Book Review: Julian Comstock by Robert Charles Wilson

Julian Comstock isn’t a book, it’s a force, plain and simple. The fictional biopic of Julian Comstock written by his long-time friend, Adam Hazzard, is far from science fiction in my opinion. While the book utilizes tropes from the post-apocalyptic sub-genre it doesn’t dwell on them, nor does it exploit them to either further the plot or drive the action. Simply put, Wilson makes a blunt statement in his writing by omitting much of the details that led to the catastrophes of the past in his novel. Sufficed to say, sometime within the mid-21 century shit happened, and here’s where we are now.

The book is told through five parts each representing a part of Julian’s life. Without giving too much away these include his child and teenage years growing up out West, his conscription into fighting against the Dutch in Montreal, a later military campaign down the road against the Dutch once again in Labrador, and finally his rise and reign as president of the United States in Manhattan. I think what’s most scary about this book is its plausibility, the realization that it could actually happen. There’s a worldliness and a staunch attention to detail in every facet of this American landscape that at times is both hauntingly beautiful and eerily sublime.

Julian Comstock isn’t a book that’s meant to be rushed but savored. Readers of Wilson’s previous works will recognize the subject matter is quite a departure for the long-standing Canadian author. Whereas most of his novels tend to blend hard science fiction with very real, sympathetic characters, we don’t get that here, but that’s certainly not a disadvantage. Instead we’re propelled to an era where humanity has devolved back to anarchy, and having once again risen to resemble a Victorian setting. The humor of Wilson’s prose might be lost on some people but one gets the sense that the author had a lot of fun writing this book. I doesn’t do this book justice simply labeling it science fiction, it’s closest genre would be steampunk, and similarities can be drawn from other recent novels including Brian Francis Slattery’s Liberation, or Ian MacDonald’s Desolation Road.

Wilson has expressed during tours for this book that Julian Comstock will be a standalone novel as he currently finishes writing the final novel of his Spin trilogy. And while there is sufficient material to begin a sequel (or even a trilogy) I’d rather the book stand as a masterpiece on its own merits, rather than rest on its laurels as a series. Simply put, if this novel doesn’t get nominated for a lot of awards next year, this reviewer would be very shocked indeed. An excellent read.

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