I feel like with science fiction, one of constant challenges that you have to face as an author is the backstory. Here we have the reader in the real world, and here we have this strange, alternate reality that you've plunged them into. Is it the future? Is it some far-away galaxy? Somewhere over the rainbow? What? The mind gets hungry for details after a while, which is why, I think, so much classic science fiction is in short story form: if you focus only on a single situation or series of situations, you don't have time to ask all the nagging questions that might come up over the course of reading a novel.The backstory problem is especially problematic in a book like this, that is weaved almost solely from whole cloth. Here is a world so different from our own as to be completely unrecognizable, and consequently very disorienting. Pollack is a gifted enough writer that this is obviously by intent, but it nevertheless makes for a somewhat surreal reading experience, and not always in a good way.It should be noted that the only reason I'm referring to this as a science fiction novel is because it won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best SF Book of the Year. But this seems odd, since the science plays virtually no role in the story itself. Quite the opposite; this is a world where, at some point in the distant past, people turned their backs completely on science, reason, and secularism, opting instead for a world of run-away spiritualism and supersition. Even the simplest every-day acts require some sign of obescience to this or that deity or household spirit. Were I to classify it on my own, I would place it squarely in the realm of fantasy.The plot, which is almost entirely character-driven, is an interesting statement on the need for self-determination, and the havok that losing control can wreak on an individual. I personally also see it as a critique of superstition and religion (though not a recognizable one) gone mad, the ultimate extreme of reason rejected in favor of belief. It's still a human society, still plagued by the same problems as ours, but without anything to hold it together beside faith and the occasional supernatural event, it seems destined for stagnation. Definitely a flawed book, and not always the most welcoming one, but worthwhile for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the SF/Fantasy genre. I would also recommend it to any aspiring writers, since it stands as an excellent example of genuinely intriguing idea-based storytelling, to say nothing of quality writing holding together a seemingly unworkable concept.
A decidedly odd book. I read the SF Masterworks version but not entirely sure if this should actually be classed as science fiction or instead as fantasy. In many ways I'm not really sure what this book should be classed as at all.To repeat, it is decidely odd; not necessarily a book that everyone will take to, and I suspect some will put down within the first 30 pages but certainly worth perseverence; a fact born out by that 5 star rating up there. I don't really want to say much about it for fear of giving anything away, but at heart it's a story of the mundane with magical(supernatural?) elements. Some of the characters in the book are 'Tellers', ostensibly story tellers, and part of the charm of the book is the fact that interspersed with the main body of the novel are tales. Myth tales; tales of creation and the bizarre. In some ways it reminded me of the stories of El-Ahrairah in Watership Down; except whilst tales in that book are mainly straight forward, the stories in Unquenchable Fire are strange, hard to penetrate. Are they allegorical? Do they have any bearing on the main story? I can't always say or tell, but I know I enjoyed them and that they are written beautifully. As is the entire book. I find the more I think of the novel the more I'm not sure what to think of it; but I know it's beautifully written, had me gripped from beginning to end; and felt different to a lot of books I've read, certainly since I've started taking part in GoodReads. Finally I'm still thinking about the book hours after I've finished it, and if that's not worth 5 stars I'm not sure what is.I'd not wholeheartedly recommend it because I know it's not going to be a book for everyone, but it's certainly worth a try because if you find that you do enjoy it you'll be thankful you picked it up.
Do You like book Unquenchable Fire (1994)?
I loved the religious system that Pollack invented; parts of it were beautiful and mysterious and parts of it reflected the troubles any organized religion eventually faces. I'm still thinking about the role of suffering in the visions and stories, even by people who are supposedly blessed.I didn't identify so much with the main character, and I was surprised to find that most of the book was about her rejecting her fate... It seemed like a minor dramatic event in a larger story. But even so, the plot was gripping and enjoyable.
—Kenzie
Amazing, but slightly slow-paced for me. I'm a very impatient person unfortunately.Conversely, Temporary Agency, the other Rachel Pollack book set in this world, is very exciting but less...large or epic somehow. They are most definitely worth reading though, just for the imagination and worldbuilding. The author has called the backstory of her books 'a revolution of magical storytellers'. To me it always seemed to be sort of about apparatchiks and suburbia after Neopagans rule the world. My lawn is not doing so well this year. I should probably make a sacrifice. Also, I went to a dinner with Rachel Pollack after a book signing and she shared her steak with me. This makes her awesome. Buy her books.
—Eleanor
Bizarre, exciting, nostalgic. Unquenchable Fire is not a typical fantasy. It isn't science-fiction. More like a psuedo-religious-post-apocolyptic collection of myths and reflections. Pollack's writing can dance between dense and difficult to easy and speedy. The story moves between worlds, times, and places constantly - but once you catch the rhythm you can follow along easily. I love the multiple fonts and sizes of text to differentiate what part of the story you're in, whether myth or actual storyline, religious experience or mundane day to day occurrence. There's something reminiscent of Tom Robbins to the work, and that really rang my bell. The late 80s new-age, feminist perspective was like coming home to a world I'd long forgotten. If you're willing to think about what stories can be, this is for you. If you're looking for something straightforward, move away.
—Alexander Leger-Small
