Brian Aldiss // Ballantine Books // Out Now

In a Nutshell: Amidst relentless torture, a Muslim man imprisoned on spurious charges experiences the life of a second man, a settler in a fledgling colony on the distant world of Stygia. But what is the connection?

Review: Paul Fadhil is everything a Western government could want from a Muslim - a self-identifying Englishman who discards his heritage in favour of embracing all that a supposedly multicultural Britain has to offer. Proud of his country’s much vaunted freedom of speech, Paul has even written a satirical novel in the classic British comedic style. A passing, joking reference therein to blowing up the prime minister leads to Paul’s arrest and indefinite imprisonment, and repeated, tortuous interrogations follow.

Amidst this living nightmare, Paul experiences the life of another man, Fremant, a settler on the distant world of Stygia - a place where, for all the utopian dreams of those who planned the planet’s colonisation, rival factions have emerged, threatening strife between the people. Fremant is, perhaps, an escape fantasy of the imprisoned Paul Fadhil, his mind bent under torture, or a second personality or future incarnation of the same man; all the possibilities are hinted at here, in twin plots that develop intriguingly at a remarkable pace. For a story with such overt political overtones, the subtlety of the storytelling is astonishing - it is profound without merely preaching, terrifying without resorting to mere shock and puzzles without merely confusing. Aldiss has much to say, yet never fails to let the story speak for itself.

Those looking for fault with this book might find it in the actual writing; a plainly descriptive thing, showing little flair, some might say, but such accusations are really missing the point when such good storytelling is on offer. For some the ending, too, may not be wholly satisfactory - it’s abrupt, unexpected, and its relationship to themes established elsewhere in the book may not be immediately apparent - but in truth such an ending is wholly in keeping with the many complexities explored so adroitly in the book’s dual narratives. Anyone finding the ending - or any other part - of Harm inconclusive, unsatisfactory, dismaying or unclear shouldn’t put the book down and feel disappointed - they should pick it up and read it again.

This review originally appeared in issue 4 of Death Ray magazine.