Review of Pagans by James Alastair Henry

It is the case, unfortunately, that identity has become a point of hyper focus the past decade. Much ado about nothing... Nevertheless, for some people ethnicity, nationality, gender, religion, and self-perception of those ideas have taken over a large chunk of cultural discourse. Wallowing like a pig in identity mud is James Alastair Henry's Pagans (2026).

The twist? It's an alternate modern world where the tribes of the British Isles never united. Celts, Saxons, Picts, Scots, and Norse abound, each with their own distinct culture, religion, behavior, fashion, etc., as well as territory they claim as their own. The heart pumping blood through this fictional setting is a murder mystery. A man is found nailed to a tree in a Celtic forest, exsanguinated, and due to the fact he is of Saxon blood, a Saxon investigator is called in for assistance. What follows is a dark journey into the shadows of fundamentalist religion and cultural identity.

Pagans is a tried and true police procedural, very much in the vein of television series like CSI, just with the fictional multi-culti backdrop. Overall it's a mix of tropes and creativity. There are several occasions the reader can feel Henry going through the police procedural motions, while at others the narrative can take a surprising sideways leap.

Despite the introduction to this review, theme is light in Pagans. The novel bears some examination of inter-cultural violence, but overall the mode is plot and the goal is plot, supported by ~2D characters in a novel setting. Not much in the way of identity politics commentary appears, at least directly. My jaded take would be Henry is trying to take advantage of the contemporary political zeitgeist to tell a tale. Beyond just the alternate history setting, he also tags the characters—gay, dark-skinned, whatever. That's how much it wants to align with certain readers' expectations. For people potentially put off by this, it doesn't seem to go deeper to the ideological level, just details to serve plot. For example, it's difficult to imagine real police dismissing a clue because a stereotype doesn't ring true. A Saxon drinking wine?!?!? Couldn't have been. Saxons only drink beer!

In the vein of religion, Pagans can, if the reader wants, generate interesting questions. What is a cult vs a religion? The Saxons are referred to as having a cult. But if it's something so pervasive as to practically encompass a culture, wouldn't it be a religion? Vice versa, what if we had the Christian cult? The Islamic cult? The Jewish cult? One word puts a new spin on a similar concept in ethnic and cultural terms.

In the end, Pagans is a decent novel. Henry works to a strong outline, taking the readers through the steps many would expect knowing they are consuming a police procedural, and surprising them now and then to keep them on their toes. The story develops according to its setting (as opposed to organically) through two main characters fit for a 2D screen (not 3D). Their dialogue is zippy, often of the sardonic variety one associates with long-term policemen. And the plot effectively uses its alternate history backdrop to distinguish itself. But take away the veneer of Saxons, Celts, Picts, etc. and it's a serviceable beach read.