What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish
It's 1932, and the Venus Island fetish, a ceremonial mask surrounded by thirty-two human skulls, now resides in a museum in Sydney. But young anthropologist Archie Meek, recently returned from an extended field trip to Venus Island, has noticed a strange discoloration of some of the skulls of the fetish. Has someone been tampering with the primitive artifact? Is there a link between the mysterious disappearance of Cecil Polkinghorne, curator of archaeology, and the fetish? And how did Eric Sopwith, retired mollusks expert, die in the museum's storeroom?
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is a delightfully risque caper, full of eccentric characters, intrigue and adventure.
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is a delightfully risque caper, full of eccentric characters, intrigue and adventure.
289 pages, Hardcover
First published November 19, 2014
11 people are currently reading
464 people want to read
About the author
Tim Flannery
132 books392 followersTim Flannery is one of Australia's leading thinkers and writers.
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year.
He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science and in 2002 delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year.
He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He serves on the board of WWF International (London and Gland) and on the sustainability advisory councils of Siemens (Munich) and Tata Power (Mumbai).
In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who came together to confront climate change.
Tim Flannery is currently Professor of Science at Maquarie University, Sydney.
An internationally acclaimed scientist, explorer and conservationist, he has published more than 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers and many books. His books include the landmark works The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and in 2006 won the NSW Premiers Literary Prizes for Best Critical Writing and Book of the Year.
He received a Centenary of Federation Medal for his services to Australian science and in 2002 delivered the Australia Day address. In 2005 he was named Australian Humanist of the Year, and in 2007 honoured as Australian of the Year.
He spent a year teaching at Harvard, and is a founding member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, a director of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, and the National Geographic Society's representative in Australasia. He serves on the board of WWF International (London and Gland) and on the sustainability advisory councils of Siemens (Munich) and Tata Power (Mumbai).
In 2007 he co-founded and was appointed Chair of the Copenhagen Climate Council, a coalition of community, business, and political leaders who came together to confront climate change.
Tim Flannery is currently Professor of Science at Maquarie University, Sydney.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
November 19, 2014
“…curators of anthropology. They’re priests and priestesses, really – custodians of our human sense of ingenuity, belief and beauty”
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is the first book by museum curator of worms, Dido Butterworth, and is introduced and edited by Australian author, teacher, mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, global warming activist, and former museum director, Professor Tim Flannery.
Assistant curator of the anthropology department at the Sydney Museum, Archibald Meek has just returned from a field trip to the Venus Isles. His return is long overdue but he is enthusiastic about the wonderful collection he has amassed: plants, worms, fish and insects, and all manner of artefacts made by the Islanders. He is also hopeful that his traditional love token will ensure that his fiancé, Beatrice, registrar in the anthropology department, accepts his marriage proposal.
But Archie notices immediately that the ceremonial mask acquired much earlier, The Venus Island Fetish, appears altered. Some of the human skulls that form part of the artefact are discoloured. When Archie learns of the mysterious absence of several museum curators, he suspects these two irregularities are connected, and he begins to worry for the remaining curators. Is it all coincidence, or is he right to be concerned?
Butterworth peoples her tale with a cast of quirky characters, many of whom prove not to be quite what they first seem; she often gives them absurd names that rely for humour on association with the body’s nether regions. Her plot is highly original and includes a few twists that maintain the intrigue. There is plenty of (often tongue-in-cheek) humour in this mystery: the final twist and the end note will have readers grinning from ear to ear.
Butterworth manages to include in her story a Government Inquiry, a meteorite, Meissen pottery, the Japanese Navy, a Roman bronze priapus, fugu poison, arson, soapbox orators, rare minerals, stuffed goats, buck teeth, a tattoo, an amputation, an outhouse full of spiders, an Italian fruiterer, a ceremonial dance, prickly pear and some shady doings with antiquities.
Butterworth provides conclusive evidence of the best food for roses and her extensive experience with the politics and practices of museums is apparent in every paragraph. And while the story is set in the 1930s, much of what occurs is not so different from modern day experiences. Readers can only hope that Professor Flannery is examining more of the museum’s taxidermised exhibits for manuscripts such as this one. An absolute delight to read!
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is the first book by museum curator of worms, Dido Butterworth, and is introduced and edited by Australian author, teacher, mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, global warming activist, and former museum director, Professor Tim Flannery.
Assistant curator of the anthropology department at the Sydney Museum, Archibald Meek has just returned from a field trip to the Venus Isles. His return is long overdue but he is enthusiastic about the wonderful collection he has amassed: plants, worms, fish and insects, and all manner of artefacts made by the Islanders. He is also hopeful that his traditional love token will ensure that his fiancé, Beatrice, registrar in the anthropology department, accepts his marriage proposal.
But Archie notices immediately that the ceremonial mask acquired much earlier, The Venus Island Fetish, appears altered. Some of the human skulls that form part of the artefact are discoloured. When Archie learns of the mysterious absence of several museum curators, he suspects these two irregularities are connected, and he begins to worry for the remaining curators. Is it all coincidence, or is he right to be concerned?
Butterworth peoples her tale with a cast of quirky characters, many of whom prove not to be quite what they first seem; she often gives them absurd names that rely for humour on association with the body’s nether regions. Her plot is highly original and includes a few twists that maintain the intrigue. There is plenty of (often tongue-in-cheek) humour in this mystery: the final twist and the end note will have readers grinning from ear to ear.
Butterworth manages to include in her story a Government Inquiry, a meteorite, Meissen pottery, the Japanese Navy, a Roman bronze priapus, fugu poison, arson, soapbox orators, rare minerals, stuffed goats, buck teeth, a tattoo, an amputation, an outhouse full of spiders, an Italian fruiterer, a ceremonial dance, prickly pear and some shady doings with antiquities.
Butterworth provides conclusive evidence of the best food for roses and her extensive experience with the politics and practices of museums is apparent in every paragraph. And while the story is set in the 1930s, much of what occurs is not so different from modern day experiences. Readers can only hope that Professor Flannery is examining more of the museum’s taxidermised exhibits for manuscripts such as this one. An absolute delight to read!
September 15, 2016
Internationally acclaimed as a scientist, explorer and conservationist, Tim Flannery wrote his 2014 mystery novel
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish
as an escape while he was serving as Australia's first climate commissioner. His concerns with the environment and ecology of the Land Down Under clearly show though in this clever tale about strange happenings in the Sydney museum. The novel has an apparent comic lightness; in fact, however, it reveals the author's sardonic sense a humor and environmental worries.
Like Florida's Carl Hiaasen, Flannery is concerned about the effects of civilization on the original (i.e., native) ecology. He's particularly concerned about the introduction to Australia of destructive and invasive non-native species like rabbits, pigeons, prickly pears, etc. Indeed, mankind-especially Europeans-can be considered to the most disruptive species of them all.
Good books should make the reader think outside the box. Perhaps it is parochial of me but I had not thought much about Man's impact on Australia. I enjoyed the mystery of the museum's missing staff members and the comic glimpse of Sydney between the wars, but mostly appreciate the author's delightful way of making the reader a little more aware of environment woes on the fatal shore.
Like Florida's Carl Hiaasen, Flannery is concerned about the effects of civilization on the original (i.e., native) ecology. He's particularly concerned about the introduction to Australia of destructive and invasive non-native species like rabbits, pigeons, prickly pears, etc. Indeed, mankind-especially Europeans-can be considered to the most disruptive species of them all.
Good books should make the reader think outside the box. Perhaps it is parochial of me but I had not thought much about Man's impact on Australia. I enjoyed the mystery of the museum's missing staff members and the comic glimpse of Sydney between the wars, but mostly appreciate the author's delightful way of making the reader a little more aware of environment woes on the fatal shore.
April 20, 2017
Aussie comedy mystery at it's finest, with a huge undercurrent that displays the dark history of Australia's treatment of both it's first people and women. The characters are over-the-top but in laughably fun way and the locations will probably be recognisable for any Sydney locals and still familiar to anyone whose lived a lot on this continent.
Definitely worth a read.
Definitely worth a read.
March 5, 2020
So much to unpack here! It has everything I want: museum setting, an anthropologist returning from the field after 5 years, coping with the difficulty of adjusting to the 'normal' world, and on top of that learning about a few missing curators, while the prized display in the museum, a large artifact containing human skulls, questionably has some discolored skulls in it that look familiar.
It's a satire on the colonizer and the savage, the history of "black Australians," the museum as a memorial for those who fought (back), unnamed and kept as trophies; merely tagged as specimens. I thought the whole 1930s Australia vibe would put me off because I wouldn't be able to relate, but this actually became an eye-opener. Glad to have stumbled upon this.
It's a satire on the colonizer and the savage, the history of "black Australians," the museum as a memorial for those who fought (back), unnamed and kept as trophies; merely tagged as specimens. I thought the whole 1930s Australia vibe would put me off because I wouldn't be able to relate, but this actually became an eye-opener. Glad to have stumbled upon this.
February 27, 2015
I didn't like this at all. The humor just didn't do it for me. The insight Into Sydney in the 30's was interesting but generally the book was so contrived. A farce but not for me. If this book hadn't been selected by my Bookclub I wouldn't have bothered reading to the end.
May 22, 2015
I didn't enjoy this book. The writing was good, the research was excellent, but the story was silly.
July 6, 2021
It’s set in 1930s Sydney, Australia during the Great Depression. It’s a farce about museums and their inner workings and employee politics. But kind of to the point that maybe only the people who have ever worked in a museum will get the humor. It’s incredibly niche. It’s also about colonialism and what was done to the indigenous people of Australia.
The beginning of the story begins with Archie a young anthropologist who is just wrapping up a five-year stint living with and studying an indigenous Australian tribe. During his stay with them he essentially became one of the tribe. He learned the customs, the language, and learned to love the people. When he makes it back to Sydney, it turns into a fish out of water story. The Great Depression has started, he doesn’t fit into his clothes anymore, and he doesn’t know how to relate to his old peers anymore.
The tribe that he stayed with had a “dangerous” fetish (that was adorned with skulls) that was stolen and now on display in Archie’s museum. He promises the tribe to keep an eye on it. He starts to notice changes in the fetish. The skulls have started to change color. At the same time, some of the museum employees have disappeared. Are these situations related? That’s what the PR for this book wants you to think this book is about. But it’s really such a minor part of the book and the least interesting.
The parts that I really found interesting and wished more of the book was actually about were the bits about the atrocities done to the indigenous people of Australia. The author, Flannery, is a legit scientist in many subjects. His Wikipedia page is very impressive. I trust the accuracy of what he says happened. And this was the one section of the book where humor wasn’t used. (This is also his first and only work of fiction amongst a plethora of non-fiction works.)
Elsewhere, the story delves into fundraising, taxidermy, romantic shenanigans, and paranoia. It’s a lot. It follows a bunch of different POVs as well. I do wonder how this would be as an audio book. Some of the surnames were jokes in and of themselves, but I only caught two of them. I kind of assumed that more of the names were jokes too that I just didn’t get. Either they were Australian slang or I was getting the pronunciation wrong. *shrug*
I’m going to rate this 3 out of 5 stars because this was kind of all over the place. And maybe I just didn’t get it’s specific brand of humor. It’s hard to know.
The beginning of the story begins with Archie a young anthropologist who is just wrapping up a five-year stint living with and studying an indigenous Australian tribe. During his stay with them he essentially became one of the tribe. He learned the customs, the language, and learned to love the people. When he makes it back to Sydney, it turns into a fish out of water story. The Great Depression has started, he doesn’t fit into his clothes anymore, and he doesn’t know how to relate to his old peers anymore.
The tribe that he stayed with had a “dangerous” fetish (that was adorned with skulls) that was stolen and now on display in Archie’s museum. He promises the tribe to keep an eye on it. He starts to notice changes in the fetish. The skulls have started to change color. At the same time, some of the museum employees have disappeared. Are these situations related? That’s what the PR for this book wants you to think this book is about. But it’s really such a minor part of the book and the least interesting.
The parts that I really found interesting and wished more of the book was actually about were the bits about the atrocities done to the indigenous people of Australia. The author, Flannery, is a legit scientist in many subjects. His Wikipedia page is very impressive. I trust the accuracy of what he says happened. And this was the one section of the book where humor wasn’t used. (This is also his first and only work of fiction amongst a plethora of non-fiction works.)
Elsewhere, the story delves into fundraising, taxidermy, romantic shenanigans, and paranoia. It’s a lot. It follows a bunch of different POVs as well. I do wonder how this would be as an audio book. Some of the surnames were jokes in and of themselves, but I only caught two of them. I kind of assumed that more of the names were jokes too that I just didn’t get. Either they were Australian slang or I was getting the pronunciation wrong. *shrug*
I’m going to rate this 3 out of 5 stars because this was kind of all over the place. And maybe I just didn’t get it’s specific brand of humor. It’s hard to know.
January 1, 2019
It's 1932 and young anthropologist Archie Meek is returning to his museum work in Sydney after five years collecting artifacts and researching the culture of remote Venus Island. Having become completely immersed in island culture, Archie is especially eager to examine the condition of the museum's prize Pacific exhibit, the Venus Island fetish, a huge mask ornamented with 32 human skulls. He is also hoping for a sweet reunion with his fiance to whom he has sent the Venus Island style symbol of his undying devotion, his stretched and tattooed foreskin. But, nothing goes according to plan. Rather than being honored, Beatrice is disgusted by the foreskin and let's Archie know it. The Venus Island fetish seems to have been tampered with and is not being properly secured within the museum. Worst of all, the museum's director is behaving oddly and curators seem to be disappearing at an alarming rate. When one of the deaths can be partly attributed to Archie's actions, he realizes he has to get to the bottom of the suspicious activities at the museum. Tim Flannery is a biologist and climate activist, but he is also a delightfully descriptive and humorous writer. This is his only work of fiction, but his nonfiction works are also a delight. While the mystery is not perfectly constructed, puns and malapropism as well as other wordplay abound. I found this a fun, engrossing mystery written by someone who obviously knows the inner workings of museums and the priorities of academics, museum curators and donors and the complex ways they interact.
August 9, 2017
Quick easy read - interesting, very punny, storyline moved at a brisk pace... sometimes a bit too quickly. Think distant cousin of Christopher Moore.... maybe really distant. Still a good read, especially between heavier books.
May 28, 2021
At first I thought it was charming, but gradually as I read I became less and less invested, and then I abruptly closed the book, almost mid-paragraph. I can’t define why he lost me, but it wasn’t worth continuing.
September 15, 2022
Well, that was different! Not sure if it was a comedy, certainly could be a very dark comedy, but had its lighter moments. Life in a museum, with its politics, jealousies, dedication was laid out for us to see.
September 27, 2024
more a farce than a mystery, focusing on museum culture. It has a mix of slapstick and social commentary that is , for me , a somewhat uncomfortable combination. Well plotted throughout and with some fun humor and unsettling history
June 17, 2017
yeah it was okay, i guess, a bit farcical and I think that was the aim.
January 25, 2018
Dastardly deeds at a museum in Australia........history, mystery and humor
June 19, 2018
It would be a perfect story for a movie directed by the Cohen brothers.
November 29, 2018
Funny to read two books in a row with a museum setting. This is a very funny book set in Australia in the 1930s. A mystery and a parody.
December 12, 2020
Being born and bred in Sydney, I appreciated the Aussie dry wit and the local setting. A good, fun book.
February 1, 2021
Aspects of culture was interesting- too much of a silly farce for me.
January 9, 2022
I bought this one on a whim for $3 at the used bookstore.. and I feel like I got my money’s worth.
October 27, 2024
Very random and hard to keep up and the ending made me laugh because of the randomness.
July 10, 2024
He does have a way with words. A cheeky mix of Spike Milligan and the Evelyn Waugh , 0f Brideshead Revisited fame. Thanks Tim.
July 17, 2015
This is the entire review as also seen on www.thebookbag.co.uk
Meet Archie Meek. He's about to leave the Venus Islands, where he's lived for the last five years, and return to Sydney, where he'll take his office in the museum and fill it with all the cultural artefacts he's found and wildlife he's plucked or pickled. That's not to ignore the fact he'll count as something quite alien himself, with his filled-out frame, nearly all-over suntan and totemic tattoo, in amongst other changes to his body. But what's this? When he gets back, he finds one of the main Venus Islands artefacts that caused him to go there in the first place, a huge, macabre ceremonial fetish mask, purloined as corporate artwork. And some of the curators he wishes to work alongside have vanished. Is the weird society of the museum he's returning to, perchance, even weirder, stranger and more violent than the cannibalistic society he's waving farewell to?
I so wanted this book to succeed. With the rarefied setting of the city between World Wars, and things like the Harbour Bridge only partway finished to help supplant the Victorian morals and character still too evident, there was a great scope for a knockabout fantasy adventure regarding the fetish mask. But there wasn't. Instead we get glimpses of greatness, and too much mundanity, in all senses, as we plod through the story of the museum staff's machinations.
I won't go into all that's wrong about the work. Suffice to say, there are too many curators introduced to us too quickly, and no character building beyond the key few; the book starts too oddly, so that we want to stay on the islands with their inhabitants, and it's not til chapter four that Archie even starts to warrant our sympathy; and it just works as a farcical melodrama of office politics, when so much more could have been done.
Amongst those flashes are several instances where the sense of humour actually worked, although I did little more than smirk when I wanted to laugh. The hopeful signs were the great, Dickensian names, such as Dr Abraham Trembley being the man in charge of jellyfish. But even so, I felt that was taken too far when a mineral turned up called Isleby Cummingtonite. Now, I know from having learnt some of the more extreme Scrabble words, that cummingtonite is a valid word (though I doubt it's ever been played in the game's history), and the afterword here proves that a heck of a lot of the drama here is based on historical fact. (The Bathurst meteorite here, that allegedly demolished a church in landing, is named after a science institute – not the real thing, but an homage to veracity at least.)
Which leads me to my ultimate conclusion about this book, that it just tries too hard. The whole artifice as to who wrote it (which adds NOTHING), the tricksy way it is grounded in reality in mind-boggling ways if we only could be brought to care, and the flawed way it strikes off from something as unusual as a tribal artefact to resort to office politics drama, show a lot of thought was present in turning in an unusual book, but the whole failed to work enough. I think it has scope for an Antipodean audience, for which it might all mean a bit more. To me, the awkward opening, the fact a hunting party made me speed-read three chapters, and the clumsy passages of time (especially where Archie's belle is concerned), all showed there was a need for much better editing to turn this into a silk purse. It's not quite a cow's ear, but it did disappoint. A curator's egg, perhaps.
Meet Archie Meek. He's about to leave the Venus Islands, where he's lived for the last five years, and return to Sydney, where he'll take his office in the museum and fill it with all the cultural artefacts he's found and wildlife he's plucked or pickled. That's not to ignore the fact he'll count as something quite alien himself, with his filled-out frame, nearly all-over suntan and totemic tattoo, in amongst other changes to his body. But what's this? When he gets back, he finds one of the main Venus Islands artefacts that caused him to go there in the first place, a huge, macabre ceremonial fetish mask, purloined as corporate artwork. And some of the curators he wishes to work alongside have vanished. Is the weird society of the museum he's returning to, perchance, even weirder, stranger and more violent than the cannibalistic society he's waving farewell to?
I so wanted this book to succeed. With the rarefied setting of the city between World Wars, and things like the Harbour Bridge only partway finished to help supplant the Victorian morals and character still too evident, there was a great scope for a knockabout fantasy adventure regarding the fetish mask. But there wasn't. Instead we get glimpses of greatness, and too much mundanity, in all senses, as we plod through the story of the museum staff's machinations.
I won't go into all that's wrong about the work. Suffice to say, there are too many curators introduced to us too quickly, and no character building beyond the key few; the book starts too oddly, so that we want to stay on the islands with their inhabitants, and it's not til chapter four that Archie even starts to warrant our sympathy; and it just works as a farcical melodrama of office politics, when so much more could have been done.
Amongst those flashes are several instances where the sense of humour actually worked, although I did little more than smirk when I wanted to laugh. The hopeful signs were the great, Dickensian names, such as Dr Abraham Trembley being the man in charge of jellyfish. But even so, I felt that was taken too far when a mineral turned up called Isleby Cummingtonite. Now, I know from having learnt some of the more extreme Scrabble words, that cummingtonite is a valid word (though I doubt it's ever been played in the game's history), and the afterword here proves that a heck of a lot of the drama here is based on historical fact. (The Bathurst meteorite here, that allegedly demolished a church in landing, is named after a science institute – not the real thing, but an homage to veracity at least.)
Which leads me to my ultimate conclusion about this book, that it just tries too hard. The whole artifice as to who wrote it (which adds NOTHING), the tricksy way it is grounded in reality in mind-boggling ways if we only could be brought to care, and the flawed way it strikes off from something as unusual as a tribal artefact to resort to office politics drama, show a lot of thought was present in turning in an unusual book, but the whole failed to work enough. I think it has scope for an Antipodean audience, for which it might all mean a bit more. To me, the awkward opening, the fact a hunting party made me speed-read three chapters, and the clumsy passages of time (especially where Archie's belle is concerned), all showed there was a need for much better editing to turn this into a silk purse. It's not quite a cow's ear, but it did disappoint. A curator's egg, perhaps.
July 9, 2015
Stay with me here, this is going to get complicated. THE MYSTERY OF THE VENUS ISLAND FETISH is a satirical, comic crime novel set within the realms of Sydney Museum. Written, supposedly by museum curator of worms, Dido Butterworth, the first complication is that the story comes straight from the voice of Assistant Curator Archibald Meek (more on that coming). Introduced by well known environmentalist and Australian identify Professor Tim Flannery, the next complication is that he actually wrote the thing, Dido Butterworth being a fictional character as well.
To make matters even more confusing the "manuscript" is mysteriously rediscovered embedded in the preserved remains of a museum exhibit, emerging into the light when it drops into view via the animal's.... well let's go with lower orifice and you can work it out from there.
Buried within the arch and slightly rambling style, the nub of the story revolves around the Fetish of the title, and the connection that Meek builds with the islands of it's origin, when he heads off on a field trip there, from which he is somewhat (by years) delayed in his return. That return finds him a fish out of water as he has matured during his time on the island, and assimilated to Island life, culture and customs extremely well. So his return to Sydney is full of social and societal clangers - from clothes that no longer fit, to tanned skin, to utter befuddlement over the horror when his common island custom love token turns out to be profoundly unacceptable to "polite" Sydney society.
In the middle of all of this there's a story about the origins of the Fetish and the mysterious disappearance of a museum curator but some readers would be forgiven for a slightly desperate feeling in trying to hang onto that central premise. It's hard to read THE MYSTERY OF THE VENUS ISLAND FETISH and wonder if the mystery isn't more about Flannery's use of this vehicle to fire a few poorly disguised barbs at detractors, anti-sciencers and a hefty dose of people who have annoyed him. Which, had this used a different vehicle, seems to this reader to have been a perfectly reasonable undertaking and one which would engender much agreement and sympathy in many quarters. Unfortunately the heavy-handed artifice of THE MYSTERY OF THE VENUS ISLAND FETISH, and the potential of some of that message clash so badly it's hard to divine what the book's really trying to achieve.
Needless to say we're talking a particular style of humour which includes a range of eccentric references to body parts (the Venus Island Fetish is made up of skulls, and in particular, their teeth which you'll need to pay attention to). There's also a range of vaguely Dickensian joke names (Meek's love interest Beatrice Goodenough as an example).
If the underlying agenda doesn't interest you, this might be a book that reader's with a preference for that sort of jolly hockey sticks, slightly exaggerated absurdist humour. For this reader, despite a distinct liking for absurdist styling, it was too-heavy handed to be that convincing, satisfying or even vaguely amusing.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
To make matters even more confusing the "manuscript" is mysteriously rediscovered embedded in the preserved remains of a museum exhibit, emerging into the light when it drops into view via the animal's.... well let's go with lower orifice and you can work it out from there.
Buried within the arch and slightly rambling style, the nub of the story revolves around the Fetish of the title, and the connection that Meek builds with the islands of it's origin, when he heads off on a field trip there, from which he is somewhat (by years) delayed in his return. That return finds him a fish out of water as he has matured during his time on the island, and assimilated to Island life, culture and customs extremely well. So his return to Sydney is full of social and societal clangers - from clothes that no longer fit, to tanned skin, to utter befuddlement over the horror when his common island custom love token turns out to be profoundly unacceptable to "polite" Sydney society.
In the middle of all of this there's a story about the origins of the Fetish and the mysterious disappearance of a museum curator but some readers would be forgiven for a slightly desperate feeling in trying to hang onto that central premise. It's hard to read THE MYSTERY OF THE VENUS ISLAND FETISH and wonder if the mystery isn't more about Flannery's use of this vehicle to fire a few poorly disguised barbs at detractors, anti-sciencers and a hefty dose of people who have annoyed him. Which, had this used a different vehicle, seems to this reader to have been a perfectly reasonable undertaking and one which would engender much agreement and sympathy in many quarters. Unfortunately the heavy-handed artifice of THE MYSTERY OF THE VENUS ISLAND FETISH, and the potential of some of that message clash so badly it's hard to divine what the book's really trying to achieve.
Needless to say we're talking a particular style of humour which includes a range of eccentric references to body parts (the Venus Island Fetish is made up of skulls, and in particular, their teeth which you'll need to pay attention to). There's also a range of vaguely Dickensian joke names (Meek's love interest Beatrice Goodenough as an example).
If the underlying agenda doesn't interest you, this might be a book that reader's with a preference for that sort of jolly hockey sticks, slightly exaggerated absurdist humour. For this reader, despite a distinct liking for absurdist styling, it was too-heavy handed to be that convincing, satisfying or even vaguely amusing.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
January 22, 2015
'The Venus Island Fetish' has a five star concept but a three star execution. Tim Flannery, acting as editor to the fictional Dido Butterworth has written a novel that is clever, satirical and fascinating, and yet fails to deliver a coherent and satisfying plot.
Australian colonial history is fascinating, and as an historian the setting of an historical museum, replete with anthropological, archaeological and sociological specimens and objects offered an entertaining read. Flannery tackles museum politics, anthropological study and colonial history with respect and knowledge. It is through these elements that the novel really shines. He tackles big issues in a way that is both entertaining and thought provoking and these parts were a pleasure to read.
Where the novel fails to shine however is in the execution of its primary plot. There are too many characters who serve a sideline function which doesn't serve to further the plot, and indeed the titular 'Venus Island Fetish' itself seemed to be just a sideline for what Flannery was trying to say, serving no real purpose that the setting of the museum wouldn't have served on its own. Indeed, the ending felt like Flannery had realised that he'd failed to resolve the overarching mystery by the end of the novel and had hurriedly written a few more pages on the advisement of his editor. Indeed, I would argue that the novel would have been far better if it had simply left out the mystery of the fetish and instead focused on the research, cultural understanding and politics of heritage and colonial culture that were the truly strong elements of 'The Venus Island Fetish'.
Flannery's novel is a wonderful glimpse in to Australia's colonial past and is well written and entertaining. The end however felt like a disappointment. Despite this however I can highly recommend this novel to people with an interest in anthropology, heritage institutions and/or Australian history. It is a very Australian novel.
Australian colonial history is fascinating, and as an historian the setting of an historical museum, replete with anthropological, archaeological and sociological specimens and objects offered an entertaining read. Flannery tackles museum politics, anthropological study and colonial history with respect and knowledge. It is through these elements that the novel really shines. He tackles big issues in a way that is both entertaining and thought provoking and these parts were a pleasure to read.
Where the novel fails to shine however is in the execution of its primary plot. There are too many characters who serve a sideline function which doesn't serve to further the plot, and indeed the titular 'Venus Island Fetish' itself seemed to be just a sideline for what Flannery was trying to say, serving no real purpose that the setting of the museum wouldn't have served on its own. Indeed, the ending felt like Flannery had realised that he'd failed to resolve the overarching mystery by the end of the novel and had hurriedly written a few more pages on the advisement of his editor. Indeed, I would argue that the novel would have been far better if it had simply left out the mystery of the fetish and instead focused on the research, cultural understanding and politics of heritage and colonial culture that were the truly strong elements of 'The Venus Island Fetish'.
Flannery's novel is a wonderful glimpse in to Australia's colonial past and is well written and entertaining. The end however felt like a disappointment. Despite this however I can highly recommend this novel to people with an interest in anthropology, heritage institutions and/or Australian history. It is a very Australian novel.
June 30, 2015
Who knew that a museum could be such fun? The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is a madcap romp certain to amaze and delight. The combination of eccentric characters, wild antics, misunderstandings and malapropisms, romance and of course murder makes for a captivating read.
It is nearly impossible for a summary to do justice to the novel's complicated meandering plot. Archie Meek, a young anthropologist, has spent the last five years of his life living with the Venus Islanders. He eagerly anticipates his return to the museum in Sydney and his marriage to Beatrice Goodenough. When he arrives, he discovers much has changed at the museum. Beatrice is angry with him over the love token he sent with his proposal. Several of the curators have disappeared, and the famous Venus Island Fetish, an artifact of great power and value to the Venus Islanders has been moved to the Director's office. Archie suspects that some of the skulls surrounding the fetish have been replaced – with those of his missing coworkers. Needless to say much mayhem ensues.
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is cleverly written and immensely funny. The humor is at times risque, so the book is not for a younger audience. Anyone who enjoys screwball comedies or British/Australian humor will have a wonderful time reading The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish. It is a true gem of a comic mystery. Be sure to read the introduction by Tim Flannery, which in itself is hilarious.
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is available for preorder and will be released July 30, 2015.
5/5
I received a copy of The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Australian humor and mystery collide in The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish
http://muttcafe.com/2015/06/the-myste...
It is nearly impossible for a summary to do justice to the novel's complicated meandering plot. Archie Meek, a young anthropologist, has spent the last five years of his life living with the Venus Islanders. He eagerly anticipates his return to the museum in Sydney and his marriage to Beatrice Goodenough. When he arrives, he discovers much has changed at the museum. Beatrice is angry with him over the love token he sent with his proposal. Several of the curators have disappeared, and the famous Venus Island Fetish, an artifact of great power and value to the Venus Islanders has been moved to the Director's office. Archie suspects that some of the skulls surrounding the fetish have been replaced – with those of his missing coworkers. Needless to say much mayhem ensues.
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is cleverly written and immensely funny. The humor is at times risque, so the book is not for a younger audience. Anyone who enjoys screwball comedies or British/Australian humor will have a wonderful time reading The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish. It is a true gem of a comic mystery. Be sure to read the introduction by Tim Flannery, which in itself is hilarious.
The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish is available for preorder and will be released July 30, 2015.
5/5
I received a copy of The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Australian humor and mystery collide in The Mystery of the Venus Island Fetish
http://muttcafe.com/2015/06/the-myste...
January 1, 2016
I love Tim Flannery - I love his environmental stuff and I love the dry humour he has shown in the docos he does with John Doyle. This is his first work of fiction, a humourous, satirical romp that is introduced as being the lost records of Dido Butterworth, who was a curator at the Australian Museum at one stage. We are told the tale of a young man who returns to the museum in the early 30s after years spent researching on a remote Pacific Island. Once back at the museum he notices things have changed, that the skulls on the Venus Island fetish look different, and that some of the curators appear to be missing.
Wonderful stuff, and I'm sure if I'd worked in the museum I would have picked up even more funny comments.
Wonderful stuff, and I'm sure if I'd worked in the museum I would have picked up even more funny comments.
April 26, 2016
Flannery chose to present this story as a lost, and now found, manuscript that, just might, be quite revealing of goings on at the Museum some decades before. While I often like this kind of construct, I didn't find it particularly useful except for the joke of where it was found. That aside, Flannery, or perhaps I should say, Miss Butterworth, presents some lively characters reminiscent of 1930's B comedies. Some plot twists, and surprising character reveals kept it from being predictable but I am not sure if, in the end it was truly satisfying. But fun along the reading. The author also used it as a bit of a soapbox on aboriginal issues, but that fit both the characters and the situation and did not derail the story.
February 12, 2016
Young anthropologist Archie Meek is back from extended fieldwork on the Venus Islands, where he found a foster family and collected an immense amount of material. Back at the museum in Sydney, he finds the country groping with the Depression and other problems that he's ill-equipped to handle, including the coldness of the woman who's been waiting for him, Beatrice. The museum's difficult director, the sinister taxidermist, some eccentric board members, and of course his fellow curators bumble around and create complications in this not-too-flattering portrayal of 1930's Australia.
February 9, 2016
I would not recommend this book or author to anyone. Having read this book I have found the true meaning of a waste of time. The author has used ridiculous nam s in a bad attempt at being humorous. The plot was as thin and insubstantial as a spiders webbing. The use of longwinded prose was overdone and not relevant or necessary to the storyline. Frankly it makes the reader feel that the author is talking down to them. Overall Christopher Moore this author is not!
January 2, 2015
Finished it last night - fantastic read! Evocative of Sydney in the 30's and Australia as a nascent nation finding her identity. It's also fascinating and bloody funny! Great fruity characters and gives a insight into the behind the scenes at a museum. Loved it, time well spent (have a sneaking suspicion, & hope, that we may see more of Archie Meek and Co!)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews