A parable wrapped in a fantasy, full with an eclectic soundtrack, Vold E book’s Oceans of Curtains: A Novel Set to Music by John T. Trautman is a delirious plunge right into a mystical new world.

The realm of Ksevia has been harmonious and unified for generations, largely as a result of its folks have maintained “homeostasis of the communal anthos,” a group-mind model of their collective spirit, achieved by means of the widespread use of a stabilizing drug. It’s extensively believed throughout society that sustaining this shared homeostasis “supplies nourishment to the soul of the universe.”

Nevertheless, a radical faction of the citizenry who’ve skilled excessive unintended effects wish to disrupt the social order and let anarchy reign. When the Ksevian’s energetic net of connectedness, the Yuit, all of the sudden disappears, the denizens of this fantastical land face the last word take a look at of independence, self-governance, and free will.

In opposition to this high-stakes backdrop, Koravo and Pandara, loyal companions related since delivery, embark on a quest to uncover what has gone flawed with their world, whereas dwelling with out the bond of the Yuit for the very first time. Navigating a spot the place the strains between magic and science are blurred, they uncover that their future lies in a controversial revolution of fact.

The existential implications and philosophical explorations of this realm could seem fantastical, however there are many moments that really feel allegorical, or subtly veiled commentary on present occasions, with parallels that really feel as very like speculative sci-fi as fantasy fiction. The key improvement of countercultural weapons to disrupt groupthink, the elemental symbology of a tree crucifix worn across the neck, and different comparisons to our world give the narrative well timed weight – that is fiction that could be a well timed reminder to observe details.

Setting a novel to music is past formidable, and a credit score to the creator’s various skills, making this a very distinctive audiobook expertise. The surreal landscapes and dream-like occasions of this experimental story are well-matched to the intimate and natural compositions. There are occasions when the music overpowers the tender and affected person stylings of the prose, making a slight disconnect between subject material and environment. In different chapters, the tempo of the narration is fast and clipped, leaving much less room for emotional nuance, whereas the music equally doesn’t mirror this tonal shift. That mentioned, this variation within the listening expertise is exclusive within the medium of audiobooks, serving to this title stand out amongst different works of fantasy, and actually fiction on the entire. General, the musical pairing is dynamic and interesting, with vocal variations in depth and pleasure matched with extra up-tempo tracks.

For these readers who take pleasure in studying at their very own tempo, sans accompaniment, the prose itself has some room for enchancment. The parable-like simplicity of sure scenes and conversations helps make the story extra accessible, however basically, correctly unpacking this e book requires focus and pretty common suspension of disbelief. There’s a rigidity to the writing that feels unnatural and sometimes tough to interact, notably when the narration leans into telling readers a couple of character’s emotional state or motivations, fairly than displaying these particulars by means of context and story. This tendency to overwrite can rob the prose of some emotion, whereas additionally reducing the stakes and decreasing the quantity of suspense within the narrative circulation.

Regardless of the often awkward execution, it is a mind-bending mixture of combined media artwork, philosophy, and social science, inside an enigmatic storyline that’s each heady and rewarding, providing a cathartic diploma of cultural critique.

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