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Peter Icarus, is a personally flawed psychologist, who spends
his time helping his patients whilst at the same time wrestling
with his own dual problems of depression and difficult personal
relationships. So when he is given the chance to travel to
the alien world of Troubadour, he can think of few reasons
not to accept. On this utopian orb he finds a society that
is dedicated to the validation of individuals; a society,
which holds personal development as its highest ideal. With
his joint guides of Rain and Wind can Peter find it in himself
to leave behind his past and engage with his present...?
Troubadour
is Dr Don Fenn's first major novel; he currently works
as a psychotherapist in California. Fenn is also an accomplished
playwright and musician.
This book can be read on many levels. At its heart is a well
structured science fiction story resplendent with an alien
world and sadly, for this world, almost alien concepts on
how to live. On a deeper level it's about one man's quest
to deal with the alienation he feels in his daily life.
It
is interesting that Fenn chose the title of Troubadour
for his book, a clue perhaps? The original troubadours were
composers and performers of a musical form, from the middle
ages, who usually told a story, a fiction in which they themselves
had not participated in. Whilst this book is indeed a work
of fiction, the subtext of the title is surly designed to
throw doubt on the voracity of the central characters account
of travelling to a distant planet. Was it all a lie or, worse
still, a psychotic break from years of untreated depression?
The
themes of chivalry and love, which were the mainstay of the
troubadours are major themes in Icarus's life as they encompass
the two failings in his life - his sneaking suspicion that
he is not as good a person as he could be, due to his childhood
experiences, and his seemingly inability to maintain a romantic
relationship. Dig a little further and you realise that the
word itself comes from the Occitan (a romantic language spoken
in southern France) word 'trouber' which translates as 'to
find'. And this is what Icarus does: he embarks on a quest
to finds many things, mostly piece of mind.
Peter's
surname is also informative of his character. Icarus was the
mythical son of Daedalus (wasn't that a Kate Bush Song?) Captured
by King Minos, he built two wings of wax and feathers to escape.
But Icarus ignored his fathers warning not to fly too near
the sun. His wings melted and he fell to his death. In this
case, the Troupadourian aliens can be seen as Peter's best
chance of escape from his past represented by the man his
mother goes to meet at the train station - his wings of possible
freedom if you like. You will have to read the book to see
if Peter, like Icarus, fails to fly - his quest ending in
death.
So
a good weighty tome which will keep you thinking for a long
while. It might even give you reason to pause and think about
how you are living your own life.
 
Charles
Packer
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