to some unexpected and unsettling places.
October 10, 2021
Like most Magnus Mills it's a bit odd. I think this was a reread as I suddenly remembered lots of the plot about half way through. Interesting play on the adventure story.
March 18, 2024
A fascinating conceit that Mills ultimately doesn't quite know what to do with. In theory, I genuinely love what Mills is trying to do here: he sets up a seemingly ordinary plot, and then slowly but surely reveals what has really been going on this entire time in a way that completely recontextualizes everything that has happened up to that point. What's even more interesting is that there is a thematic purpose to this reveal that makes it go beyond a cheap gimmick.
Unfortunately, there are two problems to this conceit:
1. Mills just takes too long to get to the reveal. Much of the day-to-day travel minutiae that makes up most of the book is actually somewhat compelling, as is the subtly ominous tone that gradually creeps in, but the first 2/3rds of the novel is ultimately too dry for its own good. I get that the dryness is part of the point, but it taking up most of the length leaves too little time for the plot to progress after the reveal. Once you get a vague idea of what's going to be revealed from the subtle clues, the deliberately stilted style can test your patience somewhat as you find yourself wanting the author to get to the secret. After the twist, some interesting new dynamics form between the characters that I'd like to have seen Mills expand on, and he might've had more space to do so had he let the cat out of the bag earlier on. Mills should have leaned on the occasional deadpan comedy that crops up a bit more, as good as he is in introducing an undercurrent of dread throughout.
2. Mills doesn't seem to know how to end it. It heads to an ambiguous final scene that doesn't really quite resolve anything, even on a thematic level. Nothing wrong with open-ended conclusions, but here it feels like Mills ran out of ideas and went with an ending that tries to have it both ways.
Overall, worth the read - it's a clever and creative gambit, just don't expect it to make a deep impression on you.
Unfortunately, there are two problems to this conceit:
1. Mills just takes too long to get to the reveal. Much of the day-to-day travel minutiae that makes up most of the book is actually somewhat compelling, as is the subtly ominous tone that gradually creeps in, but the first 2/3rds of the novel is ultimately too dry for its own good. I get that the dryness is part of the point, but it taking up most of the length leaves too little time for the plot to progress after the reveal. Once you get a vague idea of what's going to be revealed from the subtle clues, the deliberately stilted style can test your patience somewhat as you find yourself wanting the author to get to the secret. After the twist, some interesting new dynamics form between the characters that I'd like to have seen Mills expand on, and he might've had more space to do so had he let the cat out of the bag earlier on. Mills should have leaned on the occasional deadpan comedy that crops up a bit more, as good as he is in introducing an undercurrent of dread throughout.
2. Mills doesn't seem to know how to end it. It heads to an ambiguous final scene that doesn't really quite resolve anything, even on a thematic level. Nothing wrong with open-ended conclusions, but here it feels like Mills ran out of ideas and went with an ending that tries to have it both ways.
Overall, worth the read - it's a clever and creative gambit, just don't expect it to make a deep impression on you.
March 6, 2021
Perhaps it is because I didn’t “get” it, but I didn’t like this book very much. It is a refashioning, reimagining and fantasy version of the great exploration stories, to the South Pole and that sort of thing. But the writing seemed to be too laid back and too based on interaction between the characters to be considered any kind of an adventure. One character crossed a raging River, but rather than describe it in a tense action scene, afterwards it was him saying something like, Oh, it was difficult but I made it. It was telling rather than showing.
And the conversations between the participants was rather repetitive and boring. The bosses would press a man on what he had done or not done, the guy would explain or apologize and the boss would say okay then. Over and over and over again. And unfortunately this was the first book by this author I have read. Not the best motivation to pick up another one written by him. But like Imsaid at the outset, maybe it is just me not getting the point.
And the conversations between the participants was rather repetitive and boring. The bosses would press a man on what he had done or not done, the guy would explain or apologize and the boss would say okay then. Over and over and over again. And unfortunately this was the first book by this author I have read. Not the best motivation to pick up another one written by him. But like Imsaid at the outset, maybe it is just me not getting the point.
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May 15, 2025Wow! Easily the darkest of Mills’s novels, despite its moments of laugh-out-loud slapstick and an even stronger thread of subversive humour - almost scurrilous, in fact.
Two parties set out to reach the Agreed Furthest Point from civilisation, in his most overt allegory to date. No subtlety; the expeditions are led by Johns and Tostig, and have characteristics many would consider typical of British and Norwegian adventurers. Here again it differs from his usual static plots, in that it follows a linear route from the coast into the Hellish interior, Mills’s Heart of Darkness.
A long cast list makes it tricky to keep tabs on individual characters, but the principals assert themselves strongly enough and, to be fair, even the bit parts are still making themselves known - revealing themselves for who they are - right to the end.
I was already a fan, but this blew me away. Do yourselves a favour and give it your time. Whether you read others first in order to have expectations to be shattered is up to you, but this is a book that more than justifies its existence.
Two parties set out to reach the Agreed Furthest Point from civilisation, in his most overt allegory to date. No subtlety; the expeditions are led by Johns and Tostig, and have characteristics many would consider typical of British and Norwegian adventurers. Here again it differs from his usual static plots, in that it follows a linear route from the coast into the Hellish interior, Mills’s Heart of Darkness.
A long cast list makes it tricky to keep tabs on individual characters, but the principals assert themselves strongly enough and, to be fair, even the bit parts are still making themselves known - revealing themselves for who they are - right to the end.
I was already a fan, but this blew me away. Do yourselves a favour and give it your time. Whether you read others first in order to have expectations to be shattered is up to you, but this is a book that more than justifies its existence.
February 18, 2024
Completely unexpected, interesting and provocative.
The first half of the book seemingly followed common sense and logic. Following two parties racing to reach the furthest point from civilisation, the book posed as a story of adventure, much like that of Scott and Amundsen racing to the South Pole. Around 2/3 of the way through Mills slowly starts to provide doubt over everything previously read, ultimately turning the story completely on its head.
I’m undecided on the message presented, but perhaps that is purposeful. A story of blind conformity and the willingness to accept social circumstance or one of endurance, perseverance and the burden of ambition - the sacrifices made in pursuit of glory.
Very fond of a story with a twist, especially when it is completely unexpected and as unique as this. Very cleverly written, with a few jokes along the way.
The first half of the book seemingly followed common sense and logic. Following two parties racing to reach the furthest point from civilisation, the book posed as a story of adventure, much like that of Scott and Amundsen racing to the South Pole. Around 2/3 of the way through Mills slowly starts to provide doubt over everything previously read, ultimately turning the story completely on its head.
I’m undecided on the message presented, but perhaps that is purposeful. A story of blind conformity and the willingness to accept social circumstance or one of endurance, perseverance and the burden of ambition - the sacrifices made in pursuit of glory.
Very fond of a story with a twist, especially when it is completely unexpected and as unique as this. Very cleverly written, with a few jokes along the way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2021
5 proper novels in and Mills, it seems, is an inexhaustible ideas man. The characters, the sense of place, the rich ultra concise language, all share first chair with the plot and third act surprises (which by this point is a delightful signature). A wonderful day or two read about a split group of explorers attempting to reach the Agreed Furthest Point from civilization. The whys and how’s reveal themselves soon enough but in the meantime, the reader is treated to another examination of the common laborer and the intricate personal dramas that can arise in the workforce. Almost everyone will tell you that Mills elevates the mundane to page-turning wonder, and I won’t skip this obligation. It’s brilliant. I already have the next one in hand.
March 1, 2018
Well, this was quite an awkward novel. Initially it read as an adventure story, but slowly it turned into one of the most astonishinhly absurd adventures imaginably. It reminded me of the Peary/Amundsen race tot the south pole, as well as the Dutch writer Hermans' 1966 novel "Beyond sleep".
I am so curious for the interpretations of my book club lads who have read it too. What philosophical lesson cn be learnt from this book? Never to trust a mule?
I am so curious for the interpretations of my book club lads who have read it too. What philosophical lesson cn be learnt from this book? Never to trust a mule?
September 30, 2021
Another gently mesmerising tale from Magnus Mills. Difficult to say much without plot-spoiling (never thought I'd say that with MM!), but basically starts out in usual sparse style, but plot thickens so 3.5 Stars but rounding down rather than up.
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December 26, 2022Despite set a hundred years apart from The Restraint of Beasts and in a land far away from Britain, Magnus Mills does it again. A mundane, bleak landscape, people reluctantly trudging along in their duties. Some of the most deadpan writing out there that is often laugh out loud funny. And somehow extremely profound as well. This is more specifically a parable, with a touch of sci fi of all things.
May 3, 2024
I've read The Restraint of Beasts twice so far and adored it and after this book I want to go on a Magnus Mills tear. He is a writer you'll likely deeply appreciate or one you'll believe to be idiotic. Lucky us who fall into the first camp. This weird little fable about a group, two groups really, of ridiculous humans and talking mules on a lunatic quest is delightful. I may read it again. Or go in search of another Magnus Mills bonbon.
August 27, 2018
It’s a type of reimagining of the Scott-Amundsen race to the Pole. It isn’t classic Mills, it belongs to the quirky and dry (not laugh out loud) humour category, in the ilk of Three to See The King and The Field Of The Cloth Of Gold . I’m a huge Mills fan and loved it.
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