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 Taken Far April 21, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Profoundly stimulated by this book on first reading, and on several subsequent readings. My experience so different from last reviewer's that it's tempting to respond to the last review on this book point for point. But let's just say that I tripped, 'got high', in a big way (with no form of drugs involved at all) by reading this reputedly "badly written" novel. Clearly it's NOT ONE for folk who like prescription literature/philosophy, etc.
I appreciate JB Pick's suggestion that the reader should not so much search for the meaning of A Voyage to Arcturus as "hear the drumbeats"
 A Let-Down February 19, 2006
6 out of 14 found this review helpful
I had high hopes for this “lost classic”, but I was severely disappointed. Lindsay’s fantastic novel starts promisingly and intriguingly enough at a séance in a fashionable London apartment, when, without explanation, three characters arrive: Maskull, Nightspore and Krag. An apparition appears, which is destroyed by Krag, who, it turns out, together with Nightspore, comes from a planet orbiting the twin star Arcturus. They return there by some bizarre and utterly implausible means, taking Maskull with them, apparently for no other reason than that it seemed like a good idea at the time. Maskull loses consciousness on the journey and wakes, alone, on the planet’s surface (the planet is called Tormance by the way). He proceeds to travel in search of Krag (or Surtur or Shaping or whoever he is) and Nightspore through a variety of rapidly changing landscapes, meeting outlandish characters who appear, then disappear or are killed (sometimes by Maskull himself, although why I couldn’t quite fathom) seemingly at random.There is a complete absence of anything approaching conventional plot or characterisation and occasionally the conversations Maskull has with the creatures he meets turn into some pseudo-philosophising, none of which makes any sense at all. I won’t give away the ending, which is as nonsensical as the rest of the book, and offers no explanation at all about what has gone before. If the book is intended as allegory, it’s too deep for me to penetrate; if it is intended to be a fantastic adventure, it lacks any of the required elements of narrative fiction; if it’s supposed to be some sort of satire or critique, I can’t see what its object is. This book sold very few copies on publication, and I can well understand why. For the 21st century reader, the language, attitudes and sentiments expressed (such as they are) are very dated and occasionally come across like a parody of early Noel Coward. Overall, I resent the fraction of my life that I spent reading the book, and I certainly won’t be searching for any more by the same author.
Blake-like mysticism August 18, 2003
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
David Lindsay has created a remarkable journey in this book. From the seance at the beginning, it is clear that the work is not going to be standard fantasy, and, indeed, it seems more closely akin to the mystical allegories of Blake's paintings, in that it informs on an emotional level without necessarily explaining on an intellectual one. The voyage Maskull takes, not only to but also through Arcturus, is painted with incredibly evocative language. I particularly loved Lindsay's way of describing colours never seen on earth by linking them into emotional states: ulfire, for example, is 'wild and mysterious'. The book is heavy with allegory - the climax takes place in the land of light, or Muspel, (Norse mythology describes a land of fire also known as Muspel), but this is way beyond normal allegorical writing. People grow and discard organs, strange creatures and plants inhabit the world, and through it all runs the complex influences of Krag and Crystalman, who roughly correspond to Pain and the Illusion that Pain is not real. This is a fantastic book of chaotic characters and flowing descriptions. Don't expect to get all its layers on the first read (unless you're a lot smarter than me!) but enjoy it for the breathless journey it takes you on and a use of language that I thought was unique and unparalleled. Highly recommended.
Challenging wonderment October 11, 2002
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Lindsay has created a multi-layered critique of our understanding of creation in a unique literary work. When first published it bombed as the public of 1920 found it appalling. It needs rereading to get a fuller picture of what Lindsay is trying to say: and that is very challenging! Three people--Krag, Nightspore and Maskull--travel to Tormance, a planet round the star Arcturus. However this is no "science" fiction. Maskull awakes alone and encounters a series of people on his journey to Muspel, the place of revelation. This must lead to his death as is stated all through the book. In his encounters with aliens, Maskull undergoes various physical, emotional and spiritual transformations. These lead him to question the work of Shaping or creation by Crystalman. At the end of his journey Krag reappears, having been called the devil by the aliens Maskull encounters at various times, and shows Maskull that he must allow Pain to release him from the deceit of Pleasure (Shaping). And so he becomes Nightspore, Krag's creature. This whole journey is written with fantastic literary skill and imagery, and the whole experience is personally challenging. For the truth of Tormance is the truth of our world, according to Lindsay. "Arcturus" influenced CS Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet" and "Perelandra".
An Often Overlooked Classic of Weird Fiction August 5, 2002
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Voyage To Arcturus fits perfectly in with Savoy's present publishing programme which is set to climax with W. H. Hodgson's The House On The Borderland. Lindsay's classic is an unconventional fantasy that uses 'psychedlic' visions to convey his philosophies of life and the world around us. It begins with a fairly conventional seance and reads in a somewhat stlited style but then becomes almost ecstatic like Hodgson's end of world viosion in House on the Borderland. Characters constantly change physically in the seemingly plotless trip that is Voyage to Arcturus. Buy this book, not only is it a beautifully presented hardback with fantastic artwork, an intro by Alan Moore, an afterword by Colin Wilson and other 'extras', but you'll really never read another book like it!!
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