Silverlock

I get why people like this book but I might have liked it better if I had first read it when I was younger. It still gets 3 stars because of the awesome range of fiction/literature it draws from. It only gets 3 stars because I couldn't stand the protagonist.

2.5 stars. A literary and historical allusion buffet. The references to mythology, literature and history are fun at first but eventually detract from the book. I often found myself focusing on “this person/situation sounds familiar - where have I heard it before?” instead of the book I was reading. That said, the plot is very thin.

The protagonist (Clarence Shandon, aka Silverlock) is initially characterized as a selfish, incurious heel, seemingly untouched by the world – both his own 1940s era United States, as well as the fantastical Commonwealth into which he finds himself transplanted. This ennui and self-centeredness are challenged throughout the book as Shandon encounters people and situations that work to undermine his indifference.

It is really a book of thirds. The first third introduces Shandon to the Commonwealth through a series of (very) loosely connected episodes. This portion of the book was the hardest to get through, and I set the book down often. Shandon Silverlock meets his guide (Golias, aka Taliesin/Orpheus) in the first scene after being tossed into the sea from a sinking ship. He then finds himself stranded on an island (part of the Commonwealth) and then wanders through several episodes, meeting, among others, Circe, Robin Hood, and Brian Boru.

The middle section has a more cohesive plot, as Golias and Silverlock help Lucius Jones reunite with his estranged lover. This section references portions of the Golden Ass by Apuleius when Jones is turned into a donkey, as well as the raft scene from Huckleberry Finn.

The last third is an epic quest, which takes Silverlock to the Underworld. Faust and the Inferno figure heavily here.

The author's writing style takes some getting used to. There is plenty of early- to mid-20th century American slang (I kept waiting for someone to shout “23 Skidoo!” after one of the several miraculous escapes), which only serves to date the book. Also, the tendency of characters to burst into song (or poetry) grates at times.

There are countless allusions to various works of history, literature and mythology. The ones I mentioned above are just a drop in the bucket. But on the whole, this works better as a teaser for the works that are referenced throughout than it does as a stand alone novel. But maybe that is the point of the novel? If there is a theme, it is the power of literature (as embodied by the Commonwealth) to edify and redeem, as Shandon Silverlock emerges from his travails with a new sense of wonder and engagement with the world.