SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: The Islanders - Christopher Priest

Release Date: 22/09/11

SYNOPSIS:

A tale of murder, artistic rivalry and literary trickery; a chinese puzzle of a novel where nothing is quite what it seems; a narrator whose agenda is artful and subtle; a narrative that pulls you in and plays an elegant game with you. The Dream Archipelago is a vast network of islands. The names of the islands are different depending on who you talk to, their very locations seem to twist and shift. Some islands have been sculpted into vast musical instruments, others are home to lethal creatures, others the playground for high society. Hot winds blow across the archipelago and a war fought between two distant continents is played out across its waters. The Islanders serves both as an untrustworthy but enticing guide to the islands, an intriguing, multi-layered tale of a murder and the suspect legacy of its appealing but definitely untrustworthy narrator. It shows Christopher Priest at the height of his powers and illustrates why he has remained one of the country's most prized novelists.


REVIEW:

There are some authors who really should transcend genre and one of these is Christopher Priest who whilst he’s known for Science Fiction writes in a style of a magician (which is appropriate enough considering he wrote the Prestige) as he manages to distract you with subtlety so that you don’t notice what’s happened before he’s ready to reveal it to you. It’s wonderfully imaginative and whilst I haven’t read his whole back catalogue I did recognise some of the characters from having appeared in other titles.

Add to this a wonderfully brusque descriptive manner and he’s an author who cuts to the heart of the story, making it character based and thought provocative. It’s clever, it has its own witticism about it and when you add the final touch of a story that was hard to put down its one that left me exhausted when I turned the final page. A real joy and one I’ll look forward to reading again.

SCIENCE FICTION REISSUE: Fugue for a Darkening Island - Christopher Priest

Release Date: 09/06/11

SYNOPSIS:

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.


REVIEW:

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.