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The Broken Land
In the midst of the war between the Emperor and the people of Chepsenyt, young Mathembe Fileli is separated from her parents, and she sets off on a desperate journey of survival. Reprint.
361 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
16 people are currently reading
416 people want to read
About the author
Ian McDonald
265 books1,263 followersIan Neil McDonald was born in 1960 in Manchester, England, to an Irish mother and a Scottish father. He moved with his family to Northern Ireland in 1965. He used to live in a house built in the back garden of C. S. Lewis's childhood home but has since moved to central Belfast, where he now lives, exploring interests like cats, contemplative religion, bonsai, bicycles, and comic-book collecting. He debuted in 1982 with the short story "The Island of the Dead" in the short-lived British magazine Extro. His first novel, Desolation Road, was published in 1988. Other works include King of Morning, Queen of Day (winner of the Philip K. Dick Award), River of Gods, The Dervish House (both of which won British Science Fiction Association Awards), the graphic novel Kling Klang Klatch, and many more. His most recent publications are Planesrunner and Be My Enemy, books one and two of the Everness series for younger readers (though older readers will find them a ball of fun, as well). Ian worked in television development for sixteen years, but is glad to be back to writing full-time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
February 7, 2017
This is one of those books where I have to hold my hand up and admit I was captured by the cover first (it is after all a Jim Burns) and was only later impressed by the story.
In this book there is so much is going on - from the style and prose it is written in to the sheer creativity of the world Mr McDonald creates to the subtle messages and subjects he decides to explore and discuss through the storyline - most of which I will not discuss since it gives away the storyline.
But what can I say - having read the book (and many of other peoples reviews on the book too) I agree that the internal conflict though obviously fantastic has a resonance to our world today, in fact I could not help seeing correlations to places and situations in the news and yet it didn't feel contrived or artificial.
Then again I was fascinated with the creativity of the world to how such an alien world (with its technology and life forms as well as the various characters approach and interaction with them) so quickly became the accepted normal. The style it is written in does take a little while to get used to but once you do the story really comes alive.
Now I will admit that Ian McDonald is one of those authors I have heard of but experienced very little (something I must do something about) but what I can say is the gamble was worth it and I think every story can do with character like grandfather.
In this book there is so much is going on - from the style and prose it is written in to the sheer creativity of the world Mr McDonald creates to the subtle messages and subjects he decides to explore and discuss through the storyline - most of which I will not discuss since it gives away the storyline.
But what can I say - having read the book (and many of other peoples reviews on the book too) I agree that the internal conflict though obviously fantastic has a resonance to our world today, in fact I could not help seeing correlations to places and situations in the news and yet it didn't feel contrived or artificial.
Then again I was fascinated with the creativity of the world to how such an alien world (with its technology and life forms as well as the various characters approach and interaction with them) so quickly became the accepted normal. The style it is written in does take a little while to get used to but once you do the story really comes alive.
Now I will admit that Ian McDonald is one of those authors I have heard of but experienced very little (something I must do something about) but what I can say is the gamble was worth it and I think every story can do with character like grandfather.
May 16, 2015
Što bi rekla Lajza Mineli, božanstvena dekadencija od knjige.
Divni, savršeni SF koji se istovremeno bavi uticajem nezamislivo napredne tehnologije na naše živote, politikom i političkim podelama, etikom, zagrobnim životom i metafizikom... ma šta god hoćete. Sve pisano raskošnim, poetskim jezikom, a prikazani svet organske tehonologije je nezamislivo vizuelno bogat, podsećajući na najbolje slike Maksa Ernsta.
Neverovatno koliko je ovo ambiciozno štivo i koliko autor uspeva u svemu što je naumio. Kroz životnu priču neme devojčice Matembe Fileli, Mekdonald prikazuje svet sa nepomirljivo zavađenim frakcijama koje su podeljene verom i jezikom. Kad sam stigla do dela sa preimenovanjem toponima kao ključnim simbolom tlačenja, tačno sam znala da je solidan deo ovog konflikta preuzet iz irsko-engleske istorije, i gle, autor je detinjstvo i mladost proveo u Belfastu, šezdesetih i sedamdesetih, ali podela između Ispovednika i Proklamatora nije puka alegorija niti je mehanički preslikana, analogije se mogu povući i sa nama bližim i bolnijim podelama.
Mekdonald uspeva da stvori svet oblikovan "Zelenim talasom", revolucionarnim biotehnološkim prevratom, iz koga proističu ne samo prikazane tehnologije već i različiti pogledi na svet, religiju, umetnost, svrhu života. "Srca, ruke i glasovi" prosto zastrašuju stepenom u kome se ovako razrađen koncept stapa sa upečatljivim i životnim likovima - ne radi se samo o tome da navijate za njih, nego pojedine scene čak i kod ovako blaziranog čitaoca poput mene zaista zazivaju spontanu neposrednu emotivnu reakciju, strah, sažaljenje, katarzu.
Ima li ova knjiga mana? Pa, od silne krcatosti idejama i slikama, kompozicija je možda malo popustila: ovde ima materijala za bar dve knjige, a etape Matembinog puta/života ponekad su malo sažetije i odsečnije prikazane nego što bih to volela, ali u suštini, zamerka mi se svodi na to da je knjiga prekratka za to koliko je dobra, pa... odbacite je.
Divni, savršeni SF koji se istovremeno bavi uticajem nezamislivo napredne tehnologije na naše živote, politikom i političkim podelama, etikom, zagrobnim životom i metafizikom... ma šta god hoćete. Sve pisano raskošnim, poetskim jezikom, a prikazani svet organske tehonologije je nezamislivo vizuelno bogat, podsećajući na najbolje slike Maksa Ernsta.
Neverovatno koliko je ovo ambiciozno štivo i koliko autor uspeva u svemu što je naumio. Kroz životnu priču neme devojčice Matembe Fileli, Mekdonald prikazuje svet sa nepomirljivo zavađenim frakcijama koje su podeljene verom i jezikom. Kad sam stigla do dela sa preimenovanjem toponima kao ključnim simbolom tlačenja, tačno sam znala da je solidan deo ovog konflikta preuzet iz irsko-engleske istorije, i gle, autor je detinjstvo i mladost proveo u Belfastu, šezdesetih i sedamdesetih, ali podela između Ispovednika i Proklamatora nije puka alegorija niti je mehanički preslikana, analogije se mogu povući i sa nama bližim i bolnijim podelama.
Mekdonald uspeva da stvori svet oblikovan "Zelenim talasom", revolucionarnim biotehnološkim prevratom, iz koga proističu ne samo prikazane tehnologije već i različiti pogledi na svet, religiju, umetnost, svrhu života. "Srca, ruke i glasovi" prosto zastrašuju stepenom u kome se ovako razrađen koncept stapa sa upečatljivim i životnim likovima - ne radi se samo o tome da navijate za njih, nego pojedine scene čak i kod ovako blaziranog čitaoca poput mene zaista zazivaju spontanu neposrednu emotivnu reakciju, strah, sažaljenje, katarzu.
Ima li ova knjiga mana? Pa, od silne krcatosti idejama i slikama, kompozicija je možda malo popustila: ovde ima materijala za bar dve knjige, a etape Matembinog puta/života ponekad su malo sažetije i odsečnije prikazane nego što bih to volela, ali u suštini, zamerka mi se svodi na to da je knjiga prekratka za to koliko je dobra, pa... odbacite je.
July 25, 2016
Mnogo mi se dopada zamisao. Malo me je udavila, ali sam je pred kraj progutala. Radnja tera čoveka da se zapita o mnogim stvarima. Super je! :)
June 9, 2011
This is a more challenging book than I've been reading lately, and that's a pity because I now remember that reading challenging books is a much more satisfying experience.
The Broken Land is challenging in all the right ways. The prose is dense but beautifully packed with imagery, the sort of descriptions you read twice to fully understand and three times just because they're so moving.
McDonald has created a politically, culturally and ethically complex world. Wikipedia will tell you he writes about the effect of technology and colonialism on developing countries and sure, that's true, but The Broken Land does not read like a Novel With An Important Message About Colonialism. It's a novel about characters, about fully believable individuals who make up fully believable townships that make up fully believable cultural groups and countries, and how they interact with each other to beautiful or tragic effect.
The Broken Land is challenging in all the right ways. The prose is dense but beautifully packed with imagery, the sort of descriptions you read twice to fully understand and three times just because they're so moving.
McDonald has created a politically, culturally and ethically complex world. Wikipedia will tell you he writes about the effect of technology and colonialism on developing countries and sure, that's true, but The Broken Land does not read like a Novel With An Important Message About Colonialism. It's a novel about characters, about fully believable individuals who make up fully believable townships that make up fully believable cultural groups and countries, and how they interact with each other to beautiful or tragic effect.
April 28, 2014
I've had a review copy of this for ages. I was slightly put off by negative/ambivalent reviews, but this ended up being really, really fascinating. I'm a little taken aback by the fact that people see Israel/Palestine here and not Catholics/Protestants in Northern Ireland -- I mean, come on: the language thing, read Translations by Brian Friel, and Confessors vs. Proclaimers... The language thing especially got to me, because you know, I'm Welsh and I live in Wales and yes, half the place named are bastardised into English, and there was the whole issue of the Welsh Not and the Treachery of the Blue Books and... so many of the issues spoke to me.
Others, of course, do speak to other conflicts, to other people's; to discrimination anywhere and everywhere. It's not purely about Ireland or Israel or anywhere: it's about a land, any land, splitting itself in half. And maybe, maybe, coming together again afterwards.
The writing style is different -- more reported speech than direct speech, a narrator that's liquid and loose, more like a thought than a sentence spoken aloud. The world is fascinating, some of the characters really intrigued me, but somehow it was that liquidity, that flow, that really made the story fly by for me. It's easier if you just immerse yourself in it and go go go; harder if you try to overthink it. It's a dizzingly different world, and yet so much the same.
In other words, I was completely hooked and must read more Ian McDonald books.
Others, of course, do speak to other conflicts, to other people's; to discrimination anywhere and everywhere. It's not purely about Ireland or Israel or anywhere: it's about a land, any land, splitting itself in half. And maybe, maybe, coming together again afterwards.
The writing style is different -- more reported speech than direct speech, a narrator that's liquid and loose, more like a thought than a sentence spoken aloud. The world is fascinating, some of the characters really intrigued me, but somehow it was that liquidity, that flow, that really made the story fly by for me. It's easier if you just immerse yourself in it and go go go; harder if you try to overthink it. It's a dizzingly different world, and yet so much the same.
In other words, I was completely hooked and must read more Ian McDonald books.
September 29, 2015
Ono što je meni, kao osobi koja je odrastala tokom zabavnih događaja destrukcije koji su zahvatili prostore bivše Jugoslavije da bi se zatim čini se trajno naselili u Srbiji, učinilo posebno interesantnim tokom čitanja romana Srca, ruke i glasovi jeste što sam u opisima događaja prepoznavao obrasce ponašanja i događaje iz naše neposredne prošlosti.
U jednom trenutku romana, na primer, Nacionalisti presreću autobus i iz njega, na osnovu ličnih dokumenata otkrivaju, i izvode Imperijaliste i na licu mesta ih ubijaju. Samo zato što su pripadnici druge vere i nacije.
Gotovo istovetan stvarni događaj je opisan pre nekoliko godina i u našoj štampi.
Ovo je samo jedan od primera u kojima sam prepoznao događaje, ljude i mentalitete kojima smo mi u Srbiji bili svedoci.
Možda je baš zbog te bliskosti sa temom ovo najbolji roman Ijana Mekdonalda koji sam pročitao. Svakako je njegovo delo koje mi se najviše dopalo. Ovo je dobra knjiga koja zahteva strpljenje i pažnju tokom čitanja. Izbegavajte da je čitate u gradskom prevozu ili u kafićima i fakultetskim čitaonicama u kojima je velika larma.
U jednom trenutku romana, na primer, Nacionalisti presreću autobus i iz njega, na osnovu ličnih dokumenata otkrivaju, i izvode Imperijaliste i na licu mesta ih ubijaju. Samo zato što su pripadnici druge vere i nacije.
Gotovo istovetan stvarni događaj je opisan pre nekoliko godina i u našoj štampi.
Ovo je samo jedan od primera u kojima sam prepoznao događaje, ljude i mentalitete kojima smo mi u Srbiji bili svedoci.
Možda je baš zbog te bliskosti sa temom ovo najbolji roman Ijana Mekdonalda koji sam pročitao. Svakako je njegovo delo koje mi se najviše dopalo. Ovo je dobra knjiga koja zahteva strpljenje i pažnju tokom čitanja. Izbegavajte da je čitate u gradskom prevozu ili u kafićima i fakultetskim čitaonicama u kojima je velika larma.
February 24, 2025
19/01/2025 (* 1/2 )
Un mezzo disastro.
Peccato, gli spunti c'erano, la verve narrativa - a tratti - anche.
Tuttavia la lettura ha mostrato, a mio parere, problemi insormontabili.
Il primo, e più catastrofico, problema è la carenza del background narrativo su cui si fonda il romanzo. Siamo in un futuro lontano, la Terra appare irriconoscibile, i riferimenti geografici si sono completamente persi nei secoli: potremo essere in Europa, come in Africa, come in Australia. La popolazione è divisa in due fazioni, contrapposte da un diverso credo religioso. I Proclamanti credono in unico Dio e sono devoti sudditi di un lontano Impero in decadenza; i Confessori sono politeisti e dediti alla ricombinazione genetica, vivono in larga parte in armonia con la natura, plasmata con la bioingegneria affinché produca quanto necessario, e vorrebbero l'indipendenza dall'impero.
La protagonista, Mathembe, appartiene alla seconda schiera e quando gli imperiali scoprono che il suo villaggio nasconde dei ribelli, lo rade al suolo, costringendo la popolazione a un esodo drammatico; tale situazione poi evolve in una catastrofe umanitaria quando fra le due fazioni scoppia una guerra civile. Come sempre, senza pietà e senza prigionieri.
Tutto bene, salvo che il background narrativo è appena accennato, e in modo confuso. Gli aspetti fondamentali di queste nuove e incomprensibili - a noi - civiltà non vengono introdotti né illustrati, se non parzialmente e molto in là nel racconto. Assistiamo a episodi di cui fatichiamo a ricostruire il contorno e l'ambiente circostante, non ne comprendiamo del tutto le dinamiche. A tratti, viceversa, emergono aspetti invece a noi noti nelle cose più impensabili: riconosciamo benissimo l'avvocato di provincia, che potrebbe essere preso dall'Atticus de Il buio oltre la siepe; civiltà che riescono a piegare le leggi della fisica e della biologia sono dedite a tradizioni e costumi degni dei nostri antenati contadini ottocenteschi; utensili tipici del nostro tempo come televisori, telefoni e compagnia riproposti tali e quali.
Lo straniamento viene peggiorato dalla narrazione stessa, che all'inizio è tutto sommato gradevole e lineare ma che, proseguendo, si frammenta ben presto, perdendosi sempre più in solipsismi filosofici e pesanti viaggi interiori con controrni quasi psichedelici. Il finale è emblematico in questo senso. Sarebbe anche potuto essere interessante nell'economia della trama, ma tende a tracimare in un caotico coacervo di inutili complicazioni futuristico-mentali che hanno raso al suolo ogni mia possibile giustificazione su tutte le perplessità maturate nella lettura.
Infine, lo stile di scrittura. Mi spiace, ma a differenza di quanto letto in altre recensioni, McDonald non sa affatto scrivere. Oltre al sovraccarico di termini in ogni frase, l'uso smodato di ripetizioni, metafore e - soprattutto -allitterazioni va ad appesantire oltremodo una lettura che già di suo, vista l'ambientazione e gli argomenti, non è delle più leggere. Emblematico l'incipit del secondo capitolo: i protagonisti sono rifugiati nella città di Ol Tok e l'autore ha la brillante idea, per rimarcare l'ovvio, di sfoderare quattro pagine con frasi che iniziano tutte con "Ol Tok è ...": Ol Tok è questo, Ol Tok è quest'altro. Un supplizio. Gli esempi sono innumerevoli, e ho trovato questo insistere raccapricciante.
Immaginatevi il terzo canto dell'Inferno di Dante con tutti i versi che iniziano con "Per me si va". Una lista della spesa.
La protagonista, la giovane Mathembe, è interessante, il suo mutismo selettivo un buon argomento di narrazione. Anche se il collegamento di questo aspetto con il finale è abbastanza telefonato. Ci sarebbe pure stato, se l'autore non avesse rovinato quel poco che rimaneva di salvabile con un pippone psichedelico terrificante al cui confronto il finale di 2001 Odissea nello spazio è un trattato di logica matematica.
Male, in definitiva. Finito solo per dovere.
Peggior volume del mazzo comprato sulla pregevole iniziativa presa da RCS per i 70 anni di Urania.
Non lo consiglierei.
Un mezzo disastro.
Peccato, gli spunti c'erano, la verve narrativa - a tratti - anche.
Tuttavia la lettura ha mostrato, a mio parere, problemi insormontabili.
Il primo, e più catastrofico, problema è la carenza del background narrativo su cui si fonda il romanzo. Siamo in un futuro lontano, la Terra appare irriconoscibile, i riferimenti geografici si sono completamente persi nei secoli: potremo essere in Europa, come in Africa, come in Australia. La popolazione è divisa in due fazioni, contrapposte da un diverso credo religioso. I Proclamanti credono in unico Dio e sono devoti sudditi di un lontano Impero in decadenza; i Confessori sono politeisti e dediti alla ricombinazione genetica, vivono in larga parte in armonia con la natura, plasmata con la bioingegneria affinché produca quanto necessario, e vorrebbero l'indipendenza dall'impero.
La protagonista, Mathembe, appartiene alla seconda schiera e quando gli imperiali scoprono che il suo villaggio nasconde dei ribelli, lo rade al suolo, costringendo la popolazione a un esodo drammatico; tale situazione poi evolve in una catastrofe umanitaria quando fra le due fazioni scoppia una guerra civile. Come sempre, senza pietà e senza prigionieri.
Tutto bene, salvo che il background narrativo è appena accennato, e in modo confuso. Gli aspetti fondamentali di queste nuove e incomprensibili - a noi - civiltà non vengono introdotti né illustrati, se non parzialmente e molto in là nel racconto. Assistiamo a episodi di cui fatichiamo a ricostruire il contorno e l'ambiente circostante, non ne comprendiamo del tutto le dinamiche. A tratti, viceversa, emergono aspetti invece a noi noti nelle cose più impensabili: riconosciamo benissimo l'avvocato di provincia, che potrebbe essere preso dall'Atticus de Il buio oltre la siepe; civiltà che riescono a piegare le leggi della fisica e della biologia sono dedite a tradizioni e costumi degni dei nostri antenati contadini ottocenteschi; utensili tipici del nostro tempo come televisori, telefoni e compagnia riproposti tali e quali.
Lo straniamento viene peggiorato dalla narrazione stessa, che all'inizio è tutto sommato gradevole e lineare ma che, proseguendo, si frammenta ben presto, perdendosi sempre più in solipsismi filosofici e pesanti viaggi interiori con controrni quasi psichedelici. Il finale è emblematico in questo senso. Sarebbe anche potuto essere interessante nell'economia della trama, ma tende a tracimare in un caotico coacervo di inutili complicazioni futuristico-mentali che hanno raso al suolo ogni mia possibile giustificazione su tutte le perplessità maturate nella lettura.
Infine, lo stile di scrittura. Mi spiace, ma a differenza di quanto letto in altre recensioni, McDonald non sa affatto scrivere. Oltre al sovraccarico di termini in ogni frase, l'uso smodato di ripetizioni, metafore e - soprattutto -allitterazioni va ad appesantire oltremodo una lettura che già di suo, vista l'ambientazione e gli argomenti, non è delle più leggere. Emblematico l'incipit del secondo capitolo: i protagonisti sono rifugiati nella città di Ol Tok e l'autore ha la brillante idea, per rimarcare l'ovvio, di sfoderare quattro pagine con frasi che iniziano tutte con "Ol Tok è ...": Ol Tok è questo, Ol Tok è quest'altro. Un supplizio. Gli esempi sono innumerevoli, e ho trovato questo insistere raccapricciante.
Immaginatevi il terzo canto dell'Inferno di Dante con tutti i versi che iniziano con "Per me si va". Una lista della spesa.
La protagonista, la giovane Mathembe, è interessante, il suo mutismo selettivo un buon argomento di narrazione. Anche se il collegamento di questo aspetto con il finale è abbastanza telefonato. Ci sarebbe pure stato, se l'autore non avesse rovinato quel poco che rimaneva di salvabile con un pippone psichedelico terrificante al cui confronto il finale di 2001 Odissea nello spazio è un trattato di logica matematica.
Male, in definitiva. Finito solo per dovere.
Peggior volume del mazzo comprato sulla pregevole iniziativa presa da RCS per i 70 anni di Urania.
Non lo consiglierei.
January 30, 2025
Probably THE best SF setting I've ever seen. A beautiful mixture of organic and futuristic technology that influences/is influenced by religion and spirituality.
I want to play an RPG session in this setting. I want to read a 50-volume cycle set in it. I want a cinematic universe centered around it.
But please-please, not written by the original author. I can't say why but the prose just grated on me so bad that I had to force myself to finish it. Whenever there was some character development (as little as there was of it) or dialogue, I'd find myself skipping it, only focusing when we got glimpses of the setting, religion and technology (so, you know, opposite than what I was doing when reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time, foolish child that I was).
Maybe part of the problem - but only part, I can't put into words why I hated the writing so much - is that the main characters have no agency whatsover. I mean, they're refugees and it kinda makes sense, but being tossed around from one place to another, while being unable/unwilling to make a single decision, does not for good literature make.
It hurts me how this setting got wasted on this (practically-nonexistent) plot and these bland, empty characters.
I want to play an RPG session in this setting. I want to read a 50-volume cycle set in it. I want a cinematic universe centered around it.
But please-please, not written by the original author. I can't say why but the prose just grated on me so bad that I had to force myself to finish it. Whenever there was some character development (as little as there was of it) or dialogue, I'd find myself skipping it, only focusing when we got glimpses of the setting, religion and technology (so, you know, opposite than what I was doing when reading the Lord of the Rings for the first time, foolish child that I was).
Maybe part of the problem - but only part, I can't put into words why I hated the writing so much - is that the main characters have no agency whatsover. I mean, they're refugees and it kinda makes sense, but being tossed around from one place to another, while being unable/unwilling to make a single decision, does not for good literature make.
It hurts me how this setting got wasted on this (practically-nonexistent) plot and these bland, empty characters.
August 16, 2013
This is an older book, first published in the early nineties, and a true classic.
Mathembe Fileli is a girl on the verge of womanhood living in a village on a far-future Earth, an Earth where biotechnology is the main technology, the dominant technology even in the areas where mechanical technology is still used. It's also a world with strong ethnic and religious divides, with the Proclaimer and Confessor religious split even on such seemingly minor points as which hand should be your dominant one. The Emperor Across the River, though, is a Proclaimer, and so the political power lies with the Proclaimers.
Despite that, the Filelis' home village of Chepsenyt is a peaceful and congenial place for the most part--until the fateful day that Proclaimer and Confessor villagers alike decide to shelter some young rebels, Warriors of Destiny, from the brutal justice of the Emperor's soldiers. From that moment, Chepsenyt is doomed.
When the soldiers descend, destroying the village and driving the villagers out, Mathembe manages to rescue her grandfather's head from the Dreaming Tree before the soldiers burn the grove. For most of the rest of the book, she has her grandfather's head with her, and receives advice, encouragement, and abuse from the dead-but-not-really old man.
That is not the weirdest thing in this book.
The language is lush and beautiful, the plotting complex and excellent, and the characterization subtle and nuanced. It's an allegory of ethnic and religious conflict, and yet McDonald is telling a story whose meaning emerges from its substance, not wrapping a message in the sugar coating of a story. It was perfectly clear to me that this is an allegory of Northern Ireland, of Catholics and Protestants, Irish and English. For others, though, it will be equally clear that this tale represents South Africa, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the partition of the Indian subcontinent, or some other conflict that isn't even on my horizon. This is rich, dense literature, not an easy read at all, and certainly not for everyone. For those who connect with it, though, it's immensely rewarding.
Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Mathembe Fileli is a girl on the verge of womanhood living in a village on a far-future Earth, an Earth where biotechnology is the main technology, the dominant technology even in the areas where mechanical technology is still used. It's also a world with strong ethnic and religious divides, with the Proclaimer and Confessor religious split even on such seemingly minor points as which hand should be your dominant one. The Emperor Across the River, though, is a Proclaimer, and so the political power lies with the Proclaimers.
Despite that, the Filelis' home village of Chepsenyt is a peaceful and congenial place for the most part--until the fateful day that Proclaimer and Confessor villagers alike decide to shelter some young rebels, Warriors of Destiny, from the brutal justice of the Emperor's soldiers. From that moment, Chepsenyt is doomed.
When the soldiers descend, destroying the village and driving the villagers out, Mathembe manages to rescue her grandfather's head from the Dreaming Tree before the soldiers burn the grove. For most of the rest of the book, she has her grandfather's head with her, and receives advice, encouragement, and abuse from the dead-but-not-really old man.
That is not the weirdest thing in this book.
The language is lush and beautiful, the plotting complex and excellent, and the characterization subtle and nuanced. It's an allegory of ethnic and religious conflict, and yet McDonald is telling a story whose meaning emerges from its substance, not wrapping a message in the sugar coating of a story. It was perfectly clear to me that this is an allegory of Northern Ireland, of Catholics and Protestants, Irish and English. For others, though, it will be equally clear that this tale represents South Africa, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the partition of the Indian subcontinent, or some other conflict that isn't even on my horizon. This is rich, dense literature, not an easy read at all, and certainly not for everyone. For those who connect with it, though, it's immensely rewarding.
Recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
February 24, 2013
"Grandfather was a tree. Father grew trux .. Mother could sing the double-helix song .. A house ran amok .. Split into its components" p1 " .. skittering thing like a walking umbrella .. alarmed the young organicals .. to the Proclaimer end of town" p2 scatter pieces of a puzzle. Words build a thorny barrier of odd spellings, names, and slow-emerging concepts. Exhausting.
Mathembe converses in Old Speech with her (determined after many pages) late grandfather's head, among others being absorbed into trees of Ancestor Grove. Hunting wild trux (living trucks, I think) for dynamic cross-breeding with their domesticated cultivars, Chepsenyt farmers find two rebel "Warriors of Destiny", that rival Proclaimers and Confessors both decide to hide from cruel soldiers of the Emporer Across the River. When "dyke bikes" (lesbian motorcycle cops) torture by electric shock stick a small boy "clean the shit and piss of the walls .. kiss goodbye to any thoughts you might have had .. to that pathetic object" (his personal jewels, so to speak) p28 -- enough.
Mathembe converses in Old Speech with her (determined after many pages) late grandfather's head, among others being absorbed into trees of Ancestor Grove. Hunting wild trux (living trucks, I think) for dynamic cross-breeding with their domesticated cultivars, Chepsenyt farmers find two rebel "Warriors of Destiny", that rival Proclaimers and Confessors both decide to hide from cruel soldiers of the Emporer Across the River. When "dyke bikes" (lesbian motorcycle cops) torture by electric shock stick a small boy "clean the shit and piss of the walls .. kiss goodbye to any thoughts you might have had .. to that pathetic object" (his personal jewels, so to speak) p28 -- enough.
September 4, 2018
I read Ian McDonald’s 1992 science fiction novel, The Broken Land, in an older trade-sized US paperback. I have previously read a few of his other books (The Dervish House, Brasyl, and Desolation Road), and now that I’m looking, I see that I have given them all high ratings. Does that make me an Ian McDonald fan? Under its original UK title, Hearts, Hands and Voices, this book was nominated for the 1993 British SF Association Award and Arthur C. Clarke Awards, but did not win either. For some unknown reason, there does not seem to be an e-book available for this work at this time, under either title.
This novel follows Mathembe Fileli, a young woman, born in a richly textured homeland on a future human world. That land was once a separate state, but has long been a province of the great Empire Across the River. Nativist and Colonial cultures have coexisted in the land for centuries, but the process of division and escalation to violence has begun. The structure of the novel is that of a set of episodic novellas, advancing forward through the life of Mathembe and her family.
McDonald is Scottish/Irish, and his family moved from England to Northern Ireland in the 1960s when he was a child. His experience growing up there, living through the entirety of the ‘Troubles’, shapes the political and social arc of the setting. However, the novel was released in 1992, and news accounts of several incidents of Balkan ethnic cleansing have also found their way into this story. These real-world examples are the templates on which McDonald patterns a nationalist conflict that leverages religious polarization.
At the same time, this is science fiction of a sub-genre sometimes known as biopunk. Two technological revolutions have transformed this world away from one like our own: 1) the development of a synthetic polymer that acts as a living organism, and 2) the discovery of a genetically tailored virus that enables the human nervous system to manipulate living tissues at a molecular level. That so-called Green Wave happened centuries ago, but the religious response to it persists in a variety of ways – some of which fuel a divergence in what is considered moral and permissible in lifestyles. The cultural consequences are long-established and have evolved towards a tolerant coexistence, until re-enflamed by events.
In the final episode, McDonald introduces a new religious concept, which is enabled by surgical modification of its adherents. The writing takes on a new perspective with regard to spirituality, having previously treated religion purely as a tool of political conflict. I have no real issue with that spiritual orientation, although it is not possible without the technological innovations mentioned earlier. It is a transformative and hopeful response to seemingly irreconcilable conflict, but it would have been nice if there had been more indications that this new religion existed, earlier in the novel.
So, top ratings for McDonald’s sophisticated writing style, a creative setting, and an important message, but knocked down a bit for the ending.
This novel follows Mathembe Fileli, a young woman, born in a richly textured homeland on a future human world. That land was once a separate state, but has long been a province of the great Empire Across the River. Nativist and Colonial cultures have coexisted in the land for centuries, but the process of division and escalation to violence has begun. The structure of the novel is that of a set of episodic novellas, advancing forward through the life of Mathembe and her family.
McDonald is Scottish/Irish, and his family moved from England to Northern Ireland in the 1960s when he was a child. His experience growing up there, living through the entirety of the ‘Troubles’, shapes the political and social arc of the setting. However, the novel was released in 1992, and news accounts of several incidents of Balkan ethnic cleansing have also found their way into this story. These real-world examples are the templates on which McDonald patterns a nationalist conflict that leverages religious polarization.
At the same time, this is science fiction of a sub-genre sometimes known as biopunk. Two technological revolutions have transformed this world away from one like our own: 1) the development of a synthetic polymer that acts as a living organism, and 2) the discovery of a genetically tailored virus that enables the human nervous system to manipulate living tissues at a molecular level. That so-called Green Wave happened centuries ago, but the religious response to it persists in a variety of ways – some of which fuel a divergence in what is considered moral and permissible in lifestyles. The cultural consequences are long-established and have evolved towards a tolerant coexistence, until re-enflamed by events.
In the final episode, McDonald introduces a new religious concept, which is enabled by surgical modification of its adherents. The writing takes on a new perspective with regard to spirituality, having previously treated religion purely as a tool of political conflict. I have no real issue with that spiritual orientation, although it is not possible without the technological innovations mentioned earlier. It is a transformative and hopeful response to seemingly irreconcilable conflict, but it would have been nice if there had been more indications that this new religion existed, earlier in the novel.
So, top ratings for McDonald’s sophisticated writing style, a creative setting, and an important message, but knocked down a bit for the ending.
July 20, 2013
It's not an easy read, that's for sure. A few hours after finishing, I'm still drained. Not quite sure what to think. Lost in a crazy dream tapestry that encompasses everything good and everything bad, everything new and everything old, everything now and everything before and everything that ever will be or might be.
That's how big this book is. That's the scope of its universe.
Perhaps the most disturbing images in The Broken Land are the people who've been planted in the ground to die. Or the grandfather's head that the protagonist, Mathembe, carries around with her for most of the book. But there are so many other visions, horrible yet somehow wonderful in their vastness, that it's hard to say what parts affected me the most.
The structure of this novel is reminiscent of something by Jonathan Irving. It's all over the place, with plots and subplots and sideplots, characters that reinventthemselves and characters that do not change at all...crazy events that somehow all come together at the end. So that's what it was all about, I thought after finishing it. So that was what everything was leading up to.
Often I'll find myself unable to put a book down because I am so involved in it. This one, I kept putting down. Then I'd take a nap and find myself thinking about it, and I'd be drawn irresistibly back in to read a little more. This sequence was repeated over and over and over again until there was nothing left. It's that kind of book.
Ian McDonald has created something truly unique here. Try it out. I don't think you'll be able to stop reading it either.
That's how big this book is. That's the scope of its universe.
Perhaps the most disturbing images in The Broken Land are the people who've been planted in the ground to die. Or the grandfather's head that the protagonist, Mathembe, carries around with her for most of the book. But there are so many other visions, horrible yet somehow wonderful in their vastness, that it's hard to say what parts affected me the most.
The structure of this novel is reminiscent of something by Jonathan Irving. It's all over the place, with plots and subplots and sideplots, characters that reinventthemselves and characters that do not change at all...crazy events that somehow all come together at the end. So that's what it was all about, I thought after finishing it. So that was what everything was leading up to.
Often I'll find myself unable to put a book down because I am so involved in it. This one, I kept putting down. Then I'd take a nap and find myself thinking about it, and I'd be drawn irresistibly back in to read a little more. This sequence was repeated over and over and over again until there was nothing left. It's that kind of book.
Ian McDonald has created something truly unique here. Try it out. I don't think you'll be able to stop reading it either.
December 21, 2009
Surprisingly good, emotional, interesting, innovative.
December 5, 2020
Welcome to a world in which at some point during its history there had occurred two scientific breakthroughs that together became known as the Green Wave. A synthetic polymer and a genetically mutated virus were created: the polymer acted exactly as a living organism and the virus allowed the human nervous system to interact with it and produce a living substance called plasm. Plasm could be moulded and formed into anything from transport vehicles, houses, meat and drink bearing trees and shrubs, and an infinite variety of human and part-human creatures. The result was embraced by some and rejected by others. It was either a Garden of Eden, without a serpent, or a Garden of Earthly Delights, with all the temptations and pitfalls of a Chocolate Factory.
It is a future in which humankind is depressingly unchanged in its dystopian nastiness. Imperialism, racial suppression and antagonism, religious or theological divisions and rivalries all remain active in the human psyche. There is a distinct echo of the author's Belfast in the Ol Tok rioting and military repression. Proclaimers and Confessors – not too difficult to distinguish Protestants and Catholics – are kicking lumps out of each other, not at the drumbeat of an Orange Boys march or the Hail Marys counted on a rosary, rather over left and right handedness: a division so stupid it could be 21st-century; while the Empire soldiers are ready to step in and exploit the differences for the political gain of their masters. One also has the militaristic and threatening war murals painted on walls. One thing I couldn't work out was which of the characters, if any, represented Ian Paisley, Gerry Adams or Martin McGuinness. The River, the Mother of Waters, divides the Empire (I seem to recall the Imperial troops twice described as fair-haired and blue-eyed) from societies that have personal names derived from African and Indian sources. The desire of the Empire to dominate is paramount and their swarms of black attack helicopters swooping in is a symbol of a little too obvious a nature.
All of that thrumming, beating and pounding noise points out the symbolism of silence. Mathembe, the young protagonist, can't talk, or doesn't want to, and she survives – though only just. The Listeners, a sect that has separated itself from the rest and welcomes all who will follow its rules, has surgically removed the speech of its adherents. Perhaps it signifies something within the author suggesting the root of Northern Ireland's - and perhaps the world's - problems is political chatter and disagreement for the sake of satisfying argumentative people.
If I read the conclusion of the story correctly, it suggests that, given the circumstances of a biologically advanced and manipulated society, a civil war can be relieved by the peacemakers passing on their teaching by kissing the terrorism-loving aggressors on the lips. This transfers by some viral or neural means the necessary infection providing a desire for respect, tolerance and pacificity. Imagine a benign Covid bringing us all to heel. Now, I personally feel that quite a few Listeners in those circumstances would prefer the delivery to be made by firing a suitably loaded hypodermic dart into the recipient's bum from a safe distance. I'm sure there's many a nature-loving wildlife vet, who wouldn't normally swat a fly, breathes a sigh of relief when the giant tiger that hasn't eaten for a week collapses into a furry heap in front of them and can't even lick its lips.
I hope Mr McDonald is right and all of humanity's inhumanity can be sorted out so simply. Unfortunately it would only take one bright-eyed little child looking up at her or his teacher with an open-eyed expression, much like Bambi, and asking: “But what happened to my mother?” And all you can do is hope that the fan is turned off.
It is a future in which humankind is depressingly unchanged in its dystopian nastiness. Imperialism, racial suppression and antagonism, religious or theological divisions and rivalries all remain active in the human psyche. There is a distinct echo of the author's Belfast in the Ol Tok rioting and military repression. Proclaimers and Confessors – not too difficult to distinguish Protestants and Catholics – are kicking lumps out of each other, not at the drumbeat of an Orange Boys march or the Hail Marys counted on a rosary, rather over left and right handedness: a division so stupid it could be 21st-century; while the Empire soldiers are ready to step in and exploit the differences for the political gain of their masters. One also has the militaristic and threatening war murals painted on walls. One thing I couldn't work out was which of the characters, if any, represented Ian Paisley, Gerry Adams or Martin McGuinness. The River, the Mother of Waters, divides the Empire (I seem to recall the Imperial troops twice described as fair-haired and blue-eyed) from societies that have personal names derived from African and Indian sources. The desire of the Empire to dominate is paramount and their swarms of black attack helicopters swooping in is a symbol of a little too obvious a nature.
All of that thrumming, beating and pounding noise points out the symbolism of silence. Mathembe, the young protagonist, can't talk, or doesn't want to, and she survives – though only just. The Listeners, a sect that has separated itself from the rest and welcomes all who will follow its rules, has surgically removed the speech of its adherents. Perhaps it signifies something within the author suggesting the root of Northern Ireland's - and perhaps the world's - problems is political chatter and disagreement for the sake of satisfying argumentative people.
If I read the conclusion of the story correctly, it suggests that, given the circumstances of a biologically advanced and manipulated society, a civil war can be relieved by the peacemakers passing on their teaching by kissing the terrorism-loving aggressors on the lips. This transfers by some viral or neural means the necessary infection providing a desire for respect, tolerance and pacificity. Imagine a benign Covid bringing us all to heel. Now, I personally feel that quite a few Listeners in those circumstances would prefer the delivery to be made by firing a suitably loaded hypodermic dart into the recipient's bum from a safe distance. I'm sure there's many a nature-loving wildlife vet, who wouldn't normally swat a fly, breathes a sigh of relief when the giant tiger that hasn't eaten for a week collapses into a furry heap in front of them and can't even lick its lips.
I hope Mr McDonald is right and all of humanity's inhumanity can be sorted out so simply. Unfortunately it would only take one bright-eyed little child looking up at her or his teacher with an open-eyed expression, much like Bambi, and asking: “But what happened to my mother?” And all you can do is hope that the fan is turned off.
June 23, 2021
Bunicul era arbore.
Tatăl creştea trucşi, în cincisprezece culori.
Mama ştia cântecul elipselor duble, glasul ei pătrunzând în sufletele făpturilor şi schimbându-le. Împrejur mergem şi în cerc…
În ziua intrării soldaţilor împăratului-de-dincolo-de-ape în zona urbană a Mathembei, o casă a fost cuprinsă de amoc. Zgomotul produs de carele blindate pe străzile din Chepsenyt o înfricoşase. Şi odată desfăcută în bucăţi, devenise un lucru lipsit de inteligenţă, uşor de înspăimântat. Una dintre maşinile mari, vopsită în culori ţipătoare, stătuse ascunsă la capătul străzii Cincisprezece, iar casa intrase în panică. Civili, soldaţi şi fragmente de casă asemănătoare unor centipede lungi, hexagonale sau unor roţi sau domuri în trepte de plastic moale sau unor concertine cu picioare, alergau de jur-împrejurul străzii, civilii străduindu-se să încercuiască fragmentele de casă, soldaţii încercând să-i înconjoare pe civili.
Familia Rajav dorea să-şi reasambleze casa până la lăsarea serii. Se părea însă că nu aveau să mai găsească nicicând toate elementele ei componente. Mathembe alungă o arătare semănând cu o uriaşă umbrelă mergătoare, care căuta să sară în ţarcul trucşilor. Acest lucru ar fi însemnat alarmarea tinerilor organici, ceea ce i-ar fi făcut să se ciocnească unii de alţii şi să se răstoarne cu roţile în sus.
Familia Rajav hotărî să se mute la periferia oraşului, acolo unde locuiau Proclamatorii. Douăsprezece generaţii trăiseră şi închiseseră ochii pe strada Cincisprezece, iar acum se vedeau obligaţi să-şi demonteze casa şi să-şi încarce lucrurile pe spinările a cincisprezece trucşi. Începură munca înainte ca marginea lumii să se fi pierdut sub soare. Mathembe era fascinată. Nu mai văzuse până în acel moment o casă desfăcută în bucăţi. Douăsprezece generaţii… şi acum plecau. Nu le păsa dacă bănuia cineva adevăratul motiv al mutării lor. Erau constrânşi să-şi abandoneze căminele. Domnul Rajav o striga în stradă, să-l audă toată lumea. Scrisori de ameninţare, însemnări obscene, tentative de a da foc caselor locuite de cetăţenii ce se supuneau legilor. Băieţii Fantomă. Ei se aflau în spatele acţiunii. Băieţii Fantomă… nişte bătăuşi, întreaga bandă. Golani.
Focul nu se întinsese prea mult. Un atentat cu bombe care lăsase pe ziduri urme negre, repede şterse. Nici măcar nu fusese nevoie ca poliţia din Timboroa să se deplaseze la faţa locului. Mathembe bănuia că Hradu, fratele ei mai mic, nu era străin de atac. El şi Kajree Rajav fuseseră nedespărţiţi, până când cuvântul lui Dumnezeu se făcuse auzit dinspre altar şi domnul Rajav îi interzisese să se mai amestece cu Confesorii idolatri.
Tatăl creştea trucşi, în cincisprezece culori.
Mama ştia cântecul elipselor duble, glasul ei pătrunzând în sufletele făpturilor şi schimbându-le. Împrejur mergem şi în cerc…
În ziua intrării soldaţilor împăratului-de-dincolo-de-ape în zona urbană a Mathembei, o casă a fost cuprinsă de amoc. Zgomotul produs de carele blindate pe străzile din Chepsenyt o înfricoşase. Şi odată desfăcută în bucăţi, devenise un lucru lipsit de inteligenţă, uşor de înspăimântat. Una dintre maşinile mari, vopsită în culori ţipătoare, stătuse ascunsă la capătul străzii Cincisprezece, iar casa intrase în panică. Civili, soldaţi şi fragmente de casă asemănătoare unor centipede lungi, hexagonale sau unor roţi sau domuri în trepte de plastic moale sau unor concertine cu picioare, alergau de jur-împrejurul străzii, civilii străduindu-se să încercuiască fragmentele de casă, soldaţii încercând să-i înconjoare pe civili.
Familia Rajav dorea să-şi reasambleze casa până la lăsarea serii. Se părea însă că nu aveau să mai găsească nicicând toate elementele ei componente. Mathembe alungă o arătare semănând cu o uriaşă umbrelă mergătoare, care căuta să sară în ţarcul trucşilor. Acest lucru ar fi însemnat alarmarea tinerilor organici, ceea ce i-ar fi făcut să se ciocnească unii de alţii şi să se răstoarne cu roţile în sus.
Familia Rajav hotărî să se mute la periferia oraşului, acolo unde locuiau Proclamatorii. Douăsprezece generaţii trăiseră şi închiseseră ochii pe strada Cincisprezece, iar acum se vedeau obligaţi să-şi demonteze casa şi să-şi încarce lucrurile pe spinările a cincisprezece trucşi. Începură munca înainte ca marginea lumii să se fi pierdut sub soare. Mathembe era fascinată. Nu mai văzuse până în acel moment o casă desfăcută în bucăţi. Douăsprezece generaţii… şi acum plecau. Nu le păsa dacă bănuia cineva adevăratul motiv al mutării lor. Erau constrânşi să-şi abandoneze căminele. Domnul Rajav o striga în stradă, să-l audă toată lumea. Scrisori de ameninţare, însemnări obscene, tentative de a da foc caselor locuite de cetăţenii ce se supuneau legilor. Băieţii Fantomă. Ei se aflau în spatele acţiunii. Băieţii Fantomă… nişte bătăuşi, întreaga bandă. Golani.
Focul nu se întinsese prea mult. Un atentat cu bombe care lăsase pe ziduri urme negre, repede şterse. Nici măcar nu fusese nevoie ca poliţia din Timboroa să se deplaseze la faţa locului. Mathembe bănuia că Hradu, fratele ei mai mic, nu era străin de atac. El şi Kajree Rajav fuseseră nedespărţiţi, până când cuvântul lui Dumnezeu se făcuse auzit dinspre altar şi domnul Rajav îi interzisese să se mai amestece cu Confesorii idolatri.
November 15, 2020
Hearts, Hands and Voices
(aka The Broken Land)
by Ian McDonald
Other reviewers have described this as a challenging book to read and finish, and I am inclined to agree with that assessment.
The biopunk world building is absorbingly creative, and the excellent quality of the writing has an almost lyrical feel to it, while many of the descriptions are both dreamlike and disturbing.
The basic premise involves a conflict between two civilizations and religions in the far future when chemical and genetic engineering have reached remarkable heights.
Anyone familiar with the UK "Troubles" will recognize what is being obliquely referred to in some of the characterizations. But since many African place names are also mentioned, the reader may also be reminded of the intractable conflicts in that area of the world.
The principal message I took away from this story is related to the nature of politics, mainstream religions, and cultic organizations.
Through the narrative, politics is shown to be tribal and cultic like religion, since it causes divisions and conflicts in similar ways, which can be enumerated as follows:
1. Gross oversimplification of complex issues leading to
2. Black and white thinking, devoid of nuances and grey areas, producing
3. A 'them and us' mentality and entrenched prejudices.
4. A perception that "sitting on the fence" or maintaining a neutral stand is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. One cannot be neither nor. Those who are not for us are against us.
Indeed, this may be one of the reasons that extreme political and religious views are often to be found inextricably intertwined with each other.
The only character who honestly attempts to treat people fairly and on an individual basis ends up being hated by both sides.
The ending seems to imply that entrenched positions and hatreds, whether political or religious, could only be overcome by physically altering the makeup of humans in some way at the genetic level, although other readers may come to different conclusions of what is meant.
This book is highly imaginative and memorable, but somewhat grim and nightmarish, and probably not suitable for someone who prefers a light and entertaining read.
(aka The Broken Land)
by Ian McDonald
Other reviewers have described this as a challenging book to read and finish, and I am inclined to agree with that assessment.
The biopunk world building is absorbingly creative, and the excellent quality of the writing has an almost lyrical feel to it, while many of the descriptions are both dreamlike and disturbing.
The basic premise involves a conflict between two civilizations and religions in the far future when chemical and genetic engineering have reached remarkable heights.
Anyone familiar with the UK "Troubles" will recognize what is being obliquely referred to in some of the characterizations. But since many African place names are also mentioned, the reader may also be reminded of the intractable conflicts in that area of the world.
The principal message I took away from this story is related to the nature of politics, mainstream religions, and cultic organizations.
Through the narrative, politics is shown to be tribal and cultic like religion, since it causes divisions and conflicts in similar ways, which can be enumerated as follows:
1. Gross oversimplification of complex issues leading to
2. Black and white thinking, devoid of nuances and grey areas, producing
3. A 'them and us' mentality and entrenched prejudices.
4. A perception that "sitting on the fence" or maintaining a neutral stand is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. One cannot be neither nor. Those who are not for us are against us.
Indeed, this may be one of the reasons that extreme political and religious views are often to be found inextricably intertwined with each other.
The only character who honestly attempts to treat people fairly and on an individual basis ends up being hated by both sides.
The ending seems to imply that entrenched positions and hatreds, whether political or religious, could only be overcome by physically altering the makeup of humans in some way at the genetic level, although other readers may come to different conclusions of what is meant.
This book is highly imaginative and memorable, but somewhat grim and nightmarish, and probably not suitable for someone who prefers a light and entertaining read.
April 1, 2025
In un lontano futuro sulla Terra, Mathembe cerca una propria identità, in una frazione di mondo diviso tra due fazioni/culture/religioni e dominato da un imperatore di una cultura estranea.
Pare essere un futuro caotico, quello che ci aspetta, un futuro in cui la tecnologia è biomeccanica, basata sulla manipolazione genetica, un futuro in cui è possibile anche non morire del tutto, ma in cui il vivere è sempre un po' un sopravvivere, frutto di scelte incerte. La polarizzazione religiosa e politica, la polarizzazione linguistica, nascondono il fermento delle nuove generazioni in cerca di una liberazione, non solo dall'impero, ma soprattutto dalla consuetudine, ma finendo per adagiarsi nell'eterno conflitto. E Mathembe attraversa il conflitto e "una terra orribilmente sfigurata dalla tremenda ferita che le era stata inferta" alla ricerca della propria famiglia (e di sé stessa, e di un modo diverso di vedere le cose), in silenzio, come ha scelto di rimanere da sempre (e anche questo è un moto di ribellione e liberazione, che porta alla riconciliazione).
"La terra infranta" ("Broken Land", 1992; Urania Mondadori, 2020; trad. di Alessandro Vezzoli) di Ian McDonald è una storia che si dipana con lentezza (e talvolta con eccessiva verbosità), ma ricca e intensa di colori, odori e sapori. E immaginazione. Ma pesantuccia, diciamolo.
Pare essere un futuro caotico, quello che ci aspetta, un futuro in cui la tecnologia è biomeccanica, basata sulla manipolazione genetica, un futuro in cui è possibile anche non morire del tutto, ma in cui il vivere è sempre un po' un sopravvivere, frutto di scelte incerte. La polarizzazione religiosa e politica, la polarizzazione linguistica, nascondono il fermento delle nuove generazioni in cerca di una liberazione, non solo dall'impero, ma soprattutto dalla consuetudine, ma finendo per adagiarsi nell'eterno conflitto. E Mathembe attraversa il conflitto e "una terra orribilmente sfigurata dalla tremenda ferita che le era stata inferta" alla ricerca della propria famiglia (e di sé stessa, e di un modo diverso di vedere le cose), in silenzio, come ha scelto di rimanere da sempre (e anche questo è un moto di ribellione e liberazione, che porta alla riconciliazione).
"La terra infranta" ("Broken Land", 1992; Urania Mondadori, 2020; trad. di Alessandro Vezzoli) di Ian McDonald è una storia che si dipana con lentezza (e talvolta con eccessiva verbosità), ma ricca e intensa di colori, odori e sapori. E immaginazione. Ma pesantuccia, diciamolo.
March 12, 2025
A fost ok.
Traducerea mi s-a părut bună.
Într-o lume în care modificările genetice permit modelarea întregului mediu, o facțiune naționalistă și una impeialistă se găsesc într-o luptă continuă pentru supremație. Mathembe, o tânără care a ales să nu vorbească, rătăcește prin această lume, căutându-și familia, sinele și răspunsul la întrebările fundamentale ale existenței.
Am citit cartea în urmă cu câteva decenii și nu mi-a plăcut deloc. Nu face parte din literatura pe care eu s-o apreciez. Am fost curios cum mi se va părea acum, la vârsta asta. Ei bine, i-am apreciat ingeniozitatea stilistică, sensurile din spatele sensurilor, simbolistica, stranietatea. Nu e o lectură ușoară. Însă nu e genul de carte potrivită unui cititor ca mine. Pentru mine, literatura reprezintă altceva. Dar, față de precedenta lectură, măcar acum am găsit ce să apreciez la ea, la nivel teoretic.
Traducerea mi s-a părut bună.
Într-o lume în care modificările genetice permit modelarea întregului mediu, o facțiune naționalistă și una impeialistă se găsesc într-o luptă continuă pentru supremație. Mathembe, o tânără care a ales să nu vorbească, rătăcește prin această lume, căutându-și familia, sinele și răspunsul la întrebările fundamentale ale existenței.
Am citit cartea în urmă cu câteva decenii și nu mi-a plăcut deloc. Nu face parte din literatura pe care eu s-o apreciez. Am fost curios cum mi se va părea acum, la vârsta asta. Ei bine, i-am apreciat ingeniozitatea stilistică, sensurile din spatele sensurilor, simbolistica, stranietatea. Nu e o lectură ușoară. Însă nu e genul de carte potrivită unui cititor ca mine. Pentru mine, literatura reprezintă altceva. Dar, față de precedenta lectură, măcar acum am găsit ce să apreciez la ea, la nivel teoretic.
November 1, 2017
I couldn't make it 20 pages. the author is trying to introduce some sort of alternate world, but the avalanche of odd words without any anchor or any development of ANY character, led me to out this down.
August 8, 2020
Libro interessante, dove la guerra d'Irlanda viene reinterpretata come una fiaba fantascientifica. Il worldbuilding poco chiaro e i flussi di coscienza alla James Joyce però appesantiscono la storia, ma senza renderla indigesta.
July 11, 2017
I was very intriqued by the world McDonald created but I couldn't stand the main character.
October 24, 2017
Surprising world. It's refreshing to read a book without being able to guess the next four moves.
November 13, 2019
Sorry, it's a DNF from me. Couldn't get into it at all.
Read
January 5, 20213 and a half stars.
July 27, 2024
Powerful message but the story drags in places.
December 11, 2021
Cool ideas ruined by an author who's never taken a writing course. Not worth the time or effort, even in spite of the laughs I got out of the unbearably bad passages throughout the story.
July 12, 2020
Ho fatto estrema fatica a finirlo, la storia sarebbe anche bella ma pesante....molto pesante.Peccato perchè altri libri dell'autore(la serie Luna) mi erano piaciuti molto.
March 7, 2010
The Land is the last province of a dying Empire. It has had advanced biotechnology for a thousand years, but this land that should be paradise is riven by the same old evils of religious and nationalist violence. This is the story of Mathembe Fileli and her family who are made refugees in the conflict and Mathembe's trials and tribulations as she loses one after another of her relatives and has to rely only on herself to get through them all and find her family again.
Like his first novel, Desolation Road, this is a very lyrical book. McDonald knows the rules of English very well, and knows exactly when and how he can break them with impunity. This makes for an exhilarating read. Mathembe, who has chosen never to speak, is a fascinating character who is very easy to empathise with, and the descriptions of the Land and Empire are wonderful; McDonald did a very neat trick of starting with a very narrow focus to his story and then slowly widened it so that you see the narrowness of the protagonist's world just as she does and your field of vision expands with hers. There's tantalising glimpses of the fact that there's an outside world beyond the Land and Empire and they are watching and judging, something that grounds the book in reality for me.
Finally, the religious/nationalist conflict of the book is one that was reasonably close to home for me, and, I imagine, the author, given that he's lived most of his life in Northern Ireland.
Like his first novel, Desolation Road, this is a very lyrical book. McDonald knows the rules of English very well, and knows exactly when and how he can break them with impunity. This makes for an exhilarating read. Mathembe, who has chosen never to speak, is a fascinating character who is very easy to empathise with, and the descriptions of the Land and Empire are wonderful; McDonald did a very neat trick of starting with a very narrow focus to his story and then slowly widened it so that you see the narrowness of the protagonist's world just as she does and your field of vision expands with hers. There's tantalising glimpses of the fact that there's an outside world beyond the Land and Empire and they are watching and judging, something that grounds the book in reality for me.
Finally, the religious/nationalist conflict of the book is one that was reasonably close to home for me, and, I imagine, the author, given that he's lived most of his life in Northern Ireland.
July 27, 2013
...I've been thinking about how good a read this novel really is and I can't seem to make up my mind about it. The story is gripping and Mathembe a great character. I also liked the prose and McDonald's vision of what genetic research but I do think that for some readers the prose in particular is too much of a good thing. Some passages needed several rereads to be able to figure out what the author was trying to communicate, making the The Broken Land a slow read. Readers of main stream fiction might enjoy the prose but it is probably too much of a science fiction novel to have a great appeal for that market. It probably isn't a novel for a large audience. It probably takes a very specific kind of reader to fully enjoy what McDonald was trying to do here. I think I may lake a bit of patience with his prose. The poetic quality of his writing is still present in his later novels but reigned in a bit more. It is a matter of preference but for me, that later style works better. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a science fiction novel that is challenging and offers both interesting concepts and a mastery of language, this novel would be a good choice. Just take your time reading it.
Full Random Comments review
Full Random Comments review
July 10, 2008
Hearts, Hands and Voices informs us on the stupidity of war, especially when fought over something trivial like different beliefs. We feel the plight of refugees, those who end up in the middle of fighting and devastation, getting separated from their lost ones without a choice or warning. It arouses our interest on how refugees cope, an always relevant issue. We feel sadness, anger and hope, hope that there may be an end to this horror as we are given a solution that fits in neatly with the background and plot of the book. The book tries to persuade us that war is futile and unnecessary, I felt that it did a good job.
The novel presents many new ideas; these include the idea of an organic world where all machines are completely environmentally friendly, the changing of a parent-child relationship to a new level when we discover new truths about our parents and it strengthened my opinion on the stupidity of war. It also provided hope on ending wars with a new discovery that would make fighting and anger obsolete.
The novel presents many new ideas; these include the idea of an organic world where all machines are completely environmentally friendly, the changing of a parent-child relationship to a new level when we discover new truths about our parents and it strengthened my opinion on the stupidity of war. It also provided hope on ending wars with a new discovery that would make fighting and anger obsolete.
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