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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Castle for your pleasure., 16 Aug 2007
Wow. Tour de Force.
'The Modern World', the third book in Steph Swainston's Castle series (and if you haven't read the first two - why not?) is a fantastic piece of writing. She started out a good writer but now.......words fail. To say that I was `blown away' by this latest volume would about cover it.
The book begins with a real `chuck `em in at the deep end' bang - the brutal carnage, devastation and loss following a night attack by the Insects is dropped in your lap without any warning or set up. She then effortlessly shifts a gear to give a wonderfully observed description of our narrator Jant's flight from the frontlines back to the Castle. The unfolding landscapes below him, the physical thrill of flight even in such terrible circumstances; beautiful, rich and stark description. You can really feel the benefits of Swainston's commitment to research - I understand she goes gliding to better understand the experience of a central character that flies.
From this bravura beginning, which has a brilliant twist, the story barrels along at a tremendous pace. A new and shocking development in Insect aggressive capabilities results in the raising of the largest army ever seen in the Fourlands and the Emperor San taking the unprecedented step of leaving the Castle to lead his forces in the field. The tension and uncertainty of fighting what is almost a new enemy - previous strategies are now worthless and new ones must be found - is conveyed with perfect pitch. Running through this you have the driven obsession of Frost the Architect to carry out a grand plan and then attempt to make good the unforeseen catastrophic results of her scheme. The fortunes of war reflected in an individual psyche.
However, this is anything but merely a story about hacking at the Insect invaders with inventive use of Medieval and Renaissance technologies (and her understanding of these technologies is another testament to deep research) there are other stories and subtexts to enjoy. The main protagonist, Jant, whom I would hesitate to call the 'Hero' as I don't think the Castle stories are that simple, finds himself revisiting past haunts, and past life-styles, to hunt for the wayward daughter of a fellow Immortal. This chase is underscored by what I see as a primary subtext in this book; the passage of time, the matter of maturing, the (necessary) differences between generations and the problems of communication across that divide. This theme culminates with an incredibly tense finale between father and daughter (without an Insect in sight) that faked me out completely as to where it was going but ended in retrospect the only way it could.
Such hiding of `serious' content in the structure of what is at the surface a fantasy roller-coaster is nothing new for Swainston. The previous volume No Present Like Time has a juxtaposition of philosophical and political systems with the Darwinian meritocracy of the Castle's Circle coming up against the classic democracy of the island of Tris - with predictable misunderstanding and consequences. The real beauty of these subtle depths to her narratives though is their unobtrusiveness. There really is no need to go into the deeper reading to enjoy a rollicking fantasy adventure but, if you do, the whole is enhanced.
Even with all I've said there is much more in the book to savour and enjoy. The return to Shift - that strange surreal world that reads like a cross-between Lewis Carroll, Salvador Dali and early Clive Barker - which in this volume takes on a very scary face indeed. The insights into San's past and that of some of the other immortals - the archer Lightning even gets to narrate a chapter of his own past, before Jant's time. The extensive cast of characters, each with their own very individual traits and foibles, and the complex evolving web of relationships they create. The beautifully detailed description of architecture and landscape.
Now I have to make the time to have a more measured read of all three books. My usual practice is to only read sequels after rereading their predecessors - to totally get the through line. But this time I was just too keen to see what was going to happen. This book is genuinely "unputdownable" - I hold Steph Swainston responsible for my current Sleep Debt and look forward eagerly to the next volume.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Themes and characters - the Castle sequence continues, 19 Aug 2007
'The Modern World' shares the same distinctive, sometimes baroque, always nuanced, style of Steph Swainston's two previous novels, placing it firmly in the Castle sequence. As the third book in a fantasy sequence, the reader might approach it with an expectation of conclusion, expecting the pat finishing touches of a conventional trilogy. Instead, Swainston reminds the reader firmly that whatever it might be, this is not a conventional trilogy. She deftly combines a satisfying sense of closure to some plot strands, whilst deliberately declining other opportunities to 'conventionalise' the narrative into a finale. 'The Modern World' shows an ever maturing sense of balance between purity of authorial intent and accessibility that certainly worked well for this reader.
All three of Steph's books so far have woven a complex narrative dialogue between the first person narration of Jant, characterised by his immediate engagement with the worldly events of the Fourlands, and the deeper, and more fundamental story of Lightning, played out in the context of those events. At once the oldest and perhaps powerful of the immortal Circle, but at the same time the most emotionally circumscribed, the deep passions that lie within Lightning's persona have steadily emerged through the stories as much through what Lightning doesn't do or say, the options to engage with the world he declines and postpones, as much as what he actually does truly participate in and do.
The three books are very much about the progress of Lightning back to humanity, but Jant - the all-seeing messenger - does not retell the story around that theme. Typically, Jant tells an utterly self-centred version of events. The tension between these two threads - the central story of Lightning, and Jant's personal passage - gives the three books part of their particular style and taste. The third perhaps leans more deliberately towards the story of Lightning, despite Jant, and I felt it almost the more comfortable and certainly confident for that.
As in her previous novels, at its best Swainston's writing has a beautiful sense of timing and rythmn. It would be easy to focus on the staccatic battle sequence of the opening chapter, but pause on the chaotic timelessness in the Shift sequence, or the sensually languid final chapters, and consider the language, tempo and style - Steph's always fine writing is elevated to excellence.
I look forward to seeing where Steph takes both her world and writing next.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intricate descriptions, and a fast paced plot that moves the story, fills in some gaps but leaves some large future questions, 8 Jun 2007
As I have said in reviews of the first two books, Steph Swainston creates a unique fantasy vision. The world called the Fourlands itself is not unique; but there are immortals in it, held together in the Circle by the emperor San who may be thousands of years old (the "may be" part is my only peeve on the book, but that comes later). The main character, Jant, is the immortal called Comet, the Messenger, and he works hard to control a very mortal-like drug addiction. There are parallel worlds, which Jant can visit during his drug trips, and he finds out in earlier books they are real. And there are starship troopers-like Insects, that have infested the northmost part of the Fourlands (and have come from one of the parallel worlds).
In this book, the armies of the Fourlands (and their architect) believe they can push the Insects back with a dam, push them back with water. No spoilers here, but this turns out to be a very bad thing. This bad thing happen while Jant is off to find his best immortal friend Lightning's teenage daughter Cyan, who happens to be on a drug trip of her own and Jant ends up chasing her into one of the parallel worlds.
In the end, the battle to end all battles against the Insects ensue, some immortals are killed (they can be killed, they just do not age) and more mystery is added.
My favorite part of Steph's writing is her descriptions: Jant flying, the palaces, even battles. Take a look at Steph's picture on her website...where does this lovely young Brit ever get the background and experience to write a battle sequence like one where Jant has been sliced across the middle by one of the Insects:
"I clutch one hand instinctively across my stomach but the gash is too long to hold together and my fingers sink under the edge of the flap of skin. It is warm and very slick. I feel a loop of gut spill out over my arm. I look down and see it adhering to the ground, picking up pieces of soil and grass blades. Unable to stop it, I watch it uncoil out of my midriff from under the mail shirt. The guts slither over each other; they are different shades of grey and firm to the touch."
Yummy, huh? Her descriptions make the scenes quite imaginable. At the end of the book, the scene is set at one of Lightening's many manors (you get rich if you live long!)...when Steph describes it, I see the Palace of Versailles in my mind's eye. And she must have done some skydiving or gliding, as Jant's flying is laid out in most imaginative words (she lists quite a bit of research material on swordplay, archery, architecture on her website, but nothing on flying...maybe she flies secretly at night away from the muggles in jolly ole Bradford?)
My only gripe with the book is that I wanted to know more. Some secrets are revealed, but the big ones (where did the Emperor come from? how does he know about the parallel worlds and why does he ask Jant to keep it a secret? how does he form the Circle and make the Immortals immortal?)
The plot of the book starts off with what could be considered incidentals (who cares that one of the immortals has a teenage daughter that has run off? Let's battle some insects or visit some psychedelic parallel worlds). But she pulls it all together in the end.
Congrats, Steph, great work.
Originally posted on my website, www dot duskbeforethedawn dot net.
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