|
 Scepticism Inc by Bo Fowler
reviewed by Underview
Original appearance: Albedo one issue 17, Autumn 1998
Right now, publishers seem more prepared to splash a fortune on buying the rights to novels by young unknowns than to expend a modest amount on a marketing campaign for a reliable mid-list author. Of course, being reliable has never guaranteed support in any field. The unpredictable maverick in sport, especially team sports, has always been the one to attract attention, the one to get the breaks, the one to be forgiven his trespasses, no matter how extreme. In reality this is down to money. To non-basketball fans there are a couple of names that most people will recognise - Michael Jordan certainly, Denis Rodman probably. Why Rodman, a player who could not even make the starting line-up in the recent Basketball play-offs? Because he is a rebel who dies his hair green. Because he is a player of personality who can excite the fans with a single move. Because he puts bums on seats.
The same applies to the obnoxious Gazza. Clubs are still prepared to gamble millions on him just in case he might provide the odd flash of genius to brighten a boring winter Saturday in Middlesboro. And the fans are also willing to take the gamble. And I guess this is part of the reason why publishers will pay for a hint of genius in a new novelist and why the reading public, guided by hype and a slew of critics determined to be on the next passing bandwagon, seem to gobble up first novels and make their writers stars. But perhaps it is also because having no track record, first novelists have yet to disappoint.
Bo Fowler is a perfect example of the first novel syndrome. Feted by critics and provided with a hefty push by his publishers, his debut novel is a wonderful signpost pointing the way from enormous potential towards stardom. Can he deliver on the potential? Only his next novel will confirm because while his debut, Scepticism Inc., is a good (rather than great) first novel and has rightly enthused publishers, critics and public alike, the jury will remain out until they have more evidence to work with.
Scepticism Inc. is narrated by a sentient supermarket trolley and is a clever and funny satire on organised religion backed by a surreal love story and fronted by a hero worthy of Kafka - though blessed with an optimism Kafka himself could never muster.
Edgar Malroy opens a betting shop in an ex-church, taking only metaphysical bets which by their very nature can never be proved right so Edgar can never lose - the narrator/shopping trolley bet £500.00 that God existed. Edgar accepted an IOU. Just that once. Others bet that God is love or that David Icke (remember him?) had been God's messenger. Pretty soon the leaders of the world's major religions are placing large bets as proof of their faith in their way being the true way. The bets grow enormous, Edgar grows enormously rich and the churches, small ones first, begin to declare bankruptcy as they continually declare their faith in Edgar's betting shops.
Bo Fowler is as funny as Terry Pratchett (certainly in his latest novels) and infinitely more intellectually satisfying - though Pratchett has never aimed above gut level. Take time out from endless Discworld sequels and Fantasy trilogies and TV spin-offs and Film tie-ins to see what an adventurous SF novel looks like.
|
