James Morrow (1) (1947–)

City of Truth is one of the shortest of James Morrow's novels, but it has as much conceptual heft as any of them. The setting is a near-future dystopia in which the denizens are conditioned for absolute honesty and candor. I was reminded of many other books, from Zamiatin's We to The Physiognomy of Jeffrey Ford, in terms of the way that an imagined totalitarianism and its resistance are conceived. Even outside of the satirical fantasy genre, however, the book is unusual for placing a show more father's relationship to his son at the center of the main character's motivation.

Morrow is best known for his autopsies and parodies of religious themes, and there is certainly much relevant to theology in a book which refers repeatedly to "putative souls" and where examples of lies include "God protects the innocent" and "Love is eternal." But the heart of this book is an exploration of philosophical matters that have an equal "secular" importance. The name of the protagonist Jack Sperry reads to me as derived from spero (Lat. "I hope"), which points to the ethical business of the story, and the epistemological issue is mentioned in passing by one of Sperry's insurgent ("dissembler") acquaintances as "the confusion of the empirical with the true" (87).

The book has many moments that are terribly funny, but it revolves around personal tragedy as well as the systematic cruelty of a society extrapolated from benevolent rational motives. It is short and quick-to-read, but not for the faint of heart. show less

This is a weird surreal adventure at the start of WWI, where Art and Sorcery in a lunatic asylum are used both on the side of good and peace and evil and war.

Dr. Caligari sells access to his masterpiece to the highest bidder. A masterpiece painting that compels its viewers into unbridled passion for war. Both sides of the building conflicts are eager to avail themselves of his services. Francis is an artist from America, who comes to the asylum to work as an art therapist. While there, he show more uncovers Caligari's plans and endeavors to stop him. With the help of his students, the Spider Queen of Ogygia, the Commander of an Alien Armada, a Grand Chessmaster, and several others, they construct an "antidote" painting to cause the viewer and equally unbridled passion for peace.

Its funny, satirical, and poignant. Its a quick read, and I'm not doing it justice, but if you like good witty writing its definitely worth your time.

"'This morning I learned something marvelous. Never have I hoarded so precious a secret'
'Pray tell'
'If I tell, it won't be a secret. If you pray, it will be a waste of time'"

"Vita Brevis, ars longa" (Life is Short, Art is Forever - to paraphrase the latin)

"Only God is flawless," said Ilona. "It's the first thing you'll notice about Him, if he ever gets round to existing"

8/10

S: 6/20/17 - 6/24/17 (5 Days) show less

Written and published before the 1/6 Insurrection, this odd book sadly isn't nearly as speculative as the writers may have thought (or, maybe, hoped.) While not great fiction, it's clear-eyed (if too whimsically) about the challenges, both seen and unseen, facing America. Any recommendation should come with the book's own caveat: "As a parody/satire with occasional over-the-top elements, some reads may find certain portions of these stories caustic. But the read is reminded that this is a show more satire and neither the authors nor the publisher purport that anything contained in this anthology is either true or likely to happen, or is a true representation of the characters."

The book consists of three novellas:
-The Breaking of Nations by Harry Turtledove
-The Purloined Republic by James Morror
-Because It Is Bitter by Cat Rambo show less

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.
- 1 Samuel 15.23

In The Last Witchfinder, James Morrow has created an interesting amalgam of historical fiction, fantasy, and scientific treatise. Morrow is obviously a skilled writer, and manages to pull this witches’ brew off quite well. The story is interesting and at times arresting, and Morrow has important things to say about superstition and reason, religion and science. I called the book a fantasy, but it does not in fact contain any show more speculative elements, it being more an inspired alternate history in which several historical personages make their appearances, including Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, and the Baron de Montesquieu. It works surprisingly well, especially considering its length. Morrow does sometimes become a bit forceful in his arguments, which could be construed as polemical. But I enjoyed the story immensely, and found myself agreeing with most of Morrow’s standpoints on the dichotomy of faith and reason. Perhaps the book could have done with some more pruning, but it is such an interesting picaresque adventure, combining the physical with the metaphysical, that it would be shrewish of me to find too much fault with Morrow’s exuberance.

I could try to summarise the plot, but it presents certain difficulties, not least of which is that it seems completely absurd and unworkable in précis. Any story that contains burning-at-the-stake, a foetus-carnival, living-with-American-Indians, Robinson-Crusoe-marooning, and lots of sex, would be difficult to make sense of in synopsis. Despite this, I should mention that the story is set in the late 17th century, and follows the adventures of Jennet Stearne, the child of a witchfinder, who rebels against the practice after the immolation of her aunt. She becomes a natural philosopher, or quasi-scientist, hell-bent on disproving the existence of witchcraft, demons, and all the paraphernalia that goes with such hokum.

The novel’s framing device was quite original: Morrow has Jennet’s story narrated by a book, namely Newton’s Principia Mathematica, which is in a heated battle with the Malleus Maleficarum, or “The Hammer of the Witches”. This device did not always work for me: the Principia sometimes makes Morrow’s arguments for him too forcefully, and, because the book writes as though from modern times (i.e. the 21st century), it felt like it was making anachronistic comments quite often. But Morrow also reveals fascinating facts in these vignettes, so I feel a bit ambivalent about them.

The novel is also a bildungsroman in which Jennet’s development from precocious child to self-sufficient woman is depicted. Jennet is a strong female character, but Morrow does not fall into the trap of making her invulnerable or inhuman. Although initially a bit of a bluestocking, Jennet learns about the practical side of life during her time in America, especially when she is abducted by Algonquin Indians. Morrow walks a fine line when depicting his Indians, avoiding both the noble savage and, well, savage savage stereotypes. That said, this part of the novel seemed a bit inconsequential, and its inclusion only really made sense towards the end.

The final witch-trial of Jennet Stearne is probably the best scene of the novel. How could it be otherwise, with Montesquieu defending Jennet and Ben Franklin writing up the court reports? Morrow paints a searing picture of the practice of witch-finding, which was, to all intents and purposes, a form of genocide mostly aimed at old, vulnerable women, although men and children were not always safe. The Salem-trails, which make an appearance earlier in the novel, make it clear how this type of hysteria could sweep a community, leading to the deaths of many innocent (that is, innocent of witchcraft) people. Jennet’s trail is another miscarriage of justice, but it eventually has a salutary effect on later practices. And as for Jennet herself, well, you will just have to read the book for yourself to discover what happens…

The Last Witchfinder was tremendously enjoyable, a veritable romp through history and philosophy. It has its problems, but Morrow’s humanity and exuberance make up for most of these. Quite hilarious at times, it satisfied me no end. show less