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Vellum: The Book of All Hours: 1

by Hal Duncan

Macmillan, $261

'Time in the Vellum isn't that simple,' writes Hal Duncan in  his debut novel. Reality in the Vellum isn't that simple, nor is eternity, nor humanity. Reading Vellum isn't  that simple.

Duncan, a member of the Glasgow Science Fiction Writers' Circle, might in other circles be called mad. He  calls Vellum 'a Cubist epic fantasy' and he's working way beyond the conventional comfort zone of the  sci-fi fantasy audience.

Vellum stretches the imagination and challenges perspective. The  term 'vellum' derives from Middle English and means a fine parchment, originally made from the skin of a  calf, on which text and drawings are graved. Surviving examples provide  a glimpse of a long-ago past, be it factual or fictitious.

The vellum here is an immense parchment of living skin, carrying  the past, present and future in a language called 'the Cant', which  not only binds the world and maps out its realities, but can bring about  its destruction.

Duncan's story is one of intricately woven ancient myths, modern legends, facts and pseudo facts from across  the world, from the mysteries of the Sumerian civilisation to today's news broadcasts to what is yet to unfold.

Like a fine and enormous piece  of silk, resting in loose folds, only fragments of what may be the original design can be determined. Duncan's characters are parts of the overall motif. Some are in clear view, while others are partially obscured.

Each motif is slightly different,  as would be expected from any  hand-made design. Different motifs come together to reveal different images, which, on closer examination, are alive and being influenced by adjacent layers.

Vellum is a three-dimensional  work  that goes beyond the  perception of time as linear and beyond the confines of  reality as  we know it. Duncan's characters  are collectively called the unkin.  They have rewritten their lives and realities through the Cant. Vellum flashes through the varying realities, consciousness, perspective and emotion of the characters as an endless war between Heaven and  Hell rages.

As Vellum folds and unfolds, recurrent themes involving the central characters begin to emerge as Duncan manipulates fact and fiction to create a whole new perspective on how we see our own reality.

The past is in constant flux and is prone to repeat itself, despite attempts to prevent events happening again. The characters, settings and events may change. But the essence remains the same. The characters are drawn  to play out the roles written in Vellum. Yet, we see their perspectives change each time.

The line between good and evil, right and wrong, and fact and fiction begins to blur. What matters most is perspective - what one chooses to see - and how it influences action.

Vellum offers a relentless look at the world around and within us. As with Cubism, there's no single, correct view. This is an exciting and original work and much can be expected of  Duncan, although that may not be a universal perspective.



Vellum: The Book of All Hours: 1