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The Bastard Wonderland
In a land not too far away and a time yet to be decided, one man and his dad embark on a "kitchen-sink epic" journey of war, peace, love, religion, magnificent flying machines and mushy peas.
432 pages, Paperback
Published August 22, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 31, 2016
Lee Harrison is a planet-builder. In Aaland and its environs he has constructed a believable and recognisable world. But William Warboys, the central character, his family and friends are, likewise, decidedly unremarkable. They are, to be sure, conscripted into events which are outside of their everyday experience, but these are events which we might recognise, if only from the newsreels.
From the first paragraphs, the familiarity strikes us. Harrison and I share a home town, and he has used memories of Hull a generation and more ago to give us a sense of Coperny as a bustling port. I could almost smell it. And names – Dock Street, Salt Row, Kingstown, the horse wash – all of them carry resonances.
Perhaps, for me, it's the language which is most appealing. The accent, for one thing, is authentic. By accent, I mean not only the way we shape the words, the glottal stops, the dropped aitches, but the rhythms of speech, the elisions and contractions, the casual (and plentiful) but generally unmalicious profanities, the assumptions behind the culture underpinning our public and private discourse. The story and our appreciation of it are not obscured by the fact that we don't hear it in Received Pronunciation. It works.
The language and milieu lend themselves to a particular brand of humour: the wry grin rather than the belly-laugh. Ironic, disrespectful, cynical and iconoclastic. As likely, in local terms, to raise two fingers to Westminster, the Luftwaffe or Charles I.
I suppose we have to call it 'fantasy'; but had I just been given a synopsis, it might not have been my first choice. My taste (this year, anyway) runs to the galaxy-spanning stuff put out by Banks, Reynolds or Corey. Some reviews will inevitably use the word 'steampunk', and some readers may note parallels with, for instance, Miēville's The Scar. But the world of The Bastard Wonderland is not fantastical in the same sort of way. It's not our world, to be sure, but there are enough similarities for us to feel at home there.
The narrative continues with Warboys' conscription into the Aaland forces, the military life, his encounters with ancient mysticisms, a resistance movement, airships, political machinations, love, loss and perhaps a form of redemption. Central to all of this is his relationship with his father; as tense and as conflicted and as recognisable as we might expect.
Intertwined with Warboys' story is the unfamiliarity of Nouzi Aaranya's history as a child devotee of – well, maybe I need to read it again (for the third time) to get that bit straight – his career as a warrior, as Warboys' intermittent and occasionally unwelcome companion and ultimately, as a renegade.
I want to know what happens next to Warboys and Nouzi. I want to know more of their world: the rest of the Andwyke, Old Cory, the Asiat and their histories. I was reluctant to put the book down because I wanted to know what happened next. That's also the reason I want to read Lee Harrison's next offering. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long.
BTW: Mushy peas. A brilliant, unexpected moment.
From the first paragraphs, the familiarity strikes us. Harrison and I share a home town, and he has used memories of Hull a generation and more ago to give us a sense of Coperny as a bustling port. I could almost smell it. And names – Dock Street, Salt Row, Kingstown, the horse wash – all of them carry resonances.
Perhaps, for me, it's the language which is most appealing. The accent, for one thing, is authentic. By accent, I mean not only the way we shape the words, the glottal stops, the dropped aitches, but the rhythms of speech, the elisions and contractions, the casual (and plentiful) but generally unmalicious profanities, the assumptions behind the culture underpinning our public and private discourse. The story and our appreciation of it are not obscured by the fact that we don't hear it in Received Pronunciation. It works.
The language and milieu lend themselves to a particular brand of humour: the wry grin rather than the belly-laugh. Ironic, disrespectful, cynical and iconoclastic. As likely, in local terms, to raise two fingers to Westminster, the Luftwaffe or Charles I.
I suppose we have to call it 'fantasy'; but had I just been given a synopsis, it might not have been my first choice. My taste (this year, anyway) runs to the galaxy-spanning stuff put out by Banks, Reynolds or Corey. Some reviews will inevitably use the word 'steampunk', and some readers may note parallels with, for instance, Miēville's The Scar. But the world of The Bastard Wonderland is not fantastical in the same sort of way. It's not our world, to be sure, but there are enough similarities for us to feel at home there.
The narrative continues with Warboys' conscription into the Aaland forces, the military life, his encounters with ancient mysticisms, a resistance movement, airships, political machinations, love, loss and perhaps a form of redemption. Central to all of this is his relationship with his father; as tense and as conflicted and as recognisable as we might expect.
Intertwined with Warboys' story is the unfamiliarity of Nouzi Aaranya's history as a child devotee of – well, maybe I need to read it again (for the third time) to get that bit straight – his career as a warrior, as Warboys' intermittent and occasionally unwelcome companion and ultimately, as a renegade.
I want to know what happens next to Warboys and Nouzi. I want to know more of their world: the rest of the Andwyke, Old Cory, the Asiat and their histories. I was reluctant to put the book down because I wanted to know what happened next. That's also the reason I want to read Lee Harrison's next offering. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long.
BTW: Mushy peas. A brilliant, unexpected moment.
May 1, 2017
The thing that appealed to me the most about this book was the central character of Warboys, a wryly written creation that made me laugh out loud at times. It put me in mind of the wonderful Captain Kewley, the Manx sailor of "English Passengers" by Matthew Kneale, which I mean as a compliment.
A book about family, friendship and mushy peas.
"You get out there, out to sea or whatever it is. And it's brilliant at first. I remember seeing this bloody line across the horizon, like Hagen's silver coast all over again. But then what happens? You get there and it ain't silver at all. It's a shithole, same as the one you came from."
A book about family, friendship and mushy peas.
"You get out there, out to sea or whatever it is. And it's brilliant at first. I remember seeing this bloody line across the horizon, like Hagen's silver coast all over again. But then what happens? You get there and it ain't silver at all. It's a shithole, same as the one you came from."
February 13, 2017
‘The Bastard Wonderland’ fulfils its title. Is it SteamPunk? Fantasy? Alternative History? Like its self-feeding airships, it hovers of all. Most of its sustenance, though, comes from the grittiness of real life seen in fading black & white photos of our touchable history, where workers can be turned into conscripts and citizens into collateral damage in the blink of an eye or the sweep of a pen. The forest-dwelling keepers of the Datyas hardly get a better press.
This is a novel about rising above the miasma, about self-hope and finding a meaning to one’s life and the lives of others, conveyed with a dry humour and a bawdy banter befitting the characters and their world. Highly recommended.
This is a novel about rising above the miasma, about self-hope and finding a meaning to one’s life and the lives of others, conveyed with a dry humour and a bawdy banter befitting the characters and their world. Highly recommended.
December 15, 2016
With it's title in mind, the warning "It's a bit sweary" shouldn't be needed.
This book will slip under many people's radar, purely because of the fact it's not published by a genre publisher.
If you like Alternate Fantasy, and/ or Industrial Fantasy give this book a go. Some readers of historical fantasy might well enjoy it too.
There's an tangible feel to war and inciting moment in the novel. Lee Harrison creates a very believable world with a confident writing style. The character the development is thoroughly enjoyable. I feel like I know these fellas from down the pub.
One could argue that it's very male orientated, but as I suspect that is down to it's historical influences and the way the author has approached his world building. It was refreshing to read something without the kick-arse corset clad (shall we say unbelievable?) female role.
Of course anything with airships in is worth a read if you like steampunk - but that is perhaps the only connection to that sub genre.
I'm looking forward to seeing more novels from Lee.
This book will slip under many people's radar, purely because of the fact it's not published by a genre publisher.
If you like Alternate Fantasy, and/ or Industrial Fantasy give this book a go. Some readers of historical fantasy might well enjoy it too.
There's an tangible feel to war and inciting moment in the novel. Lee Harrison creates a very believable world with a confident writing style. The character the development is thoroughly enjoyable. I feel like I know these fellas from down the pub.
One could argue that it's very male orientated, but as I suspect that is down to it's historical influences and the way the author has approached his world building. It was refreshing to read something without the kick-arse corset clad (shall we say unbelievable?) female role.
Of course anything with airships in is worth a read if you like steampunk - but that is perhaps the only connection to that sub genre.
I'm looking forward to seeing more novels from Lee.
August 28, 2016
Such an enjoyable book - you won't want to put it down...or finish it!
The best story I have read since Ready Player One - set in a fascinating and complex world that is both intriguing new and yet at times strangely familiar. The characters are engaging if not always admirable and following their story will get you pondering the nature of family, fate, honour and self-determination. The plot twists and turns and is prepared to take the unexpected path and humour shines with a love of the Northern and commonplace (though the language is a little strong at times) . This book has left me with visions of a rich and interesting alternative world and wondering where these characters went next - fingers crossed for a sequel!
The best story I have read since Ready Player One - set in a fascinating and complex world that is both intriguing new and yet at times strangely familiar. The characters are engaging if not always admirable and following their story will get you pondering the nature of family, fate, honour and self-determination. The plot twists and turns and is prepared to take the unexpected path and humour shines with a love of the Northern and commonplace (though the language is a little strong at times) . This book has left me with visions of a rich and interesting alternative world and wondering where these characters went next - fingers crossed for a sequel!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews