Robert Charles Wilson
Darwinia
A novel about a very different Twentieth Century
Orion Books, London 1999
ISBN 1-85798-815-9
Monika says:
In 1912 our known world changes practically over night. In the turn of
just a few hours the entire European continent vanishes and makes room for
an unknown wilderness. All the cities and their inhabitants disappear.
Even the fossil record is radically changed. Darwinia, as this wild
country is called now, has nothing in common with the rest of the world. A
completely different kind of evolution seems to have taken place here.
Photographer Guilford Law who experienced the memorable event as a
14-year-old boy in America joins an expedition to the interior of the new
continent in 1920. He leaves his young wife and his four-year-old daughter
behind in New London, unaware that he will not see them again before half
a lifetime has passed.
It’s a strange book that Wilson presents to his readers. It took
almost half of the 300 pages for me to get used to his style and to find
my way around this strange world. It’s as alien as only a distant planet
can be, and yet the story is set right here on Earth, although an Earth
with a drastically changed history. By and by the ends are tied up and the
readers learn that the phenomenon wasn’t confined to Earth but has a
cosmic dimension as well. The author interrupts the action with
explanations that don’t bother too much. The cosmic structure was ripped
apart and the history of several different worlds were mixed. The actual
history of Europe as we know it took place somewhere else, and Guilford is
haunted by strange dreams.
This is all I will reveal at this point. The book is no thriller read
in one night and quickly forgotten. Once you got used to it it will draw
you in with its slightly old-fashioned style and the extraordinary
story. The descriptions of Darwinia’s untamed nature are vivid and
conjure a new image of well-known landscapes before your eyes. The fauna
could have done with some illustrations to help the imagination along.
Even if you are no explicit fan of science fiction you will get your
money’s worth out of DARWINIA. |
