The Machine in Shaft Ten by M. John Harrison
Or maybe this post should more accurately be titled “Rediscovering M. John Harrison”; however, it’s his Viriconium stories that I’ve known and loved most over the years, and so I’ll stand by what I’ve put! I first read Harrison’s work in the late 1970s/early 1980s, when I stumbled across “In Viriconium”, the third novel about that world; I think I was probably drawn to it by the comparison with Mervyn Peake, who I’d not long before developed a passion for. Harrison, though, stands alone. He’s a remarkable writer, crossing a number of genres, from hard sci-fi through fantasy to more mainstream fiction. His voice is always a distinctive one, and I’ve returned to his books over the years. However, it’s too long since I read anything by him, and a post here on Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations prompted me to pick up this volume, his first collection of short stories, originally published in 1975.
Interestingly, as Joachim Boaz points out, many of these stories have not been republished since their collection in this anthology. Harrison’s early stories were often published in the sci-fi mags of the 1960s and 1970s (a very useful list can be found here), and although there have been several later collections of his shorter fictions, he chose to omit eight of the stories in “Machine…” It’s not clear why, and personally I think they do warrant seeing the light of day again. Another aspect of Harrison’s story-telling to be noted is that often his works are tweaked and revised on reissue; a prime example is “The Bringer with the Window”, which was initially published in a magazine and called “Lamia Mutable” then later apparently reworked as “Dancer from the Dance” in the collection “Viriconium Nights”. Similarly, “The Lamia and Lord Cromis” also turns up in “Viriconium Nights”, and when I had a quick look at the latter, it had a completely new opening!
Another fascinating factor of MJH’s fiction (or not, depending on the type of reader you are!) is its open-endedness. This is a deliberate ploy by the author, who’s stated “Like all books, Viriconium is just some words. There is no place, no society, no dependable furniture to “make real.” You can’t read it for that stuff, so you have to read it for everything else. And if its landscapes can’t be mapped, its threat of infinite depth (or at least infinite recessiveness) can’t be defused but must be accepted on its own terms, as a guarantee of actual adventure. Like the characters, the reader goes in without a clue. No character ever “survives” Viriconium: the best they can hope for after they have been sucked in is to be spat out whole (if changed). Recognise this procedure? It’s called life. This is one of Viriconium’s many jigsawed messages to the reader. You can’t hope to control things. Learn to love the vertigo of experience instead.” Viriconium is a fluid construct which seems to change with every work in which it features, and most readers of Harrison find this exhilarating. In fact, it’s not only Viriconium that constantly changes, as things cross over between several of the stories, with for example, the contemporary Earth-based events of “Machine” being referenced in “Events Witnessed from a City”. All very intriguing…
Anyway, to get back to “The Machine in Shaft Ten”; like many books I own, I’m not actually sure whether I’ve read it or not (!) so even if I have, this was like reading it for the first time. And sticking it into the genre of science fiction, as the publishers have, is really rather limiting as there’s a wide range of stories that could be loosely bracketed into a number of types.
Viriconium Stories
There are definitely three Viriconium stories in the anthology – well, as definite as you can ever be with MJH. I say the latter as one of the stories (“The Causeway”) features a character called Crome in a dystopian/futuristic setting, and although there’s nothing to explicitly link it with Viriconium, a character called Ardwick Crome does feature in other Viriconium tales. However, the three definite stories are “The Lamia and Lord Cromis, “Events Witnessed from a City” and “The Bringer with The Window”. Viriconium itself is a dystopian, decaying place and there is decadence, murder and monsters. I find it quite difficult to describe exactly what the Viriconium stories are about – I respond to them on an emotional level and in some ways you experience rather than read them – but their world of strangeness and mystery is *so* worth visiting.
The cause-effect relationship is distorted surrealistically among all these lives and thought-patterns. Nudge a man in Greek Street, Soho, and he falls off a pavement in Plumstead; drop a stone in the Serpentine and a ship goes down in an Adriatic storm; bombard your target nucleus with neutrons and happy anniversary Nagasaki. Every action presents myriad side-effects, which are unpredictable. I cannot make a decision for fear of its unnoticed, incalculable results.
‘Real Life’ Based Stories
Five of the stories could be categorised thus, being the title story, “The Bait Principle”, “Running Down”, “The Orgasm Band” and “Visions of Monad”. Although they feature the superficial trappings of 1970s life, each portrays a twisted way of living or series of events. In the title story, which starts off disarmingly enough in an almost Wellsian manner, humans discover a machine which has been constructed to harvest their emotions; in another, a misfit brings entropy with him wherever he goes, to such an extent that he disrupts nature itself; one tale tells of the delusions (or are they?) of asylum inhabitants; and another of the effects of sensory deprivation. Each story unsettles, and each story stays with you. The oddest, “The Orgasm Band”, is one I haven’t really worked out yet, but it seems rooted in the rock counterculture of the 60s/70s – with, of course, unexpected touches!
Dystopian Visions/Sci Fi
“Dystopian” seems to be the epithet often applied to Harrison’s work, though that implies certain things that aren’t necessarily present here. There are decaying worlds, strange landscapes, possible remnants of alien invasions and often insectoid life forms. But the simple post-nuclear landscape we see in modern narratives is missing, to be replaced by one that is much more nebulous; and instead there’s a more subtle, fluid and fascinating story being told. Four tales could fit here: “Ring of Pain”, “The Causeway”, “London Melancholy” and “Coming from Behind”. Several of the stories feature insect-like aliens, analogous with locusts or plagues, ravaging the Earth’s resources (and winged creatures will turn up again in the Viriconium novel, “A Storm of Wings”). The stories are bleak and stark, with the survivors struggling to escape their controllers, but there are hints of redemption.
Of the twelve stories in this collection, the three Viriconium tales have turned up in other collections (with variations – as I mentioned) and “Running Down” appeared in “The Ice Monkey and Other Stories” and the major anthology “Things That Never Happen”. The others seem to have disappeared without a trace and it’s a great shame – they’re varied and fascinating pieces of work and deserve to be republished; and if you’re a fan of Harrison’s work but don’t have this collection I really do recommend searching it out.
It’s hard to pin down just what it is about MJH’s writing that’s so good – because it is *very* good. Maybe it’s his ability to drop you straight into a story with a location and characters you don’t know or recognise, and yet make it work. Maybe it’s his fertile imagination, which thinks up the most unusual plots and places and possibilities to intrigue you. Perhaps it’s his ability to produce what initially appears a throwaway line that suddenly grabs you with its brilliance. Or maybe it’s the fact that whatever he’s writing about is completely convincing, completely gripping and utterly believable. Whatever it is, “Machine” reminded me how much I loved his writing, dark as it can be, and how much I want to read and re-read more of it.
In many ways, Harrison is one of this country’s best-kept literary secrets; and he’s definitely a Marmite writer. If you love his work, you *really* love it, and if you don’t you never will. This is probably why he’s often bracketed with Peake; although the two writers really aren’t alike, they’re both completely individual. If you love great writing and storytelling, thought-provoking work, stories and characters that stay with you, and the work of a one-off talent, then you should most definitely read M. John Harrison!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 07:45:37
I have to admit I’ve never heard of him – he is a very well-kept secret indeed.
Jan 07, 2016 @ 08:37:28
I think that’s very much the case! Part of me wants him to be much better known, and part of me wants him to be an exclusive secret for those who love his work! 🙂
Jan 07, 2016 @ 08:57:35
I know I read one book many years ago by Harrison which I kept, which meant I thought I might re-read but did try, once, and didn’t engage, must see if it is still on the shelves. I think it was around the time I first discovered Amanda Prantera and Christopher Priest, and for some reason connected the three of them with a similar flavour, but Priest is the only one I stayed with
Jan 07, 2016 @ 09:50:02
Oooh, I wonder which one? Might be worth trying again to see if you engage this time!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 11:35:57
all I could remember was the word ‘heart’ – I searched my shelves but must have taken it to the charity shop when I had my big redecoration with everything going into storage for a month – however, Amazon search showed me it was called ‘Course of the Heart’ – I never reviewed it as it must have been some time shortly after publication (1992) when I bought it and read it. The huge advantage from when I began seriously reviewing the bulk of what I was reading, in about 2005, though I’d done some sporadic reviewing of books of a professional interest from 2001, is that of having a system of recall of my reading. How I wish I’d done private journals of reading over my life!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 11:40:38
Ah yes! I have this but it’s an awful long time since I read it. I’ve seen it described as “kitchen-sink Gothic” – I was going to say it’s not typical of his work, but frankly, no one book *is* typical! 🙂
Jan 07, 2016 @ 11:47:31
Well Karen, in the spirit of having bowed to some excellent suggestions from you before, I might have to put M. John on a list and see how I fare. Sadly, my local library has more and more given itself over to a weed-out of older books, and a much more mainstream popular approach, so I rarely find old treasures there now, but next time I’m in will see what they have
Jan 07, 2016 @ 13:22:07
I hope you can find some of his work to check out – maybe your library has something tucked away in its reserve stock, or a local charity store? Good luck and hope you like him!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 09:00:24
Interesting – sounds like the kind of thing my husband might have read – he loved Gormenghast, after all …
Jan 07, 2016 @ 09:49:40
He may well have read this then! If not, perhaps future gift ideas????
Jan 07, 2016 @ 09:05:38
I am a huge fan of Harrison. You are right that he is a most singular writer, loved by many who not otherwise venture into the science fiction/fantasy genre and not understood by many within. Following his blog is a great way to sample his writing and his musings for the curious. (he is also a frequent reviewer for the Guardian.)
He can never be pinned down style wise but is just so smart and weird. I’ll have to try to track down some of these earlier collections. I’m a geek fan enough to have once ordered a limited edition publication of a single short story, numbered and signed by the man himself.
Jan 07, 2016 @ 09:49:18
Funnily enough I’ve just stumbled across his blog so I shall be keeping out an eye. It’s definitely worth having all the collections, if for nothing more than the variations! And I’m very jealous of your signed story!!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 09:09:24
Wow! I’m not entirely sure this would be my kind of book, but your enthusiasm does make me want to find a copy and take a close look.
Jan 07, 2016 @ 09:48:20
He’s not for everyone, I know that. But if you want to dip into something speculative and thought-provoking, I think he’s head and shoulders above the rest.
Jan 07, 2016 @ 15:35:24
I haven’t read I think most of these, but I agree with you on Harrison. He’s one of the greats, a hugely undersung talent with tremendous prose style, ignored in large part because he writes within genre which leads many to assume he writes without art which could not be further from the truth.
Jan 07, 2016 @ 16:17:59
I think you’re right – genre writing is often pre-judged as bad, and in any event Harrison doesn’t really sit in any one genre – which is good in my eyes!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 17:10:34
It’s unfortunate that some publishers and book stores feel the need to categorize fiction by genre. It tends to limit the audience to those predisposed to already be fans of the genre rather than bringing in new readers. George Saunders, Jeff Vandermeer, Christopher Priest, and J.G. Ballard are sometimes only placed in the Sci-Fi or Fantasy sections, but could easily be considered literary fiction.
Jan 07, 2016 @ 18:40:12
I agree – it amost denigrates the works, by dismissing them as just pulp sci fi, whereas works by authors like Ballard and Harrison are heaps better than most ‘normal’ fiction!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 18:54:47
Our local library stopped shelving books by genre recently, so the mysteries, westerns, sci-fi and fantasy are all shelved as general fiction. Makes me wonder if they have seen any increases in circulation for those books.
Jan 07, 2016 @ 18:56:01
That’s a great idea – then you can judge a book by how it sounds to you and not with preconceptions!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 17:35:10
I’m not a fan of Peake, so I’m not sure how I would get on with these. However, I am aware of how little sic-fi I read these days, when once it was quite a staple of my reading diet. Any suggestions of an easy way back in?
Jan 07, 2016 @ 18:39:06
Well, they’re not actually *like* Peake – it’s just both are a bit unclassifiable! I used to read a lot more sci-fi and I’m trying to ease back into it too. How about some Ballard short stories? I’m a decent way into the first volume of complete short stories and they’re marvellous!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 18:39:26
Given how much SF I’ve devoured over the years, I can’t remember ever having read any of his books! I will definitely check out his blog for some more info, as I think I’d really like his writing.
Jan 07, 2016 @ 18:41:19
I think you would Annabel, particularly as you’re so keen on what I could loosely call quirky sci fi or speculative fiction. There may well be some of his stuff online you could read to get a flavour, although each individual work does vary!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 21:11:23
Well I love Gormenghast, Philip K Dick, Krzhizhanovsky, Vonnegut etc. so I will probably like Harrison. The books sound compelling I must say….I like unclassifiable stuff!
Jan 07, 2016 @ 21:41:30
Sounds like you’re ripe to discover MJH then – good luck! 🙂
Jan 08, 2016 @ 09:29:29
I’ve not come across MJH as I don’t tend to veer into sci fi territory much, but I do love those Panther covers. They’re so of their time, whenever I see them, i’d put money on finding a stash of Rush and Hawkwind vinyl close by! 🙂
Jan 08, 2016 @ 10:20:03
They’re wonderful, aren’t they? And yes, so 1960s/70s – flared jeans, long hair and beards, tie dye t-shirts. Now I’m really showing my age….. 🙂
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