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Product Description
Review
'it is startling how relevant this 40 year-old novel is, even today ... His prose is finely honed, his grasp of structure and tone a thing of darkly sparkling beauty, redolent of an elegance, a grace' (STARBURST MAGAZINE )
Product Description
Survivors of a terrible African war flee their blighted continent, and look for refuge in the countries of the West. But Britain is falling into civil war and anarchy. One of Christopher Priest's earliest novels, FUGUE FOR A DARKENING ISLAND is a powerful work whose subject matter has become increasingly relevant in recent years.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A powerhouse of a near-future dystopia, unrelenting in its grim intensity. This amazing novel by Christopher Priest is a glimpse into the future of an England caught up in an armed three-way conflict, between the Nationalist government of neo-Fascist Prime Minister John Tregarth, a liberal Seccessionist element and organised bands of refugee Africans, having fled a nuclear holocaust from the African continent. This breakdown is seen through the eyes of the book's protagonist Alan Whitman through his and that of his family's struggle to survive the anarchic hell of what once was England.
The book itself is written in a disjointed, fractured style of writing (with constant use of flashbacks), that to the casual reader can leave one feeling confused and disoriented, however, closer inpection of the book's structure reveal this to be to the book's benefit as it leaves the book short of fat and strong on substance and structure. Parts of the storyline as seen through the eyes of Whitman impart a dreamy, hallucinatory feeling to the reader who can never be sure of what will happen next. One may not be satisfied with the length of this short book (128 pages) but personally, I found the short length to be satisfying.
This book is gritty, unstylised and yet not so much a product of its time. Despite its themes reflecting the NEW WAVE exploration of entropy and dissolution, the book's storyline immediately brought back to me, the strong feelings that arose from the M.V Tampa crisis in Australia of 2001, prior to 9/11. I remembered the feelings of fear, hostility and paranoia from the Australian public towards the stranded refugees and the possible reaction of the public towards these boat people had they been allowed to land in Australia. The book is as relevant now as it was back upon release in 1972.
I believe this to be perhaps the most accurate and disturbing example of classic dystopia and political sci-fi ever written.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When you get the chance to go back and sample an established authors earlier titles you are either heavily delighted or disappointed that its not quite met the standards of later titles. Why people fall into one of these two camps I'm not sure but its something I've observed on more than one occasion. Whilst this one doesn't have quite the polish or character development of later works such as The Extremes or The Quiet Woman, the concepts and dystopian ideas are present in this, his second novel.
As you'd come to expect its well written, the plot line thought provoking which when blended with what I term as a distinct vocal idiom really hooks the reader into this disturbing vision. Add to this decent dialogue some great twists and this really is a title that's hard to put down. Hopefully more will get to enjoy this title and develop their love for his work from there.
As you'd come to expect its well written, the plot line thought provoking which when blended with what I term as a distinct vocal idiom really hooks the reader into this disturbing vision. Add to this decent dialogue some great twists and this really is a title that's hard to put down. Hopefully more will get to enjoy this title and develop their love for his work from there.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have been trying to find this book literally for years, but have only recently managed to do so without spending a fortune. While it had its good points, it didn't really live up to my expectations. However, this book features on a lot of lists of apocalyptic fiction, which was the reason for me buying it, and I think my disappointment was mainly due to the fact that I don't really think it belongs in that genre. I only enjoyed it enough to score 3 stars, but I think it really deserves 4, hence my rating.
The story centres around a man struggling to survive a civil war raging between three sides throughout the UK. The conflict essentially arises from a tide of African immigrants arriving in the UK as they attempt to flee a nuclear war occurring within Africa itself. It is told in a non-chronological order with three main strands - one set in the far past when he met his wife, one in the recent past at the outbreak of the conflict, and a third in the present, during the war. The tale jumps between these periods, with small passages that reveal the story gradually. It's not a brilliant book but it did keep me reading and is certainly worth picking up if you can find it.
The story centres around a man struggling to survive a civil war raging between three sides throughout the UK. The conflict essentially arises from a tide of African immigrants arriving in the UK as they attempt to flee a nuclear war occurring within Africa itself. It is told in a non-chronological order with three main strands - one set in the far past when he met his wife, one in the recent past at the outbreak of the conflict, and a third in the present, during the war. The tale jumps between these periods, with small passages that reveal the story gradually. It's not a brilliant book but it did keep me reading and is certainly worth picking up if you can find it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Dark, thought provoking read
The African continent is no longer habitable and millions of displaced refugees have fled the country in search of sanctuary and refuge. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. Cooper
ambiguous feelings about this one
I'm not quite sure what to make of this one. The political scenario seems implausible and some of the language used to describe black people seems out of date and rather... Read more
Published 21 months ago by John Hopper
Rivers and rivers of blood
"Fugue" hit the bookstores virtually while Enoch Powell was still driving home from his infamous speech at the Midland Hotel. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Matthew Norton
Early writing shows strengths and flaws
I've been a fan of Christopher Priest since I read 'The Glamour', and have, I think, read all his subsequent books. Read more
Published on 1 Aug 2008 by Lady Fancifull
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