The Miocene Arrow

By Sean McMullen.
Begun 28 Apr 2006; finished 07 May.

There’s nothing like reading a series in order, where characters and plots are introduced in their proper places, and confusion and spoilers are minimized. Therefore I was supremely peeved upon discovering that The Miocene Arrow was the second book in Sean McMullen’s Greatwinter trilogy, the first being Souls in the Great Machine. That didn’t last long, though: a bit of rereading, and an initial cast list, helped me pick up the setting, and I was quickly immersed in the story.

The setting is Earth in the fortieth century. A series of events that took place in the twentieth century had plunged humanity into a technological and social Dark Age: electric power had been abolished, a vast population of humanity and animal life wiped out, and a phenomenon known as the Call dictates and limits humanity’s progress. In America, where The Miocene Arrow is set, human civilization is confined to high-altitude, mountainous strongholds, and steam, diesel and alcohol power all technology and vehicles, themselves limited in size and power. The American havens are governed by a quasi-feudal political system, where hierarchy and chivalry rule, and warfare takes place in tightly controlled duels.

Such is the setting and the people, which are then turned upside down by Australian spies (some of whom are introduced in Souls in the Great Machine, which itself is set in Australia) — total warfare and an Industrial-Age arms race ensue, and eventually we gain revelation of a plan more sinister than American civil war.

That’s the gist of the story. Overall it is straightforward, but the plot is dense with details. To sum the book up in one word, it was surprising. I think I would’ve said the same thing if I’d read Souls in the Great Machine first: McMullen’s world is extremely fascinating. I get the idea that he posed the question: “What would our modern civilization look like if such-and-such technological and social constraints were placed upon it?”, then proceeded to answer that question and create such a world. What a very creative, lush and intriguing world it is! Technology is modern but not entirely so; society is courtly, aristocratic, founded upon chivalry and honour. This Industrial-Age, half-fantastic, half-speculative Earth appealed to me completely, and I fell in love with McMullen’s world almost at first sight.

The world gets more fantastic as I read on. Especially those glimpses of distant Australia, where (from what little I gathered) exist a strange form of government, a different source of power and a computer network(!), and the godlike yet mysteriously distant twentieth-century technological relics. How strange it is, to read about our century as terribly advanced in the light of the fortieth century! (Quite contrary to most future-Earth SF.) In the story the source of the Call is eventually revealed… and that was incredible, almost unbelievable. McMullen’s world has numerous surprises, which leave me amazed — yet I’m willing to believe his vision, because it is so alluringly perilous, and oddly unique.

As said earlier, the plot is dense with details, and characters abound. Numerous characters were introduced early in the story: I had to keep a character and location list at first, but soon the saga closed in on several main characters, all in individual storylines. Those storylines, many running in parallel, were surprisingly easy to follow, and the far-ranging narrative led me effortlessly through battles, ceremonies, intrigue and climactic “informational” scenes, frequently zooming out to provide a big picture of developments before homing in on characters. McMullen writes a tight and gripping story, never once did it come across as waffling or excessively rambling. “Global” events and a large cast can be tricky to manage, but I think this author was in full control of his world and able to write it well too.

The setting was lush and the story epic, but I didn’t feel attached to the characters. All one read of the characters in the many scenes were speech and decisions pertaining to the storyline; little, if any, was spoken about their personal lives apart from the plot, and of introspection there was almost nothing. The only well-rounded characters were Serjon and Bronlar — I felt more emotionally attached to them, but even their stilted, rocky romance seemed all part and parcel of the story. The other characters had distinct personalities and characteristics, but little of that showed beyond what was required of the story, and I had not the same attachment. It was as if they were all cogs in the big machine of the plot, operating solely for it to reach its conclusion. In some ways, I wish McMullen had written a bit more about these characters beyond the story, but I suppose that would’ve made the writing looser, and I wouldn’t sacrifice the gripping narrative just to know more about the characters.

What a great speculative-science fiction novel. I’m now hooked and I want to finish the trilogy! But I now know lots and lots of spoilers to Souls in the Great Machine, which would probably make it less enjoyable to read, but I want more of this fascinating world that Sean McMullen has created.