I discovered Raymond Chandler when I was reading a review of Lovecraft, on of my favorite authors, and the review writer mentioned that 'what Lovecraft was for horror, Chandler was for detective fiction'. This tickled my imagination, and I got all the Chandler's novels and started to read them in their chronological order (just like I read the complete works of Lovecraft). The first novel, which was later made in a great movie with Humphrey Bogart, and even later into yet another great film with Robert Mitchum, this time, being 1979, the movie could be much more explicitly, as the novel has quite a few shocking parts (for the 1940s when it was released). The novel is complex, with many plots and subplots, characters with many layers, which change sides and opinions and allegiances often. Philip Marlowe is the stereotypical 'hard-boiled' detective, somewhat of an ideal for every private eye. The novel is devoid of positive characters, as everybody Marlowe encounters, no matter how likable at first, eventually show their rotten side. Marlowe, for his part, never pretends to be of high morals or ideals, but usually comes on top when compared to the rest of the menagerie.
The book starts with what looks like a pretty simple plot, a blackmail note for rich, old and paralyzed army general who has accrued great riches from oil and two young an beautiful daughters rotten beyond repair. However things evolve pretty fast, and soon we have powerful crime bosses, corrupt police officials, big money protectionism, hitmen and large swaths of areas in LA and the surroundings in the late 1930s. Marlowe is the proverbial tough guy with morals: cynical but with a soft spot, dark humored but going out of his way to help, womanizer but not sleeping around, street-talking but upholding the law more than the police. You can almost see black-and-white images while reading the book. It is told from first person point of view, Marlowe is the narrator and this gives us insight into his thoughts and motivations and makes him very real and almost likable, but definitely admirable.
The women in the book are (almost) all gorgeous, and always rotten, whether by their own choice or by destiny. The more innocent the look at the beginning, the more corrupted and sick they turn at the end, as is the case with Carmen, the general's 20 year old daughter. The style of the book is easy to follow, although the plots and characters might be numerous and complicated. Chandler was one of the first writers to use real, street-level, tough language which spares no insults, both social, moral and racial which is refreshing in today's PC-obsessed world. The plot is intriguing, there are twists and turns which keep you on the edge as a good mystery novel should, pretty much to the last page, but don't expect 'clues' as in Christie's novels that would help you 'find the murderer' itself. This is not that type of detective novel. This is gritty, realistic, down-in-the-gutter novel which is remarkable for its realistic appeal, 'telling it as it is', no english or belgian detectives who play the violin and hang out with the 'high class' here.
Marlowe is a seminal character, better developed than Spade and in much greater length, with more depth and believability. The other characters in the book are only jotted with some well chosen lines, but still ring true, though this mostly goes for the male characters. The female characters are less well drawn, and are mostly there to further the story and to emphasize the 'hard-boiledness'. It is amazing, for someone not familiar with the LA underground and related police business, to hear the words, the sentences, the bullying, the fear mind-games, to see how tough guys evaluate each other, what motivates them, how they relate to each other and other people. Chandler is a master in presenting this, dark but realistic, picture of everyday life in LA.
I am looking forward to reading the rest of the Marlowe novels, and watching the movies (each novel has at least one movie made according to it, some as much as three) and enjoying the no-fluff, spare-me-the-PC, gritty, rough around the edges but with more morals than the police chief, style of Phillip Marlowe.
Friday, October 31, 2008
"Cabal" by Clive Barker
This was the book that really hooked me onto Barker's work for years. I was so impressed by it that I even had 'Cabal__' as my online handle for many years. I read it initially in university, after I read Barker's 'Books of Blood' which I like but wasn't head over hills about them. I was amazed by the world Barker created in this book. The idea that the monsters are the good guys, living in the mythical city of Midian, far in the remote and obscure Canadian north, the psychological background, the concept of 'knowing' you have to fulfill your destiny, that there is a plan, bigger and larger than you and your daily life, all that was immensely impressing for a college sophomore. I basked in the references to Baphometh, the androgynous idol of the Templars, which tied into my own strong interest in mysticism. Also the powers of the Nightbreed, their allure of power and aloofness, remoteness but assertiveness in the same time, was a very powerful metaphor for a young guy who tended more towards the anti-social side.
Alas, this lasted about 6-7 years, until I saw Barker's movie 'Nightbreed' (which is also the name of the novel in the US), which was at about the same time when I learned tha Barker is gay, and very vocal and active in defending gay rights. This is, of course, great, every thinking man knows that segregation and discrimination of people by their sexual orientation is not only wrong, but also deprives the society of large amounts of intellectual and creative potential. However, I am strongly against interweaving fantasy novels with the LGBT message and using them as vehicle for such messages unbeknown to the reader. The movie makes it completely obvious that 'Cabal' is about the plight of the LGBT community. They are the 'monsters' living in Midian's graveyard. They look and act different from the 'regular' people and the 'regulars' hate them for that and try to exterminate them by any means. The Nightbreed are thought of as 'abominations' which is a label frequently applied to the LGBT by the fundamentalist right. The psychologist is the unscrupulous politician, who will use the most negative feelings of the public, and amplify and direct them, to his own advantage and goals, never really having a strong opinion about the matter in reality. Boone is the 'savior' the Christos in the original meaning of the word, with feet in both worlds, and understanding both, and ultimately reconciling them.
That all is great, however the reader should be warned about it. I ended up feeling cheated and with bitter taste in my mouth after analyzing the book from the LGBT paradigm, as it made much more sense than the superficial fantasy/horror paradigm. Don't get me wrong, I still like the book; I actually re-read it recently, but now I 'see through' the elements of the book, and see them as metaphors for Barker's social views. This is something that I feel strongly about, but I would not read a fantasy book dedicated to espousing it, thinly wrapped in fantasy/horror themes. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who is looking for exciting and powerful story, as long as you don't look too much below the surface. On the other hand, do yourself a favor and don't waste 2 hours watching 'Nightbreed' unless you are interested in the LGBT rights campaign in the early 90s.
Alas, this lasted about 6-7 years, until I saw Barker's movie 'Nightbreed' (which is also the name of the novel in the US), which was at about the same time when I learned tha Barker is gay, and very vocal and active in defending gay rights. This is, of course, great, every thinking man knows that segregation and discrimination of people by their sexual orientation is not only wrong, but also deprives the society of large amounts of intellectual and creative potential. However, I am strongly against interweaving fantasy novels with the LGBT message and using them as vehicle for such messages unbeknown to the reader. The movie makes it completely obvious that 'Cabal' is about the plight of the LGBT community. They are the 'monsters' living in Midian's graveyard. They look and act different from the 'regular' people and the 'regulars' hate them for that and try to exterminate them by any means. The Nightbreed are thought of as 'abominations' which is a label frequently applied to the LGBT by the fundamentalist right. The psychologist is the unscrupulous politician, who will use the most negative feelings of the public, and amplify and direct them, to his own advantage and goals, never really having a strong opinion about the matter in reality. Boone is the 'savior' the Christos in the original meaning of the word, with feet in both worlds, and understanding both, and ultimately reconciling them.
That all is great, however the reader should be warned about it. I ended up feeling cheated and with bitter taste in my mouth after analyzing the book from the LGBT paradigm, as it made much more sense than the superficial fantasy/horror paradigm. Don't get me wrong, I still like the book; I actually re-read it recently, but now I 'see through' the elements of the book, and see them as metaphors for Barker's social views. This is something that I feel strongly about, but I would not read a fantasy book dedicated to espousing it, thinly wrapped in fantasy/horror themes. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who is looking for exciting and powerful story, as long as you don't look too much below the surface. On the other hand, do yourself a favor and don't waste 2 hours watching 'Nightbreed' unless you are interested in the LGBT rights campaign in the early 90s.
"Weaveworld" by Clive Barker
I've read this book early in University when I was discovering Clive Barker as a writer, and getting excited about his fantasy works, not that much about his early horror work. I've re-read it recently and was thinking that I was going to get disappointed by it as I got with 'Cabal' and 'Imajica' when I discovered that Barker is gay, and found so much LGBT stuff in his books that they looked more like pamphlets for gay rights than novels. Weaveworld though was a surprise. Yes, there were some references to 'gender-transcendental sexuality' but they were kept to a minimum, and most of the content is dedicated to the actual content.
It is a complicated book. It is original as well. Few fantasy authors would think of enclosing their world in a carpet, at least I haven't encountered any. The people Barker invented, The Seerkind, are a little less convincing, but still well thought out, unlike the Nightbreed in 'Cabal' which are an obvious LGBT community. The characters, which are usually the weakest part of Barker's books, are comparatively well-developed, especially Mooney, and to a lesser extent Susanna, Shadwell and Immacollatta, which are more two-dimensional The Scourge is especially badly developed, and it seems like it was forgotten for most of the book, just to reappear at the end, in a not very convincing series of events and make a spectacular, but irrelevant, exit near the end.
I liked that the thought life of Mooney is presented to some length, as Barker usually doesn't care much what his characters think, since he is using them primarily as a vehicle for the story. I felt things were left incomplete with Mooney's girlfriend. She appears several times, but we never learn her motivation, or get some insight into why she's acting the way she is. The let-down of Mr.Gluck when he is to understand that all UFO-related phenomena that he's been researched all of his life could be linked to the Seerking 'ruptures' is also forced, and unconvincing. The intensity of the story, especially after the first 50 pages is excellent and reminiscent of Barker's short stories. The chase and search for the carpet, all the comings and goings and the coincidences or the lack thereof is enjoyable and exciting reading.
Barker's exquisite imagination with minute attention to detail shows throughout the book and this is what makes 'The Fugue' believable, and to a lesser-extent, its inhabitants. It is notable that the main protagonist in most Barker's works is a man, developed to a lesser or greater extent, like Mooney in this book. I would recommend this book to any fantasy fan, or to anyone who's looking for a great entry into the work of Clive Barker.
It is a complicated book. It is original as well. Few fantasy authors would think of enclosing their world in a carpet, at least I haven't encountered any. The people Barker invented, The Seerkind, are a little less convincing, but still well thought out, unlike the Nightbreed in 'Cabal' which are an obvious LGBT community. The characters, which are usually the weakest part of Barker's books, are comparatively well-developed, especially Mooney, and to a lesser extent Susanna, Shadwell and Immacollatta, which are more two-dimensional The Scourge is especially badly developed, and it seems like it was forgotten for most of the book, just to reappear at the end, in a not very convincing series of events and make a spectacular, but irrelevant, exit near the end.
I liked that the thought life of Mooney is presented to some length, as Barker usually doesn't care much what his characters think, since he is using them primarily as a vehicle for the story. I felt things were left incomplete with Mooney's girlfriend. She appears several times, but we never learn her motivation, or get some insight into why she's acting the way she is. The let-down of Mr.Gluck when he is to understand that all UFO-related phenomena that he's been researched all of his life could be linked to the Seerking 'ruptures' is also forced, and unconvincing. The intensity of the story, especially after the first 50 pages is excellent and reminiscent of Barker's short stories. The chase and search for the carpet, all the comings and goings and the coincidences or the lack thereof is enjoyable and exciting reading.
Barker's exquisite imagination with minute attention to detail shows throughout the book and this is what makes 'The Fugue' believable, and to a lesser-extent, its inhabitants. It is notable that the main protagonist in most Barker's works is a man, developed to a lesser or greater extent, like Mooney in this book. I would recommend this book to any fantasy fan, or to anyone who's looking for a great entry into the work of Clive Barker.
Monday, October 27, 2008
"The Teachings of Don Juan" by Carlos Castaneda and his other books
It is about 15 years since I first read "The Teachings of Don Juan" by Carlos Castaneda, when I was sophomore in High School. It was given to me by an uncle once removed, as something that might interest me, but he's suspicious of. I was, needless to say, totally blown away by the book. It had everything a daydreaming, new-agy high school sophomore could wish for: hallucinogenic plants, sorcery, powerful teacher, promise of power and immortality, exotic locations (for an European), spirits, supernatural forces, etc. etc.
I found it difficult at that time to find the rest of Castaneda's books (there were only 10 at the time), but after I went to college (at an american university)I found several more of his books and was immersed in the fascinating story and mythology. However, by this time the Internet was becoming a force to be reckoned with, and there was much more information available there than in any single library or other media. On the Internet I found that things were not as straight forward as 'Carlito' was describing them in his books.
I found out that Castaneda probably never met anyone like Don Juan, but he's amalgamate of his researches and his wishful thinking. I found that there are multiple contradictions and conflicting timelines in his books, like during the time he says he was at a peyote ritual in Sonora, Mexico, he was actually borrowing and reading books about other people's peyote ritual experiences in the library at UCLA. Most disturbingly though, I've found out that he has built a cult following around him, mostly of female students, with whom he had regular sexual intercourse under the pretense of spiritual instruction and whom he abused, lied to and treated in despicable manner in general. He was a kind of misguided, complexed and definitely less funny modern-day Gurdjieff.
At that time I abandoned his books in revolt, and his 'Cleargreen' company teaching supposed 'Magical Passes' for money (of which there are several claims that the passes were actually modified Chinese techniques taught to Castaneda in Mexico City) did not help at all. Lately, I've found audio versions of several of the Castaneda's books, including my favorite 'The Teachings of Don Juan'. After I read them I decided to do more research and make an informed decision. What I discovered startled and disgusted me.
I knew that Castaneda died in 1998 (of liver cancer), and that his death was kept secret for two months by his cronies 'Cleargreen', but I didn't know that his sex-slaves (or should I say students?) disappeared immediately after his death, never to be heard of again, until the body of one of them was positively identified in 2006 in the California Death Valley, dead of presumed suicide, which fate is presumed for the rest 4 women who disappeared. What kind of sick wacko forms a cult in which he has sex with every female that enters and makes them believe things that make them kill themselves after his death? What is the difference between him and the host of mentally ill cult leaders who make their followers take poison? I mean people have jumped off cliffs because Castaneda had written that shamans will burn their bodies from within with inner fire and will never reach the bottom of the cliff. Needless to say, none of those who jumped burned at all, but their corpses were perfectly whole at the bottom of the cliff.
One of the 'students', who had the good sense to leave while there was time, wrote a memoir of her apprenticeship with Carlos, most of which consisted of having sex with him at a time when she was 19 and he about 60. From the Time magazine article in 1973 and his own references scattered throughout his books, it can be seen that Castaneda had many unresolved issues with his parents and family, especially his father. His cousins and friends in Peru (where he was born and raised) remembered him as a "cheerful person, a big gambler, a big lier and obssesed with immigrating to the US".
I am deeply disappointed by the true nature and deeds of Carlos Castaneda, and I feel cheated and fooled into believing what I thought was a magical world in my teens. His books are a hodge-podge of bits and pieces Castaneda gathered from different sources, and the only wisdom in them is the one he borrowed from various great philosophers. I might still read his books as entertaining fiction, but I have lost all respect for the work and the man he claimed to be.
I found it difficult at that time to find the rest of Castaneda's books (there were only 10 at the time), but after I went to college (at an american university)I found several more of his books and was immersed in the fascinating story and mythology. However, by this time the Internet was becoming a force to be reckoned with, and there was much more information available there than in any single library or other media. On the Internet I found that things were not as straight forward as 'Carlito' was describing them in his books.
I found out that Castaneda probably never met anyone like Don Juan, but he's amalgamate of his researches and his wishful thinking. I found that there are multiple contradictions and conflicting timelines in his books, like during the time he says he was at a peyote ritual in Sonora, Mexico, he was actually borrowing and reading books about other people's peyote ritual experiences in the library at UCLA. Most disturbingly though, I've found out that he has built a cult following around him, mostly of female students, with whom he had regular sexual intercourse under the pretense of spiritual instruction and whom he abused, lied to and treated in despicable manner in general. He was a kind of misguided, complexed and definitely less funny modern-day Gurdjieff.
At that time I abandoned his books in revolt, and his 'Cleargreen' company teaching supposed 'Magical Passes' for money (of which there are several claims that the passes were actually modified Chinese techniques taught to Castaneda in Mexico City) did not help at all. Lately, I've found audio versions of several of the Castaneda's books, including my favorite 'The Teachings of Don Juan'. After I read them I decided to do more research and make an informed decision. What I discovered startled and disgusted me.
I knew that Castaneda died in 1998 (of liver cancer), and that his death was kept secret for two months by his cronies 'Cleargreen', but I didn't know that his sex-slaves (or should I say students?) disappeared immediately after his death, never to be heard of again, until the body of one of them was positively identified in 2006 in the California Death Valley, dead of presumed suicide, which fate is presumed for the rest 4 women who disappeared. What kind of sick wacko forms a cult in which he has sex with every female that enters and makes them believe things that make them kill themselves after his death? What is the difference between him and the host of mentally ill cult leaders who make their followers take poison? I mean people have jumped off cliffs because Castaneda had written that shamans will burn their bodies from within with inner fire and will never reach the bottom of the cliff. Needless to say, none of those who jumped burned at all, but their corpses were perfectly whole at the bottom of the cliff.
One of the 'students', who had the good sense to leave while there was time, wrote a memoir of her apprenticeship with Carlos, most of which consisted of having sex with him at a time when she was 19 and he about 60. From the Time magazine article in 1973 and his own references scattered throughout his books, it can be seen that Castaneda had many unresolved issues with his parents and family, especially his father. His cousins and friends in Peru (where he was born and raised) remembered him as a "cheerful person, a big gambler, a big lier and obssesed with immigrating to the US".
I am deeply disappointed by the true nature and deeds of Carlos Castaneda, and I feel cheated and fooled into believing what I thought was a magical world in my teens. His books are a hodge-podge of bits and pieces Castaneda gathered from different sources, and the only wisdom in them is the one he borrowed from various great philosophers. I might still read his books as entertaining fiction, but I have lost all respect for the work and the man he claimed to be.
Friday, October 3, 2008
"Robert Anton Wilson explains Everything" by RA Wilson
I was introduced to Robert Anton Wilson when I was interested in Peter Carroll and Chaos Magick in the mid-to-late 90s. RAW's books were recommended as essential for understanding the modern Magick paradigm. My good luck resulted in me reading 'Prometheus Rising' as my first RAW book and I was impressed. The book mainly details Leary's eight circuit model of consciousness, with which I was not acquainted at the time, and it appeared as a very lucid and intelligible model of what might be going on in people's heads. The second book I read from RAW was 'Quantum Psychology' (I actually purchased both of these books!), which was touted as second part of 'Prometheus Rising'. I was very disappointed with this book, which seemed to me a big pile of hodge-podge (not in the discordian way unfortunatey), lots of light prose, some repeats from the previous book, some perennial 'wisdoms' and common sensical things that you don't need to purchase a book to learn - and little else. I wrote a pretty bad review for it and almost forgot about RAW until last year when I got his notorious 'Illuminatus' as an audio book, and inflicted the, by no means small, pain upon myself of listening to the first 45 minutes. I could absolutely make no sense of anything. I never liked the 'stream of consciousness' books. I still haven't read Joyce. I didn't even know 'Illuminatus' was stream of consciousness book, and that RAW was such a great admirer of Joyce.
Anyway, the audio book titled above consists of 4 sessions where RAW talks to the editor of 'Sounds True', an audio book publishing house, plus 3 recordings from his lectures. The first part is much more entertaining, as I don't find RAW to be a great speaker, though I have read that he even did stand-up comedy. The interview with 'Sounds True' is very genuine, relaxed and informative. The reader/listener gets to hear RAW's stance on plenty of controversial topics popular today as well as reminiscences of people and events inhis illustrious past, and some comments about his own books. RAW never became rich from his books, which actually sold pretty well, but he could live comfortable. That is, he lived comfortable until the last year of his life, when his life-long fight with polio consequences was beginning to be lost. He appealed for funds to cover his medical expenses on his blog and posted a reply after receiving more than he expected about how touched he was that there were people who still cared about him. He passed away less than a week after the blog post.
This audio recording is very easy-listening and very entertaining, and can be seen as the best introduction to his overall work and positions on most issues he wrote and lectured about throughout his life. One of the sessions espouses Leary's eight circuit model of consciousness, to which RAW contributed, in a clear and intelligible knowledge. The lecture recordings that follow concentrate on particular topics in his writings, and there is an interesting question and answer period recorded. I didn't like the speeches as much as the previous conversation parts, but they definitely add value. Although I don't share the excitement about Robert Anton Wilson's writings that many people seem to hold, I do recognize his place in development of modern thought and exploration of fringe areas of science, and would recommend this audio book as a great introduction to the man and his work to everyone.
Anyway, the audio book titled above consists of 4 sessions where RAW talks to the editor of 'Sounds True', an audio book publishing house, plus 3 recordings from his lectures. The first part is much more entertaining, as I don't find RAW to be a great speaker, though I have read that he even did stand-up comedy. The interview with 'Sounds True' is very genuine, relaxed and informative. The reader/listener gets to hear RAW's stance on plenty of controversial topics popular today as well as reminiscences of people and events inhis illustrious past, and some comments about his own books. RAW never became rich from his books, which actually sold pretty well, but he could live comfortable. That is, he lived comfortable until the last year of his life, when his life-long fight with polio consequences was beginning to be lost. He appealed for funds to cover his medical expenses on his blog and posted a reply after receiving more than he expected about how touched he was that there were people who still cared about him. He passed away less than a week after the blog post.
This audio recording is very easy-listening and very entertaining, and can be seen as the best introduction to his overall work and positions on most issues he wrote and lectured about throughout his life. One of the sessions espouses Leary's eight circuit model of consciousness, to which RAW contributed, in a clear and intelligible knowledge. The lecture recordings that follow concentrate on particular topics in his writings, and there is an interesting question and answer period recorded. I didn't like the speeches as much as the previous conversation parts, but they definitely add value. Although I don't share the excitement about Robert Anton Wilson's writings that many people seem to hold, I do recognize his place in development of modern thought and exploration of fringe areas of science, and would recommend this audio book as a great introduction to the man and his work to everyone.
"Imajica" by Clive Barker
Haven't written for a while. That doesn't mean I wasn't reading, I actually finished 2 books and am currently reading another 3. The times were stressful, new job, new apartment, GMAT, summer, beach, etc. I hope I finish the review of both books I finished today, or otherwise it might be next week , as the weekend should be filled with activities. The first book I finished was 'Imajica' by Clive Barker.
I read 'Imajica' for the first time when I was an undergrad student. I was immensely impressed by Barker's books 'Cabal', 'Weaveworld', and the lovely 'The Thief of Always', although I initially started reading Barker because I was searching the annals of horror literature since Lovecraft, and I wanted to read all of the major modern authors, just as I read all the books I could Lovecraft mentioned in his essay 'The supernatural in the history of literature'. I liked 'The Books of Blood' and 'The Damnation Game' but it was his fantasy novels that really impressed me and put Barker on the shelf of my favorite authors. I can credit primarily Barker, actually, for my primary reading interest during undergrad shifting from horror and 'hard' science fiction to a more fantasy selection, though I have been a fan of Tolkien, Le Guinn, and others since early high school. When I compare what has Barker done with his fantasy novels relative to his horror work, I cannot fail to notice that his fantasy (or as he calls it 'dark fantasy') work is way above in style and creativity, and this fact made me notice that in literature in general, the purely horror works are usually of much 'pulpier' quality than fantasy works.
I remembered, from undergrad, the vast worlds, the many fantastic creatures, the nomenclature, the unknown, the suspense, the seemingly limitless imagination that Barker has invested in this novel. This, if any, should be called his seminal work. Here he presents his worldview, his view of afterlife, God, spirituality, relationships, transcending the customary accepted ones in our modern society, and going well beyond and above them. One thing that struck me as particularly strong, and this goes also for my second reading of my favorite novel by Barker 'Cabal', is his hardly veiled descriptions, apologetics, and actual exaltation, in a sense, of homosexual, transsexual and transgender lifestyles.
This revelation was the biggest shock to me when I re-read 'Cabal' some years ago, being about 5-6 years out of undergrad, and for the first time after I read that Barker is openly homosexual and activist in the community. I saw all the names, relationships and symbols in 'Cabal' completely different. They were not arbitrary gems of a great imagination, but most of them were symbolic of the homosexual society, and the oppression against them, the ways they had to hide in order to survive and what they had to invent to keep sane. The Nightbreed in 'Cabal' are the LBGT community, driven into hiding because of the very thing they are, and mercilessly chased and destroyed by the evil 'townspeople' just for being different, being 'freaks'. In this sense much of the dialogue, person's names and actions become much more obvious and sequential. Boone is maybe Barker himself, sent by Baphometh to free the Nightbreed, that is the LGBT community from the oppression of the fundamentalists, who themselves have much bigger problems, represented by Decker.
But this review is about 'Imajica'. Here too, the themes of transcending sexuality in both substance, as in not having it limited to union of a male and female, but in many other varieties, and in structure, as in the sexual manuscript with outlandish sexual postures, in one the lovers consuming each others bodies, are greatly elaborated and presented in favorable light. Pie-oh-pah is a mystiv, thus Gentle is both heterosexual and bisexual at the same time. Taylor and Clem are very important, very positive and very openly gay characters. Judith has many fantasies of making love with other women. The other creatures that populate the Imajica, they all have their own ways of having sex, and elaborate customs and reasons around them, and Barker intentionally presents all this variety in its wonder and beauty, so to point out to the ordinary reader that the male-female union is not the only one, not even the only valid one, and far from being the best one. I think that the book cannot be understood without understanding the homosexual and transsexual apology interwoven with the main theme.
'Imajica' is also a stage for Barker to show his distaste for the 'One God - and a patriarchal one at that' paradigm. He describes the goddesses and the matriarchal rites and religion in much more positive light than Hapexamendios (only God knows how he came up with that name), who is irrational, infantile, cruel and selfish. Even the fact that Barker named Imajica's supreme deity is a kind of rebellion against the dogma of the real name of God being unutterable in most major religions. Some parts of the novel read as a straight defense and praise of Wicca, goddess-based religions and feminism, to a point that it gets boring. The supreme love of Gentle, a male, toward Pie-oh-pah, a hermaphrodite, putting it above any love he felt for a woman, which is emphasized over and over again, is also in line of Barker's defense of love as a thing in itself (not in Kantian sense though), independent of artificial limits the society has imposed upon it.
There are several faults with the novel. First, it starts way too slow. Nothing really happens for the first 250 pages. Second, didacticism, in a sense of Barker's convictions about sex, love, relationships, God, spirituality, etc., is very present, taking large chunks of the chapters, and can be annoying and superfluous at times. These two flaws I see as major ones, and with some trimming of the said content, the book could lose about 300-400 pages, and be much more readable than in its present state. Another flaw, as I see it, and which appears in many other Barker's books is his treatment of Magic, whether he calls it 'fates', 'ruptures', or something else. All magic in Barker's novels seems to come from the body od the operator, breath, spit, blood, sperm, feces, etc. This is a very modernistic view of magical operations, similar to postulates of 'Chaos Magick' and other modern currents, however he does not give a sufficient context neither in the traditional, medieval pantheon, or in the modernistic currents. Magic seems for Barker to be an afterthought, and ornament, something to 'make pretty' his primary discourses of sex, sexuality, relationships and emotions, primarily in gay homosexual contexts.
This is definitely the greatest book Barker has ever penned. It has its flaws, and is definitely not an easy-reading. There are multiple layers of meanings and most things become obvious only when looked through an LBGT prism. Barker is still described as a 'Horror Writer' but that is only accurate of the very beginning of his career. He has long ago abandoned hardcore horror and has instead craeted fantastic imaginary universes worthy of Lord Dunsany.
I read 'Imajica' for the first time when I was an undergrad student. I was immensely impressed by Barker's books 'Cabal', 'Weaveworld', and the lovely 'The Thief of Always', although I initially started reading Barker because I was searching the annals of horror literature since Lovecraft, and I wanted to read all of the major modern authors, just as I read all the books I could Lovecraft mentioned in his essay 'The supernatural in the history of literature'. I liked 'The Books of Blood' and 'The Damnation Game' but it was his fantasy novels that really impressed me and put Barker on the shelf of my favorite authors. I can credit primarily Barker, actually, for my primary reading interest during undergrad shifting from horror and 'hard' science fiction to a more fantasy selection, though I have been a fan of Tolkien, Le Guinn, and others since early high school. When I compare what has Barker done with his fantasy novels relative to his horror work, I cannot fail to notice that his fantasy (or as he calls it 'dark fantasy') work is way above in style and creativity, and this fact made me notice that in literature in general, the purely horror works are usually of much 'pulpier' quality than fantasy works.
I remembered, from undergrad, the vast worlds, the many fantastic creatures, the nomenclature, the unknown, the suspense, the seemingly limitless imagination that Barker has invested in this novel. This, if any, should be called his seminal work. Here he presents his worldview, his view of afterlife, God, spirituality, relationships, transcending the customary accepted ones in our modern society, and going well beyond and above them. One thing that struck me as particularly strong, and this goes also for my second reading of my favorite novel by Barker 'Cabal', is his hardly veiled descriptions, apologetics, and actual exaltation, in a sense, of homosexual, transsexual and transgender lifestyles.
This revelation was the biggest shock to me when I re-read 'Cabal' some years ago, being about 5-6 years out of undergrad, and for the first time after I read that Barker is openly homosexual and activist in the community. I saw all the names, relationships and symbols in 'Cabal' completely different. They were not arbitrary gems of a great imagination, but most of them were symbolic of the homosexual society, and the oppression against them, the ways they had to hide in order to survive and what they had to invent to keep sane. The Nightbreed in 'Cabal' are the LBGT community, driven into hiding because of the very thing they are, and mercilessly chased and destroyed by the evil 'townspeople' just for being different, being 'freaks'. In this sense much of the dialogue, person's names and actions become much more obvious and sequential. Boone is maybe Barker himself, sent by Baphometh to free the Nightbreed, that is the LGBT community from the oppression of the fundamentalists, who themselves have much bigger problems, represented by Decker.
But this review is about 'Imajica'. Here too, the themes of transcending sexuality in both substance, as in not having it limited to union of a male and female, but in many other varieties, and in structure, as in the sexual manuscript with outlandish sexual postures, in one the lovers consuming each others bodies, are greatly elaborated and presented in favorable light. Pie-oh-pah is a mystiv, thus Gentle is both heterosexual and bisexual at the same time. Taylor and Clem are very important, very positive and very openly gay characters. Judith has many fantasies of making love with other women. The other creatures that populate the Imajica, they all have their own ways of having sex, and elaborate customs and reasons around them, and Barker intentionally presents all this variety in its wonder and beauty, so to point out to the ordinary reader that the male-female union is not the only one, not even the only valid one, and far from being the best one. I think that the book cannot be understood without understanding the homosexual and transsexual apology interwoven with the main theme.
'Imajica' is also a stage for Barker to show his distaste for the 'One God - and a patriarchal one at that' paradigm. He describes the goddesses and the matriarchal rites and religion in much more positive light than Hapexamendios (only God knows how he came up with that name), who is irrational, infantile, cruel and selfish. Even the fact that Barker named Imajica's supreme deity is a kind of rebellion against the dogma of the real name of God being unutterable in most major religions. Some parts of the novel read as a straight defense and praise of Wicca, goddess-based religions and feminism, to a point that it gets boring. The supreme love of Gentle, a male, toward Pie-oh-pah, a hermaphrodite, putting it above any love he felt for a woman, which is emphasized over and over again, is also in line of Barker's defense of love as a thing in itself (not in Kantian sense though), independent of artificial limits the society has imposed upon it.
There are several faults with the novel. First, it starts way too slow. Nothing really happens for the first 250 pages. Second, didacticism, in a sense of Barker's convictions about sex, love, relationships, God, spirituality, etc., is very present, taking large chunks of the chapters, and can be annoying and superfluous at times. These two flaws I see as major ones, and with some trimming of the said content, the book could lose about 300-400 pages, and be much more readable than in its present state. Another flaw, as I see it, and which appears in many other Barker's books is his treatment of Magic, whether he calls it 'fates', 'ruptures', or something else. All magic in Barker's novels seems to come from the body od the operator, breath, spit, blood, sperm, feces, etc. This is a very modernistic view of magical operations, similar to postulates of 'Chaos Magick' and other modern currents, however he does not give a sufficient context neither in the traditional, medieval pantheon, or in the modernistic currents. Magic seems for Barker to be an afterthought, and ornament, something to 'make pretty' his primary discourses of sex, sexuality, relationships and emotions, primarily in gay homosexual contexts.
This is definitely the greatest book Barker has ever penned. It has its flaws, and is definitely not an easy-reading. There are multiple layers of meanings and most things become obvious only when looked through an LBGT prism. Barker is still described as a 'Horror Writer' but that is only accurate of the very beginning of his career. He has long ago abandoned hardcore horror and has instead craeted fantastic imaginary universes worthy of Lord Dunsany.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)