This section is to be a little more experimental and aims to examine the ways that literature reflects and creates zeitgeist, whilst being reflections of the times in which they are written. I hope some of these are hidden gems, but the books in this section are chosen by whatever cover grabs my fancy or makes me scratch my head in a second hand shop. I want to keep external research about the authors to a minimum until the end of the read, but will check general historical contexts to help inform the reading. I’m looking for the odd and the zany, so this will definitely be a hit and miss reading exercise.
Well, this one has gold-plated author and title of the work. The same publication’s review (The Times) has been quoted twice- at the top to inform the reader that the work is a blend of Indiana Jones (fictional), Stephen Hawking (real), Wilbur Smith (had to look that up- a real author) that brings The X-Files to mind- and at the bottom to say ‘Enthralling’. Promising start- but there is more-
There’s a fella lying down in repose, hands clasped in prayer on his chest, profile view. He’s got red robes or a cape on, vague Franciscan look to him. I think he’s wearing leather gloves with rings over the fingers (choice). Most importantly, he appears to be floating in space.
He’s hanging out behind the earth (relative to the sun, which is peaking over the earth) and he doesn’t look frozen. It’s hard to get a sense of scale. Is this a giant elder god? Is he vaguely transparent?? Is this a ghost? Many starts dot the background. The cover inspires a sense of confusion, awe, and confusion. It makes you feel a little cold.
Initial impression is perhaps this is Christian Conspiracy Sci-fi?
The back page essentially has an image of the cover without the floating man. First glances reveal that the publisher is “Headline Feature” and the cover photograph is copyright of the English Heritage Photographic Library. Definitely need to research that cover more.
Smethurst has also written NIGHT OF THE BEAR, BUKHARA EXPRESS and SINAI. Varied subject matter, but SINAI has been referenced twice- strengthening the religious literature vibes.
The Blurb informs us that there’s a military satellite picking up signals from the FOURTEENTH CENTURY that are fucking with global communications. The messages are filled with “murderous passion”. There is a lady in Herefordshire (England) who feels like sleeping next to the long-dead Franklin (cover man is named I guess), being haunted by bad dreams. This lady is presumably Lizzie Draude, the subject of the next paragraph. She is a “transmitter” between the time of Richard II and now (1997). The central conflict is that if the aforementioned murderous signals can’t be stopped, Bad Things will happen generally, and Lizzie will be destroyed.