Pile: Petals from St. Klaed's Computer
Mar. 13th, 2012 11:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amethyst73As the daughter of not one but two former English teachers, my vocabulary has always been something of a point of pride with me. Pile startled me: how could something that appears to be a children’s picture book send me to the dictionary multiple times? All I can say is, Brian W. Aldiss has a vocabulary that one needs must look upon and marvel at.
Aldiss is probably best known for his award-winning science fiction writing. In a departure from his usual fare, Pile could perhaps be described as dystopian verse. It follows the adventures of Prince Scart in the city of Pile, a city that has forced out every bit of nature. The pages are mostly taken up by Mike Wilkes’ intricate black-and-white pen and ink drawings of Pile and its inhabitants. Wilkes takes his inspiration from M.C. Escher and various real-world locations - readers should have fun playing ‘spot the landmark’ throughout the book. Below the engrossing illustrations are the no less fascinating verses of Aldiss, who nods to such sources as Coleridge’s Kubla Khan, Shelley’s Ozymandias, and (I honestly believe) Bob and Ray’s Car Talk.
But be warned: this is no children’s book. While the destruction of a city is not an unreasonable subject for wee ones, you probably don’t want your five-year-old asking what “whores of reassuring potency” are. Nor, unless you have a child who’s willing to be caught up completely by the musicality of Aldiss’ verses, do you want to be interrupted after every verse by someone (besides yourself) wanting you to stop and explain what Aldiss just said. But for folks with a little more patience, Aldiss’s altogether strange and convoluted writing will puzzle and delight.
Aldiss is probably best known for his award-winning science fiction writing. In a departure from his usual fare, Pile could perhaps be described as dystopian verse. It follows the adventures of Prince Scart in the city of Pile, a city that has forced out every bit of nature. The pages are mostly taken up by Mike Wilkes’ intricate black-and-white pen and ink drawings of Pile and its inhabitants. Wilkes takes his inspiration from M.C. Escher and various real-world locations - readers should have fun playing ‘spot the landmark’ throughout the book. Below the engrossing illustrations are the no less fascinating verses of Aldiss, who nods to such sources as Coleridge’s Kubla Khan, Shelley’s Ozymandias, and (I honestly believe) Bob and Ray’s Car Talk.
But be warned: this is no children’s book. While the destruction of a city is not an unreasonable subject for wee ones, you probably don’t want your five-year-old asking what “whores of reassuring potency” are. Nor, unless you have a child who’s willing to be caught up completely by the musicality of Aldiss’ verses, do you want to be interrupted after every verse by someone (besides yourself) wanting you to stop and explain what Aldiss just said. But for folks with a little more patience, Aldiss’s altogether strange and convoluted writing will puzzle and delight.
