The Lost Art

by Simon Morden

A MILLENNIUM AFTER the formidable war machines of the User cultures devoured entire civilizations and rewrote planetary geography, Earth is in the grip of a perpetual Dark Age. Scientific endeavor is strongly discouraged, while remnant technology is locked away—hidden by a Church determined to prevent a new Armageddon.
This is the world to which Benzamir Michael Mahmood must return. A descendant of the tribes who fled the planet during those ages old wars, he comes in pursuit of enemies from the far reaches of space. The technology he brings is wondrous beyond the imaginings of those he will meet, but can its potency match that of the Church’s most closely guarded treasure?
For centuries it has lain dormant, but it is about to be unearthed, and the powers that will be unleashed may be beyond anyone’s capacity to control. Even a man as extraordinary as Benzamir . . .

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Unfinished, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia

528 pages, Hardcover

First published July 5, 2007

About the author

Aka S.J. Morden
Dr. Simon Morden, B.Sc. (Hons., Sheffield) Ph.D (Newcastle) is a bona fide rocket scientist, having degrees in geology and planetary geophysics. Unfortunately, that sort of thing doesn’t exactly prepare a person for the big wide world of work: he’s been a school caretaker, admin assistant, and PA to a financial advisor. He’s now employed as a part-time teaching assistant at a Gateshead primary school, which he combines with his duties as a house-husband, attempting to keep a crumbling pile of Edwardian masonry upright, wrangling his two children and providing warm places to sleep for the family cats.

His not-so-secret identity as journeyman writer started when he sold the short story Bell, Book and Candle to an anthology, and a chaotic mix of science fiction, fantasy and horror followed. Heart came out to critical acclaim, and Another War was shortlisted for a World Fantasy Award, but with The Lost Art, things suddenly got serious. Contracts. Agents. Deadlines. Responsibility. Scary stuff. The Lost Art was subsequently a finalist for the Catalyst Award for best teen fiction.

As well as a writer, he’s been the editor of the British Science Fiction Association's writers’ magazine Focus, a judge for the Arthur C Clarke awards, and is a regular speaker at the Greenbelt Arts Festival on matters of faith and fiction. In 2009, he was in the winning team for the Rolls Royce Science Prize.

Reviews

[Mir]

I was intrigued by the world-building, the theme of lost technology, the mysterious baddies and the forbidden books they stole. However, the writing itself was pedestrian and none of the characters were interesting (although they should have been: murderous mercenary turned monk with insane ex, African engineer in medievalesque Scotland, dude possibly from space or something?). At 140 pages not much has happened and none of the characters have as yet intersected; I don't feel like investing more time in waiting for this to develop.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't a ton of books that get me thinking "yeah, it's 8:30, but if I really pick up the pace, I could finish this tonight..." This book did that to me.

The book is a lot of things, and that's what makes it great. It's a treasure hunt. It's an action fantasy. It's somewhat an espionage caper. It's suddenly science fiction. Usually, when a book does that, it's a sign of lost focus or sloppy storytelling, but The Lost Art is neither - it's instead a perfectly crafted novel that balances all those ideas in a great way so that, when the reveals finally occur, you realize that you noticed the hints along the way anyway. It was a wonderful surprise.

The only flaw may be the marketing. For whatever reason, this is marketed as a children's/young adult title, and really could have/should have been marketed as a book for adults. It's been out a few years, so it's quite clearly flown under my radar. It's just a shame, regardless - it's likely too sophisticated for its target audience, while being marketed away from the readers who would appreciate it the most. Too bad.

[Emma Woodcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really odd, enjoyable but frustrating book. There are things I really liked about it, and other things that annoyed me.

I loved the basic premise, the set up, the history, the world building - all that. It was inventive, fresh, innovative. It felt like something I hadn't read before, and that's rare enough. I liked how it began as a sort of cod-historical fantasy world, but gradually morphed into sci-fi. I liked the protagonist, Benzamir. But the bulk of my issues with the book are with all the other characters.

For a start, it's not apparent that Benzamir *is* the protagonist until several chapters in. We have a strand following Va and Elenya. We have another strand following Akisi. Benzamir is one more story strand - and after a while he becomes the main one. The story begins with Va and Elenya - so I assumed they were the main characters - but then they're not in it again for a long time.

And they are odd. Not in a good way. I didn't find either of them remotely convincing. All of their sections read as though there's a previous book in the series that I haven't read. There is a lot of history between these two, and it is sort of introduced in dribs and drabs, but I didn't feel it was handled very convincingly or satisfyingly. As the book progressed I began to wonder if the author has ever had any relationships with women, or spoken to them at all...

There was a line about half way through which typified this strange attitude. I can't remember the exact phrase, but the sentiment was: she's a princess, and therefore obviously beautiful and desirable. I really tried to look for some context that would make this irony - but I didn't find any. Also odd is that this information wasn't given until this far into the story - either that she was a princess or that she was beautiful. But after it had been announced it became her defining traits, and all that anyone commented on! And everyone fell in love with her. Because she was a princess. And therefore beautiful :-/ Nevermind obsessive, deluded, and verging on madness...

So that annoyed me a lot. But even so there was a lot I enjoyed about the story. In short, it's good on ideas, bad on relationships. Approach with caution - but do approach.

[Amber-Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know something? This one was something of a surprise gem for me. While in the middle of moving house, I had to obviously pack away all my books. To my horror, I realised too late that in doing so I had left myself woefully short of reading material, since I was just about finished reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Luckily The Lost Art had fallen out one of the boxes, and while probably not what I would have gone for given the choice, it served me well during the move.

I wasn't expecting anything fantastic (or even good), and true to form it started weak. The first few chapters with Va and Elenya didn't really psyche me up the way a good opening should - in fact, Va's dismissive and disrespectful treatment of Elenya, coupled with his blind adherence to the rules of his religion (I think I've mentioned this in previous reviews, but I have very little regard for organised religion as a whole) just made Va irritating and unenjoyable as a character to me. Oh, he seemed to have an interesting enough back story - a reformed mercenary haunted by his bloody past is nothing short of fascinating - it was just his personality I had problems with. And unfortunately, Va didn't much improve throughout the course of the book.

On the other hand, certain other characters had the polar opposite effect of Va. Elenya, once I got to know her and her story, ceased to be just some deluded lovesick fool of a girl, and instead became a disillusioned, bitter young woman with a miserable backstory, an attitude, and a multitide of surprising skills at her disposal. She wasn't helpless or useless, which is what I expected, and she certainly wasn't stupid - she knew she was fighting a hopeless battle in trying to make Va love her, she just couldn't help it. Her greatest flaw was in loving too fiercely, something for which she is continually punished. Benzamir, too, was very entertaining, if only because I've always loved the combination of power and innocence. For someone who comes from a tribe of humanity's highly advanced space-dwelling descendants (more on that later), Benzamir is incredibly naive. It's endearing more than annoying, which I think actually has more to do with the skillful writing than the character himself. His compassion and positivity made him a fairly easy character for me to identify with, but I still don't think I'd have enjoyed Benzamir half as much if the writing hadn't been so good - there were a few points where I felt myself getting bored, but almost as soon as I noticed the story would pick back up again.

One of the things I liked most about The Lost Art was how two completely unrelated stories (the stories of Va and Benzamir, that is) eventually merged to make one cohesive whole. They didn't start in the same country, didn't have the same end goals, didn't even have the same religion (which I mention only because religion plays a prominent role in the book). Pacing, when it came to transitioning between the two separate plots, could have done with some work though. I had to assume that some time had passed between transitions, since chapters of Benzamir's that took mere days seemed to have advanced Va's story by several months at some points.

And with that I'm afraid I have to come to my biggest problem with The Lost Art. For as acceptable a read as it was, there is one glaring problem that stops me from rating it any higher than a 3. Benzamir's backstory. More specifically, where he comes from and (most importantly) exactly what he has at his disposal. The introduction of Ariadne Shipsister (his fucking spaceship ) was one of those moments that left me scratching my head in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Of all the things I saw coming, a dash of sci-fi was far from being one of them. Oh sure, I knew Benzamir was from an advanced race of humans. I knew his feats of 'magic' would at some point be explained away as some kind of technology. But space?! It was like I had suddenly and unexpectedly been transported into a parody of Star Trek or Star Gate or something. It actually makes a huge amount of sense when I think about it, but the reason it was such a nasty shock was because there were very few hints in this direction. The hints that were there, I misconstrued as suggesting he hailed from a remote hidden island somewhere. And it's only with hindsight that I realised the ambiguous clues could also spell out space. I don't know - I'm usually quite good with that kind of stuff. Maybe I was just having an off week.

Overall, The Lost Art was still an enjoyable experience. It got stronger as it went along, and provided a unique take on a post-apocalyptic world (one that didn't need a heavy dose of romance to make it interesting for a change).

[Clay Kallam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a big fan of horror or vampire books – which is why I wasn’t sure about “The Lost Art” (David Fickling Books, $16.99, 5232 pages). The cover font suggested horror, and the back cover reads, in part, “The past awakens.”

So “The Lost Art” lingered on my “possibles” shelf for a long time before I finally gave it a shot – and I’m glad I did. Even though Simon Morden’s book comes out under an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, this is a complex work that satisfies on many levels. There’s plenty of action, a solid backstory, mysteries that must be solved, and fundamental questions about duty, honor and love considered.

The setup is simple: “The Users” (you and me, sadly enough) overwhelmed Earth 700 years prior, causing a massive environmental disaster that culminated with a reversal of the North and South poles, a relatively common occurrence (in geologic time spans, at least) that pretty much fried everything electronic. As a result, millions, if not billions, died, and the primitive societies that have emerged have an ingrained horror of anything resembling material or technological progress.

But there are some books that contain the information that could trigger an intellectual revival, and put the world back on the path the Users trod – which would improve the quality of life of present human beings while at the same time toying with a devastating repetition of history.

Morden does a very nice job of setting up his main characters, and except for a very unlikely passion, the plot, action and denouement develop smoothly. As for worries about the children’s book angle, I confess I had no idea it was not a regular science fiction publication until I started to write the review, so it wasn’t too juvenile for me. (There are those, however, who might claim that shows more about me than the book.)

All in all, “The Lost Art” was one of the better books I’ve read recently, and I hope it is only the beginning of Morden’s publication career.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprising gem. Though over 400 pages long, I got through it in just 2 days. It read quickly but without feeling like I was racing through or just skimming the surface of the story. The author managed to create a fully realized future earth with multi-layered characters and enough action to keep it moving combined with enough story to keep me interested. It's published for teens, but the story contains primarily adult characters, and should appeal to both groups equally.

The story:

Almost 1000 years from now, Earth's culture is fully medieval. 700 years before the story takes place, there was a reversal of the earth. (Yes, highly unlikely in reality, but just go with the premise for the sake of the rest of the story.) Now north is south, east is west, and technology is feared. Monks in Siberia are guarding books of science from the days of the "User" cultures. They fear that if these secrets get out, there will be another catastrophe.

Their worst nightmare occurs when the monastary housing the books is destroyed, along with the murder of all but one monk there. Va alone survives and vows to get the books back, but has to rely on the help of Eleyna, a woman he once loved and now spurns. (Va took vows as a monk to reprent of his sins after a life as an assassin for hire then the leader of a peasant army. Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped Elenya from loving him.)

Meanwhile, in what was (to us) north Africa and is (in the story) now South Africa, Benzamir arrives looking for evidence of his enemies. We learn Benzamir is from a group of humans that escaped to a life in space at the time of the "Great Reversal." He is charged with finding the renegades of his clan and returning them to justice. This mission leads him into the same quest as Va, though neither knows they have an ally for much of the story. Benzamir also picks up a following of Earth's citizens (who mostly think his technology is magic) while on his mission.

Things heat up as both factions find themselves wandering to the court of the Emporer of Kenya, the world's superpower.

It's an interesting blend of a medieval world with a society of advanced technology, and for both groups, books are the most valuable and dangerous tools of all.

[Karis!! · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATE 6/27/20
This book is still just as good as the first time I read it, and I am so damn happy I dont even have anything to add except: I love this book (and we already knew that, tbh)

~~~~~

Okay, so imagine a world thrown back into the Dark Ages, a world where science and all forms of advancement are banned. Imagine a world where the Church hides strange secrets while ruling everything. Imagine a world where a man named Benzamir Michael Mahmood emerges from the sea with heretical ideas and devices at his disposal. Now put that all together, and read this book. Do be aware, however, that it starts a bit slow. You follow a man named Va at first and don't meet Benzamir until a bit later, but it's worth the extra work.

After many many years, this book still sits at the top of my shelf with the title "Favorite". I know, right? How is it possible for someone who's been reading since they were three years old to choose a favorite book? How is it possible it's not Harry Potter or Star Wars or something by Danielle Vega or Laini Taylor (my two current favorite authors)? Well, because Simon Morden is a genius, that's how. (Though I'm not a huge fan of "Another War", his other book).

This book has interesting story, characters, and a world not too hard to imagine. With all the advancements we have today, and all the problems that arose from those advancements, it's not hard to imagine that they would destroy the world as we know it and rewrite planetary geography. It's not hard at all to imagine that the world's greatest civilizations would fall and religion would take up the slack, especially because similar things have happened before (i.e., the fall of Rome, though that was restricted to one country and not the whole world, but still).

Also, Benzamir is amazing and I love him. The end.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

(This review may contain spoilers).

I remember purchasing this book originally a number of years ago, but I didn't get round to reading it straight away.

I felt like I was missing a big chunk of the story, especially in regards to Va's and Elenya's relationship. While I did find Elenya a really interesting character, Va seemed to more react to what happened to him for a lot of the book. I didn't really get a good handle on what motivated and drove him; and even by the end of the book, I couldn't really decide if I liked him or not.

I did like Benzamir's character, but there wasn't nearly enough information about his real motivations. And while he hinted at there being danger for the people travelling with him if they got involved, I didn't get any real sense of danger or urgency while I was reading this book. Even when characters were being attacked, there didn't seem to be any real danger. Benzamir's command of technology meant they were easily able to escape and I was disappointed by how slow this book moved.

It really wasn't clear what kind of setting this book had. I assumed at first it was in a more fantasy world, but as the book moved on, it became more clear that that wasn't the case. I found both Said and Wahir to be interesting characters. Alessandra didn't really have enough detail shown about her for me to feel so concerned about her as a character.

It was clear that the world in this book was a large and far-reaching one and I thought it was good to see some semblance of culture and language problems. However, those did seem to go away when it came to Solomon. And as for Solomon, I was convinced he and Benzamir were from the same people; and it added to my confusion as the storylines began to converge.

When the action started up, it made the book more interesting and engaging. However, that was towards the end of the book and it was a long time before I got any kind of answers. I would have liked to see more depth and background to the characters and more in the way of action earlier in the book.

[Dima · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always found this author to be woefully underappreciated. Everything I’ve read by him to date has ranged from great to excellent. It was therefore with some trepidation that I embarked on this book, effectively his first major novel, especially given the rather lacklustre reviews.

I’m glad I read it. The writing is superb, as usual: gutsy, energetic, and fun. The world-building is outstanding, offering one of the more innovative takes on the post-apocalypse I’ve encountered in a while. The moral dilemmas raised are also thought-provoking and made me reconsider several questions, particularly around the benefits of technological intervention in less advanced societies, redemption and duty, and human adaptability.

The characters are not as fully developed as I would have liked, but what is there is charming, engaging, and easy to relate to. This is the book’s biggest missed opportunity, especially given what I know the author is capable of. The characters feel like early prototypes of personalities that could have been far more compelling if given room to grow. The other notable flaw lies in the romantic entanglements, which are sketched too loosely to be convincing. They feel almost obligatory, as if included despite the author’s own reluctance.

Overall, 4.5 stars, rounded up.

[Flicalicious 🎉❤️🙏💕 · Rating 4 out of 5]

How an author can go from monks, camels and the unenlightened age to space ships and futuristic technology in such a smooth, fluid and competent way astounds me. I couldn’t put this book down! I had to re read a few chapters as they were so good to make sure I’d absorbed them properly. First book from this author (I think) and I was blown away. Will definitely be looking for more from him. This book just swept me away from open to close and I would highly recommend it.

[Michael Alan Grapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine piece of speculative fiction...Earth is quite a bit different from what the intergalactic travelers left behind, it has fallen back into the dark ages, but some feel that it can return to an enlightened world again, but they may be going about it all wrong...

[CocoaBe3tle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good world building. This book at some points was like "What if white people were the minorities instead?" Kinda felt 'off' to read. Very confusing at points, especially with the fight scene at the end. Regardless, a great concept; just poorly executed.

[Martin Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows why Morden is an excellent writer. It also has one of the best final lines I've ever read.

[Michael Moats · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. Typical ensemble story set in the far future.

[Jean Broomhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book a bit of fantasy /science fiction a good read

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very unique, but still very enjoyable. The premise is what really snagged me: a technologically advanced alien (for lack of a better word) searches for fugitives in medieval Northern Africa. Or, at least that's what it's supposed to be.
The worst mistake this book makes is not focussing on its main character, a fascinating and complex alien trying to make sense of a strange and savage world. Unfortunately, the author wastes our time by choosing to follow Va and Elenya, a Russian monk and his crazy princess stalker. These two are great and all, but I really don't see their purpose. Their "romantic" scenes always felt forced and awkward, and Elenya's choice to follow a man who doesn't give a shit about her constantly frustrated me. When I first tried to read this book, the parts that followed them always confused me. I felt like there was a previous book focusing on their past that I had missed because they have so much history together, and that history is never fully explained. Perhaps if they had met up with Benzamir earlier in the story, they would have been more tolerable.
And then there's Akisi, who's even more irrelevant than Va and Elenya. Three whole chapters are spent detailing how this man helps a small village build a windmill, and what does it amount to? Absolutely nothing. I'm not even sure if he's alive at the end. Literally all he did was steal a book.
The other characters are fine, if not sadly underdeveloped. This book can also get dreadfully boring at certain points, and it's slow to start. Any part with Benzamir is great, but the parts with Va, Elenya, and Akisi are dull as hell. I feel like this was meant to be the second installment in a larger series, and I'm still not sure if there's ever going to be a sequel. It really needs one, to be honest. The characters need to be more fleshed out, and the fact that the main conflict--that of the fugitives Benzamir is chasing--isn't resolved by the end is a baffling decision on the part of the author.

[Alberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

A millennium after the formidable war machines of the User cultures devoured entire civilisations and rewrote planetary geography, Earth is in the grip of a perpetual Dark Age. Scientific endeavour is strongly discouraged, while remnant technology is locked away - hidden by a Church determined to prevent a new Armageddon.

This is the world to which Benzamir Michael Mahmood must return. A descendant of the tibes who fled the planet during those ages-old wars, he comes in pursuit of enemies from the far reaches of space. The technology he brings is wondrous beyond the imaginings of those he will meet, but can its potency match that of the Church's most closely guarded treasure?

For centuries it has lain dormant, buried in a lead-lined tomb deep beneath the flagtones of a remote Siberian monastery. But it is about to be unearthed, and the powers that will be unleashed may be beyond anyone's capacity to control. Even a man as extraordinary as Benzamir . . .

Former warlord and assassin-turned-Monk Va and brash, smitten princess Eleyna set off to get them back. Meanwhile, mysterious Benzamir and a couple of desert locals set off in search of Benzamir's enemies. The two groups come together and find that their goals are far from mutually exclusive.

[Psychophant · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first pages you get the impression that you are reading the second book in a series, and that some information is missing. Later you realize you have all of it, just at a strange pace.

It is an interesting take on the apocalyptic genre, with a great setting but with quite unreal characters, and not only due to the setting. The plot is attractive and some ideas about the future are interesting. But it all seems only party connected.

Not a bad read, but It is good that there were no other books in the series.

[J Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

unexpectedly good book. don't let the cover fool you, it makes it look a lot more goth-y than the story really is. i would place it firmly in science fiction, AND, even better, not white people science fiction! not saying that is makes any major cultural statements, but it's nice to see sci-fi with names that derive from eastern languages. and i'm not exactly sure why, but i got a distinctly doctor who feel from it....

it's YA, but for upper levels. not because of anything naughty, but conceptually, it migh be difficult to follow.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at the far future, where Man has left earth, and the people left behind have slid back into a medieval level of technology, fearing technology will destroy them as it did the User civilization. Benzamir has returned to Earth in persuit of traitors from his culture that left our planet 700 years ago who threaten to destroy the Earth. He must enlist local help who believe him a magician, but even his advanced technology may not win the day.

[Lushr · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a good story teller to make me willingly go out of my comfort zone and read something different. It takes a brilliant story teller to make me enjoy it so much I finish it. This is a sci fi story, but not at first glance. I wish I knew the secret to Simon Morden being able to tell the tale of a wretched monk who saved a literally upside down world in such an engaging and spell binding way.

[Kerry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! I couldn't even finish this book! I managed to get half way through, but there was absolutely no character development and it was rather disjointed. I really didn't feel like there was anything enticing to keep the story moving forward and so I just gave up and picked up Paper Towns instead (much better!)

[Elkie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book originally caught my attention when I read the review on the Amazon blog. I kept reading hoping it would get better. I finally gave up.

I didn't care about the characters, didn't care what happened to them, and even the sci fi angle failed to capture my attention. I never finished the book.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptional young adult novel set in a future Earth which we may find hard to recognise. Well thought out world with solid scientific reasoning behind the happenings. The characters do not lack either - my full review is here: http://myfavouritebooks.blogspot.com/... .

[Sylene · Rating 3 out of 5]

postapocalyptic story set on Earth 700+ years into the future; not necessarily a homily against technology, but certainly a commentary against 'users'.

[Tooba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read, well written and engrossing

[Dickwyn]

cool

[Lynossa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, I will review it soon.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one on a theoretical level, but once you get to the resolution a bit disappointing. It just sort of tappers off with each page.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not so much that this book wasn't enjoyable, it's that it could have been so much more. Decent filler while I waited for the library to get my next book.