Sackville novelist enters Steampunk genre with
Published Thursday August 21st, 2008
Culture schlock
I finally got around to reading Sporeville, a short novel by Sackville author Paul Marlowe (an author's name if I've ever heard one). I stumbled upon the title while doing one of my semi-monthly searches for new novels from my favourite Steampunk authors, James P Blaylock, Tim Powers, and Jeffrey E Barlough.
Steampunk typically refers to historical fiction books set in Victorian times, when steam drove the machines. They're generally placed in the sci-fi fantasy section of bookstores, but probably appeal more to lovers of France's Jules Verne, and old British authors like H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens. It's common for Steampunk authors to incorporate the supernatural as well, such as vampires, ghosts, and other phenomena.
Turns out Marlowe is a fan of the Steampunk genre too, which automatically made me interested in his first novel. Not coincidentally, it's published by Sybertooth, which is associated with Blaylock, who I'd call "The best fiction novelist that practically no one seems to know about." www.sybertooth.com/blaylock is the place to find out about this quirky Californian writer, and his upcoming new novel, his first in years, The Knights Of The Cornerstone, to be released this December. If you read the synopsis you might be confused into thinking it's along the lines of Dan Brown (he of the stupidly popular The Da Vinci Code). It isn't. Blaylock has been doing this stuff well, much better than Brown in my opinion, for over two decades, and his sense of humour and grasp of the absurd puts him in an entirely different category. He's closer to Charles Dickens, but funnier and less wordy. He also dips into horror occasionally.
On reading about Sporeville, Book One of the Wellborn Conspiracy, which is definitely firmly in the Steampunk realm, I e-mailed Marlowe to get the low down on his story. He lives in Sackville, New Brunswick, where he's been steadily publishing short stories in various publications outside of Canada, and is now working on the sequel to Sporeville, tentatively titled Knights of the Sea.
I bought Sporeville earlier this year, but I had several book club books to get through before it, so I'm just getting around to writing about it.
Sporeville is about a young boy named Elliott Graven who moves with his father to Spohrville, a dull and drab town with some sort of weird obsession with eels, and a problem with its citizens walking around like zombies at night.
Along with some new friends, including a mysterious girl, he gradually ends up in the middle of a huge battle against mushrooms and an evil villain. It's all fun stuff, and very well written, with lots of what I'd call Blaylockian humour, but that means nothing to you if you haven't read Blaylock! Let's just say the characters are all quite odd and there's lots of deftly delivered dialogue, with none of the trappings of most modern literature. In other words, it isn't boring.
It's written in a style that would appeal to young readers "" there's no sex, excess drinking of alcohol, or swearing (so it's ineligible for my book club) "" but it's much more straightforward writing than "" say - Harry Potter books, which rely on zillions of intricate turns, many characters, and convenient plot solving solutions. Deus Ex Machina.
Sporeville should definitely appeal to young (and young at heart) New Brunswick readers, including those who enjoy Harry Potter, and they'd be supporting a local writer.
Sporeville is a very enjoyable, easy read. My only complaint is the characters didn't spend any time hanging out in pubs drinking ale. That's one of the common threads of most Steampunk novels, which is partly why I love them. Jeffrey E Barlough, for example, the New England veterinarian/novelist, whose excellent new novel Anchorwick comes out this fall, makes sure that his characters spend a goodly amount of time sipping wine, beer and assorted spirits whilst they discuss the details of their dilemmas.
But not Marlowe. His book is totally young-teen friendly. Maybe the lack of nice old pubs in Sackville means he has no inspiration? Sackville could use a good brewpub in one of its historic buildings... I asked Marlowe if Sporeville, or Spohrville, as the town in the book is actually named, is just Sackville in disguise. It seems there's at least some evidence of this.
"Here's one little Sporeville hint," offers Marlowe, "in case you're not familiar with Mount Allison's alma mater song: In chapter six there's a verse of a song about eels (which goes to the above tune), but Mount Allison So Fair actually uses the tune of a song called In Zanzibar from an Edwardian musical. Luckily, you can hear a wax cylinder recording of the song here: www.tinfoil.com/cm-0205.htm (and incidentally, you can read the original lyrics, which would be rather amusing to sing at a university convocation, I think)." So now you know a bit about how Marlowe's mind works. This quirky nature is why I like his writing.
I'm really looking forward to future novels from this talented young New Brunswick author.
Sporeville can be purchased (I should hope) at New Brunswick booksellers, but if they won't order it in, you can get it from Amazon.ca for $11.19 tax and shipping. www.sybertooth.ca/publishing/sporeville.htm has more information on where to find the novel while www.paulmarlowe.com has all you need to know about the author.
Craig Pinhey wants to write a Steampunk novel about eels, too. Eels and beer. Visit Craig at www.frogspad.ca.
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