I've received a note by Abel Diaz to Michael Butterworth concerning the latter's new book,
My Servant the Wind.
12 April 2019
Dear Michael,
Last night, I finished reading My Servant the
Wind. I don’t know why I thought it would be a straight-up science
fiction novel, but I was not prepared for how experimental it was—a genre unto
its own: Meta-temporal-epistolary-apocalypse fiction. I’ve never
encountered its like!
It was quite disorienting. I don’t think I truly
found my footing until the funny but deeply unsettling routine in entry “May
30th 2030” that ends with the warped exclamation: “I’ll goddamn go to bed with
your bones!”
Another hilarious and twisted routine of this nature
occurred later on page 48 with the fat woman protecting only her hat while the
rest of her is pelted with stones and metal and such. (There are several
other routines I enjoyed immensely, but this letter would quickly become a
catalog if I listed them all.)
These routines, while belonging to the same genus of
those by Burroughs, are definitely their own species. For one thing, they
are faster and leaner. I guess the word “condensed” that you used several
times when describing the techniques of Ballard would be a better way of
describing it. Some of them are so concise and funny that they could be
successfully delivered by a talented stand-up comedian. And so I strongly
agree with you when you said in your afterword that you were never so in thrall
to your inspirations that you could not form your own distinct style.
Discussing a book like this (are there any books like
this?), is really daunting and intimidating for me. There are huge, HUGE
gaps in my knowledge of New Wave and Sci-Fi and every genre in-between. I
worry that I missed or misunderstood some of what was intended in MSTW -- even
with the benefit of your very informative afterword. Couple that with my
decidedly un-academic mind, and I’m sure my thoughts are going to sound shallow
at best. But I still want to share with you what I liked most about your
novel.
In addition to the many entertaining stories scattered
throughout the diary entries (the King comes to mind, the many lively soldier
sketches as well), there are two exceptional tales that were such a joy to read
that they stand as my favorite parts of this book. The first is “April
9th 1971”; the story about Ron Fathaway and his Adventure Hut. Not only
were the descriptions of this hut super cool and evocative, but I grew damn
giddy as Hob Leg recounted, “We were billeted in a trench…” The story
within a story that follows is so fun and enthralling. The betrayal by
those bastard Huns is so vividly portrayed and described. The atomic
blast at the end is so surreal and weird. I just really loved this whole
entry and I think it was a blast of inspiration!
The second is the entry “August 2nd, 1971.” This
tale of the narrator and his man Scrat reconnoitering that vast plateau was
suggestive of old-timey adventure tales in all the best ways. You
revealed that the inspiration for this piece was Edgar Allan Poe, but if so
then this is further proof of your ability to take your favorite authors as
starting points, then march deep into new territory to stake for your
own. The sudden interjection of that one horrific image—the half eaten
baby face donor kebab—really packed a punch. A few posters of that scene
strategically placed around the city of Manchester would surely convert the
masses to veganism! Also, the phantom advertisements were a wild and well
executed idea. I have no reason to think you like Jack Vance, but it
reminded me of a Dying Earth moment (which I love and which is intended as a
good comparison).
The most powerful moment in the whole novel, however,
was a short paragraph found on page 151. It begins, “My lonesomeness is
returning…” and ends, “I will miss him while I face whatever I have to.”
I don’t know if this passage was intended metaphorically or as a riff on
something else entirely or as pure parody, but it doesn’t matter to me. I
took it straight, with no hidden meanings, and to me it was the most poignant,
impactful passage of all. It evoked a sense of sorrow and grief that many
other moments in the novel approached, but never achieved with quite this
intensity.
There is one final passage I feel deserves a special
mention. It can be found on page 142 and it is presented as the words of
a friend about how they found a cold newt on a trail and warmed it up with
their hands. I found this moment so touching and endearing that I sat
with it for a while, wondering if this was a true story and who had said it to
you. The very last sentence is the one that especially resonates with me:
“We had a good ‘encounter,’ and this sort of thing is more in keeping with who
I am, what I like to do, and what I like to think about.” I couldn’t
agree more. It really is a lovely moment in the book. And it’s one
of those descriptions that are vivid and meaningful enough to become an actual
memory in the reader’s head.
Well, that’s all for now. I had a great time
reading your novel. It packed a hell of a lot into a small package.
It had its challenging moments, I won’t lie to you, but it was damn good and it
was significant and I’m glad I read it. I believe the passages I noted
above will stay with me for a very long time. I might even have to build
my own Adventure Hut now!
Next up, I’m going to read your new collection of
short stories. I can’t wait to see what gems I’m going to find.
Sincerely,
Abel Diaz
To view the Amazon description of My Servant the Wind, please click the cover image:
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