John Smith – Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars
Roland Hughes
Data aparitie: 30 mai 2013
Numar pagini: 274
Sinopsis:
Daca Maiasii au stiut cand va fi inceputul sfarsitului pentru ca i-au mai supravietuit o data, inainte? Daca istoria noastra scrisa e la fel de corecta vechea poveste despre cei trei orbi care descriu un elefant? Daca literatura si emisiunile TV stiintifico-fantastice au anumite fragmente reale si corecte, ai stii care sunt acestea? Daca ochii tai pot privi doar o particica mica a unui colaj, ai stii ca este un colaj?
Fanii Babylon 5, Star Trek TNG, Battle Star Galactica si ai literaturii clasice stiintifico-fantastice vor fi incantati de vanatoarea complexa de indicii din acest roman. Atunci cand erai copil, ai invatat sa legi agrafe de hartie sau margelute pentru a crea un colier. Aseaza-te si priveste cum „margelutele” pe care le-ai avut toata viata la indemana formeaza un tablou pe care nu il puteai vedea. Ia in considerare o clipa posibilitatea prezentata in poveste, apoi tine-te bine pe durata calatoriei!
Parerea mea:
Atunci cand am inceput sa citesc John Smith – Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars aveam o idee foarte, foarte vaga asupra a ceea ce voi descoperi in aceasta carte. John Smith – Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars este un roman post-apocaliptic, insa stilul ales de autor il diferentiaza de toate cartile similare pe care le-am mai citit. Povestea ne este prezentata sub forma unui interviu, cadrul fiind o lume noua, construita peste ramasitele lumii din prezentul nostru. Intreaga istorie a trecutului si a momentelor dinaintea si dupa ceea ce a insemnat sfarsitul lumii pe care o cunoastem noi este narata de catre John Smith, ultimul supravietuitor al „Razboaielor Microsoft”. Autorul porneste de la situatia actuala mondiala, acoperind o paleta foarte larga de domenii, pentru ca apoi sa se intoarca in trecut, la misterele Atlantidei si soarta locuitorilor acesteia, dar si la influenta pe care au avut-o acestia in cursul istoriei a nenumarate civilizatii. Practic, sunt acoperite unele dintre cele mai importante aspecte ale umanitatii din ultimele cateva mii de ani, iar genul post-apocaliptic incepe sa se impleteasca cu cel fantasy, cu thrillerul si cu genul conspirativ. Extrem de interesanta mi s-a parut abilitatea autorului de a te face sa crezi ca ceea ce citesti este real. Pornind de la aspecte adevarate, trece apoi in fantastic atat de subtil incat nu sesizezi schimbarea, iar informatiile care ajung la tine mai tarziu par la fel de veridice ca cele de la inceput, despre care ai certitudinea ca sunt reale.
Un alt aspect demn de luat in seama este faptul ca spre deosebire de alte carti ce au drept cadru lumi post-apocaliptice, autorul nu isi centreaza atentia pe un personaj unic pe care sa il urmareasca de-a lungul actiunii. Evident, se poate spune ca intr-un fel, John Smith si Susan Krowley sunt protagonistii romanului, dar asta nu este intru totul adevarat. Pentru ca ei joaca doar rolul celor care faciliteaza relatarea povestii. Adevaratul personaj central este unul colectiv, din mijlocul caruia nu se distinge vreo figura mai importanta ca alta. Mai mult, nu primim niciun nume, portret sau actiune individuala, intrucat toate evenimentele narate pastreaza drept personaj principal un grup destul de mare, format din familiile privilegiate ale Atlantidei si personalul auxiliar.
Un lucru care m-a sacait de-a lungul a multe pagini este atitudinea lui Susan Krowley, cea care ii ia interviul lui John Smith. Inteleg ca odata distrusa lumea, oamenii care au supravietuit au fost nevoiti sa o ia practic de la capat, gradul de civilizatie si dezvoltare tehnologica avand o cadere brusca. Inteleg, de asemenea, ca povestile isi pierd din valoare si veridicitate pe masura ce trec anii si de asemenea, ca in momentul in care ti se spun lucruri ce nu se potrivesc cu situatia reala a lumii tale, tinzi sa nu le dai crezare. Susan Krowley traieste la mai bine de sase decenii de cand aproape totul a fost distrus. Tinand cont de faptul ca oamenii care au supravietuit au fost nevoiti sa se intoarca la o viata simpla, lipsita in mare parte de tehnologia avansata din prezent si ca generatiile urmatoare nu au nici macar amintirea acesteia, privind-o mai degraba ca pe un mit, este de inteles de ce Susan Krowley are tendinta de a nu crede vreun cuvant din ceea ce ii povesteste la inceput John Smith. Totusi, prin meseria pe care o are, cea de jurnalist, mi se pare ca ar fi trebuit sa fie mult mai deschisa la minte si sa fie in stare sa mentina un dialog mai complex. Din pacate insa, in prima jumatate a cartii avem parte mai mult de un monolog al lui John Smith, intrerupt de exclamatiile de uimire ale lui Susan Krowley si mai grav, de acuzatiile ei ca acesta ar minti, inventand tot ceea ce ii povesteste. Abia mult mai tarziu, discutia incepe sa fie una tipica intervievat- intervievator, Susan Krowley reusind in sfarsit sa puna intrebari potrivite, sa prinda indicii, sa deduca unele concluzii si sa se implice asa cum ar trebui sa o faca un jurnalist.
Desi nu este foarte lunga, povestea nu este una pe care sa o devorezi in cateva ore. Tocmai din cauza ca acopera nenumarate subiecte, ar trebui citita intr-un ritm moderat, cu intreruperi care sa iti permita sa „digeri” ceea ce ai citit, sa lasi lucrurile pe care le-ai descoperit sa se lege intre ele si sa se aseze la locul lor in puzzle-ul urias pe care l-a creat autorul. Roland Hughes nu doar ca expune o multime de aspecte importante ale prezentului si ale istoriei, dar si rastoarna o mare parte a acestora, creand origini noi pentru ele, oferindu-le fete diferite si explicatii total neasteptate. Religia, marile razboaie, miturile, civilizatiile disparute, evolutia stiintei, misterele pastrate pana astazi, intregul curs al istoriei, totul este modificat in povestea lui Roland Hughes, totul iti este prezentat intr-o lumina total diferita. Si cel mai impresionant este faptul ca oricat de incredibile ar parea toate aceste fatete noi ale lucrurilor, autorul reuseste sa ti le transmita intr-un mod veridic, facandu-te intr-adevar sa pui la indoiala adevarurile pe care le stiai si sa te intrebi „Nu cumva ar fi posibil…?”
Finalul ofera o surpriza care te va lasa cu un zambet larg pe buze, iar epilogul nu face decat sa iti creasca si mai mult uimirea, dand nastere unor legaturi care incep sa se impleteasca deodata.
Bile albe:
– Partea reala a povestii este atat de bine documentata, incat trecerea la imaginar se face insesizabil. Mai mult, de-a lungul romanului adevarul si fantasticul se amesteca in permanenta, oferindu-ti senzatia ca citesti de fapt o istorie alternativa a lumii.
– Echilibrul dintre nota personala a povestii si cea generala. Desi in mare parte cartea prezinta chestiuni despre omenire si evolutia ei, exista si insertii prin care avem brusc ocazia sa il privim pe John Smith de aproape, sa il vedem pe el ca om. Si il observam atat in ipostaza de acum, de supravietuitor al unei lumi disparute, impacat in sfarsit cu destinul, dar si in cea de adolescent inconjurat de drama, marcat pentru totdeauna de prabusirea intregului univers cunoscut, de singuratatea traumatizanta si de responsabilitatea enorma care a cazut pe umerii sai.
Bile negre:
Atitudinea lui Susan Krowley in prima jumatate a cartii.
English version:
When I started reading John Smith – Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars I had a really, really vague idea about what I’ll find in this book. John Smith – Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars is a post-apocalyptic novel, but the style chosen by the author makes it different from any other similar books that I’ve read. The story is told as an interview, the frame being a new world, built over the ruins of the world we know today. The entire history of the past and of the moments before and after the ending of the world as we know it today is told by John Smith, the last survivor of the Microsoft Wars. The author starts from the present global situation, covering a wide palette of domains, only to return in the past, at the mysteries of Atlantis and the fate of her inhabitants, with an eye also on the influence they had over many civilizations during the time. Matter-of-fact, the most important aspects of humanity in the last thousands of years are brought into focus, and the post-apocalyptic genre starts to blend with the fantasy, thriller and conspiratorial genres. The author’s ability to make you believe what you read it was really interesting. Starting with the real aspects, he then passes on to some fantastic things in such a subtle way that you don’t even feel the change and the information that gets to you later seems to be as truthfully as the pieces from the beginning, which are undoubtedly true.
Another important aspect is the fact that unlike other books based on post-apocalyptic worlds, in John Smith – Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars, the attention is not centered on a single character which is observed during the story. Of course, in a way, you could say that John Smith and Susan Krowley are the main characters, but this is not completely true. Because their actual role is to deliver the story. The actual protagonist is a collective one, from which no figures can be identified as being more important than others. Moreover, we are not given any individual names, portraits or actions, because absolutely all the events have a pretty large group as a main character, represented by the privileged families of Atlantis and the auxiliary personnel.
One thing that annoyed me during several pages is Susan Krowley’s attitude, the woman who interviews John Smith. I understand that once the world was destroyed, the survivors were forced to practically start all over again, considering that the civilization degree and the technological development had a sudden decay. I also understand that stories tend to lose their value and their credibility during the years and also, that when you hear things that don’t correspond with the real situation of your world, you tend not to believe them. Susan Krowley lives at more than six decades after almost the whole world was destroyed. Considering the fact that the people who survived had to go back to a simple life, deprived of the advanced technology from our present and that the next generations don’t even have the memory of it, seeing it more like a myth, it’s obvious why in the beginning, Susan inclines not to believe a single word from John’s story. However, having a job like that, being a journalist, I really think she should have been more open-minded and more capable to sustain a more complex dialogue. Unfortunately, during the first half of the book, we basically get only a John Smith monologue, which is sometimes interrupted by Susan’s amazed exclamations and even more frustrating, by her accusations that he is lying, inventing everything he’s telling her. Only later, the conversation begins to look like a normal interview and Susan finally starts asking the right questions, seeing the clues, getting some of the conclusions and engaging as a real journalist should.
Although not very long, the story is not one you devour in a few hours. Because it covers countless themes, it should be read in a moderate rhythm, with breaks that allow you to “digest” what you’ve read, to give enough time to the newly discovered things to connect and take their place in the vast puzzle created by the author. Roland Hughes is not only discussing a lot of major issues of the present and of the history, but he is also overthrowing most of them, creating them new origins, offering them different faces and unexpected explications. The religion, the wars, the myths, the lost civilizations, the evolution of science, the mysteries kept until today, the whole course of the history, everything is changed in Roland Hughes’ story, everything is exposed in a different light. And the most impressing fact is that no matter how incredible those interpretations are, the author manages to deliver them in such a realistic way that you start to doubt the truths you know and start asking “What if…?”
The ending offers a huge surprise that will bring a large smile on your lips and the epilogue is just growing your amazement, creating more bonds that begin to suddenly mix together.
PROs:
– The real side of the story is so well documented that the transfer to the imaginary side is unnoticeable. Furthermore, during the story, the truth and the fiction keep blending together, giving you the feeling that you are actually reading an alternative history of the world.
– The balance between the personal tone and the general one. Although most of the story covers issues about the humanity and its evolution, there are a few paragraphs that allow us to suddenly see the real John Smith. And we get to see him in both the current state, as a survivor of a lost world, finally at peace with his destiny, but also as his old self, a teenager surrounded by drama, forever marked by the fall of his entire universe, by the traumatizing solitude and by the huge responsibility that fell on his shoulders.
CONs:
Susan Krowley’s attitude during the first half of the book.
Deadly (seria Micutele Mincinoase, volumul 14)
