The Reviews Are In
Adventure Constant is pretty darn fun reading.
As I read this, I realized something about the tale: it forced me to evaluate settings in a new way and break out of staid thought patterns.
Adventure Constant is a story that cares so much about building a fun world that it completely junks wonkish world-building logic in favor of what sounds cool. No explanation is given for why counterparts to familiar Earth nations sprang up, you do not question why the existence of Carthage, the continued rule of the Pharaohs, and the failed colonization of Africa gave rise to similar historical events, and you do not care to hear about economic minutiae or extensive national backstories. You’re given just enough information to orient you, and the characters get back to the plot. It is yet more proof of a key tenet about fantastical tales: Worldbuilding does not matter.
Those last four are strong words that I don’t entirely agree with. World building does matter, but only in so far as it advances the plot. The setting should serve to enhance the story, and care must be taken to maintain a certain level of verisimilitude lest the reader’s background processing trip a circuit breaker or two. You need at least enough consistency within the setting to keep reader’s focused on the action, but otherwise Rawle is spot on.
Authors should focus on the reader, not the setting. Anything that builds up the setting at the expense of the tale needs to be mercilessly jettisoned. At least for those of us who write adventure stories instead of travelogues.
Oh hey, but what did he think about the book?
I happily recommend Adventure Constant to anyone who likes an adventurous tale, well told.
Trust the Nyanzi, for he is wise in the ways of fiction.
If you want to see for yourself, take a gander at this free preview:
And if you have been keeping up with the Mollison Library, you’ll want to read it soon. My next novel will be released the first week of October.