(Nimue, review)
This is decidedly occult fiction, set in a parallel universe, where music, magic, art and politics have collided in some startling ways. Lon is a 30 something musician, seductress, disaster bi chaos bunny and at the start of the book she meets a chap who is apparently dead, at which point life gets even more complicated.
I loved this book, I really got in with the writing style. The first third has a lot of comedy in it, especially for anyone who has flirted with the occult and knows who Crowley is. It's a knowing kind of style, and I giggled a lot. The middle section throws us in wild contrast into some very troubled lives and the back story of The Croviss Girls. There's a lot of handed down family trauma, but there's also hope. The third section finds us back with Lon, magic, chaos and the issue of a world that might be falling apart.
While the story is complete, it felt like part of a much bigger world, which I liked. Not all of the ends are tidily dealt with and not everything is explained. this is something I do in my own work and I appreciate other people leaving me with things to wonder about and puzzle over. It's a satisfying story without being too tightly sewn up.
What it most reminded me of was Iain Banks - the author's tone, the knowing humour, the humanity and the horror all tangled up together and juxtaposing in unexpected ways.
I came across this book because I have some work coming out with Tenebrous Texts, too. I can't say this is an 'everyone will love this' sort of book, but if you are the sort of person who likes what I write and /or likes Iain Banks, then I think it very likely you will enjoy this book as much as I did.
No comments:
Post a Comment