Philip P. Ide

Author, programmer, science enthusiast, half-wit.
Life is sweet. Have you tasted it lately?

User Tools

Site Tools


blog:book_reviews:sci-fi:chris_morton:hard_boiled_wland

Hard-Boiled Wonderland

Hard-Boiled Wonderland
Chris Morton is a writer with a certain pedigree, having been shortlisted for a Guardian award, this story is his third novel and his first in science-fiction.

It tells the story of a man (Maggie Flycatcher) who has almost certainly the most boring job in history: he's a lemon tree supervisor. The creative talent that can come up with such a pointless job is one that deserves some recognition, so it instantly grabbed my attention. Flycatcher's life takes a turn for the better (he thinks) when he gets recruited as (unlikely as it seems) one of Earth's best test pilots, putting a new class of spaceship through its paces.

The story is related in first-person, in the style of the old hard-boiled gumshoe detectives. It is wry, witty, and told with a depth of feeling that is often missing in stories by lesser writers. Morton is an English teacher, and his deft grasp of the storytelling art never waivers for a moment.

The hard-boiled style leads to some quirkiness with syntax and grammar, but this lends the story an atmosphere quite effortlessly, even before any action takes place. There are plenty of eccentric characters in the cast that somehow avoid being clichés, and each of them is delightful in their own right.

Nothing, of course, is quite what it seems, and the main thrust of the story is all about Flycatcher trying to piece together what's really happening and how the heck did he find himself in such prestigious company. There are sub-stories and threads that weave a kaleidoscopic tapestry the hard-drinking Flycatcher has to contend with. It's a very colourful story that is compelling from the first paragraph.

There are a few parallels here with a story by Frederick Pohl called Gateway, published in 1976 and winner of the Hugo and Nebula awards. Gateway is one of the classics, and Hard-Boiled Wonderland really deserves to be treated with equal respect. Pohl's story is a psychological thriller and a tragedy, whereas Morton's offering is a straight-up mystery/adventure somewhat reminiscent of the Golden Age of science-fiction yet still feeling modern and fresh. There is also a flavour of the old Ripping Yarns, though Morton seems far too young to remember them.

This is a brilliant story, artfully told. It is immersive, entertaining and full of twists and turns. The world is fully realised and engagingly depicted, and the slow-burning menace that underpins it all is cleverly hidden in the subtext. This is a five-star story in every respect, and highly recommended.

Chris maintains an excellent website: https://newadventuresinscifi.blogspot.com/

This website uses cookies. By using the website, you agree with storing cookies on your computer. Also you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree leave the website.More information about cookies

Discussion

Enter your comment:
O K᠎ M Y M
 
blog/book_reviews/sci-fi/chris_morton/hard_boiled_wland.txt · Last modified: 2021/05/27 09:36 by Phil Ide

Except where otherwise noted, content on this wiki is licensed under the following license: Copyright © Phil Ide
Donate Powered by PHP Valid HTML5 Valid CSS Driven by DokuWiki
  • ISSplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigInternational Space Station

    This page has a portal through which you can view the current location of the International Space Station, updating in real-time. The tracker itself comes from the European Space Agency (ESA).

    There is also a handy link to get email notifications direct from NASA when the ISS is visible in your night sky.
  • Mars Weatherplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigMars Weather

    Weather Reports Insight Lander Perseverance Rover Curiosity data to come [Current positions of Earth and Mars] Image courtesy of and © Dominic Ford

    This image is updated once per week. A daily update is available on the Mars Solar Conjunctions page when such events are active.

    You can check the position of Mars vs the Sun and Earth for any date here:
  • Downloadsplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigDownloads

    Orbital Calculator Current Version This is a portable application, meaning there is no installer. Just unzip into a folder and run the executable. Since it is portable, it can be run from a USB stick.

    A full description and a list of the features are available
  • Orbital Calculatorplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigOrbital Calculator

    I needed to calculate orbital characteristics for any orbit around any gravitational mass (because I write sci-fi stories), so I wrote this program because I'm a programmer and I'm too lazy to do it by hand all the time. The program has expanded over the last few years, sometimes from suggestions by other writers. I make it freely available and as simple to use as possible. It now has a list of functions as long as your arm (assuming you're not a tentacle user), and the numbe…
  • Cookie Policy & GDPRplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCookie Policy & GDPR

    There are NO tracking cookies on this site!

    The Cookie policy is straightforward. This site only uses cookies that are required to make your experience of using this site better, and only uses session cookies (see exceptions below). Session cookies are deleted when you close your browser.
  • Book Reviewsplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigBook Reviews

    Here you can find all the book reviews, broken down by genre, and further subdivided by author. If you want me to review your novel, please read my Rules on Reviewing.

    * Science-Fiction * Fantasy * Non-Fiction
  • Contactplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigContact

    If you have a burning desire to contact me, use the discussion form below. Anything you say remains private between you and me.