Friday, October 18, 2013

Review of The Saliva Tree by Brian Aldiss


In 1966, with the 100th anniversary of H.G. Wells’ birthday approaching, Brian Aldiss wrote a story in tribute of one of, if not, the genre’s grandfather.  The novella The Saliva Tree the result, it distills elements of The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds into a suspenseful horror story that has just the socio-political agenda ‘grandpa’ would have approved of.  (Please note this review is for the novella only, not the short story collection--though that will come someday.)

Set in the late 19th century, The Saliva Tree opens with two “scientifically enlightened” young men standing in the countryside of rural England, watching a meteor shower, and remarking on life.  When one of the meteors enters the atmosphere and appears to land at nearby Benford farm, one of the men, Gregory Rolles, declares that the following day he will visit to see the lump of metal for himself.  Influencing the scientifically minded young man is that farmer Benford’s daughter, Miss Nancy Benford, is an attractive, unspoken for young woman.  Coming to the farmstead the following day, none of the Benfords appear the least bit interested in what landed in their pond.  Borrowing a boat to inspect the strangely opaque waters, Rolles has an experience he can’t explain, and in the days which follow, sees even stranger things.  The mysterious death of the Benford’s dog, sows birthing exceptionally large litters, and a strange, musty-smelling dew coating everything, Rolles’ narrow escape from the pond is not enough to set him off investigating the underlying mystery.  The reality of the situation scarier than he imagined, he and the Benford family’s lives are in the greatest of jeopardy.  But is Rolles’ “modern” wit enough to sort out the problem?  

The Saliva Tree is a wonderful homage to Wells.  Those who have read the old master will immediately recognize his tropes and the symbolism inherent, not to mention elements of his style (e.g. the transliteration of speech and syntax).  If that isn’t enough, Aldiss puts Rolles in fictional correspondence with Wells himself, the young man asking for help explaining the mystery of the pond.  Also nicely structured, the story wades ever deeper into the waters of tension, culminating in a climax worthy of both the homage and the genre.  Farmer Benford stubborn to the end, Rolles never giving up on the great mystery of the farm despite the danger, and the overall scenes unravel ever faster—much to the novella’s success.

Though not as direct as Wells could often be (The TimeMachine is as blatant a condemnation of industrial labor at the turn of the 20th century as is possible), The Saliva Tree nevertheless possesses commentary of its own.  Socialist given Wells’ political tendencies, the meaning of the novella’s title does not become clear until the final pages.  The romance story aside (it should be taken as a pastiche, in fact), the conflict amongst Rolles’ ideology, Farmer Benford’s protectiveness, and the mystery of the pond serves as condemnation of its own.  Whether this be a surface reading (GMOs) or a critique of the deeper cause (i.e. the system which allows or propagates such practices), Aldiss has targeted an aspect of economy much the same as Wells would have.  (Given the quote at the novella’s outset: “’There is neither speech nor language: but their voices are heard among them.’ Psalm xix”, it seems certain Aldiss was aiming at the latter).

In the end, The Saliva Tree is a slow burning horror/suspense story with more than one layer.  Characters only partially developed, the mystery of what lands in the pond is what entices, and given Aldiss unveils the story one scene at a time, things escalate to terror-inducing proportions while remaining inherently symbolic.  Coming to learn what the saliva tree is only hammers this idea home.  A wonderful tribute to one of, if not the most, important person in science fiction’s history, the novella is a great, quick read.

6 comments:

  1. I can't believe you reviewed this without mentioning the fact that this novella is a blatant ripoff/rewrite of HP Lovecraft's infinitely superior "The Colour Out Of Space". In fact it has nothing of Wells in it but everything of Lovecraft.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Simple explanation: I have not read Lovecraft's story. Believe now?

      Question: is it a rip-off if the writer was unaware he was producing a story similar to another writer's?

      Delete
  2. I completely agree with you Bill. After reading this review, I'm left wondering if the reviewer has actually read The War of the Worlds or any other story by HG Wells? Even Wikipedia lists this story as a pastiche/homage to The Colour Out Of Space.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Steve, if we're digging into details, be aware wikipedia at no time states that The Saliva Tree is homage or pastiche. It simply states that Aldiss and Lovecraft's stories have elements in common. Given that Aldiss apparently wrote the sotry to commemmorate Wells' birthday, it would be an odd thing to pastiche another writer. Do you agree?

      Question: why is it so important that Lovecraft be recognized in this context? I ask because, despite how imaginative science fiction, fantasy, and horror inherently are, there are a million examples of overlap and near overlap in the now +/-150 year history of the genres. Do we really need to assign credit, like the first footprint on the moon, to every original idea out there? Aren't the qualities of a story as it stands individually and the messages it has more important? My two cents...

      Delete
  3. This entertaining story always struck me as an obvious mash-up of Wells and Lovecraft; even though it wouldn't have been possible to work the real Lovecraft into the story the way he did Wells. You really should read "The Colour out of Space" - it's one of Lovecraft's two best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment, Pat. I never say never, but unless something drastic happens I likely won't be reading anymore Lovecraft. I've tried a handful of times, and those which are reviewed on this blog I completed through force of will. The rest I couldn't complete. The reasons are Lovecraft's style, which I find a verbose slog, and the stories themselves, horror not really my wheelhouse. I know Lovecraft has an avid following, and I respect his fans. It's just not for me. Regardless, thanks for stopping by and commenting.

      Delete