Jack Womack
Elvissey (1993)
Author: Jack Womack
Genre: Science Fiction (Philosophical Focus/Cyberpunk)
Plot Summary:
On the surface, the plot of Elvissey is relatively straightforward: In 2033, the multinational megalithic corporation Dryco, fearing upheaval from a burgeoning religious movement (and its many splinter groups) whose divinity is none other than Elvis Presley, has dispatched two of its operatives to an alternate 1954 to kidnap a young, pre-stardom Elvis and bring him back to their 2033 as a messianic puppet to control the masses. However, this is neither inherently plot-driven nor as straightforward as the premise suggests. Womack's dystopian future reveals a world suffering from rampant climate change (a New New York has been built further north, well above rising tidewaters), wartime devastation, and a corporation hungry for global control. African-American narrator Isabel (Iz) Bonney, an upper-level Dryco minion, reveals a world beset with mandated "regooding," a language replete with built-in metaphors and repurposed verbiage, and a one-time assassin husband (John) struggling unsuccessfully with his own regooding. Having been dosed with Melaway to make her appear Caucasian, Iz and John find the alternate 1954 decidedly different than their own reality's past -- one in which Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1861, the Civil War never occurred, and slavery was only begrudgingly abolished. In this apartheid ridden existence, they find Elvis in Memphis, having just murdered his mother. The three soon find themselves on a murderous trek through the American South before they are able to return to their 2033. Once back, however, the alternate Elvis proves an unwilling subject in Dryco's plan and the trouble really begins. SPOILER: In the alternate 1954, Elvis unsuccessfully attempts to rape Iz. John, however, is convinced otherwise and proceeds to bludgeon Elvis almost to the point of lifelessness. This is a pivotal point in Iz and John's relationship, furthering feelings of mistrust and fear of violent retribution, made all the much worse by the revelation that Iz is pregnant. In as much as Elvis is a reluctant messiah (his Valentinian Gnosticism, as well that of his own alternate reality, provides a vehicle for Womack's observation of organized religion) and his ultimate escape (aided by Iz) from the climactic Elvissey (the gathering of Elvis worshippers in all of their Church of Elvis glory) is important to the book's underlying plot, the real back story is that of John and Iz, their relationship being the basis for Womack's social and political commentary. John's violent tendencies slowly return as the novel progresses (despite the Dryco-prescribed medication inherent in his regooding) until the book's ultimate conclusion wherein John kills himself in front of Iz, fully expecting her to follow suit. Presumably the now pregnant Iz does not indulge John's final wish, though one might interpret the concluding paragraphs otherwise.
Geographical Setting: New York City; American South; London, England, UK
Time Period: 2033 and an alternate 1954
Series: Ambient (Book 5) [Note: There is some inconsistency among review sources as to the name of the series and the chronology of titles therein. Anatomy of Wonder (5th ed), for example, identifies the series title as Terraplane. The database NoveList, on the other hand, offers two alternate series titles: Ambient and Dryco. To add to further confusion, the order of titles within the series differs by source (some opting for publication order, while others choose the internal chronology). The listed series information (using the internal chronology), however, seems a more likely choice, and one that appears to be more universally accepted and Womack-endorsed (by way of a posting to the William Gibson Board).]
Appeal Characteristics:
Written in a somewhat splintered English, where the language is filled with oddly repurposed verbs and reads like a cross between Orwell's Newspeak and the idiomatic narration of Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, the reader may feel initially lost and frustrated. However, this should not be a deterrent, as Womack's writing style is so engrossing as to enable the reader to quickly absorb meaning and context. Perhaps more important, however, are the tone and characterization throughout the novel. Womack's future vision is bleak, violent, and philosophically complex. Though not bogged down with the overabundance of technical details that many cyberpunk novels share, Elvissey is often described as near-cyberpunk, given its cynical tone and disorienting language. In fact, Womack himself has described this novel as perhaps his most science fictional work. He quite deftly blends cyberpunk's jargon filled world with a more measured, literary style. That is not to say, however, that this novel moves slowly; rather, the storyline unfolds in an almost breathless pace until the characters return from the alternate 1954. It is the second half of the novel, at this point, that takes on a more deliberate pace, with an introspective, and ultimately foreboding tone. The storyline easily shifts between alternate realities, both future-present and alternate past -- a literary device that Womack uses to blend what he terms coeval timestreams (both real and mental existences) with his own vision of a corporate driven future world. Womack seems less concerned with plot than he is with characterization, the latter of which is one of the novel's strongest points. In the narrator Iz, we have an antihero protagonist who is ultimately more redeemable than her peers. Readers will readily identify with many of the characters' reactions, feelings, and discomfort with Dryco's oppressive future vision. In John, we see a character in clear dichotomy with his surroundings. He is clearly manipulated by company whim and has occasional moments of real understanding of his situation, yet is often helpless to rectify it. Even Elvis is given to moments of philosophical inquiry, a favorable turn by Womack who could have easily painted him in the same cliched manner so often done. As part of a larger series, there is a lot of development of both character and setting that has taken place prior to Elvissey, which may create some confusion for the reader. However, the build-up of characterization and story line in this novel alone is detailed and intriguing enough for the reader and, in fact, invariably will draw the reader into Womack's other titles in this series. Readers will be drawn to Womack's complex, often metaphorical writing, quickly falling into his elegiac, stark vision of the future.
Read-alikes: If Womack's envisioning of a corporate driven future (however bleak it may be) and development of characterization over a much longer story arc appeal to readers of Elvissey, it would be shortsighted not to include another title in the Ambient series. While each has its own merits, readers should consider starting at the beginning (using the internal chronology) with Random Acts of Senseless Violence, which follows, in diary form, Lola Hart as she transforms from private schoolgirl to streetwise gangster in Womack's crumbling, toxic New York. There is some debate as to whether a reader might instead opt to begin with Ambient, which follows a Dryco inspired assassination attempt gone wrong; however, as plot is not a necessity with Womack's writing per se, either choice would provide an enlightening background for those new to the series. Readers who enjoy the dystopian elements of Womack's near-cyberpunk surrealistic world and demand character based complexity would find great satisfaction with Neal Stephenson's occasionally demanding Snow Crash. In it, both a computer virus and a dangerous new drug threaten the technological infrastructure and human health in a franchise laden 21st century. For readers who would like to continue their cyberpunk education, drawn to the stark, metaphor rich writing and introspective characterization, but seek a faster pace and greater technical detail, any read-alike list would be remiss not to include Womack's biggest fan, William Gibson, and his seminal work, Neuromancer. Gibson's protagonist, Henry Case, is a damaged hacker hired for his skills in exchange for saving his life, but at a cost even greater than he imagined. Readers who became engrossed in Womack's future style (e.g., his jargon filled Newspeak), cynical tone, and occasional bouts of utter confusion, would certainly enjoy the challenge of tackling Jeff Noon's Arthur C. Clarke Award winner, Vurt. A blend of William Gibson and Anthony Burgess, it follows protagonist Scribble and his gang in search of his sister, Desdemona, in a colorful, surreal future world. To that end, the reader would be remiss in not exploring Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, which deftly blends a protagonist's struggle with an ultraviolent world, written in a language perhaps even more challenging than that of Womack's world, and philosophical underpinnings as important, if not more so, than its basic story line. Burgess's oft unreliable narrator, Alex, indulges in violent escapades only to be caught and subjected to a regimen of aversion therapy to rid himself of such tendencies. Those readers enraptured by Womack's sheer imagination, measured yet breathless pace, and black humor (not to mention a narrator with a challenging vernacular), would find Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker a book to savor. Hoban's narrator Riddley, in his riddle rich style (almost pidgin English to a degree), recounts a post-apocalyptic England while struggling to understand its prehistoric past. Readers who find fascinating Womack's slow but deliberate reveal of a corporation's theft of humanity, ruminations on the self in a post-modern world, and a tight, concentrated style, would be readily engaged with Kenneth Fearing's noir classic, The Big Clock, which finds George Stroud tracking down the murderer of his boss's girlfriend, a man who could very well be himself.
Red Flags: Occasional profanity, some violence, mild sexual situations, suggestions of rape (both real and metaphorical)
|top|
|
