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The Thresher
A haunting tableau of a lost world...from the author of 'The Hungry Wolves of Van Diemen's Land' comes this unforgettable portrait of an era now lost forever. 'The Thresher' chronicles the 1980s and '90s, as seen through the eyes of ambitious young men who rebel, using the form of rebellion most common at the time: being in a band. No mere exercise in nostalgia, 'The Thresher' is an exploration of the conflict between individualism, nationalism and globalism, and of the role of art in an increasingly sterile and conformist modern world.
309 pages, Paperback
Published April 19, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 17, 2025
For the record, I received a free copy of this book from the author, presumably with the expectation that I'd review it.
Hmm … normally I begin reviews by summarizing the story, but that's not going to work in this case. The setting is Tasmania. Michael Glendower is born, sometime in the late 70's. He grows up and starts a band, which runs into trouble on their first tour of the Australian mainland. Sounds enthralling, right?
What made this book fascinating for me was all the layers of detail that go into bringing that story to life. It's wonderfully evocative of the underground music scene of the 90's. So many names sparked happy memories of my college days: Death In June, Lard, Current 93, Future Sound of London, Allerseelen, Einstürzende Neubauten, Above the Ruins, record labels World Serpent and Cold Meat Industry … I kept thinking of bands that Michael might like (“Wonder if he knows about Non? Or SPK?”), a testament to Paul Christensen’s ability to breathe life into his characters. I greatly enjoyed reading about Michael and Shiv, and have certainly known people like them.
The back cover copy is incredibly pompous … Fortunately, the book itself is not. I see that there's a sequel planned for 2021. I, for one, am looking forward to it. Recommended!
Hmm … normally I begin reviews by summarizing the story, but that's not going to work in this case. The setting is Tasmania. Michael Glendower is born, sometime in the late 70's. He grows up and starts a band, which runs into trouble on their first tour of the Australian mainland. Sounds enthralling, right?
What made this book fascinating for me was all the layers of detail that go into bringing that story to life. It's wonderfully evocative of the underground music scene of the 90's. So many names sparked happy memories of my college days: Death In June, Lard, Current 93, Future Sound of London, Allerseelen, Einstürzende Neubauten, Above the Ruins, record labels World Serpent and Cold Meat Industry … I kept thinking of bands that Michael might like (“Wonder if he knows about Non? Or SPK?”), a testament to Paul Christensen’s ability to breathe life into his characters. I greatly enjoyed reading about Michael and Shiv, and have certainly known people like them.
The back cover copy is incredibly pompous … Fortunately, the book itself is not. I see that there's a sequel planned for 2021. I, for one, am looking forward to it. Recommended!
May 3, 2020
In some ways reminiscent of Henry Williamson's Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight, "The Thresher" chronicles the early life of an artist, from a suburban 80s childhood, through to discovering underground music in the 90s and expressing revolt at normie culture through music, with laughs and reflections along the way.
Anyone that's grown up in that era will appreciate it for the nostalgia, and others might appreciate it for the unique insight it has into modern history and art.
I like the way that history is woven into it without trying too hard, it seems to flow into the story where it is meant to, and is a part of the story itself. There's a lot of atmosphere in this book of a time that is now gone.
To tell a little of the plot without spoiling it, it's divided into three parts. The first follows the early life of the protagonist, Michael, along with his family, who range from typical boomers to characters eccentric enough to be interesting, but still believable.
The second part is when Michael is spurred into action through the meeting of guitarist Shiv, who seems like a bit of a national-anarchist. There's comradeship and conflict between the two, and plenty of humour.
The third part leaves Tasmania for the mainland of Australia, where the book comes to its conclusion in the harsh and near-absurd atmosphere of the South Australian desert.
I'd recommend this to anyone that wants nostalgia for the 80s/90s, or wants a book that will make them think, while still having a fast-paced page-turning plot. Christensen's books balance these two things so well.
Anyone that's grown up in that era will appreciate it for the nostalgia, and others might appreciate it for the unique insight it has into modern history and art.
I like the way that history is woven into it without trying too hard, it seems to flow into the story where it is meant to, and is a part of the story itself. There's a lot of atmosphere in this book of a time that is now gone.
To tell a little of the plot without spoiling it, it's divided into three parts. The first follows the early life of the protagonist, Michael, along with his family, who range from typical boomers to characters eccentric enough to be interesting, but still believable.
The second part is when Michael is spurred into action through the meeting of guitarist Shiv, who seems like a bit of a national-anarchist. There's comradeship and conflict between the two, and plenty of humour.
The third part leaves Tasmania for the mainland of Australia, where the book comes to its conclusion in the harsh and near-absurd atmosphere of the South Australian desert.
I'd recommend this to anyone that wants nostalgia for the 80s/90s, or wants a book that will make them think, while still having a fast-paced page-turning plot. Christensen's books balance these two things so well.
August 10, 2020
This is a book written with great wisdom.
The only reason I can't give it five stars is that much of it involves discussion of musical bands of which I have never heard. During most of the time-frame of "The Thresher" I was bringing up a family of young kids, and had no time keep track of contemporary musical trends - although I was vaguely aware of the Sex Pistols, and still love much of The Pogues.
However, it is not necessary to know late-20th century pop music to appreciate "The Thresher". It is solidly grounded in a sense of place (mainly Tasmania), and ethnicity, and culture. Thomas Hardy did something similar in his "Wessex" novels.
I was particularly interested in the spiritual development of the central character, Michael. He seems to evolve from a merely reactionary form of paganism to a fully-fledged modern Odinist position, talking of "a vision steadily replacing Odin and Thor in his conception of the divine. Or rather, reinforcing them, a new conception of Asgard, post-Ragnarokian ... for religion that ceased to be renewed became mere dogma, sinking into the void of Ginnungagap."
The only reason I can't give it five stars is that much of it involves discussion of musical bands of which I have never heard. During most of the time-frame of "The Thresher" I was bringing up a family of young kids, and had no time keep track of contemporary musical trends - although I was vaguely aware of the Sex Pistols, and still love much of The Pogues.
However, it is not necessary to know late-20th century pop music to appreciate "The Thresher". It is solidly grounded in a sense of place (mainly Tasmania), and ethnicity, and culture. Thomas Hardy did something similar in his "Wessex" novels.
I was particularly interested in the spiritual development of the central character, Michael. He seems to evolve from a merely reactionary form of paganism to a fully-fledged modern Odinist position, talking of "a vision steadily replacing Odin and Thor in his conception of the divine. Or rather, reinforcing them, a new conception of Asgard, post-Ragnarokian ... for religion that ceased to be renewed became mere dogma, sinking into the void of Ginnungagap."
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews