Two Tales of Henghis Hapthorn

Being, Majestrum and The Spiral Labyrinth.
By Matthew Hughes.
Begun 29 May 2009; finished 13 June.
For ‘10 Books From My Library’ reading challenge.
Review written 14 July 2009.

If you like the wit and humour of Charles Dickens or Terry Pratchett, an anachronistic “gaslight romance”-esque setting where technology and magic clash and meld together, and light-hearted, optimistic detective stories, Matthew Hughes’ tales of Henghis Hapthorn will surely appeal to you. These stories are set in a very distant future that could well be fantastical, in an age where Reason, or “linear rationalism”, and its attendant technologies prevail. But the forces of Magic, or “sympathetic association”, are on the rise in this universe, and they intrude prematurely into the life of Henghis Hapthorn, Old Earth’s foremost freelance detective. Hapthorn’s sensible, orderly and logical life is thrown out of kilter when his integrator (an A.I. or computer) transforms into a small fruit-eating mammal, and the intuitive part of his psyche takes on a persona of its own, essentially becoming a separate person but sharing the same body. The two novels of Majestrum and The Spiral Labyrinth follow Hapthorn as he struggles to cope with this (to him) infuriating situation, all the while tackling two mysterious cases which ultimately bring him to the chaotic interface of Reason and Intuition/Magic.

Majestrum begins when the Archon of Old Earth approaches Hapthorn regarding a missing artefact. This case leads him on a search through the Spray, through the history of humanity in the universe, and finally face-to-face with a powerful force of magic from the past. In The Spiral Labyrinth, Hapthorn and his intuitive alter ego investigate a magical labyrinth. In the process Hapthorn becomes stranded — without his alter ego — in a future where magic has virtually taken over his world, and has to make his way back to his own time, all the while solving the mystery of the labyrinth and its powerful creator.

Both books follow a similar but effective formula: Hapthorn first encounters a small but easy case that he solves quite quickly. Then he is formally presented with the main case, which gradually grows and becomes complicated and intriciate, and is inevitably linked to powerful magic or the intrusions of magic in the rational world. As Hapthorn manoeuvres through this big mystery, he discovers that the small first case, which on first glance seems to be wholly unrelated, is actually a major clue for solving the main case. In the process, Hapthorn travels all over the Spray, meets unusual cultures and people and gets odd clues, all the while working and wrangling with his alter ego and his transformed integrator. Eventually Hapthorn solves the mystery — but the answer is completely out-of-the-blue and confounds his rational mind, and he is often left a spectator to acts of magic and leaps of intuition as his alter ego takes charge. Ultimately, Hapthorn is awed and humbled, and even more disconcerted that his familiar world is ending and the age of magic rising.

I enjoyed both novels thoroughly, for they meld a lot of elements that I enjoy: an anachronistic future that is simultaneously ancient and advanced (Hapthorn’s world reminded me of Iain M. Banks’ The Algebraist); magic and reason entwined and often clashing more than agreeing; dry wit, sharp wordplay and liberal punning; and a clever, intricate detective story that makes sense and is easy to follow. Furthermore, both rational and intuitive sides of Hapthorn (plus his transformed integrator) have complementary strengths and weaknesses, and must work together to solve the puzzles. It doesn’t mean that they have to get along whilst cooperating, though, and their constant bickering definitely adds to the story’s humour. This ongoing tension and reluctant truces between Hapthorn and his alter ego, and their jibes at each other, also serve as a vehicle for investigating the complementary functions of reason and intuition, as different but equal qualities that an individual must have in balanced measures. It is poignant (and often amusing) to hear Hapthorn’s first-person thoughts concerning his magical alter ego, especially since we don’t have first-person perspective for his intuition, and only see the latter’s actions and words through the very prejudiced view of the former. Hughes depicted the clash between magic and reason excellently, and Hapthorn himself is well-rounded character, he never once felt unbalanced or excessively schizophrenic. This dynamic was a major highlight of these novels.

The stories were very well-written, and the plot kept me turning the pages. These are thoroughly enjoyable and delightful mystery-adventures — never dark or sombre, always bright and optimistic and forward-looking. If you’re up for a light but clever fantasy-mystery story, these Hapthorn novels will fit the bill. I’m looking forward to reading Hespira, the third book and due out in late 2009.