And No Wings [Paperback]

 

 

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The first thing that really must be said about this book is that it is way too long! At 695 pages, it really is a bit self-indulgent. This is a great, rambling tale, with huge themes, but the themes are diluted by the vast amount of 'chatter' that surrounds the various story-lines.

Stylistically, it rather reminded me of Cory Doctorow's 'Makers'. It's generally an informal approach, with certain characters liberally using four letter words. There are interludes of a considerably more formal style, almost parable-esque, in the form of 'paradigms', telling a separate and clearly symbolic tale but, to me, the link between the 'paradigm' interludes and the main story is not clear.

Characterisation also reminded me of Cory Doctorow. It is not deep, which is a shame because there are some potentially wonderful characters in it - the one that stands out for me is the president of the United States, Victoria Twigg, an Amazonian beauty reminiscent of 'Myra Breckinridge'. The cast also includes God, who seems to be permanently caught between predetermination (as he started the mulitiverse and so built into it all that would occur) and free will (allowing 'his' creatures to choose whether to believe in him or not), the angel Gabriel, who has a body odour problem, and numerous other characters who, really, are there more as plot devices.

So, the plot. Wow! This book is just so full of ideas, strands of narrative which are, at times, only loosely interwoven, that it is pretty difficult to know where to begin. Also, of course, I don't want to give any 'spoilers'. So, briefly (!), we have a sudden breakdown of cars and, later, most modern appliances, first in Virginia and then more wide-spread in the south of the U.S. This forces people to share and a new community spirit develops. The same breakdowns occur in London and in Beijing. In London, instead of engendering a community spirit, we have riots, burglaries and a general descent into a selfish, but happily short-lived, chaos. To what do we put down these different reactions? Well, apparently, the fact that the U.S. is far more religiously observant than European countries. Bear in mind that Gabriel has been 'manifesting' left, right and centre over most of North America, so it is kind of cheating a bit. The breakdowns in China don't seem to do anything very much.

A Chinese car factory owner, in debt to the Triads, ships cars to a London dealer. There are suspicions that the cars are being used to smuggle dangerous substances into the U.K. Meanwhile, Islamist terrorists may be hiding out in a kebab shop. There are calls in Spain for a return to Islam. An English maths genius has a flash of divine inspiration (thanks to Gabriel bizarrely disguised as a Chinese girl with pig tails) that leads him to develop a wholly new means of transport. The president of the U.S. announces plans to industrialise Africa and dismantle the American Empire. A clandestine organisation of evil plutocrats steals oil from wherever, so is a bit miffed with the decline in car use. Of course, all this is stirred up by this God and his smelly side kick. Finally, though, God seems to pretty much have second thoughts. So maybe that is ultimately the point - a deity that insists on taking an active role in his creation is going against his own starting principles. And that's that.

All in all, too long, no really strong characters and a 'plot' that, at times, gets a bit anarchic. But, but, but - it's a book just fizzing with ideas, shooting off like an extended firework display. For the writing, it's a three, for the ideas, a four.

I enjoyed this book; it is certainly not a book to read in one session as it is almost 700 pages long although at times I did want to read on further than time allowed to see what was going to happen next. The theme for this novel is a difficult one Earth is in danger; the book does not quite spell out why although it concerns global warming / climate change, and God chooses to intervene to save the Earth. Unfortunately although God is all powerful for various reasons that are explained in the book he can only nudge, by instructing his angel Gabriel, rather than just make things happen, I suppose there would be no story if he could. There is gentle mocking of most religions but the author does not set out to offend. The changes that God causes do not always provide the intended result and the book is a combination of humour including one liners with an exploration of serious issues, a no mean task. In fact there is something for everyone from teleporting cars, a Chinese Chairman, American President, scientists and code breakers included for good measure, although I am not sure I can believe in a caring sharing USA. I believe that the book succeeds on a number of levels and leaves the reader thinking about serious issues; however it could do with a severe edit to reduce its size and make a tauter novel.

I began this book with a little trepidation, books which reference religion can often start to prosthelytize without warning! but here we get lucky. The Author reflects on the absurdities of modern life and tells of a great adventure which envelopes ordinary people. The comic interludes between Gabriel and the Lord provide great insight and an opportunity for the author to express genuine hard earned wisdom. The fact that it is at times hilarious is just a bonus!

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4.0 out of 5 stars challenging, thought provoking funny and devastatingly real (in places)
'And no wings' is full of concepts to challenge long-held ideas, farcical angel to God conversations and a story which weaves its way around the globe. Read more

Published 22 months ago by Beth Leathers

4.0 out of 5 stars And No Wings
And No Wings is the first novel by broadcaster. Nigel Jay Robson and what an epic it is! It centres on what would happen if God and the Angel Gabriel became involved in earth's... Read more

Published 22 months ago by Miss Karen L. Mason

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
This book is a great read. Full of thought provoking comments and ideas mixed with a dabble of humour. Read more

Published on 10 Dec 2009 by D. Watson

5.0 out of 5 stars A good story
And No Wings. This ambitious novel by the well known broadcaster Nigel Jay is both humorous and profound - full of interest and wide ranging in its subject matter. Read more

Published on 12 Sep 2009 by Mrs. Eileen Witherington

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