Author: Sean Wright
Cover Artist: Les Edwards
Publisher: Crowswing Books
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: January 2005

For close to a year now I have heard of Sean Wright’s work; usually accompanied with opinions that reach rather stunning degrees of variance. For myself, after having just recently read Wright’s The Twisted Root of Jaarfindor, short-listed for the 2005 British Fantasy Award for excellence in novella form, I am left without such an extreme opinion in either direction, instead am left with several aspects I certainly enjoyed, and some unavoidable observations that I think will either endear the work to some or prove to act as a burdening echo depending on what works you can claim to have read in speculative fiction.

The Twisted Root of Jaarfindor is a rather coarse, and at times a widely inventive piece of speculative fiction; a blend of Fantasy, with a SF edge and elements of the macabre telling of a redemptive journey of a former Princess turned by her own hand into Queen. Lia-Va, however, has no desire for the throne and trappings that accompany it. Armed with her sword and more importantly — as well as far more interesting — a root addiction, Wright navigates Lia-Va on a course that will lead her to take passage on the aptly named “Voyeur”, a pirate air ship, whose passengers form a motley cast in both assortment and in terms of imaginative creation. The destination, Brafindor, where Lia-Va hopes to finally solve the mystery of the ‘Rune Root Puzzle’, the pieces of which she carries at all times in her bag full of collected roots, recordings of other’s memories but representative of her shattered psyche and present state that she constantly carries with her. The Rune Root Puzzle becomes the source of a life-engrossing obsession, as she attempts to bring clarity to a unique ancient religious text, and to elucidate the motivation and words of the voice she hears in her mind that continually yet ambiguously spurs her on, never allowing her or even having the desire to escape her addiction, instead makes the addiction itself seem as if it’s the natural culmination of her innate desire for the world to have a laissez faire policy on her. A false symbol of her personal freedom.

The Roots themselves are a bit of an enigma to me, but an element I really enjoyed. Clearly they are not representative of souls, but instead are a natural bi-product produced by all life at the moment of their death that is regurgitated by those entering the void. Hoarded by addicts, they offer escape from personal reality into the deceased’s reality. These roots when applied enable a user to not only view the memories of their former owners, but also, in fact relive those memories ala the mid-90’s film Strange Days. Although with the proper and latest hardware, an addict can relive all points of the former Root owner’s life with ease, Lia-Va is fascinated with reliving the moments just before a victims Root is spawned, reveling in the ecstasy of the thoughts of the last moments of others; her life lived to experience the end of life.

Traversing Elriad, and the voyage to Brafindor is not an undertaking to be treated without proper sense of gravity, even by a Queen — perhaps especially a queen. Lia-Va will have to hire “back eyes”, and occupation of such weighted import a phrase was coined:

“Murder and betrayal were common forms of communication. Hence the Wisblakrian phrase of old, “best to travel the dark night with back-eyes if you want to see the morning light”

Back-Eyes customarily choose among themselves, and after making her desire for services and announcing the potential rewards, Lia-Va steps out of the room full of potentials and awaits for the sole survivor to meet here at the soon to be departing Voyeur. Her wait was not long, which made the appearance of the victor, a demure, unimposing sort even more of a surprise; it would not be the last time Islan would prove to be a source of such surprise on their voyage to Brafindor.

The strength of The Twisted Root of Jaarfindor is the setting and the creativity involved in the depiction of the numerous denizens of Wright’s world. You will feel at home if you enjoy bumping into unique inhabitants around every corner and page. From various races consisting of and mixtures of Human and Insectiants, at times unions of the organic and technology – and we aren’t even speaking of the weird content. From traveling with prisoners granted an hours freedom to pillage as they pleased until meeting an explosive prison implanted end from “head-bangers”; to entering games of chance with cutthroat killers, and to sharing times with company with the captain of the Voyeur, allowing him to meld with her so together they share in her Root hit; a captain whose surgically attached soul hovers above them — without being ominous — in the cabin, a seemingly unholy camaraderie between binging junkies that only those of us who have ourselves been in the rotation of can appreciate with authenticity. While Lia-Va and the Captain (Tullock) share trips on their voyage, Islan stands guard over both, as no passenger, whether pilgrims or crew, would hesitate to murder the duo (and each other) for the bag of Roots Lia-Va hordes. Protected only by the sole back-eyes and a haunting superstition that surrounds Tullock and his cabin, the pair relives the final moments of Lia-Van’s favorite relative, her cousin Frilek with great pleasure. The novella both achieves and sustains a brisk pace; it is not bogged down by the surplus of whimsical ideas, and I think achieves an entertainment value, although I’m not certain to the intended audience. The book can be summed up by a paragraph from the text describing the Voyeur:

“Ghosts, talks with the dead, souls flying around the room, magic tripping, root addiction, and a whole host of freaky holy shit”

At the same time, what I find enjoyable in The Twisted Root of Jaarfindor has been seen elsewhere, and recently. Wright certainly is (certain due to both the content, and the rather elongated introduction and acknowledgements in the novella) clearly influenced by authors –both past and present — I both admire and praise on a regular basis. Lia-Va is in Wright’s own word is intended to be the “antithesis to modern or traditional images of the perfect role-model Princess”. Yet there are some interesting parallels, Lia-Va could be Wright’s combination Unfulfill’d Queen –crotch yearning for Root included – and Elric through the looking glass, and the Mieville influence is unmistakable and I think cannot be overstated, regarding both in application and intended effect of the depiction of landscapes and the gallery of characters describable as both eldritch and fantastic. The passages, however full of aforementioned inventive content, do not evoke the same power of the word that separate Moorcock and Mieville not only from Wright but the vast majority of genre work. The difference between having individual style and applying influenced style seems evident to me, and it’s a balance I’m not sure Wright has found. Furthermore, although I greatly admire and even actively support the unforgiving, uncomforting, realistic direction of the work and the message Wright seems to have dedicated himself to regarding speculative fiction, which The Twisted Root of Jaarfindor definitely exudes, but it lacks the example of subtle contrast that produces relevance. There is loss, but we don’t feel it. There is no moment that reminds us of the humanity to parlay against and even heighten the horrific and starkness of the atmosphere. There is no moment of Isaac realizing Lynn’s endearing and defining quality will turn into the flaw that will shatter both their lives. There are also some examples of repeated passages, and perhaps one too many times we were told Lia-Va was reaching for the hilt of her sword, but all in all what I have heard negative of composition does exist but was overstated. Most of which is simply explained by a couple of examples of abrupt changes in narrative perspective, however, this can just as easily be intended for effect (whether successful or not) than as a sign of haphazard writing. There is coarseness to the prose that although I know is partially intended to add to the atmosphere of Wright’s gritty world, but at times it’s just crude.

What The Twisted Root of Jaarfindor does deliver is a satisfying rump through a fantastically rendered alien landscape, creatively populated, with genuine room for intriguing returns. Root induced trips and a believable relationship between junkies will lead to a Queen to lose herself or the world, and beg the question if there is a truly a difference between the two. Some nice touches like the insectiant’s tangible chemical method of communication are nicely rendered and offer creative value. It’s a work that motivates interest in future Wright work, even if not making it feel like a necessity to procure his past work which includes the ‘Jesse Jameson‘ sequence.

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Topics: Crowswing Books, Sean Wright, The Twisted Root of Jaarfindor