Savile, Steven: Temple: Incarnations
Temple: Incarnations
Writer: Steven Savile
Genre: Horror
Pages: 107
Disclaimer: free from Apex Publications
I had originally read parts three and four of Savile's novella as it was published in Apex Digest. My thoughts on the story were mixed. On one hand, I thought there was potential, and in some places, there was some nice writing. On the other hand, I didn't know what was going on, because I hadn't read the first two parts of the novella. I think I bitched about this enough that lo and behold, a copy of Temple: Incarnations landed on my doorstep, the complete novella in one volume, published by Apex Publications. What could I do with such an opportunity? Why read it and review it, of course.
Temple: Incarnations has a fairly simple story: it's a tale about a man who wakes up in a hotel room with no memories of his past life, no name, nothing. It's a post-apocalyptic world, and all Temple cares about is discovering who he really is, and his journeys take him deeper into self and society.
By time I finished with this novella, I was a little worried about the nature of my coming review. But then I caught the author's afterword, where Savile admits this was a "by the seat of your pants" story, that he didn't know who or what Temple was until the very end. So in part, the writer discovered who Temple was as Temple discovered himself, which can be very satisfying for a writer (I would know, I'm somewhat similar in my process): it's hard to find interest in writing a story when everything's planned out and there's no surprises, you know?
Unfortunately for Savile, he wrote to a deadline, and his afterword gave me the impression that he'd be pushed to the limit, get his inspiration, and then send it off to the good folks of Apex. It's not to say he didn't give his work another glance before sending it off, but it's not like he wrote the whole thing first: he wrote each part as a separate entity, and it shows.
When I picked up this novella, I expected some sense of cohesion. I wanted foreshadowing in the first part that would illuminate events of the fourth part. I wanted this to be the kind of story where the reader could read it once, learn the truth, and re-read with a whole new perspective and gain that much more from the story. Kind of like watching Fight Club for the second time. Or Momento.
But as I've already pointed out, Savile figured this story out as he wrote, and for my two cents, that's unfortunate, cause as it stands, the novella feels incomplete to me. Each part really does stand as its own tale, and as I read, I kept wondering just what genre Savile was trying to ground us in. No doubt, there's horror, but in some parts, the story felt more fantasy, then in others, more SF. I was never grounded in the rules of this world, where we have weird egg/stone items that suck the flesh off your body, synth-skin that rebuilds your flesh by mimicking your DNA, and ghosts.
Part of the problem came from a lack of detail. Oh, don't get me wrong: Savile's prose describes the setting with little trouble, and yet, I would've killed for a little more concrete detail rather than ambiguous poetry and vague references that don't help the uninformed reader. Where were we, location-wise, in part one? In part two? This may not seem important, but when the reader learns who Temple really is and what his purpose is, those locations become the most important thing in the world. Also what happens when he's there, other than those moments where he randomly finds someone to give him a clue to his life? Those questions are a part of the whole incompletion vibe I get. I never realized the world suffered from a PLAGUE until part four, though there wasn't a doubt the world was suffering after "The Fall" that knocked humanity on its ass. But there's a difference between wretched poverty of the masses and a flesh-eating plague that doesn't effect the protagonist. A HUGE difference, and I would've liked to see that thread carried through the entire tale. I would've liked to known, without a doubt, where exactly Temple's travels were taking him, and how the land and world was changing as time went on.
It didn't help that Temple is an amnesiac. Personal pet peeve of mine: I hate characters with amnesia. In general, they tend to be too trusting and naive, and while that wasn't Temple's problem, his amnesia prevented a certain kind of insider's POV into the world he lived in, and that was unfortunate for this reader. Temple also appeared as an inconsistent character: in part three, he longs to let the waters take him in order to drown out the guilt of a past crime, but pages later, he says he's a survivor, and would never let go of life so easily. I'm not saying a character can't have such conflicts, but such conflicts and desires should fit together like pieces of a puzzle. We should understand the character well enough that we understand his conflicted heart. Hell, the character should know himself well enough in order to reason out those conflicting needs.
Alas. It is a tale of a man in search of identity, his past, and his future. He doesn't like the man he thinks he was, but he never gives much thought about the man he wants to become. I think Temple, as a character, could've been stronger and more consistent if, once part four was finished and Savile knew what he was dealing with, Savile could've gone back to the previous sections and rewrote them for consistency. Call it a touch of polish, if you will, rather than a rewrite. The potential in this novella deserves the chance to flourish. Who knows? Maybe Savile will decide to write a novel in this world, maybe use Temple as a character, and really play it up.
I found parts three and four to be the strongest of the whole novella. Whether that's because I'd already read those parts or because Savile had a stronger sense of where the story was going, I don't know, but it seemed the story had more direction, the character had more direction, and the prose more clear. There are parts where the poetic rhythm of Savile's prose really shines. Then there are parts, especially in the beginning, where his descriptive metaphors get excessive and therefore lose their power. Let's face it, sometimes, you just need to call a shoe a shoe, you know? Poetic prose shouldn't hinder the action or forward movement of a story, but there were times, especially in part one, where it did, and I wasn't sure what was going on or why and how we got from point A to point B. The whole scene where Temple returns with news of the girl's brother is rather odd and disjointed and the scene with Josie came out of nowhere.
Still, there were pluses: the horrifying truth behind the kidnappings in part one, and the description of the violence was well done. Part two's detail of the sewage and rats were chilling. Part three, the Gollum-like dialogue of the mimics and its amazing but horrifying power had me enthralled. Part four, the description of ghosts, and the implication that Temple himself might be one, even though he attributes the silver flecks in his eyes to cracked mirrors.
But despite having the whole story in front of me, I'm still unsure of the ending, and who these people were. I get that Temple's purpose was to walk the world, spreading the disease, and I got the impression that he'd been human first, lost his wife and child, before becoming this walking plague. It's hard to tell, because Temple demands answers, and the other men admonish him for his demands. Pity. I wanted to know what exactly was going on, darn it. :)
All in all, this is not my kind of story. I appreciated parts of the poetic prose, parts of the world-building, and certainly, parts of the story were gripping, but it felt too incomplete, too vague for me to really sink my teeth into. Certainly, though, this is a nice publication for fans of Savile's work, with the accompanying illustrations and the like. Though, I did notice a number of typos: italics where it made no sense to have them, line breaks where it made no sense to have them, and in one spot, a sudden shift to first person and back again, which totally threw me for a loop. Oh well. That shouldn't hamper the enjoyment of the work, and if you did enjoy the work in Apex Digest, you should certainly pick up this copy for your bookshelf. And for those unfamiliar with this story, I think lovers of horror may get more out of this than I did, because its certainly got more horror elements despite its post-apocalyptic setting. Then again, it's really hard to scare the piss out of me through the written word alone, so I think it's a case where I'm simply not Savile's target audience. At least, not for this story. I'd like to read something completely unrelated by him, and preferably, something that's not serialized. And I'm glad for the opportunity to read the whole of this work. Definitely gave me stuff to ponder.
Next up: Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk