Reflecting Fires

An excerpt of Keith Martin's review, from 96db.com:
Reflecting Fires is novel of ideas cast as a work of speculative fiction. The back cover claims that it is set in the distant future, against the backdrop of a war between man and machine, but you'd have a hard time figuring this out from the first fifty or so pages. Instead, you'd find yourself plunged into a disorienting world that seems feudal, to the point that you expect to have a scene featuring peasants wielding pitchforks and torches. There are little hints that some of the inhabitants of this world aren't quite human, and there's more than a little intrigue going on that you can't quite figure out, but Claburn does a good job of tossing the reader enough clues to keep up the interest level without giving away the novel's secrets too easily. After 100 pages, you're completely hooked, and over the course of the 150-odd remaining pages, the pieces fall into place, and it becomes clear that nothing in the novel is insignificant -- it's all important to the story.

An excerpt of Alexander Russell's review, from Slashdot (Rating: 7.5/10):
The theme of the book can be read many ways, but to me it explored the lengths that the people currently in power will go to, to remain in power. Those in power want to stay in power, and aren't shy about exerting their influence to stay on top. Huge amounts of effort are expended to protect the status quo even when there are strong signs that a new order might be more profitable for both those in power and their subjects.
The decisions that the prejudices that people have ingrained into them by a lifetime of both overt and subtle teachings are also explored. Sometimes this can lead to self enlightenment, but too often it leads to squalid hate. Don't let this make you think the novel is preachy. It isn't. These things are drawn out in the natural course of the story, and simply add an interesting subtext to the action.
All in all, this novel proves that high quality novels are available outside of the normal distribution channels.


An excerpt of Jim Martin's review, from 3am Magazine:
One of the things I really liked about Reflecting Fires was the overall struggle in the book. Really, this is a story about man battling machinery. More deeply than that, though, it's a story about how faith is battling science, and about how science is ultimately just another faith. In this regard, it reminds me of an interview that 3A.M. did with Chuck Palahniuk a while back. Dan Epstein was talking to him about where he had found his inspiration for the book Lullaby, and he said:
"It's funny because every classical sort of . . . horror metaphor, whether it is Frankenstein, or Dracula, or The Mummy, is really a metaphor for something that frightened that period of history. Frankenstein was not so much a body sewn together out of dead bodies as it was the threat of the Industrial Revolution to the world, and also to the replacement of religion by science. Religion was taking the place of God. And so, the Frankenstein monster was a very tangible, you know, way to manifest that zeitgeist -- as a monster, and give the monster a face, and run it through a narrative and then destroy the monster. And I had to wonder what is the metaphor that sort of personifies the horror of our time. In one way it's a virus. It's, you know, viruses, illnesses, computer viruses, they work on so many different levels . . . but I can't help but think that there are really undiscovered, unrecognized, unacknowledged horror metaphors for the very here-and-now period of time that we live in."
All the way through Reflecting Fires, I kept thinking about that quotation, and how Claburn seemed to have stumbled across the same concept in his own work. From a short-sighted viewpoint, this book is about a bunch of regular people taking sides against a bunch of weird, technological people. The weird tech folk are unanimous in their direction, whereas the regular people sort of in-fight and work political angles and generally try to not make their intentions known until it's too late for their plans not to work. In that way, the monster in this book is technology, but there is just as much story around whether we embrace it gladly, grudgingly, or not at all, and why we do these things.

Foreword Reviews
Luddites of a Future World, Unite!
Review by Sharon Clontz McKenzie
In Reflecting Fires, Claburn -- a writer of non-fiction, screenplays, and fiction who has appeared in Fantastic, On Spec, and Spaceways Weekly -- shares stories from the Empire of Sarcos. The empire is not just another fantasy world; it is a carefully crafted society set in a future alternate reality. Although the world on which the stories take place is never named, it is possibly America on an Earth that is much different from our own.
The setting is similar to historic Europe at the beginning of the Age of Mercantilism. This feudal society of Sarcos worships a number of gods, most notably the sun and the moon. It fears technology as a false idol. The empire's hierarchy consists of a ruling council, religious officials, hereditary nobles, a middle class, and the proletariat. There are also practitioners of magic, or adepts, who are members of each class. Finally, there are the eclectics, people who use the ancient forbidden technology to enhance their natural attributes.
The "Reflecting Fires" of the title are fervor and fever, "one of health and one of sickness." The health of a society can be undermined by the fervor of a heretic, much like a fever undermines the health of a body. A threat to the status quo is a serious crime in Sarcos. For example, "according to tradition, it was heresy to depict the gods as people. Icons were used instead, the sun or a candle for Halo [the sun god]. By all accounts, Scrim's [an artist] canvas had been layer upon layer of thick black paint." Scrim is tried for heresy because the blackness is considered a denial of the god's existence.
Sarcos is stratified both by custom and choice.
Although advanced technology once existed on this world, it proved to be a double-edged sword. This metaphor is physically manifested in the presence of huge sword monuments throughout the country that point to the now-unreachable stars. This is not the story of a revolution, however. The people of Sarcos do not want to change their society themselves; they prefer the known restrictions of their current way of life to the uncertainty of change. Instead, they eagerly await the foretold birth of a savior who will fuse all doubts and uncertainties into a clear vision of a new society.
The novel is composed of a series of vignettes set over a period of years. Some of the more important actors are Dahlia, a religious official; her erstwhile lover, Skye, a member of the ruling council; and Flux, a lowborn orphan who becomes the savior of the empire. Slowly, various paths converge on a predestined ending, with magic ever present in this far country. The conclusion of the book fulfills prophecy exactly, but not as the characters expect, largely due to supernatural influences.
This fantasy world is complicated enough to have its own lexicon, included at the beginning of the book. With so many characters, a roster of important individuals might have been useful. A map of Sarcos would have further enhanced the richness and sheer number of the landscapes that Claburn describes, and would have been a great benefit to readers. This novel will engage the imagination of readers and draw them into its fully constructed world. While the conclusion is satisfying, it leaves enough unanswered questions for Claburn to revisit the land in a sequel. This is Claburn's first novel; hopefully, he considers a return to this empire for his second, a choice that would be sure to please readers.

A review from www.barnesandnoble.com:

A reviewer (scriptawords@yahoo.com), a book editor, July 27, 2001
An intelligent future fantasy
Reflecting Fires is an exceptionally well-written future fantasy -- probably one of the best books I've read in a long time. I'm reminded of Esther Friesner's treatment of post-catastrophe society in her duo "The Psalms of Herod" and "The Sword of Mary" and also, in overall flavor, of Robert Silverberg's "Majipoor Chronicles" -- although I believe Claburn's treatment is more mature in tone. He's managed to make a rather tired theme fresh and engaging, and I think much of his success in achieving this is accomplished through outstanding characterization. There is an almost mythic quality to the writing, and the formal style and archaic dialogue both suit the story being told. Frequent injections of gentle, tongue-in-cheek humor keep the story from becoming too solemn. Use of symbolism and delicious, almost lyrical turns of phrase make this a delight to read, although there are times when the writing seems forced, as though the writer were indulging himself rather than telling the story. This is an intelligent story that is not the least bit condescending -- it expects the reader to think; it respects the reader. Definitely a five-star read.

An excerpt of a review from www.amazon.com:

Unique fantasy on theme of 'dark' versus 'bright' mechanics, August 20, 2001
Reviewer: starmoth from Detroit, MI USA
The theme of technology versus magic in "Reflecting Fires" is played out in a distant future where machines from the Dim Age have just begun to creep back into a world ruled by a magic-wielding, religious hierarchy. Does this sound familiar? I recently completed "The Arm of the Stone" by Victoria Strauss, which was a similarly themed fantasy. Of the two, I think "Reflecting Fires" has the edge in philosophical soundness and character credibility. Tom Claburn is a new, lyrical voice in the clich»d realms of fantasy. His inventive use of language and symbols reminds me of Gene Wolfe's creative word-play in his multi-volume series, "The Book of the New Sun." Wolfe says in "The Shadow of the Torturer," "We believe that we invent symbols. The truth is that they invent us; we are their creatures, shaped by their hard, defining edges." Claburn creates a whole new religion in "Reflecting Fires," along with the necessary accouterments of ritual, vocabulary, and symbolism. It demands a careful reading, but the author rewards us by logically evolving his characters within the 'hard, defining edges' of his theology. ...

A review from www.amazon.com:
magicians vs. machines, January 2, 2002
Reviewer: Wayne Klick from Albuquerque, NM USA
I'm not a devotee of future-fantasy fiction, but both aficionados and non- of this genre should appreciate Reflecting Fires. The novel is a nicely compelling read, and yet is quite thought-provoking. In this far future age, magic (the 'bright mechanics') appears to be fading as technology (the 'dark mechanics') gradually regains favor with the people and the ruling classes. However, this magic vs. machines question is not debated, it merely serves as a vehicle for the story. Mr. Claburn has an economy in his style of writing that I appreciate in this computer age, where novels tend to have about twice or triple the number of words they actually need. I think this novel could make an interesting film, though it would require a "cast of thousands." I see from his website that the author has made films in the past, and I suspect this work was written with that in mind. Read Reflecting Fires and see if you don't agree.