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Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

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131 struggle
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riverman
riverman
845 posts

Re: 131 struggle
Apr 05, 2015, 20:17
I'm in the read it twice pretty quickly camp! And I generally don't read novels - my favourite novelists I guess would be Vonnegut and Bolano. Most of the time I read non-fiction. But thoroughly enjoyed this. I guess it's flawed in terms of character and plot but you just go with the flow - the mix of visions, humour and weightiness of subject matter is marvelous in my opinion. It's a very geographical novel too so I guess as a geographer that helps too.

I think the Quietus review gets to grips with it quite well, reveals a lot of the content mind. But here's one para from the review:

And so we get to the crux of the novel – social responsibility – wonderfully echoed in Section's prehistoric incarnation, Bjond. The wordplay continues apace in these distant times as the great prince sets out to discover more of the world around him and learns the ways of the Far Reigners. And in doing so begins to see for the first time the problems within his own kingdom. How his own father, Old Tüpp (the King), has been 'depleting needlessly Ashop's homegrown forces, its powers, its riches'. But of course with this knowledge comes a grave responsibility, and the same goes for Rock with all the insight acquired during his mission. Sacrifice becomes necessary and it is no accident that Cope points to, by means of the Armenian Reverend Jim Featherian, Christianity's similarities with one of its near antedecents, Mithraism. Bjond, Mithra, Christ, Rock Section – is this Eternal Recurrence here? Does redemption always require immolation at the height of one's powers, the truest form of sacrifice? And will the world just return again to sorrier states as doctrine distorts down the years?
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