Strange Horizons, July 2002

by Strange Horizons

  A few details were jarring, such as references to “spanking palms together.” Verisimilitude is vital in this novel, but not to the point where it throws off the rhythm of reading. It's uncertain whether this was a literal translation of the words in Arabic that refer to the behavior of “applause,” or something else entirely. A reference to Kai's “sainted mother” is made from that character's viewpoint. I've heard of Islamic martyrs, but are there Islamic saints? This is never explained. I stopped reading to take note of these oddities, but they didn't detract from the overall story.

  Lion's Blood is very much a coming-of-age story, involving characters on both sides of a social divide. Aidan never completely gives up his struggle to be free again, but he's not the pure-hearted hero of medieval Europe's chivalric tales. Kai is of the masters, but his deep emotions and spiritual life force him to examine, and later question, the fairness of what his ancestors have done to Aidan's people and others. They are equally important as “heroes” because both undergo major changes which cause ripple effects in the lives of other characters.

  With masterful pacing and a very realistic setting, Barnes peoples his alternate world with vibrant characters in an engrossing and often though-provoking story of how different elements in life can bind us in varied and sometimes conflicting ways. Honor, duty, love, and social station create bonds for us all, and how we fight against or accept those bonds can determine our future.

  Few novels in alternate history have delved as deeply as this one into the lives of Islamic people as major characters, or Islam as a religion and culture. (I cannot comment on Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt because I haven't read it, but I understand it does deal extensively with Islam; see the Strange Horizons review.) The lives of Africans in the slaving years, and what it was like to be stolen from their homes and sold to others who considered them less than human, have been touched on in some SF novels, but not in such an outright manner. Lion's Blood tells a good story, and its job as a novel is accomplished even if it does no more than that. But if it makes even one reader stop and think about those who experienced slavery or oppression, then it's done a service to humanity as well.

  Is alternate history a worthwhile method for examining issues of slavery and civil rights with respect to how modern society might comprehend it? In talented hands, yes. Can any free citizen ever truly understand what it was like to be enslaved? Not unless they are somehow transported into the mind and body of a slave. But in Lion's Blood, Barnes made me stop often to consider what the idea of living under someone else's thumb. I found it a chilling experience.

  Slavery didn't end with the U.S. Civil War—it still exists in other places around the world. Whether Barnes had this in mind when he formed the world of Lion's Blood, as well as delving into the history of racism in the American psyche, is for others to discover. But the fact that the novel resonates so powerfully on this topic lends credence to such a speculation. Other writers may be more or less successful at creating this resonance in the minds of their readers, but this is, for me, the benchmark by which I'll judge future works dealing with this topic.

  A Musical Companion: Insh'Allah

  The resonance didn't stop with the novel. In the mid-1990s, when he was building this world in his head, Barnes met Heather Alexander, a musician well known in filk3 circles and among Celtic and folk aficionados. He writes in the liner notes to Alexander's Sea Fire Productions CD, Insh'Allah, “...the most pressing question in my mind [in regard to writing the novel] was one of authenticity.... I needed allies.” So he asked her if she'd be interested in writing some songs with that world as their setting.

  I think he asked the right person, and he got far more than he expected.

  Music and science fiction have been longtime companions. Works ranging from classical cantatas to rock concept albums have contained vague or bold references to science-fiction subjects or works. Karlheinz Stockhausen and Philip Glass have set science-fictional ideas to music in operas. The Steve Miller Band, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Rush, Yes, Blue Oyster Cult, Jefferson Airplane, and others used SF-flavored ideas or took themes from SF works for their own. (For a more thorough discussion of this, see the Music entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.) Music has also appeared in and been the subject of literally hundreds of SF stories and novels.

  Todd Barton based The Music of the Kesh (1985) on the poems in Ursula Le Guin's novel Always Coming Home (1985), bringing that world to life in a musical setting. This deliberate effort to create music which fits within an imagined world is a rarer marriage of music and SF. Alexander's Insh'Allah is a work which acts as a soundtrack to Barnes’ fiction and a further expression of the prose's themes, characters, and scenes. It's due to her skills and experience as a songwriter and musical performer that it works so very well.

  When faced with a novel which has musical accompaniment, so to speak, a natural question is, “Which should be done first—read the book or listen to the music?” In this case, I'd recommend the music first, because then the reader will have the delightful experience of mentally “hearing” the music while reading the book. Barnes and Alexander clearly set out to make a collaboration of their work, and the two media are nicely interwoven as a result.

  But the collaboration would have flopped if Alexander hadn't succeeded so brilliantly in combining traditional Celtic and Middle Eastern melodic styles. She also brought in elements from Pagan, Christian, and Moslem ritual in her musical structure and lyric content. I consider myself a pretty eclectic listener, and only a few times have I heard this kind of Celtic / Middle Eastern fusion successfully attempted. Particularly effective examples are Willie and Lobo, whose influences range into flamenco, Latin, and gypsy styles in addition to Celtic and Middle Eastern; and the Jimmy Page / Robert Plant “No Quarter” project, which had a more Moroccan / Indian slant.

  It's no secret that Christianity lifted elements from medieval folk beliefs and nature-based spirituality (generically referred to today as Wicca, though this isn't a very accurate description) to make their religion more palatable to potential converts. Pagan festival days were co-opted as holy days, and local musical styles were adapted into early chants and hymns. In Lion's Blood, Christianity plays a comparatively minor role as a religion, and is still infused with the Celtic spiritual beliefs that preceded it. Hollywood and other media have simplified this confluence into banality, sapping it of its original strength. Alexander avoids the Hollywood stereotypes of these influences and goes for their roots, bringing that strength back into the music she creates for Insh'Allah.

  The musical parallels to slaves’ field-working songs (and their descendants, blues and gospel) in our world are also amply reflected in the songs on Insh'Allah. “Laddie Are Ya Working?” contains, as did the songs of America's slaves, “hidden” verses which were sung when the masters weren't within hearing range. “We Are Bound” is dense with layered meanings, lyrically and musically, from the physical and spiritual worlds. “Fresh Hops and Hemp” is a drinking song straight out of an Irish village tavern, but it also has a call-and-response variant, an element characteristic of gospel hymns from the American South. The amount of conscious intent in these songs’ structures is only revealed through time and attention. They seem simple at first hearing, but gain texture over repeated listenings, and as they are experienced in the context of the novel.

  Drawing on the Celtic lament tradition, Alexander produces “Green Are The Hills” and “Deirdre's Lament.” The oral traditions of both Celts and Black slaves of the American South are reflected in “The Mushroom Song” (which provides directions for the astute listener on the dangerous qualities of certain fungi) and “Gruagach!” (a children's song about the Celtic version of the Bogeyman).

  The songs here aren't all about the Celtic slaves, though. As used throughout the novel, “insh'Allah” means “as God wills,” reflecting the Islamic tradition of doing all things in service to Allah. “Insh'Allah” concerns Kai's spirit
ual struggle to determine how best to live his life and accept his role in his family and nation. The instrumental pieces “Path to Alexandria / Mushtaq's Jig / Sleepy Camel” and “Wild Seeds” feature seamless blends of Celtic and Middle Eastern melodic lines and instrumentation (fiddle, drums, tambourine, dulcimer, and others). “Battle for Mosque Al'Amu” combines the heartfelt prayers of slaves and masters as they face a common enemy in war. “New Northwest” details Aidan's deepest desire, and “Destiny” twines together his and Kai's hopes and fears for the future.

  But the signature piece of this recording, the one that sets the tone and the story line, is “Fire on the Sea.” Here Alexander is at her fiery best, launching into the tale of Aidan's capture with energy and commitment. Her approach to her music is full of passion, vulnerability, and strength; and reminds me, in that way only, of Melissa Etheridge.

  Most of the music on Insh'Allah is performed by Heather Alexander and Dan Ochipinti, and their skills on a wide range of instruments, both melodic and percussive, are amply displayed on this CD. Andrew Hare provides a rock-solid double bass and sprightly banjo. Mary Benson, Hank Cramer, Dan Maher, and Jon Lindahl support the melody lines with backup vocals of a depth and expertise many musicians would give their right arm to have. These musicians obviously work very smoothly together. Alexander and her co-writer, husband Philip Obermarck, lavish sparkling production values on every track, and the entire CD is a testament to the value of music produced and recorded independently by talented professional artists.

  With wit, fire, compassion, and a certain wicked charm, Heather Alexander successfully captures Barnes’ alternate world in musical form. Insh'Allah brilliantly evokes the emotions of both the slave and the master of its inspiration, Lion's Blood. Other writers should be so lucky as to find such a gifted collaborator.

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  J. G. Stinson is a freelance writer and copy editor, living in Florida. Her work has appeared in Speculations and Tangent Online. Her previous publications at Strange Horizons can be found in our archive.

  Notes:

  1. From “An Introduction to Sufism” by Seyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha, in Sufism: An Inquiry, a journal of the International Association of Sufism.

  The principles of Sufism are all based upon the rules and teachings of the Koran and the instructions of the Prophet. To a Sufi there is no gulf of separation between all of Being, the Creator, and His creations.... If man were free from the limitations of matter, then he would surely witness this immense and eternal unity of Being. But there is a chance for mankind to ascend to such a level of understanding, a pathway that can be followed through purification and meditation to the realization of its achievement. When one's heart is purified, the manifestations of the Divine is reflected in the mirror of the heart. Only then may man ascend from the level of his animal nature to the level of the true human being.

  2. From The Sufi Enneagram Website—Overview

  [T]he Sufi Enneagram or Sign of the Presence of God (wajh Allah) reflects both the macrocosm (in the conjunctions between the planets Jupiter and Saturn) and the microcosm (in relation to the three-fold aspect of ‘self’ as Cognition, Affect, and Behavior). The four Platonic virtues of Wisdom, Courage, Temperance, and Justice relate to the threefold constitution of ‘self’ when we try to morally heal the self and become balanced.

  3. Filking is the practice of using well-known melodies (or creating new ones) as the music for lyrics which refer either directly or indirectly to works of science fiction and fantasy. The name came from a typo in an article published in a science-fiction fanzine many years ago. Filkers perform most often at science-fiction conventions and filk-only conventions. Some of the most well-known names in filk (including SF writers as well as musicians) are Leslie Fish, Mercedes Lackey (not as active now), Tom Smith, and Heather Alexander.

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