Under the Pendulum Sun

This was a fun exploration of a new country briefly, then a claustrophobic slog, then got really going when her brother finally turns up. Incest is not my favourite trope and "but we're not *really* siblings" doesn't really ameliorate it in my eyes but it did fit, and it crept on the reader so that by the time it became explicit it was already clearly A Thing. There were a couple of other revelations like that, starting of "hey, wait a minute" and then shortly afterwards being "yeah...." Of course I was most interested in the linguistic investigations into Enochian, and of course very little detail of that was given, but the eventual historical revelations were satisfyingly explanatory, and the resolution satisfyingly creepy.

A sister travels to Faerie to search for her missing brother, who is a Christian missionary. A haunting and atmospheric read.

Well, that was a trip.

I liked the epigraphs a lot; I adored the research. I also think I can say now that I like gothic fiction. This was extremely gothic. Also super messed up - and in some ways it went further than 1800s gothic fiction - but I think it was on point.

It did really slow down after about halfway (or whenever that next section of the book began), but I stuck with it because I figured it was coming around to something at the end. And it did! I just wish a bit more happened in the 50-75% region.

But interesting! I didn't really like the cover and reviews made me think it would be worse than it was. Just think gothic.

This is a strange book in a genre that might be all its own. Gothic manor-faerie-missionary. I very much dig it and can't wait to read more by Ng. I enjoy the creepy setting, the world-building, and the twisty, hazy story. I enjoyed the characters. It definitely made me consider how central faith was to many people in the time period and wonder how accurate other portrayals are which have characters from the era with a more secular mindset.

I found this book too long for the story it told. It is about the relationship between a missionary to the land of the fae and his sister. The book is about their struggle with their faith and their interaction with the rulers and beings of Arcadia, the land of the fae.I will not be reading any more work from this author.

For as much as I love SF/F it can sometimes feel a bit same-y.

This book is not same-y.

There is so much I love about this book but one of the main things is the risk that author took in writing it. It takes place in a land of magic and otherworldly creatures but the conflict at its heart is incredibly human. It's fantasy but it's also much more gothic-inclined than any other fantasy I can think of. Somehow the author combined the stifling smothering haunted-castle gothic narrative with the twisted unknowable fear of folk-influenced fairy stories and threw in a hefty dose of theological theorizing to boot.

AND IT ALL WORKS!

Yes it can be slow-paced. But that works. That absolutely works. Yes the descriptions are vague and confusing but it makes so much narrative sense. The idea of characters in an immense, uncharted fantasy world being confined mostly to a claustrophobic castle is immensely difficult to envision, and yet the author manages to make it all work, to make it worth reading.

I would, however, including some trigger warnings: this book contains incest. In fact incest is one of the driving plot points of the book and the incest is overt and described many, many times, especially in the last half of the book. This can be difficult or triggering for readers so it's worth noting

I can't wait to read more from Jeannette Ng!!!

3 and a half stars. one of the creepiest books i've ever read, combining the flavours of Lovecraftian horror with Brontean Yorkshire gothics, in the context of Victorian Christian missionaries aiming to convert the fae in a world of malicious magic. it almost works, but the writing's a bit too uneven, and the plotlines a little too baroquely varied, to maintain full control of the narrative. nevertheless it has some good lines and a soaring imagination, and after a slow start holds the attention. i'm gonna be fascinated to read whatever the author comes up with for her second novel.

"Two-thirds of the way through Shirley Caroline Helstone's eyes change from brown to blue. This is not an unparalleled phenomenon in a novel. In Shirley however it is unexpected, for here Charlotte Brontë is much occupied with the looks of her characters."-- from the abstract to J M S Tompkins, 'Caroline Helstone's Eyes' Brontë Society Transactions Volume 14, 1961, Issue 1I very much wanted to like this novel. Described as a 'gothic fantasy with a theological twist' Under a Pendulum Sun paraded a magnificent range of tropes and themes for our enjoyment, all centred around that staple Gothick cliché, the mysterious castle. In the 1840s Catherine Helstone travels from her native Yorkshire into the North Sea, en route to the realm that her missionary brother, Laon, has chosen to proselytise. This realm is called Arcadia, also known as the land of the Fae, what we now call fairies. But forget the little people with gauze-like wings from nursery tales, these are more altogether more mysterious, even sinister: and do they even have souls to save?Jeanette Ng has, uniquely it seems, wedded together two unconnected themes, fairyland and theology, to produce a hybrid that's pregnant with possibilities. She's added into the mix the age-old British imperialist dream which in the 19th century sailed under the flags of free trade and converrimg heathens; she's then buttressed her narrative with faux extracts from 19th-century texts each prefacing a chapter. So far so intriguing. But then the more we hear of Catherine, the narrator of the story, her secretive brother, the castle servants Benjamin Goodfellow and the housekeeper known as the Salamander, plus a rarely glimpsed woman in black, the more mysteries the plot reveals. That's all before we come to Mab, the Queen of the Fae, and her subjects.I had high hopes for this unconventional fairytale set in a land with its own out-of-kilter cosmology (the sun really does swing from a Pendulum, and the moon, well, let's just say it's unexpected). That I wasn't entirely won over is not because of the multiplicity of themes -- which in fact was what most entertained me and kept me going -- but because of other really crucially important aspects of successful novel writing. Before I come to those negatives I want to apologise for the longer-than-usual digressions -- which I want now to pursue.The author has structured her novel by dividing it into four parts, the first three each containing thirteen chapters, the last a mere four. Headed Gethsemane, Gilead, Golgotha and Gehenna, they seem -- as anyone even vaguely familiar with biblical names will realise -- to allude to increasing tribulation. Gethsemane is the name of the castle that the Reverend Helstone is based in, but to Catherine it is virtually a prison from which she rarely ventures. Little seems to happen, with Catherine constantly musing about the mysteries she always to be on the verge of solving, though for the reader the expectation is that there must be a final tying of plot strands.It may be significant that the author runs live roleplay games, because that's the sense I was getting from the plot twists which mostly never quite resolved. The narrative arc of pretty much all fantasy RPG is very different from fiction. Yes, there is often a beginning where the player sets out as if on a quest or adventure, but the principle of 'interactivity' means outcome is not easily controlled. Interactivity apes real life scenarios in which outside agencies (such as other individuals and random events) affect the structuring of a narrative which we might otherwise expect a single author to control; and while generally working within constrained limits ('the rules') interactivity ensures each 'main protagonist' (as they see themselves) is not what they may actually be.Catherine is not what she thinks she is. First, she is clearly an amalgamation of other fictional characters, for example Catherine Morland from Austen's Northanger Abbey and Caroline Helstone from Charlotte Brontë's Shirley. Caroline Helstone's change of eye colour from brown to blue (as the above quote informs us) echoes the theme of the changeling in Under a Pendulum Sun: a changeling traditionally is a seemingly flawed being secretly substituted by the fairies for a human child. Catherine and Laon are further modelled on the real-life Charlotte and her ill-fated brother Branwell Brontë, right down to the model soldiers and the imaginary countries they invented. (A former friend of Catherine's is Louisa March, another literary amalgam I guess, of Louisa May Alcott and her most famous creations, the March girls.)The substituted changeling theme is paralleled by other motifs also emphasising ambiguity. There's the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation and the exact nature of the bread and wine that are said to become the body and blood of Christ. There's also constant reference to mirrors which reflect only a semblance of whoever stands in front of them, and also to automata which parrot the actions and appearances of human beings. Finally there are the other biblical allusions, to The Song of Solomon and the Jewish legend of Lilith, the alternative Eve, which hint at what final revelations we may be led to expect.So, a potent mix of Old and New Testament theology and the Gothick genre; there are those nods to Charlotte Brontë and her siblings and other Romantic figures, and explicit references to John Dee's Enochian language; elsewhere the author acknowledges the influence of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell; perhaps there's even an unconscious homage to Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Sphinx with its reference to the Death's Head hawkmoth; above all there's a firm grounding in the English fairy tradition, seen through the prism of Hieronymus Bosch's infernal visions.All in all, this I should have found this right up my street; but I have to admit I found this a frustrating read. I can usually tell when I'm losing interest in a book if I'm checking how much further I have to go, and that was frequently the case here. It wasn't so much the slowness of the plot -- I can cope with that if the nature of the novel demands it -- it was more the confusing language, perhaps a product of lazy editing. Let me give you some examples.In Chapter 32 we have the sentence, "Candlelight suffused the room, dancing overlapping shadows over the pages." Candlelight suffusing a room is alright, suggesting a slow, gradual spread of light like tea brewing in a cup, but the word "dancing" suggests something more vigorous and active, while the transitive use of the verb (the light leading the shadow in a dance, as it were) to me contradicts the suffusing. This conflict of metaphors could so easily have been resolved.Chapter 37 opens with a passage including the following phrase: "What despicable cruelties the eyes in the well would plot upon us..." More disconnects here, I feel, as eyes don't plot, and it's not clear in which sense 'plot' is being used: is it making secret plans (as 'despicable cruelties implies) or a narrative (as "upon us" might suggest)? Chapter 39 has almost half a page of conversation after a character is given a brooch before this sentence: "Her voice trailed off and she pressed the sharp of it onto her thumb and a dot of red blood bloomed." I had a double take at this -- is the character's voice really that sharp? -- until I looked back to remind myself the brooch was meant.In Chapter 42 another personage asks, "How else can I stealth into your dreams?" Now, 'stealth' is a noun and, while it's common to repurpose nouns as verbs, there's a perfectly good verb that means the same, and it's even shorter: it's steal. Is all this obtuse phraseology meant to disorientate us in what is after all a Gothic nightmare? If so, it succeeds, though I personally find it much too offputting a verbal tic.Under a Pendulum Sun has a final revelation that reminds me of a theme in Thomas Mann's The Holy Sinner (from 1951, itself a modern rendition of the medieval epic Gregorius) and in Max Frisch's Andorra (a play I remember being involved in many years ago at university): the reveal alludes to a relationship which many readers of The Song of Solomon find uncomfortable. It's another example of the ambiguity that drives Jeannette Ng's novel, and it's an ambiguity that may also underlie whether the novel succeeds or not.

This was another great premise (Victorian missionaries venture into Faerie to convert the Fae - because if the Fae had existed and the Victorians had known about them, of course they would have tried to convert them) but this time the book really and truly delivers on the premise. The author herself describes it as 'gothic fantasy with a theological twist'.I loved it although I can see some elements would put people off - it's slow-moving, written in a style that almost feels Victorian and there's lots of theology - but this felt like a very authentic Victorian gothic fantasy with lots of Bronte references which made me very happy. It reminded me a little of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (albeit that was set earlier in the 19th century) but it has the same feeling of period authenticity combined with a lot of weirdness and darkness. These aren't the fairies our Victorians imagined...This would be on my list of best books of 2017 and a special shout out to John Coulthart for the amazing cover art."They say the Howling Duke and the Chief of Winds are more cruel. They say He Who Commands Fear is stronger, more powerful. The Keeper of the Markets is more calculating. The Colourful King, She Who Sleeps for the Mountains and the Lost Emperors are more unpredictable, more changeable..... This is all true, you have to understand." He swallowed, visibly. "But I daresay I fear the Pale Queen the most.""Why?"Mr Benjamin grinned at my question, his lips stretching tight over his blunt, brown teeth. There was no humour in it. "Because she is most human."

Started quite atmospheric and gothic, but meandered away pointlessly without any real story.

The review I read that caused me to order this book started, "If JANE EYRE, JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORREL, LABYRINTH, and CRIMSON PEAK had a baby and that baby subsisted solely on apocryphal Christian theology and acid, that would be this book." To be honest, that's a decent description. The Victorians have discovered the way to the lands of the Fae, and being Victorians, they send missionaries. Things immediately start to go wrong - insanity and mysterious disappearances, and as the years pass, frustration mounts. The rulers of Fae delay allowing contact with the populace, which limits the possibilities for making converts. (There is one, and only one. He sincerely believes, reads his Bible, and asks questions. Lots of questions.) The Fae Lands are strange beyond the ability of the missionaries to reason out, and they start finding hints that something else is going on - letters, a new language to decipher, random visitors who mutter cryptic clues. I give points for really, really unusual, for appropriate Scriptural quotations, and excellent use of theology as a plot point. I take points away because this book is really dark, and there isn't a likeable character in it. But I would probably read the next volume in the series, just to see where it goes from here.

I've taken my time reading this, but it's the sort of book that benefits from time to breathe (and time to haunt you). It's a distracting, sometimes-confusing, half-seen whirl of ideas and promises as its protagonist Catherine Helstone ventures into Faerie to find her brother Laon the missionary and help him save the souls of the Fae.Needless to say, what she finds is not what she expects, and the book does wonders in giving you glimpses of a nightmare Faerie that is wrapped up in Gothic horror (no Victorian flower children here, it's all fangs and scales and blood and cruelty) - and in showing you the perseverance of love and hope.It's also one of those books where I enjoyed the atmospheric journey, but wasn't completely sucked in until the final act, when I finally grasped the full picture and was utterly won over by the dark elegance and ambition of it all. Bravo. I can't believe this is a debut novel. Well worth a read, although it won't be for everyone - it's slow, atmospheric, often ambiguous, religious, profane, and takes great joy in broken edges.I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.Full review to follow.

Under the Pendulum Sun is a darkly enchanting, Gothic tale of the fae.In an alternate version of nineteenth century England, trade has been established with Arcadia, the realm of the fae. And among those heading to Arcadia are Christian missionaries, one of whom is Catherine Helston’s brother Laon. But as the months wear on, Catherine becomes desperate for news of what befalls him, and she manages to convince the missionary society that she (an unmarried woman!) should be sent to check up on him in Arcadia.Of course, nothing goes as planned. When she arrives, it’s only to find herself practically trapped in an isolated manor house, Gethsemane, the only place permitted for the missionary and his family to reside. Only, her brother’s not even there, and none of the servants seem to know when he’ll return. Meanwhile, there’s the mystery of what fate befell the previous missionary to fairyland… Obviously, the fae aren’t predisposed to take a friendly interest in Catherine and Laon’s mission. Think of everything you’ve read about the fae. Can you seriously imagine them converting? Nonetheless, Catherine and Laon are determined to do the impossible, but what they don’t realize is that they’ve become an amusement of a Fae Queen, trapped in a series of intricate mind games, full of twists and turns not even I suspected. They’re trying to impose order on the chaos of Arcadia, but they themselves risk succumbing to its twisted absurdity.Jeannette Ng excels at crafting Catherine and her voice. She really transported me to the period of the novel and the inner workings of Catherine’s mind. This book is beautiful in its complexity; there are layers upon layers. Sometimes I read a book that feels more suited to an essay than a conventional review. Under the Pendulum Sun is definitely one of these, so I apologize if this review is lacking.Under the Pendulum Sun is a discomforting read. Catherine has been thrown into a strange world, that has laws and physics all of its own, and everything she knows is questioned. In the beginning of the book, I starting sensing incestuous undertones in the relationship between Catherine and her brother. I figured I was just over extrapolating… until Catherine randomly flips through a Bible and lands on a verse about incest. Clearly, I was on the right track.If you couldn’t guess from the synopsis, both Catherine and her brother are religious. Jeannette Ng has a Master’s degree in Medieval Studies, so it’s no surprise that she has a knowledge of Christian theology. Once in Arcadia, Catherine finds herself asking questions about her religion that she has no answer for, only adding to the confusing and overwhelming experience of Arcadia.Under the Pendulum Sun is a book that I’ll need to come back to at a later date, as I think its material and themes deserve greater depth of thought than I can get with a first read through. While I enjoyed it a lot, I can’t shake the feeling that a lot of it went over my head! Particularly, next time I read through it I want to think about the significance of religion in the novel and how it ties in with the rest of the book.In conclusion, Under the Pendulum Sun is an amazing debut novel from an author to watch.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.I received an ARC in exchange for a free and honest review.