“The sun may be a million years in dying, but we will not live to see its end. We are the last remains of a once-great people and we do not look into the sky because we have no wish, now, to see what the future holds. We study the past, instead, and make up stories about how things used to be. [loc. 988]
This is the narrative of Stefan Advani, convicted of inciting revolution in humanity's last city, Shadrapur. He is imprisoned downriver, in the notorious Island -- a penal colony in the heart of the jungle, beset on all sides by dangerous wildlife and harbouring the worst criminals of the age. There is violence, corruption and tyranny: the Marshal is prone to random acts of retribution, and there are factions amongst the prisoners. Stefan, a self-declared coward, makes alliances and keeps his head (literally and figuratively) above water while he tries to find an escape route.
Interspersed with his time in the Island are reminiscences of his life before imprisonment: expeditions into the desert, rabble-rousing in the shadow of the Weapon that stands like a monument at the heart of Shadrapur.
Sounds fascinating, yes? But somehow it is not. I disliked Stefan and most of the characters he encounters; the constant violence and arrogance wore me down; the 'dying Earth' tropes felt two-dimensional and unexamined. And worst of all, a plethora of intriguing notions -- accelerated evolution, unlicensed medical experiments, a cosmonaut from 1972, the Weapon itself -- are introduced and then cast aside. I did not find this an enjoyable read, though it's well-written: I am tempted to return to Gene Wolfe's 'Book of the New Sun'.
It's not going to put me off Tchaikovsky's work, because I have enjoyed several of his novels: but this one was not a winner for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment