Moon Over Brendle by Jeff Noon

This book combines elements of a coming of age story and a fantasy adventure story while also being a book about stories themselves and the power they have. Noon is not an author I was familiar with at all but I really enjoyed his writing style. If you like books that combine magic and memoir then you might like this.

The book is a fictional quasi-autobiography narrated by an older man who is a science fiction author. He recalls his childhood as an 11-year-old boy in a small village in England. On the surface, it is a coming-of-age story: the boy begins to understand the world around him, one suffused with a mysterious Dust that only a few people can see and no one fully understands. During this time, he meets an older man who takes him under his wing and sparks his passion for writing.

At a deeper level, the novel is about writing, inspiration, and the creative process. Although I have not read much by the author, this feels like his most personal work, exploring his inner motivations and imaginative impulses. It is also a broader reflection on imagination and, perhaps, the meaning of life and how these elements are intertwined.

A deeply personal book from an author known for weird fiction. It is a lovely read, particularly for fans of the author and those interested in books about writing. It may not be his strongest literary work—being somewhat light on plot and lacking the tension of his other novels—but it remains more than adequate.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an advance copy that of a book that is bit fiction, a bit real, a bit magical and dusty, about a boy leaning about the power of the mind and the imagination, lessons that will see him through life and his many creations.

I don't look back much. I don't have fond memories of school, old jobs, even current jobs. However I do remember having awesome summers. Being able to read what I want, watch unbelievable amounts of movies on our illegal cable box, doing the occasional lawn. I remember these years by books, by comic events, and movies. Many of which formed my thinking, for better or for worse. Maybe even shaping me into the man I am today. Just like it did for the main character in this book a bit of magical realism, and autobiography. Moon Over Brendle by Jeff Noon is a story about a young boy, science fiction, dust, family, a small town, and the odd things that go on, events that shape an author and his creations in different ways.

Joe Sutter is enjoying the summer of 1968, reading comics, thinking of fictional adventures, and seeing things that only he can see. The world is covered in a dust, called by the people Greot, but Joe and his best friend Denny call it the Koag. This dust is visible to humans only for 3 minutes and 39 seconds a day, but Joe is gifted in that he can see the many colors of Greot, a gift that is getting him into secondary school. One day Joe see the dust, the Greot, around a man who is dying, a grey color, and one that does not look right. This starts off something odd for Joe, where he finds that he and Denny seem to be going in different places, Denny finding girls, and Joe not wanting the world to change. Joe meets an old man, at least to Joe in a tower outside of town, a science fiction author of the pulp variety who introduces Joe to a world of thinking and looking at things that changes Joe. As Joe gets older he also becomes a writer of some renown, and looks back at these early days, sharing what the dust Greot has told him, and where things started to change.

A mix of autobiographical, magical realism, a love story to reading and ideas, and a bit of weird. The book starts right away, dropping the reader right into the story, with dust, Denny and Joe explaining his life, and the world. This pace keeps up, even when Joe is looking back. I liked this story quite a bit, though it was not what I expected. There are many moments that one can tell that Noon is sharing what happened in his past. There are references to classic books, science fictional and writers who have been unfairly forgotten. Noon has a real gift for putting one in a fantastical setting, and making things seem real, and relatable, not matter how high the weird gets.

A book that was not what I expected, but one I really enjoyed. Not like other Noon books, though still with some crazy things happening. This is more of a look back, a look at a magical time, when the world was bright, the books were new and the future seemed unlimited and bright. A very good and personal book, and one I am glad I read.