Yet another book that has been sitting on my reading pile
for years (it was published in 2003). I finally decided to read The Light Ages following my usual
highly discriminating selection process: I accidentally kicked over a pile of
books and this was the first one I picked up. I have to admit I was intrigued
by the recommendations on the cover, with Michael Moorcock, Brian Aldiss, Gene
Wolf and Christopher Fowler all featured, and comparisons made with Dickens,
China Miéville, Pullman’s Northern Lights
trilogy (must read that again sometime), and Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast series (must read that again
soon).
So what is it all about? It’s an alternative world fantasy,
one in which the primary difference from our own dear if somewhat battered
planet is the existence of aether: a magical substance which is pumped out of
the ground and used – well, to make everything work. A little bit of aether,
properly channelled by the minds and words of highly trained guildsmen, can be
used to make the most rickety bridge solid, the most botched-up steam engine
run smoothly at otherwise impossible pressures, and to send messages across the
country at the speed of thought. Of course, that means that people don’t have
to bother much with technology, which is fairly primitive. Also needless to
say, each specialism has its own guild which jealously guards its secrets, and
the Grandmasters of which are wealthy beyond the dreams of championship
footballers resident in tax havens, as well as wielding huge political power.
But aether is dangerous to meddle with, and those who are exposed to too much
of it become altered….gradually becoming less human to the horror of their
neighbours, at which point the changelings are ferried away to secure
institutions for their remaining years.
Robert Borrows, from whose viewpoint the story is told, is
the son of a low-level guildsman who works in the factory which processes
aether mined from deep underground. We learn much about his life and the
strange, tightly stratified, static society in which he lives. He is supposed to follow in his father’s
footsteps, as youngsters traditionally do, but he remains an outsider,
questioning and sceptical, while being fascinated by Annalise, a girl who does
not seem to be quite human. Eventually, he decides to travel from his Yorkshire
home to London – just as much the great metropolis as it is in our world, but
with the odd pointer to the differences. Hyde Park is an upmarket residential
area, the big open space being Westminster Park where the old government
buildings used to be, and the South Bank is still undeveloped marshland.
Robert has a colourful young life, rising from the
bottom-feeders of society to mixing with the top, but he remains an iconoclast
at heart, campaigning for greater equality and hoping to be a part of the end
of the present Age and the start of a new one: something that happens about
once a century. But the secret about aether which has been increasingly
bothering him lies back in his home town, where he finds that nothing is quite
as he thought.
The House of Storms
is the sequel (published 2005), set in the same world but a century or more
later, so does not feature the same characters, although a couple get a brief
mention as historical figures. The structure of the book is different, with
several viewpoints being used, and the focus is somewhat narrower; less time is
spent on establishing the background and the nature of this strange world, so
readers are advised to read The Light
Ages first.
The initial viewpoint character is Alice Meynell, a
beautiful and highly resourceful woman who has married into wealth and power as
the Greatgrandmistress of one of the most powerful guilds. At first we see her
in a sympathetic light as she travels across Europe with her teenage son Ralph,
trying to find a cure for his consumption, but as the story develops we learn
more about her dubious background and the ruthlessness with which she achieved
and maintains her position. The pair arrive at Invercombe, a grand house on the
south-west coast owned by her guild and close to the legendary home for
changelings, Einfell. Invercombe seems to have a character of its own, and
Ralph soon makes a full recovery, capped by a relationship with Marion Price, a
young shoregirl who makes a living through fishing and hunting for seafood.
Between them, they study the wildlife and fossils and begin to form conclusions
about the evolution of life.
At this point Part 2 of the story abruptly jumps to several
years later, with a different setting and characters; notably Klade, a young
changeling living at Einfell. As Klade's history is gradually revealed we see
how this integrates with the earlier part of the story, some of whose
characters re-emerge. We also learn more about the social tensions, not just
between the changelings and normal humans, but also between the Easterners
focused on London, and the Westerners (centred on Bristol) who are still
profiting from the "bonded persons" trade (i.e. slavery); tensions
which lead to conflict.
The third part of the book is concerned with the civil war,
and the part played in this by the established characters. It becomes clear
that the present Age (the Age of Light), in which the use of aether is
supplemented by electricity, is drawing to a close; an event which happens with
dramatic suddenness. The stories of the main characters are neatly drawn
together in a satisfying conclusion.
The quality of writing in these books is superb, the
characterisation excellent, the whole flavour of the books powerfully
atmospheric. They are slow-paced, but I found myself deliberately slowing down
my normal reading speed in order to absorb the descriptions rather than skim
over them. The plots are entirely
original and the course of events unpredictable. This is fantasy of the highest
standard, and is warmly recommended.
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