The Summer Isles

by Ian R. MacLeod

Winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Sidewise Award for Alternate A pastel-hued yet chilling alternate vision of England, The Summer Isles views the nightmare that the country has become since Germany’s victory in the Great War, through the eyes of a man whose life lies close to the heart of history


In 1918 the Allies were defeated. A closeted gay teacher, Griffin Brooke has witnessed the monumental changes his nation has undergone since being crushed by Germany’s superior fighting forces twenty-two years earlier. First came the financial collapse and crippling inflation, then the fascist uprising in the thirties that brought John Arthur to power. Now, in 1940, England has resurrected itself—but at a terrible cost. With homosexuality decreed a serious crime against the state by the dictator who was once his most avid student, Griffin has remained silent while England’s gay population has mysteriously dwindled . . . along with the nation’s Jews.
 But in the twilight of his years, elevated to the role of tutor in an Oxford college, Griffin is getting anxious. Thinking back on a life lived in shadow—and on his one great love affair with a young soldier during the height of the Great War—Griffin knows that revealing a secret he has guarded for decades could have devastating consequences for Britain, the world, and especially for the fascist tyrant Arthur, who cites his former teacher as a mentor and major influence.    

Genres: Alternate History, Science Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Queer

246 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Ian R. MacLeod is the acclaimed writer of challenging and innovative speculative and fantastic fiction. His most recent novel, Wake Up and Dream, won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History, while his previous works have won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and the World Fantasy Award, and have been translated into many languages. His short story, “Snodgrass,” was developed for television in the United Kingdom as part of the Sky Arts series Playhouse Presents. MacLeod grew up in the West Midlands region of England, studied law, and spent time working and dreaming in the civil service before moving on to teaching and house-husbandry. He lives with his wife in the riverside town of Bewdley.

Reviews

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: As close to five full stars as makes no difference

The Book Report: England in 1940...shiny happy people, none the worse for wear after their crushing 1916 defeat at the hands of the Hun. All the mod cons in every home! All the freedoms any one man can handle responsibly! Where did the Jews go?

Why do you want to know that, faggot?

Griffin Brooke fails to heed the social conventions of his fascist state, England, first by being a homosexual, and second by failing to stop asking questions when it's obvious to a complete fool that it's only going to get him in trouble to keep going. He knows he's a second-rater, he knows that his tutorship at Oxford is a joke because he's no brainiac or original thinker, and he knows that, after the defeat of England in the Great War, he's lost his one true love to death.

Only he hasn't. His younger love, his boy-man, the other half of his soul, is Francis, lost at nineteen in 1916; Francis reincarnated himself as John Arthur, a Fascist thug, and has publicly acknowledged Griffin's role in his life as "inspiring" him. The anniversary of John Arthur's rise is coming up. Griffin, now elderly and also terminally ill, is required to play a part in the party piece planned for the masses. The trouble the Powers That Be face is, Griffin doesn't care any more.

His eyes are open to the horror of the state he is complicit with. He even doesn't care who, now that he's dying, knows he's gay.

He is, in short, a very dangerous man. And he plans to use his dangerous knowledge...John Arthur used to bottom for me!...to ruin the horrible plans and change the unthinkable future of his England.

Or die trying.

My Review: Chilling. Very, very chilling. The 1998 novella of the same name won Hugo and Sidewise awards for a very good reason. Very, very good. Almost, only a hair away from, excellent. The pleasure of reading the book is close to unmarred, and my quibbles are just that...quibbles.

They involve the Francis Eveleigh/John Arthur transition, and the subsequent co-opting of Griffin with a golden chain and muzzle...why, suddenly, do the PTB opt to alienate him? Why not simply kill him?

And Griffin himself, opting for a life of anonymous sex, can't possibly have imagined that he was getting away with it. No state this repressive would not know this important and dangerous secret, and act more effectively to neutralize it...provide him with a beard, give him a steady stream of men, bob's your uncle!

But all of that aside, I can't imagine how this idea occurred to the straight Mr. MacLeod, and I applaud vigorously the way in which he presented the closeted life. I am impressed by this book on so many levels. And I am delighted that I read it in both versions. It's worth seeking out.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is so many things, it's almost hard to know where to begin. "The Summer Isles," is an alternate history that somehow manages to feel faithful to reality. It's a story that serves as both a love letter to all things English as well as a cautionary tale. It drips with social and political commentary while miraculously managing to avoid feeling judgmental, or preachy. This is a book about understanding; humanizing the world's monsters rather than vilifying them and shining light on the group mentality of humanity. This is a book about self discovery. This book is a love story. -------

Never in my life have I ever wanted to hug a fictional character as badly as I wished I could hug Geoffrey Brook, (AKA Griffin Brooke). I kept having to stop and remind myself that I was grieving for someone who does not actually exist. I cried for Griff, for the trials and tribulations he was forced to endure, for his isolation, and for the "e" stolen so heartlessly and unceremoniously from the end of his last name! I honestly can't remember the last time a book made me cry like this. Despite my tears, this is not a depressing book. Sad, real things happen within it's pages but I would never call it depressing. ----------

Ian MacLeod's poetic writing is absolutely beautiful. The pacing is a bit slow, but in a good way. He lets the reader get to know Griffin so gradually; naturally, that my heart was breaking for him before I knew it. I am a 32 year-old straight American woman, (mother of two), and yet I related more to the gay male 60 year-old British protagonist than I have to any other fictional character in recent memory. His hunger for human contact, his feelings of inadequacy; his desire to accomplish something with his life; his failing health and treacherous body; his love for a man who neither deserved nor returned his undying affection; it all resonated so deeply with me and absolutely tore my heart to pieces. ------

In other novels based in an alternate history I've often found the nature of the fictional reality is spelled out for the reader very quickly, usually within the first chapter. This is not the case with "The Summer Isles." From the very beginning MacLeod envelops the reader with layers upon layers of unabashed Englishness that struck a particular chord with me. My grandfather immigrated to the states after WWII, and despite the lack of a proper accent and corresponding birthplace I have always felt deeply connected to my English heritage. I felt comfortable, "at home," and even strangely homesick whilst absorbed within the pages. The dark nature of this alternate version of Britain is seamlessly brought to light in small digestible pieces, and isn't really viewed as a whole until about 70% in. The familiar setting and gradual reveal made the events all the more horrifying and.... believable. I'm a bit of a history nerd and I've always had a soft spot for the history surrounding my grandfather's generation. Logically I've always understood how and why things transpired in Nazi Germany the way they did, but this is the first time I've ever FELT it. -------------

My generation is obnoxiously fond of proclaiming people and things to be "fascist." They howl, moan and blog about all sorts of minor injustices, things they believe they are owed and the various villains they deem responsible. They love the fascist label, but don't really understand what it means. I've read a slew of YA books with political undertones that are quick to paint a picture of the evil-fascist-government that the hero/heroine must rise against, but the origins of the offending regimes are always vague and two dimensional; the supporters simple minded, greedy, and/or just sick and twisted. "The Summer Isles," was like a breath of fresh air. Instead of blaming and pointing fingers this book embraces the personal responsibility of humanity as a whole, it understands and enlightens. ----------------

Anyway, as this over-long review plainly shows; I cannot say enough good things about this book. I loved it. If you carry a love for all things English in your heart; if you enjoy poetry; if you're a history nerd; if you've ever felt alone; if you've ever lost someone; if you've ever been in love; if you've had to come to terms with your own mortality; or if you've ever dreamed of making the world a better place but felt helpless in your efforts to do so... I think you'll love "The Summer Isles" too. -------------

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book......

"Then P. Wiseman begins to tell me about my disease. About how each cell in my body is a single entity; and how I am comprised of a whole vast nation of such cells, all of which are working busily together. They live and they die and proceed about the business of their lives much as I proceed about my own. And each of them has a blueprint that it passes down to its offspring which contains details about who they are, and which particularly fleshy city, factory, warehouse, sewerage works, temple, library or brothel they’re supposed to belong to. But sometimes there is a delinquent, an errant messenger. It thinks it has a role greater than that properly granted to it. And it makes others in its likeness, and they in turn procreate and pass on this false message, and grow and spread."

[Olethros · Rating 4 out of 5]

-Tres trabajos tan diferentes como interesantes.-

Género. Relatos.

Lo que nos cuenta. Tres relatos del autor (dos de ellos relativamente largos) que nos presentan, respectivamente, una ucronía con fondo tan emotivo como político, un crepúsculo personal con el programa SETI de fondo y la parte más íntima de la figura de una mujer legendaria en un futuro lejano, los tres escritos entre 1998 y 2001 (publicados unidos en esta edición en 2008) siendo el primero de ellos, que da nombre a este libro, premiado tanto primero como relato como posteriormente cuando fue extendido a novela.

¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Christin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring as fuuuuuuck for a long time. I was making jerk-off "man problems" motions as I read it until about halfway through and a wild plot arrived. Then it got pretty good and then the reveal happened and it got REALLY good. Like woah, did not see that coming, good job yo.

But also suffers from what I'm going to start calling the Wilbur Rule: "I got an amazing blowjob five years ago but have mixed feelings about it now." -most novels by men

YUUUUUPPPPPPPPP

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Summer Isles is a stunner parahistory about a post WWI fascist England, but unlike The Man in the High Castle or Jo Walton's superb Half Penny series, Germany is barely part of the equation. Hitler's been removed from power, but Britain's slipped on the jackboots in Germany's stead. Can we say Queen Wallis?
This is going on the shelf next to the Handmaid's Tale.

[James Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alternative history through the eyes of a gay Oxford don. The premise is that the Germans won the First World War, their March 1918 offensive succeeded and the war ended in the August with the defeat of France and Britain. The Peace Treaty strips Britain of a number of colonies and overseas territories in much the same way that the Germans were in our own history. Britain has a violent period in the 1920s and a former corporal, John Arthur, becomes the leader of a Modernist movement.

The story starts in the early part of 1940 when the Empire Alliance has been in power for at least a decade. A number of short victorious wars has restored much of the Imperial prestige lost at the end of the Great War. Although all seems harmonious it is a dangerous time to be different and not to look British. Geoffrey Brook (also Griffin Brooke) has found his way to be an Oxford Professor through his tenuous connection to John Arthur, the Prime Minister. Arthur mentioned Brook as an influence on his childhood when Brook taught him at school. Brook has no recollection of Arthur, but went along with it anyway.

Much of the story is told through flashbacks where Brook reminisces of things that have happened to him during his life. Realising that he is dying Brook resolves to find out what happened to a missing acquaintance of his, a Post Office Censor that he had illicit liaisons with in an allotment shed. One night his acquaintance disappears, Brook believes that it is because he is gay and worries that the Knights of Saint George (KSG) will be along soon to arrest him also. However it turns out that the acquaintance was married to a Polish Jew and the whole family has been taken because of that. With nothing really to lose Brook tries to find out where the Jews went, the newsreels said they went to the Summer Isles off the north of Scotland. However there has been no news since.

This is the story of a dying man coming to terms with his life, he feels inadequate intellectually and believes he's only got to become an Oxford don because the better men have all been silenced by the Empire Alliance. He worries about the shallowness of his sexual life, and the fear that homosexuality being illegal means that he will be arrested and put in a camp for 'treatment'. It's worth noting that although there are necessary references there is nothing explicit here, the encounters are largely left to the reader's imagination. The author clearly transmits an angst ridden guilt at making the best of each furtive encounter as Brook can never know when he'll next meet someone suitable. There is also a loss of not being able to live life with a lover.

There are a number of inter-woven plot threads and this makes for a good story, there are a couple of bits where I guessed what was going to happen, and then was wrong. That made it more enjoyable. WHat I also enjoyed was how the author had taken the consequences of losing the Great War that German suffered and then mapped those on to Britain. Not all of them were completely identical, and it was those changes, making it more rationally British, that I enjoyed. I also wondered how long it would take you to realise that you were living in a fascist state if it slowly happened around you and you weren't one of the people being targeted.

Overall both enjoyable and thought provoking.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting to have read this just after the last volume of Jo Walton's Small Change series, Half a Crown. Both involve a gay male protagonist living in Fascist Britain around the time of WWII (well, last volume of Small Change is set in 1960, but the earlier volumes are in the 40's). But the Fascism is reached in quite different ways. In Jo Walton's books, Britain has made peace (with honor) with Nazi Germany, and Hitler rules Europe. The makers of that peace gain power in Britain and obviously have Fascist sympathies. In MacLeod's, Britain lost WWI, and slipped into Fascism directly, on a path that resembles the actual one taken by Germany; Germany remains under the Kaiser and does not become Fascist.

This book by MacLeod has a wistful air to it, and Britain, under its dictator John Arthur, has in some strange way achieved, on its surface, something of the character it always has in our imaginations: the Britain of the Ealing Comedies, gentle, quirky, bucolic. (Or maybe it's the Britain of the Carry On films I'm thinking of!) Yet we get a better and better sense of how askew things are as the novel proceeds. Very cleverly done, though I'm not sure I found the depiction of what Britain is like under Fascism as plausible as that offered by Walton.

[Cold War Conversations Podcast · Rating 2 out of 5]

An intriguing alternative history of a Britain that has lost World War 1.

The protagonist is a gay history teacher promoted to Oxford due to his association with the country's supreme leader George Arthur.

George Arthur rises from obscurity to lead a semi fascist Britain paralleling in many ways the rise of Hitler.

The book does provides a chilling insight into to what a fascist Britain may have looked like, but fails to deliver in the same way that does. Interesting, but disappointing.

[Shaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is excellent alternate history and deserves better recognition.

[Anthony Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant surprise. I find alternative history stories usually disappoint, too impressed with their own cleverness to really move the reader. This one is excellent. It is clever and powered by a genuinely surprising reveal halfway through. But it's also very moving and gripping. I can't remember why this found I way onto my shelf but I'm glad that it did and I recommend it.

[Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I reread MacLeod's The Great Wheel I looked to see if he had written more, and The Summer Isles piqued my interest. Set in an alternate history where the Allies lost WW1 and Britain became a fascist state under the rule of a man called John Arthur, the book follows a teacher called Geoffrey Brooke who had a loose connection to Arthur when he was younger.

It portrays a vision of what fascism might have looked like in 1930s Britain, and there were many elements that I feel would still ring true today. Much of the book is spent capturing the mood of the country, and even from the author's pessimistic and anxious point of view (Geoffrey is gay - of course outlawed under the fascist regime) it's not the grim over-the-top misery of something like 1984. For all the strengths of 1984 I always felt that Aldous Huxley's Brave New World was a more realistic dystopia, precisely because it wasn't immediately obvious as a dystopia, at least to the people living in it.

The England of The Summer Isles is clean, well employed, full of bucolic imagery and national pride. We read about the charisma of John Arthur, the cheers at news of military victories, the comfortable life Geoffrey leads as a middle class Oxford academic. We also see families disappeared by police, arrogant paramilitary youths in the Knights of Saint George, paranoia and rumours.

The book ties together Geoffrey's past with his present life with twists and turns that mimic the way history and facts change as necessary to suit fascist regimes. I found it easy to read, despite the grim subject matter. It has a clear message and conveys it thoughtfully. That said, I only give it 4 stars because I feel it could have tried to say more on such a large political topic. That might be unfair because I also think the story works and flows so well because it doesn't try to cram in too much. I'd love for a 4.5 option at times like this. A very good book, and I do mean to look for more by MacLeod soon.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A melancholy alternate British history novel, which takes place during the time of WWII in our history.
It tackles the issues of homosexuality, anti-Semitism, Fascism, nationalism and British complacency, among other topics.

My copy is number 148 of 500 autographed limited edition chapbooks.

[David Wernsing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my style. I am not particularly fond of books that have too much homosexuality in it.
I didn't get too far into it but was not impressed whatsoever.

[Dan Conover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising, wonderful fiction from a stellar, passionate small publishing house. Collector's item, no doubt. Highly recommended.

[Christopher McKitterick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and sad alternate history.

[Nancy]

This ia an alternative history novel about what Great Britain would be like if they had lost WW1. It is thought provoking and quite chilling when you consider the possibilities.

[Kelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing and not really worth the read.

[Tom Loock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is as close to mainstream fiction as it can get (and might be ideal for those who are afraid of fantasy & SF, but don't know what they're missing and who need a friend like YOU to supply them with novels like this to introduce them to it) and if it would not be for a different time-line where Germany won WW1, sh/could be classified as mainstream. And, maybe more importantly, as proper (high brow-) 'literature'.

It is also a book for those who think that the likes of Dostoyevsky write novels that are way to cheerful.

NO SPOILERS ahead, just what you'd learn in the first few pages. The protagonist Oxford don who is approaching retiring age, is of poor health and not wealthy nor blessed with any friends or a partner. He takes some effort to take a liking to. He's also running the risk of getting arrested and jailed for a personal trait of his.
To top this: the story is not exactly exciting and even the weather sucks most of the time.

So why give this book four stars? Well, I would have considered five if it were not for the fact that life under the ruling regime as MacLeod describes it, sounds to tame and almost too pleasant to be imaginable. Jo Walton's excellent 'Small Change'-trilogy - Farthing etc. - feels more credible.

The Summer Isles is 'heavy stuff' almost all the way, but like MacLeod's The Light Ages an excellent book.

[Primrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful alternate history in which the allies lost WW1, sending England into despair and ultimately fascism. The story is set in this alternate 1940; the main character (who is also the narrator) is a 60-year-old closeted gay man who teaches at Oxford, and he has a history with John Arthur, the fascist populist dictator who arises after the war is lost. I don't want to give any spoilers, because the story is so lovely and the reader should find out what happens as they go along. I found it somewhat slow at times, but never enough to make me stop reading. Ian MacLeod is a wonderful author, and has a writing style that makes his words feel like poetry. I also recommend his novel "The Light Ages", which one of my very favourite books. The audiobook narrator has a lovely old-fashioned British accent which draws the listener into the story.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Bad gays of alternate history. Does wonderful work with an unexpectedly compelling, pathetic protagonist - mediocre gay academic who is both bigoted and cowardly - and a great setup; a Britain which lost the 1st World War descends into fascism in a pretty similar way to that which Germany did in reality. Excellent prose, and if it's a sad and compromised vision of queerness, it still rings true (impressive for MacLeod, who I believe is straight).

Interesting to note as well that MacLeod couldn't get a big publisher to put out the novel-length version we had here. Instead a cut-down version was serialized in Asimov's. The version we have here - better, imo, for slightly more space to breathe - was originally published only in a small press fancy edition.

[Stephen Poltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully written book started life as a novella, winning the World Fantasy Award for that category. Expanded to novel length, it was nominated for several awards, including the Gaylactic Spectrum Award. It is an alternate history story where Britain loses the First World War and descends into fascism. Its prose is stunning, though at times, it felt a little too British, with some words and references I didn’t get. Nonetheless, it was a joy to read despite its depressing content.

Come visit my blog for the full review…
https://itstartedwiththehugos.blogspo...

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very scary story about a very scary Britain that lost WWI and became a fascist state. The truly scary thing is how easy it would have been, given the situation and the times. Well written, original, with characters that made you believe in their stories, even the monstrous ones.

[Joseph F Cowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great alternative history

Easily relatable to today's America (2017 onward) and England. This desire of some for totalitarian rule still amazes me. I assume their schools never offered courses on history....

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

It very nearly steps into the alt history cliche of “what if Nazis, but with the names changed?” but redeems itself. A pleasant and heartfelt read, which is not what I’d expected from a book about fascist 40s Britain.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Adam Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

MacLeod's vividly imagined alternate Greater Britain is the background for an examination of historical determinism--do great men shape history, or are they helplessly dragged along by the tide?

[Pedro L. Fragoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this is definitely a literary masterpiece. It's not only that's the writing was amazingly, unbelievably, beautiful and just to the evocation in play. Or that the whole thing was rock solid, with no loose ends. That the ending was perfection. No: It was the absolute magic that it conjured of a memoir pertaining to a full, evidently real, complex, rich, significant life that's actually a fable, as fake in fact as the alternate world where it all happens, after Britain defeat in the Great War and the rising of a fascist regime in UK. MacLeod makes it all feel at least as real as reality, if not more. Reading this was an unforgettable experience, a mind boggling proof of mastery over plot, narrative and style.

About the writing.

"I’m still waiting, really, for my life to start. Now, it will soon be ending…"

"But then, the myth probably tells us more about the man than the truth ever could. I’m starting to wonder, in fact, if the truth is ever worth telling."

"It really is true what they say; people in the nude are impossibly decent."

“We can’t control our lives, though, can we?”
　“No.” She looks hard at me. “We just have to live through what we are, don’t we, Brook? And history…”

"At this early stage in the dream of Greater Britain, it was often the groups John Arthur was soon to eradicate who pleaded loudest for his protection."

"Cumbernald brings me a sweet sherry and a Spode plate with a hard-boiled egg, a leaf of lettuce, a sausage roll; what we English call a salad."

"Francis belongs there, with us all. He didn’t close the cell doors himself, he didn’t pull the ropes, touch the wires, kick shut the filing cabinet drawers, or even sign the forms that authorised the contracts that emptied so many lives from history. We did that for him.
　We all are innocent.
　We are all guilty."

[Edward · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if Germany won World War I? In Ian R. Macleod's alternate history, there would have been no World War II, because the Kaiser would have stayed in power, Hitler would never had risen to prominence, and so on. Britain would have suffered much the same ills as post-WWI Germany--inflation, unemployment, leftist agitation yielding to fascism, etc. Edward VIII would not have abdicated the throne, and his racist, anti-Semitic tendencies would assist in the rise of a fascist, populist, homophobic dictator as Prime Minister, one John Arthur.

This is the setting for The Summer Isles. Putting aside the novel's merits as a piece of alternate history and speculative fiction, it's a fine examination of the human condition from the perspective of a closeted gay Oxford don.

For someone my age, open homosexuality is more or less normal and expected, at least within my own lifetime. For people even just a few years younger than me, being "out" is absolutely the assumed status for gays and lesbians. It's easy to forget that not only was this formerly NOT the case, there are plenty of homosexual men and women whose choices were between celibacy, secret love affairs, or (at best) imprisonment and social and professional ruin.

This novel is not always an easy read, but it is a dystopian novel in the grand tradition of Brave New World or 1984. It's absolutely worth your time.

[Kay Kenyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love alternate history, and the interwar time period is particularly compelling to me, so I was eager to read this award winner. The story is utterly convincing, relentlessly dystopian and gorgeously written. He perfects a narrative tone I can only call eligiac. In the end, the tone and dark plot left me with a sad stone in my heart. For this reason, I would recommend reading it only if you love books like "The Road." But with that book, the central characters of boy and father had a strong love bond; in Summer Isles, there is no saving beauty except for the (exceptional) prose. Maybe I am a bit of lightweight! If you don't mind Dark, read this book to savor the original, commanding, and startling descriptions and the heartrending theme and plot. (There is also a cool reversal in the middle that is rather brilliant.)

[Lora · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Summer Isles is a paced story, barely crossing into genre territory. It picks up on an intuition, much like V for Vendetta, that England could have been a very different place, but by chance, almost, chose freedom. It is the story of an old professor facing the end of life in a country that would kill him if it ever found out that he was gay.

He looks over his experiences and tries to decide how he can go out with meaning. How can he fight the machine that his country and government have become. His sustaining memory is of Francis, a young man he once loved. And the story slowly reveals how Griff and Francis are still connected to the fate of all Britain.