Mark P. Henderson

Persons from Porlock, and another book review

Personal: There’s a well known story – allegedly true – that when Coleridge was writing Kublai Khan he was interrupted by a visit from “a person from Porlock”. The effect was to destroy the inspiration and the poem was never completed; it remains a fragment. I don’t suppose the person from Porlock was on Samuel’s Christmas card list thereafter.

I’m no Coleridge (for one thing I’m not an opium addict; also, I’m a fairly abysmal poet), but I do write… when I’m not being interrupted by phone calls, urgent emails, text messages, people ringing my doorbell – indeed, I believe I’m afflicted with demands from half the population of Porlock. Yes, I know, it’s my own fault, trying to keep too many plate spinning, putting too many irons in the fire – choose your own cliche. But sometimes I wish I could find a good soundproof room, with no phone, and get along with trying to finish my own equivalent of Kublai Khan. Or, alternatively, that Porlock would go back into lockdown.

Review: I’ve just finished reading Jack Mann’s sci-fi novel Gravity’s Arrow. Even if you’re not a sci-fi fan (I’m not!), try this one. I recommend it.

Gravity’s Arrow is a long novel but it doesn’t feel long to the reader. At no point does it ‘drag’, and the final quarter of the book is a white-knuckle ride that kept me reading long after my usual bedtime. There are several features that make it work well. First and foremost, there’s an engaging protagonist, Fhilo, whose family is highly eccentric but loving. An empathetic central character is essential in any genre of fiction. Second, it’s driven by conflict, as all good novels are: there is betrayal and there are divided loyalties, and there’s also an element of romance. Third, the book works very well just as an adventure story, with a good deal of fighting (some of it fairly bloody, and with occasional horror-fiction scenes). Fourth, on a different level, it addresses questions that should concern us all on our own little planet. How ought we to deal with other species that we might regard as monsters, and with species we choose to exploit? What part does (or can) religion play in driving conflict – or in mitigating it? In other words, this is a multi-level story, at once entertaining and thought-provoking.

The writing is of high quality but generally within the grasp of the intended young-adult readership. In the early pages there are a lot of names, and that could deter some readers, but given the very large cast of characters (which the story needs) there’s no way round this, and  Dr Mann doesn’t commit the all too common sci-fi and fantasy faux pas of paralysing the action with excess world-building. Nor does he allow his medical expertise to intrude on his story-telling; he makes good but subtle use of it.

I enjoyed the book on more than one level. I believe it would merit a second reading – when I have time! – but if the promised sequel appears then I’ll probably read that first.

Jack Mann, Gravity’s Arrow, Fantastic Books Publishing, 2019; ISBN: ‎ 9781912053063