BOOK REVIEWS
I have dispensed with my 'Books of the Year' postings which covered the years 2009 and 2010, and now attempt to review a selection of books that I have read both good and bad, in editions old and new. Much of what I buy is often based on suggestions by others, or some train of thought that makes me think "maybe I should try..." so they are not necessarily all strange/supernatural fiction.
With many small press books costing around £35-£40 each, and some seemingly worthy tomes changing hands on the second hand market for many times that, these reviews may also give the potential purchaser some indication of what they might receive for their money. Needless to say, my opinions should not be given any great value as I bring my own foibles to every review and these may change at any time.
Paul Busson
'The Fire Spirits'
Orig Published by W. Heinemann 1929
Free download
I entered my fiftieth year with a very 21st century gift from my wife, a Kindle. This has caused much consternation among some of my friends but I was easy convert and an e-reader definitely has its place - not least that it saves me lugging a huge screen about the place to read documents.
Another advantage is that there is a lot of interesting 'stuff' on-line, material tough to find as hard copy, theses, journal articles and the like (an e-reader saves me having to print them out onto some dead tree) and, of course, books. Which brings us to this one.
The novel featured on the Karl Edward Wagner list of The Thirteen Best Non-Supernatural Horror Novels' (see the list here) which in its day was regarded with raised eyebrows partly due to the obscurity of many of the titles. The small press has revived many of the them, but Bussons novel, described by Wagner as "a strange tale of a young man’s involvement with a bewitching peasant child, mountain legends, and the quest for German unification" has not been reprinted.
On reading such lists I sometimes discover that an authors neglect is sometimes justified by the prose itself. Thankfully this is not the case with Busson (though the translation reads a little oddly at times). However, like a number of others on the Wagners list that I have read, it is not really an undiscovered gem and would certainly not find a place in my own top thirteen.
The novel is set against the backdrop of the Alps in the early 1800s in the immediate aftermath of the napoleonic wars. Our protagonist Peter Storck, is attempting to discover what happened to his Uncle Martin, who disappeared from his house near the village of Sankt Marein supposedly for spying upon the “fire-spirits”, whose lights can be seen on the mountains during the equinoxes. Peter and a hunter Serafin attempt to discover what or who they might be. There is a love interest for Storck in the mysterious Julia, (though Storck also seduces the innkeepers niece quite early on in the book) and a young peasant girl whose role is more enigmatic.
Meanwhile a power vacuum exists in which Catholics and Protestants, French and Germans are attempting to assert their control over the area. Storcks catholic village is planning a revolt against the protestant Bavarians in what is in effect becoming a civil war.
Herein lies the problem of the novel. On the one hand, it is almost an historical romance with some mystical elements thrown in here and there. The grim life of the peasants and the battle are unflinching and well realized but takes up a vast proportion of the book.
On the other hand the final section of the book becomes another beast entirely making it a psycho/mystical novel which is far stranger (and to my mind better) than the preceding 90%.
Bussons attempts to marry these two elements generally fall short. For example, in an early chapter there is a dramatic scene featuring a possessed nun and her exorcist. This could have provided an inroad to explore some psychological territory but Busson allows this moment to slip away and the incident itself is scarcely referred to again and its potential psychological significance seems to be partly forgotten by its own creator. There are a number of other occasions when he does this, perhaps in the hope that the ending will provide all the answers and provide satisfaction, but instead I left the book with a sense of frustration at the missed opportunities and the feeling that the author really wanted to write more 'strange' novel but had not the courage of his convictions to do so.
This is an enormous pity, as Busson is not short of ideas or the ability to express them.
As such, I cannot really recommend this novel, very interesting though sections of it are, but would be intrigued to read more by him.
Paul Busson (1873-1924) initially studied medicine but became a journalist based in Vienna, contributing to among others, 'Simplicissimus'. He traveled widely and saw at first hand the squalor and bitterness of WWI which certainly seems to have influenced 'The Fire Spirits'. He wrote a number of other historical novels of which only one 'The Man Who Was Born Again', was translated into English. It is said that a number of his other works also contain fantastical/mystical elements.
The fire spirits is available on the link here.
Another advantage is that there is a lot of interesting 'stuff' on-line, material tough to find as hard copy, theses, journal articles and the like (an e-reader saves me having to print them out onto some dead tree) and, of course, books. Which brings us to this one.
The novel featured on the Karl Edward Wagner list of The Thirteen Best Non-Supernatural Horror Novels' (see the list here) which in its day was regarded with raised eyebrows partly due to the obscurity of many of the titles. The small press has revived many of the them, but Bussons novel, described by Wagner as "a strange tale of a young man’s involvement with a bewitching peasant child, mountain legends, and the quest for German unification" has not been reprinted.
On reading such lists I sometimes discover that an authors neglect is sometimes justified by the prose itself. Thankfully this is not the case with Busson (though the translation reads a little oddly at times). However, like a number of others on the Wagners list that I have read, it is not really an undiscovered gem and would certainly not find a place in my own top thirteen.
The novel is set against the backdrop of the Alps in the early 1800s in the immediate aftermath of the napoleonic wars. Our protagonist Peter Storck, is attempting to discover what happened to his Uncle Martin, who disappeared from his house near the village of Sankt Marein supposedly for spying upon the “fire-spirits”, whose lights can be seen on the mountains during the equinoxes. Peter and a hunter Serafin attempt to discover what or who they might be. There is a love interest for Storck in the mysterious Julia, (though Storck also seduces the innkeepers niece quite early on in the book) and a young peasant girl whose role is more enigmatic.
Meanwhile a power vacuum exists in which Catholics and Protestants, French and Germans are attempting to assert their control over the area. Storcks catholic village is planning a revolt against the protestant Bavarians in what is in effect becoming a civil war.
Herein lies the problem of the novel. On the one hand, it is almost an historical romance with some mystical elements thrown in here and there. The grim life of the peasants and the battle are unflinching and well realized but takes up a vast proportion of the book.
On the other hand the final section of the book becomes another beast entirely making it a psycho/mystical novel which is far stranger (and to my mind better) than the preceding 90%.
Bussons attempts to marry these two elements generally fall short. For example, in an early chapter there is a dramatic scene featuring a possessed nun and her exorcist. This could have provided an inroad to explore some psychological territory but Busson allows this moment to slip away and the incident itself is scarcely referred to again and its potential psychological significance seems to be partly forgotten by its own creator. There are a number of other occasions when he does this, perhaps in the hope that the ending will provide all the answers and provide satisfaction, but instead I left the book with a sense of frustration at the missed opportunities and the feeling that the author really wanted to write more 'strange' novel but had not the courage of his convictions to do so.
This is an enormous pity, as Busson is not short of ideas or the ability to express them.
As such, I cannot really recommend this novel, very interesting though sections of it are, but would be intrigued to read more by him.
Paul Busson (1873-1924) initially studied medicine but became a journalist based in Vienna, contributing to among others, 'Simplicissimus'. He traveled widely and saw at first hand the squalor and bitterness of WWI which certainly seems to have influenced 'The Fire Spirits'. He wrote a number of other historical novels of which only one 'The Man Who Was Born Again', was translated into English. It is said that a number of his other works also contain fantastical/mystical elements.
The fire spirits is available on the link here.
