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Book Review: The Unreasoning Mask by Philip José Farmer
Title: The Unreasoning Mask
Author: Philip José Farmer
Published: New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1981
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 243
Total Page Count: 105,924
Text Number: 307
Read Because: picked up blind and on a whim, purchased used from St. Johns Booksellers
Review: While exploring in a galaxy-jumping spaceship, Captain Ramstan stumbles upon a planet-wide catastrophe and is dragged into the middle of a metaphysical, multi-sided, ambigious battle to save the universe. At its best, The Unreasoning Mask is an ingenious and epic reconceptualization of the universe—but too often, small and relatively mundane aspects intrude on this grand concept. Those aspects are well-intended and not entirely out of place: Ramstan's point of view narration isn't always convincing, but his characterization is strong—and while he's often unlikeable, his moral journey is always compelling. If it weren't so dramatically outstaged, his world, too, could provide a compelling story; as it is, the human figures, alien planets, and other traditional sci-fi elements build a local stage for the universal apocalypse. The problem is that these aspects run too long, and worldbuilding, politicking, and a few anonymous characters and throwaway relationships begin to crowd out the best of the book—and so that best is left underexplored. Worse still, when the book does finally get down to business its plot grows circuitous. This is supposed to avoid repedition and sustain tension, but the effect is cheap—it belongs in an adventure novel where the emphasis is on action, not a book as meaningful and thoughtful as this one aims be.
These issues do weaken the book, but they don't entirely obfuscate its strengths. The Unreasoning Mask is always readable, even when it strays away from its true point; the moral ambiguity of the protagonist and the other powers at play do much to sustain its intrigue and forward momentum. And even if it comes late and gets crowded out, Farmer's concept of the universe is fascinating. Describing it would spoil the book; suffice it to say that it's an idea I haven't seen before, and while it wobbles a bit in its attempt to achieve metaphysical meaning (sometimes because there are too many larger-than-life concepts competing for limited space, and always because they're insufficiently explored), it remains satisfyingly large: this is grand concept which, at its best, manages to be both convincing and inconceivable. I appreciate the opportunity to encounter it, and enjoyed and recommend The Unreasoning Mask largely on that basis. But while I admire the book that this has the potential to be, and enjoy many parts of what it is, the fact that Farmer fails to push his novel to its limits is disappointing. Aiming for those limits would have been a risk and challenge—but reaching them would have been incredible. Instead, The Unreasoning Mask is only intriguing, irritating, and occasionally ingenious—which is okay, but not much more.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Philip José Farmer
Published: New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1981
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 243
Total Page Count: 105,924
Text Number: 307
Read Because: picked up blind and on a whim, purchased used from St. Johns Booksellers
Review: While exploring in a galaxy-jumping spaceship, Captain Ramstan stumbles upon a planet-wide catastrophe and is dragged into the middle of a metaphysical, multi-sided, ambigious battle to save the universe. At its best, The Unreasoning Mask is an ingenious and epic reconceptualization of the universe—but too often, small and relatively mundane aspects intrude on this grand concept. Those aspects are well-intended and not entirely out of place: Ramstan's point of view narration isn't always convincing, but his characterization is strong—and while he's often unlikeable, his moral journey is always compelling. If it weren't so dramatically outstaged, his world, too, could provide a compelling story; as it is, the human figures, alien planets, and other traditional sci-fi elements build a local stage for the universal apocalypse. The problem is that these aspects run too long, and worldbuilding, politicking, and a few anonymous characters and throwaway relationships begin to crowd out the best of the book—and so that best is left underexplored. Worse still, when the book does finally get down to business its plot grows circuitous. This is supposed to avoid repedition and sustain tension, but the effect is cheap—it belongs in an adventure novel where the emphasis is on action, not a book as meaningful and thoughtful as this one aims be.
These issues do weaken the book, but they don't entirely obfuscate its strengths. The Unreasoning Mask is always readable, even when it strays away from its true point; the moral ambiguity of the protagonist and the other powers at play do much to sustain its intrigue and forward momentum. And even if it comes late and gets crowded out, Farmer's concept of the universe is fascinating. Describing it would spoil the book; suffice it to say that it's an idea I haven't seen before, and while it wobbles a bit in its attempt to achieve metaphysical meaning (sometimes because there are too many larger-than-life concepts competing for limited space, and always because they're insufficiently explored), it remains satisfyingly large: this is grand concept which, at its best, manages to be both convincing and inconceivable. I appreciate the opportunity to encounter it, and enjoyed and recommend The Unreasoning Mask largely on that basis. But while I admire the book that this has the potential to be, and enjoy many parts of what it is, the fact that Farmer fails to push his novel to its limits is disappointing. Aiming for those limits would have been a risk and challenge—but reaching them would have been incredible. Instead, The Unreasoning Mask is only intriguing, irritating, and occasionally ingenious—which is okay, but not much more.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.