Books: Aetheric Mechanics

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Aetheric Mechanics
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Gianluca Pagliarani
2008




Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/


So I kinda wanna describe this book as feeling like a roller-coaster ride. But then - that's a pretty over-used cliché isn't it? So instead I'll settle for saying that reading it feels like plunging down a water-slide or (no - wait): a water flume (a really good tall and long one). As soon as it starts it's non-stop drops and turns and twists - with fantastical images, succinct dialogue and a free-wheeling sense of imagination bouncing to ever-increasing heights. I don't want to go overboard (perish the thought) - but every time I read it there's this great sense of boundlessness and possibility that makes other comics (in comparison) feel limited and somehow fenced in (I guess that's helped by the fact that it's only 48 pages long so doesn't ever get the chance to outstay it's welcome - but still...)

For people who like their Sherlock Holmes mixed with a little bit of steam-punk Aetheric Mechanics [1] is a self-enclosed delightful mystery with a barrel-full of cool ideas and detailed black and white artwork (albeit much more white than black - so much so in fact - at the start it kinda looks like a colouring in book). Much of the fun of the book is watching how Ellis sets up his world with choice bits of exposition (working in a few nice references here and there to classic Victorian literature - most of which I guess I missed: but I think I managed to get a few [2]) and how much information is packed inside the slender pages with a story that (somehow) never feels rushed. The rest of the fun is found in following the super sleuth Sax Raker and his trusty assistant Dr. Robert Watcham as they probe the bizarre case of "The Man Who Wasn't There" and the shocking conclusion that awaits them [3]: part pastiche and part fresh new-minting - it takes elements from all the best sources around and then mixes them into a cocktail that feels familiar and yet freshly squeezed (and it packs quite a kick too).

To say anything more risks spoiling all the fun - but suffice to say: that whole thing about good things coming in small packages and who are you to resist? Ok - it's not going to change your world - but for the 15 minutes it'll take you to read it - well - you won't be disappointed.

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[1] If - like me - you've never heard of "aether" - well: it's an element that (according to the ancient Greeks) fills the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere. Plato described it as "that which God used in the delineation of the universe." And Aristotle  included aether in the system of the classical elements of Ionian philosophy as the "fifth element" (the quintessence), on the principle that the four terrestrial elements were subject to change and moved naturally in straight lines while no change had been observed in the celestial regions and the heavenly bodies moved in circles. (And now you know).

[2] And don't worry: it's not exactly The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - so don't fret if you don't know your H.G. Wells from your Jules Verne or whatever.

[3] And if you enjoy Aetheric Mechanics then may I point you towards a nice little short story in the same vein: it's by Neil Gaiman, it's called "A Study in Emerald" - sorry no: it doesn't have any pictures - but it is very good and expertly-mashes up Sherlock Holmes with some Howard Phillips Lovecraft (you knew it had to happen sooner or later huh?) It's collected in the book 'Fragile Things' - available now from your local Islington library etc. Go discover.

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Further reading: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, The Filth, Ministry of Space, Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles / A Study in Scarlet / The Sign of the Four / The Valley of Fear, Arrowsmith: So Smart In Their Fine Uniforms, H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, The Unwritten, Top 10: The Forty-Niners. 

Profiles: Warren Ellis.

All comments welcome.