Review by mary-annef -- Followers of Lightning
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mary-annef
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Review by mary-annef -- Followers of Lightning
[Following is a volunteer review of "Followers of Lightning" by Charles Bentley.]
Followers of Lightning by Charles Bentley is a fictional, first-person account of traveling through South Africa in search of native botanicals for commercial exploitation. The narrator (we never learn his name) is an unemployed, Zimbabwean-born botanist living in England. When offered an opportunity to return to the continent he loves, he accepts without hesitation, despite the strange circumstances of his recruitment. His search leads him to the Khoisan people, the original nomadic hunter-gatherers of the region. Very few survive, and those that do have been forced out of their traditional lifestyle. He is excited by the potential in a trance-inducing medicinal plant they share with him. But he is also conflicted about joining the multitude of people exploiting these destitute descendants of a tribe whose oral history precedes the Ice Age. Then there is the question of what part their rituals and art play in the healing process.
Bentley maintains an air of suspense throughout his work. This suspense is particularly impressive given that he dedicates much of the text to descriptions of the South African landscape and flora. The descriptions are evocative, and he cleverly incorporates geographic features such as rock crevices and fast-changing weather, to contribute to the threatening atmosphere. The book ends in a completely unexpected fashion, which I loved but which might leave some readers feeling cheated. Without giving too much away – it's not the evil corporate intrigue one might expect.
I found the narrator's character very convincing. Bentley is familiar with South Africa, its vegetation, people, and politics. I particularly like how the relationship with the narrator's wife is slowly exposed, as though distance prompts self-awareness. In his interactions with other characters, his descriptions of body movements, tone of voice, and atmosphere allow the reader to feel they are present.
There are a few obvious spelling mistakes that suggest the book has not been professionally edited. Bentley's stream-of-consciousness writing style may excuse the frequent absences of punctuation. However, where this results in very long sentences that require repeated reading, it impacts negatively on flow. The language is colloquial and includes some Afrikaans words. There are no footnotes to assist non-South African readers.
I'm rating Followers of Lightning 4 out of 4 stars because it kept me engaged throughout, and errors were negligible. The book will appeal to readers with interest in African travel, particularly South Africa, amateur anthropologists, and ecologists. Don't read it if you're looking for a "who done it" or if you don't enjoy the first-person stream-of-consciousness writing style.
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Followers of Lightning
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Followers of Lightning by Charles Bentley is a fictional, first-person account of traveling through South Africa in search of native botanicals for commercial exploitation. The narrator (we never learn his name) is an unemployed, Zimbabwean-born botanist living in England. When offered an opportunity to return to the continent he loves, he accepts without hesitation, despite the strange circumstances of his recruitment. His search leads him to the Khoisan people, the original nomadic hunter-gatherers of the region. Very few survive, and those that do have been forced out of their traditional lifestyle. He is excited by the potential in a trance-inducing medicinal plant they share with him. But he is also conflicted about joining the multitude of people exploiting these destitute descendants of a tribe whose oral history precedes the Ice Age. Then there is the question of what part their rituals and art play in the healing process.
Bentley maintains an air of suspense throughout his work. This suspense is particularly impressive given that he dedicates much of the text to descriptions of the South African landscape and flora. The descriptions are evocative, and he cleverly incorporates geographic features such as rock crevices and fast-changing weather, to contribute to the threatening atmosphere. The book ends in a completely unexpected fashion, which I loved but which might leave some readers feeling cheated. Without giving too much away – it's not the evil corporate intrigue one might expect.
I found the narrator's character very convincing. Bentley is familiar with South Africa, its vegetation, people, and politics. I particularly like how the relationship with the narrator's wife is slowly exposed, as though distance prompts self-awareness. In his interactions with other characters, his descriptions of body movements, tone of voice, and atmosphere allow the reader to feel they are present.
There are a few obvious spelling mistakes that suggest the book has not been professionally edited. Bentley's stream-of-consciousness writing style may excuse the frequent absences of punctuation. However, where this results in very long sentences that require repeated reading, it impacts negatively on flow. The language is colloquial and includes some Afrikaans words. There are no footnotes to assist non-South African readers.
I'm rating Followers of Lightning 4 out of 4 stars because it kept me engaged throughout, and errors were negligible. The book will appeal to readers with interest in African travel, particularly South Africa, amateur anthropologists, and ecologists. Don't read it if you're looking for a "who done it" or if you don't enjoy the first-person stream-of-consciousness writing style.
******
Followers of Lightning
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Child of the Sun Complete Edition by Michael Van Cleve
