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Summary: Review of "A Voyage to Arcturus" by David Lindsay
Review: "A Voyage to Arcturus" was David Lindsay's first and perhaps best novel ("The Haunted Woman" though more a novella than a novel is also very good). By the standards of science fiction "Arcturus" is extremely old. It was first published in the 1920s when Lindsay was late middle aged. Lindsay was a contemporary of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, yet he could write in a very modern (timeless) style. The novel's age makes proper appreciation somewhat problematic. The story starts out slow with the setting in a English gentleman's house with the characters attending a sceance. The wring style for this first part of the book is typical of turn-of-the-century novels and gives no hint of what the
reader is about to experience. When the plot moves to Scotland and the characters prepare to leave Earth, the reader gets a hint that something magical is about to happen. However once the plot gets to the planet Tormance the story undergoes metamorphosis from dull shades of gray to brilliant colors. The reader immediately sees that Lindsay had a genius for writing speculative fiction. However this genius is difficult for a modern reader to fully appreciate because Lindsay had no real science ficition tradition to draw from (he was creating all of his SF concepts from scratch). Though the novel is entertaining to read as a simple adventure story, it has incredible depth. The planet Tormance is a world where God and Anti-God (like the Gnostic tradition) are competing for control of the planet. Both beings go by different names and are symbolized by different aspects of the planet. For example, Arcturus is portrayed as being a binary star with a large orange star symbolizing the god Shaping and smaller blue star symbolizing the god Surtur. Each star has three
primary colors but share one color. The influence of
the two gods is subtly color coded throughout the novel. The principle character is named Maskul (Man/Skull). He was approached by the character Krag at the English gentleman's sceance and given the opportunity to travel to Tormance with the understanding that he could never return to Earth. Krag's relationship between the different gods of Tormance becomes clear as the
story progresses. After arriving on Tormance, Maskul begins a journey of discovery as he travels across the
planet. The two gods try to influence Maskul through various means. Maskul's journey is not unlike a
detective story. He is basicly trying to unravel to truth about Tormance. However this is no easy matter because one of the two gods (the anti-god) is evil incarnate. This god is so wicked that he has made virture appear to be evil, truth to be lies and himself seem the genuine god while the true god is a pretender. All of this is done in a story where almost every object has two or three different forms of symoblism (some true and some false). One can read "Arcturus" as a simple story but the story is so rich that it's better to keep notes because there is so much going on. "A Voyage to Arcturus" is a remarkable story: It's a novel that almost no one has read. However it is almost unique and
anyone who does read it will be permanently affected by it. David Lindsay made almost no money on this novel.
When first published, "Arcturus" was panned in book reviews and latter remaindered (people in the 1920s were
not ready for it). However this book has never been out-of-print and will always have a loyal following.
Gary A. Allen, Jr.
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Summary: a sacred text from the 20th century
Review: A Voyage to Arcturus is science fiction in the same sense that the Bhagavad-gita is a war story.
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Summary: Surtur
Review: A waiter bringing food might say be careful this plate is hot, a reviewer of this book might warn be careful this book may burn you. Unlike most books "A Voyage to Arcturus" defies genre. It reminds of Buddhist and Gnostic themes yet pushes beyond either in a fantasy taking place inside David Lindsay's skull, (Maskull), that spills out on the pages. Illusion and reality, pleasure and pain are the main combatants here with pain as a liberator that few see as such. Alan Moore writes in his introduction to the excellent Savoy edition, " Naturally, the sensate creatures trapped in Crystalman's endlessly multiplying world of shape and dazzle are conditioned by their habitat, their solar system a gigantic Skinner box, its population become thrill addicted rodents, nuzzling repeatedly against the pleasure levers, seeking their reward."
Reading "A Voyage to Arcturus" every now and then acts as a kind of purgative to the reader living in our modern pleasure seeking world.
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Summary: The world through sharpened sight
Review: David Lindsay is one of the twentieth century's greatest and least appreciated geniuses. This, his first book, is also his best known, although it's debatable whether the science-fiction/Tolkien-fantasy crowd, into whose hands it has generally fallen, quite have the measure of its overarching ambition and audacious vision. Tormance, a planet of the star Arcturus, is a young world where raw particles of life flow and are trapped in the creations of Crystalman, the god of the visible world. Maskull, a human being, comes to Tormance from Earth and embarks upon an epic journey towards Muspel, the source of all genuine life, which is in constant danger from Crystalman's vulgar machinations. Maskull meets a succession of characters whose various philosophies and points of view represent the stages of his own spiritual progress, until finally he sheds his "Maskull" (mask, shell) self and awakes to the truth which Crystalman's world keeps hidden. The fight goes on, a fight in which pain is an ally and "nothing will be done without the bloodiest blows." This summary cannot begin to convey the complexity of this work nor do justice to its vast scope or the astounding variety of its invention. As he travels through the book's epic landscapes Maskull constantly mutates, growing new eyes, new arms and new organs, seeing new colours and encountering a member of a third sex. Almost everyone he meets soon dies, killed either by Maskull himself or by their own inability to evolve as he does - bloodiest blows indeed. Lindsay's prose is pedestrian and often clumsy, but always clear and never verbose; the story moves quickly, its most complex ideas given concrete shape rather than conveyed through abstract discussion. A Voyage to Arcturus is neither science fiction nor fantasy, but a vision in words, as raw, bleak and powerful as a Scottish mountain. The problems it raises are deathly serious and forever immediate.
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Summary: Worth Searching/Waiting For
Review: David Lindsay's "A Voyage to Arcturus" is difficult to categorize. The book has been labeled "Science Fiction/Fantasy," but it is much more. The novel's hero/Everyman Maskull starts out on a journey to the planet Tormance, but is quickly separated from his two traveling companions. Maskull's journey takes him on an unusual search for the discovery of the truths of the planet and of his own being. He meets several unusual but memorable characters who are so interesting they could each become the subjects of their own novels. The entire book deals with a search for the truth and the struggle between good and evil...and it's not always easy to distinguish which character is on which side. This is a vast over-simplification of the story. The novel is rich, bold, and imaginative. The reader has absolutely no idea what is about to happen next as the story moves. I found the unpredictability (especially in light of current novels) very refreshing. Several reviewers are hoping for a film version of the book. Some novels should never reach the screen and this is one of them. First, no studio could produce the special effects necessary to bring the novel to the screen without cheapening the story. Second, I don't want to see George Clooney running around attempting to contemplate the meaning of life while playing a caricature of Maskull. Don't wait for the movie...read the novel and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Worth Searching/Waiting For
Review: David Lindsay's "A Voyage to Arcturus" is difficult to categorize. The book has been labeled "Science Fiction/Fantasy," but it is much more. The novel's hero/Everyman Maskull starts out on a journey to the planet Tormance, but is quickly separated from his two traveling companions. Maskull's journey takes him on an unusual search for the discovery of the truths of the planet and of his own being. He meets several unusual but memorable characters who are so interesting they could each become the subjects of their own novels. The entire book deals with a search for the truth and the struggle between good and evil...and it's not always easy to distinguish which character is on which side. This is a vast over-simplification of the story. The novel is rich, bold, and imaginative. The reader has absolutely no idea what is about to happen next as the story moves. I found the unpredictability (especially in light of current novels) very refreshing. Several reviewers are hoping for a film version of the book. Some novels should never reach the screen and this is one of them. First, no studio could produce the special effects necessary to bring the novel to the screen without cheapening the story. Second, I don't want to see George Clooney running around attempting to contemplate the meaning of life while playing a caricature of Maskull. Don't wait for the movie...read the novel and enjoy.
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Summary: A Psychedelic Masterpiece
Review: David Lindsays book is more visionary than science fiction. The book reads like the description of a very powerful acid trip. Lindsays writing style leaves strong impressions of the landscapes he describes.
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Summary: vague and dull
Review: I cannot believe I am the first person to spoil the perfect 5-star rating of this book. But then, I'm a plot man, and this novel is a long allegory. Unfortunately, this is not one of those allegorical novels that can truly be enjoyed purely as a narrative tale. The "story," such as it is, simply plods. The prose is awkward and amateurish. Even as allegory, I found it nearly impenetrable. I am very much a devotee of the Howard\CAS\Eddison\Tolkien\Vance\Moorcock, etc. brand of fantasy, and I suppose there are some eggheads out there who will condemn my tastes. However, for those who share my taste in fantastic literature, I advise you to avoid A Voyage to Arcturus.
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Summary: A Visionary Masterpiece
Review: I first read this astonishing & overwhelming story as a teenager. Of course I was too young, too naive, too undeveloped to understand what it was all about back then ... but the vivid images & the urgency of the storytelling struck me even then. Now, some 30+ years & at least two dozen re-readings later, I can at last begin to fully appreciate the depth & immense power of Lindsay's work.
"Allegory" to be sure, although that word hardly does the work justice, with its intimations of fustiness & neat symbols all in a row. Better to call it "Vision," revealed in an awful & irresistable blaze that burns away the preconceptions & illusions of the Everyday. Maskull's journey is one that few are willing to undertake: the stakes are high & failure is the sugar-coated damnation of living in the world around us.
Previous reviews have already provided enough story details & deserved praise for this important work. Let me just add my own highest recommendation to theirs: read these visonary pages & be changed forever. Highly recommended!
Devotees of this book might also want to hear Ron Thomas' fine CD "Scenes From A Voyage To Arcturus," available here at Amazon.com, as well as see the little-known 1970 student film adapting the novel, available through Amazon.com's zShops.
Rating:
Summary: A Visionary Masterpiece
Review: I first read this astonishing & overwhelming story as a teenager. Of course I was too young, too naive, too undeveloped to understand what it was all about back then ... but the vivid images & the urgency of the storytelling struck me even then. Now, some 30+ years & at least two dozen re-readings later, I can at last begin to fully appreciate the depth & immense power of Lindsay's work. "Allegory" to be sure, although that word hardly does the work justice, with its intimations of fustiness & neat symbols all in a row. Better to call it "Vision," revealed in an awful & irresistable blaze that burns away the preconceptions & illusions of the Everyday. Maskull's journey is one that few are willing to undertake: the stakes are high & failure is the sugar-coated damnation of living in the world around us. Previous reviews have already provided enough story details & deserved praise for this important work. Let me just add my own highest recommendation to theirs: read these visonary pages & be changed forever.
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