Review

“Helliconia Spring” by Brian Aldiss is the first book in the series about the planet of Helliconia. The book itself is a study in world building. Brian Aldiss has taken an earthlike planet and placed it around a Sol-like sun. What he then has done on top of that is to place this planetary system in a large elliptical orbit about an even larger sun, which is orbitted over a long period of time. The book then “simply” describes what this approach means for such a planet and more importantly, the humans and creatures living on the planet.

The book deals with themes of religion and the development of society. Somehow it portrays the development from early civilisation towards a more advanced civilisation and how this change comes about. It is somehow a retelling of humanity’s own historical development, since the last ice age. The focus on the dynasties and developements of different civilisations and their mythologies is very interesting, as tenets can be drawn from the very beginning of the book towards the very end, this is what can best be described as an artform of foreshadowing, which Mr. Aldiss seem to excel at.

While some compare this book to “Star Maker” by Olaf Stapledon, I tend to disagree, due to the larger interest in the individuals this book takes. Personally, I find this book to be better compared to books from the fantasy genre, than the science fiction genre, as it might as easily have been deemed as fantasy. Closer comparisons would from my perspective be the books Ursula K. Le Guin, both the “Earthsea Cycle” and the “Hainish Cycle” are in terms of style very comparable, especially due to some of the thematics covered in the book. “Dune” by Frank Herbert can of course also be mentioned, due to the world-building abilities, yet the political and strategic side of “Dune” makes it a superior book.

Score: 7/10

Brian Aldiss is a very solid writer and he has in this case set out on a mission. What he does well is to make a simple change to a planet and see where it takes him. As a reader it is a very interesting to journey. I do miss that the book is a bit more clear-cut in terms of discussions of different view points. He focuses a lot on the argument of unity versus individuality, but somehow the key participants in that discussion never really battle out the intellectual side of that discussion, which I find a shame. Perhaps, the later books will answer the question, unless it is already answered with the argument that stability and progress are somehow both necessary for survival. I look forward to see what happens in the more developed world that will appear in a time of Helliconian Summer.

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