Shapers

Shapers is relevant to the world today. It explore the unconscious influences passed down through the generations. A variety of characters and groups interact, resulting in awareness of possible further directions. Vivial descriptions, anchor it in the present it shows how suffering is a necessary part of transformation, in past, present and future lifetimes. A thought-provoking book.

‘Shapers' and its prequel ‘Course of Mirrors' are Love Stories in their truest sense Well, I've just closed the last page of ‘Shapers' and feel like I've been on such an epic journey myself! Very quickly, the characters in both ‘Course of Mirrors' and its sequel, ‘Shapers' (I've read both novels this summer) mattered, especially Ana, Mesa and Cara, who over the course of time, began to matter to themselves, and so, I felt greatly encouraged as a reader to care for them too. I loved the names chosen for the characters and their subsequent renaming (for some) in ‘Shapers' and appreciated the helpful ‘cast' and ‘places' lists at the front of each novel, to which I referred to often in the beginning until I could remember who was who and who they once were. You'll need to read both books to understand this aspect! Suffice to say, it's cleverly done and most intriguing. I know from decades of reading great novels (Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gabriel García Márquez, Angela Carter, J.R.R. Tolkien, Hermann Hesse, Virginia Woolf, Herman Melville and Margaret Atwood to name but a few), that it's those ‘inner journey' stories that capture my imagination most. And so it is with Ashen Venema's brilliant debut and sequel (hopefully soon to become a trilogy in the near future!). Here in the author's poetic landscape of her soul we meet a dazzling cast of characters, above and below, within and without, as we follow Ana, Mesa and Cara on their journeys of love, conflict and integration, set in different places and different times, all drawn to the lost parts of themselves in elaborate, fantasy worlds, where souls meet on multiple levels. To lands where curtailing emotions promise enduring peace but comes at a high price. On that particular note, trying to suppress emotion is unthinkable for me as a poet, as I live and breathe them, gloriously! And this is where for me the ‘inner journeying' takes place inside these novels as battles between our ‘thinking' and ‘feeling', ‘intuition' and ‘sensate' functions ensue - no wonder an ‘inner' revolt has to take place in order for us to integrate and heal. I had to also keep reminding myself that English is the author's second language and this I felt aids the narrative with its stoic responses coming across as in true keeping with the storyline. At times I found myself imagining the author writing this in a tiny room in ‘The Archives' whilst her typological functions clashed. I feel like the author has hit upon something entirely unique and could easily imagine both novels (and hopefully her third in this series) as a televised drama, in the same light as Phillip Pullman's ‘His Dark Materials' recently shown on the BBC. If you're interested in the works of C. G. Jung you'll enjoy exploring the tension of the opposites and symbolism found within, all forever trying to seek balance, so souls can heal and integrate. Lastly, if you're interested in searching for the Real, exploring soul, seeking healing, unpacking dreams and mythology and enjoy fantasy fiction with a spiritual quest at its heart, you'll ab-soul-utely love these books. No spoilers to be given, merely hints and glimpses, so I hope you enjoy reading between my lines. Highly recommended!

I've been reading Ashen Venema's Course of Mirrors blog for over 10 years now, and in that time, she's shown remarkable reselience and steadfastness, sharing essays, poetry, photography; recollections, insight, learning; humor, pathos, teaching – all the while working on a major work, which might become a trilogy (along the lines of Dune, Rings, Star Wars, Potter). The first part, a novel titled "Course of Mirrors: an Odyssey,” I reviewed in June 2017. Its sequel, titled "Shapers,” is now out. I purchased an ebook version via Amazon. A paperback version is also now available via Amazon US and other channels. Both books were published by Troubador. If you're looking for a quick read, "Shapers” is not it. Its 360 pages are dense with encyclopedic-like entries that explain the far-out world readers must navigate. At the same time (though time is presented as protean), this new world won't seem entirely foreign. For example, Chapter Two begins with a description of a fictional place and time that sounds uncomfortably familiar – uncomfortable if we go to fantasy to escape our real-time predicament: "Rhonda, the larger of the Western Isles, used to be an empire competing with rival powers in seizing territory around the world. Indigenous people were uprooted and traded as slaves, until colonies were gradually granted independence. Over time, migrations ensued. People left ancestral homes to seek education and work in the lands of their conquerors, including Rhonda. Traditions mingled, sparking rapid industrial and technological growth along with a moral, intellectual and spiritual freedom that promised each individual unlimited potential. This sudden material expansion exhausted earth's resources and caused rivers of waste flowing into oceans. Machines replaced hands, feet, eyes and even brains. Citizens with nothing meaningful to do were prone to emotional outbursts, filled prisons, or were over-medicated for stress. The ideal of freedom was like an inflated balloon. It burst into anarchy. Rhonda concluded that freedom was dangerous. By AD 2540, a correction project had long been in operation, employing the aid of a shunned people known for their unconventional approach to science, psychology and psychic phenomena – the Shapers. As long as they left politics alone, they were granted autonomy of research and funding. Their underground dwellings and laboratories circled around air-funnels lined with mirrors, through which sunlight was reflected down. Rhonda's rationality project seemed a success. Emotionally unstable citizens were sent to the Shaper Portal for correction. They returned relaxed. The methods through which such miracles were achieved remained unquestioned, as long as they worked." Page 37 Myth is a fictional story used to explain something real – an event, person, thing – even if the telling incorporates unreal (fantastical, imaginary, other-worldly) tools. The theme of "Shapers” explores the human existential crisis of individual freedom that entropically devolves into chaos or extinction, versus imprisonment in some structure of rule or servitude that leaves one arguably safe from existential dread but at the cost of one's freedom. Where myth survives as something real, believed in, its explanation is simultaneous with the culture that creates it or evolves from it, its aims, its reality. One can't see beyond one's own mythical circumstance. Myth helps explain the errors of one's way, should one go astray. Some contemporary myth, like the life stopping descriptors used in modern psychology, may seem to have the aim of self-actualization, but like most New Age approaches, simply attempt to justify one's lifestyle – to oneself; the other doesn't matter. Myth communicates using symbol, metaphor, and a great deal of hyperbole. We can read "Shapers” as myth, and explore symbols and structure, or we can go to it for entertainment and pleasure. Another characteristic, apart from myth, of the science fiction genre, is its tendency to waver between camp and seriousness, such that much if not all sci-fi is to so-called serious literature what the B movie is to film. In any writing, the verisimilitude of dialog quickly becomes problematic. If the setting is completely made up, how should the characters talk? How will people talk in the year 2540 – like they do today? Do people talk in paragraphs or in quips? "I like feeling secure and comfortable, it makes for peace,” Shakur said. "Pockets of peace, I like them too,” Oruba said. "I relax into habits, beliefs, attitudes, but all too easily fall asleep to the wavelength of universal guidance.” Shakur frowned. "I thought a calm mind maintains that wavelength.” "Not when creative intensity is lost, then the spiral of life falls flat and we're stuck in a sluggish labyrinth of time, not in harmony with the ever-changing cosmos.” "Aren't we one with the cosmos anyway?” Shakur asked. "Yes and no. There's the yearning for the womblike feeling of oneness and safety, and there's the resonance with forces that animate us. These forces make for eccentricity and difference, but when constrained for the sake of order and control, leaders become bloated with power. The more rigid the system, the more it imprisons people.” "I get it,” Shakur said, grinning. "Leo thought he was a god and now he's a rat.” Oruba roared so suddenly, he dropped his plate of canapés. "He's luckier than you imagine, he found love – he's gone on a journey. He escaped the system.” Mesa was not amused. "I can see how Rhonda's system is corrupt,” she said, "and change is necessary. But Armorica is not corrupt, its people are peace-loving.” She paused. "Maybe too much, I admit… we slowed change, and with it, time.” Forming a square with his fingers and thumbs through which he looked at his friends, Oruba said, "We observe through frames. We line up these fragments to create a composition.” He popped a quail's egg into his mouth and chewed it slowly to relish its taste. "We continually shuffle and weave these fragments into new compositions of light. But for truly new visions to emerge we must suffer collisions. They tend to shift surfaces and expose the roots of our memory and experience. There you find the sap of life, from which spins the golden thread of intention and vision.” "I'll shut up for now,” Shakur said, "but I will ask you the question again.” He made a sweeping gesture at the garden. "We had a collision here, and I'm digging towards Tilly's vision of a rose garden.” Filling up glasses, he added, "A toast to celebrate our friendship! I've no right words for this, other than I'm going to miss you terribly!” Page 352 How does one travel in time? But we all do it, are doing it now. The week or day passes quickly or slowly, we think, the longest day the longest suffering. But to shift from one time to another is the provenance of sci-fi. Why time travel? To warn, to fix, to meddle? Can we look forward to a future of gourmet meals as we discuss modes of reality? The scientists seem in charge, in more ways than one. And what of the trinity? If God is three for the price of one, do we also, made in his image and likeness, share our individual reality with two others who also claim to be us? We lived once, why not again? Is once any less mysterious than twice? Ashen Venema is both a scientist and an artist. In "Shapers,” we find her bringing the two perspectives together to view our contemporary predicament. She asks the question, What will happen given our current trajectory? The narrative of "Shapers” includes third-person omniscient and first-person diary. The technique adds diversity and interest to the writing. There are other aids provided to help the reader navigate and keep place, including glossary and cast of characters and other front matter, and 29 numbered chapters, each broken into several titled parts. Of course, any book today may quickly pass unnoticed. Which ones should we read? Without ad campaigns, movie deals, marketing ploys – alas – the challenges become surreal. But a book review might help. If you've read this far into this one, your next move should be to get Ashen's "Shapers” and join the fun. It might be noted that English is not Ashen's native language. This is a strength for someone traveling to distant worlds and conversing with diverse cultures. And she is a scientist only if psychology is a science. Psychology experiments with and explores inner worlds; the other scientists explore and tinker with outer worlds; the artist brings the two together in a single view. All of which, in a recipe of fiction, makes for good reading. I particularly enjoyed the time travel to the 1970s, and Cara's diaries. The writing throughout is clear, even when something fantastic is being proposed. There is an underground, both metaphorical and literal, which adds mystery and suspense to the plot. Travel is a great theme.

I enjoyed the book, slowly reading, a few pages a day, best at the end of the day, taking the images with me in my dreams, not a page turner for me, but interesting enough to look forward to the next evening to read a bit more. But, to be honest, I liked the mirror better. Even so, I am happy I bought this book too. Thank you Ashen. I love the way you think.