Zounds!
If you are like me in being relatively new to science fiction, then we have one distinct advantage: a hefty number of the novels, particularly those of the New Wave, will possess an undeniable freshness, making for an exciting, even thrilling, read. This is most certainly the case with Non-Stop by British New Waver Brian Aldiss. What an adventure!
Frequently when reviewing a novel, I'll highlight specific themes or aspects that give the story its own unique flair. I will not do so here since Non-Stop is a tale where all the many varieties of characters along with developments, ups, downs and breakthroughs are best disclosed to a reader page by page.
What I will say is a one-line paraphrase of the blurb on the book's back cover: the tale revolves around a member of the Green tribe, a hunter by the name of Roy Complain, setting out with renegade priest Marapper to explore lands beyond the limits set by tribe leaders.
Once I read the first chapter, I was completely hooked. I became excited, anticipating what Roy would encounter and learn on the next step of his journey. And, remarkably enough, there was no lessening of my excitement right up til the very last page. Now that's powerful storytelling! I felt like our ancient ancestors must have felt listing to an unfolding saga as they sat around the fire at night.
So the question arises: how did Brian Aldiss pull it off?
I think a good part of the answer lies in the disparity of knowledge between readers on one side and Roy and company on the other. This to say, living in the modern world, we possess an understanding of astronomy and reading about people lacking such basic knowledge but who, step by step, eventually expand their comprehension of the universe and their place in it, makes for a fascinating read.
I strongly suspect another part of the answer is tied up with three key qualities of New Wave SF - how it tends to be psychological, boundary pushing and weird. Let me tackle these one at a time.
Psychological: The inner space of the mind assumes equal important as outer space. Non-Stop is chock full of references and reflections on the inner psyche, as for example, here's one of Roy's musings: "A madman had lived for a moment within his skull! The Teaching warned him that his mind was a foul place. the holy trinity, Froyd, Yung and Bassit, had gone alone through the terrible barriers of sleep, death's brother; there they found - not nothing, as man had formerly believed - but grottoes and subterranean labyrinths full of ghouls and evil treasure, leeches, and the lusts that burn like acid. Man stood revealed to himself: a creature of infinite complexity and horror."
Boundary Pushing: Here is Marapper the priest revealing a great secret to Roy: "The great thing is, that not being in a ship is vastly different from being in it. You know - we all know - only what being in one is like; it is that which makes us think there is only ship. But there are many places which are not ship - huge places, many of them . . . This I know because I have seen records left by the Giants. The ship was made by the Giants, for their own purposes which are - as yet - hidden from us." Ship, not ship, Giants? What's going on here? And what's the very nature of reality?
Weird: Never mind Green Martians, Non-Stop is right up there with other New Wave SF in its bending of biology and genetics. "As the rabbit was drawn up, the five original scout rats spread out by the inner door, keeping watch for the Giants' return. The leader-rat ducked his head at the sword in his buckler, standing erect again with a fierce little blade fitting over his two front teeth, a tiny scythe which he twitched avidly about in the direction of the rabbit's neck." Now that's weird!
Yet again another dimension of Brian Aldiss' first-rate storytelling is his incorporation of Jungian archetypes as Roy travels on his hero's journey - to name several: the lover, the trickster, the shadow, the wise oldster.
Lastly, recall I mentioned we as readers have the advantage of knowing the facts of astronomy. However, we only learn the ultimate reality of the characters, their world and their underlying mission toward the stunning conclusion.. Thus, in this regard, we are in store for a few unexpected jolts. What a remarkable novel. Bravo, Brian Aldiss.
British author Brian Aldiss, 1925-2017
"Violence and death were pandemic in Quarters, forming a natural balance to the high birth rate, by nobody cheerfully dies for the sake of symmetry." - Brian Aldiss, Non-Stop
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