Pyrotechnicon

by Adam Browne

BY HIS NOSE YOU MAY KNOW HIM

Cyrano de Bergerac: lover, poet, inventor, swordsman — man of ferocious blade and pretty talent. Now it can be told: his final, most daring adventure — a fight to the death against the dread Master of Secrets, with the life of his beloved Roxane in the balance.

260 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2012

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Browne's debut novel is a wonderful reading experience. It is filled with rich, luscious prose--words to be savored, not consumed. It is a story of Cyrano de Bergerac's journey while rescuing his love Roxanne from the evil Master of Secrets. It is filled with impossible, colorful characters and scenery, the likes of which I've only encountered in a handful of movies: The Adventures of Baron Munchausen comes immediately to mind. Lantern-headed martians, houses made of birds, a trip across the ocean of time, and a villain attired as a billiard table--these are just a few of the impossibilities brought to life in this strange journey.

I am, unfortunately, unfamiliar with Cyrano de Bergerac's work, but I still found this tale engaging and delightful. Browne is to be commended for his adept use of language and his creative, tight story telling.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget everything you thought you knew about science fiction/speculative fiction, history, science or reality. Cyrano de Bergerac, he of the enormous nose, blows all this to smithereens in this remarkable novel by Adam Browne. It genuinely beggars description. Browne's prose reaches heights that most full blooded supposed 'literary' novelists would sacrifice a limb to achieve, but he also manages to convey a rollicking yarn that entertains as well as blasting your normal world-view into bite sized snacks. A must read.

[D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm an elitist author and I don't like other books. They either disappoint me or threaten me.

I like this book. It threatens me. In a good way.

Dynamic prose. Flowery yet bold and aware of itself and hence meta. And hence not flowery, but barbed.

Clever. There's actually a narrative here that doesn't bore me and in fact pulled me through a tunnel of inspiration, mourning, and admiration.

A contemporary Voltaire. Rosseau with an electric rictus grin.

Moravagine?

Strophe-prose. If you like language and style and authorial mojo you will like this book. I don't say that much. I've never written such a thing, in fact.

[Phillip Berrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just wow!

This is such an amazingly well-crafted book, in all senses of the word. Adam Browne's 'Pyrotechnicon' is a tour de force, combining spectacular imagery with amazing word play and—in the first hard back edition at least—production values par excellence. I doff my hat with respect to Adam and the production team at coeur de lion for creating this little gem.

The book is subtitled as, 'being a true account of the Cyrano de Bergerac's further adventures among the states and empires of the stars', which sets the scene with Cyrano and the lovely Roxane as major characters for a fantastic roller-coaster ride of a story. But I'm afraid neither of these was my favourite, because, with the introduction of the character, Fritillary, the author has created one of my most favourite characters in all of fiction. Combining aspects both simian and literary, Fritillary is by far one of the most unique characters you will ever come across and is worth the price of admission all by himself, in my opinion.

I won't go into any more details about the story because: firstly, I couldn't really do justice in the time I have available; and secondly, I don't want to spoil anyone's joy of discovery when reading this delightful book. However, I would just like to say that this is truly one story where the sky is definitely not the limit.

Recommendation:

A joy for anyone interested in fantasy and the fantastic with an especial recommendation for those interested in word play. However, there is, of course, a caveat. Harking back to my allusion of the roller coaster, this is a book that demands of its reader a certain level of erudition. And, like those marks at the fun fair that you have to be taller than to go on specific rides, if you don't at least know the meaning of the word 'erudition', then this book is probably not for you.

[Stephen Ormsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pyrotechnicon is gloriously curious and curiously glorious. Full of winding, witty wordage that would woo any wordsmith. It rhymes as it rides the regal style of Adam Browne. Verbose is the verbage and vernacular viewed within this very book, so beware.

Cyrano could not have bested Adam Browne. In fact, I wonder if Cyrano sat on his shoulder speaking such solliques as such to my staunch new friend. It is a heady experience full of out of this universe beauty.

Carriages made of air, creatures with lanterns for heads and Cyrano de Bergerac chasing his antagonist, the Master of Secrets, across the universe. My, how time flys when you fall far into the fantastical tale.

Adam has captured a style all his own with this story. Each page oozes with humour and the unknown and the strange. I have already mentioned some but here is another – Cyrano rides an elephant into space, chasing his beloved Roxanne who has been captured by a man who looks like a billard table.

This is an entertaining read, not a fast one. One must appreciate the mastery of the word here. There will be no breaking necks for this book. It oozes and drifts along at its own speed, but if you get the speed, you will absolutely adore this book. It is beautiful to behold at my behest.

[Lee Battersby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the very great joy of beta-reading this novel just before it went to final print, and found it an utter delight: frothy, wildly inventive, and unendingly madcap, with a voice the recalls the best adventure writing of the period it purports to portray. It's a rich confection of a book, with moments that made me cry out in joyful recognition at regular intervals. Reading it was is like watching the bastard child of Voltaire and Dumas get smashed on muscat.

Browne is a unique voice, and a vastly underrated one. This novel will reward readers who love to see words built in layers, who enjoy seeing a vocabulary earn its crust and see narrative spun out of increasingly spiralling levels of absurdity whilst maintaining its internal consistency. It is breathtakingly inventive, and a genuine treat.


It is, simply, too much fun.

[Mark Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pyrotechnicon by Adam Browne is about, as the subtitle indicates, the further adventures of Cyrano de Bergerac among the states and empires of the stars. I've got to admit that the sum total of my knowledge of the character of Cyrano de Bergerac comes from watching the 80's romantic comedy Roxanne starring Steve Martin. Which is based on a play written in the late 1800s. Which bears almost no relationship to the life of the real de Bergerac in the mid 1600s. Who wrote proto-science fiction based on an interesting version of his life story, which apparently involved travelling to the moon and the sun. Of which this book is notionally an extension.

Confused? Bloody hell, I am.

So to go back to my source material: big nosed, highly capable man chasing his love Roxanne. And a vague memory of a whole lot of nose related jokes. Not a lot to go off I admit.

Fortunately this was enough to get me into the story, and I'm glad it did. This was a delightful novel to read and stands amongst my favourites for the year. The plot is absurd. The characters larger than life. The settings bizarre and fantastic in the extreme.

But all this is almost inconsequential to a readers enjoyment, because the writing is a joy to behold. It takes a chapter or so to get into the rhythm of the novel but once you're there this book rewards a leisurely read, just soaking it all in. It reads as a series of set pieces loosely connected together. The language is full of pith and wit, with a faithfulness to 17th century science which is impressive. I enjoyed seeing a series of long out-dated ideas in science taken to their logical extreme by the narrative. It was also refreshing to read science fiction that makes no attempt to fit with modern ideas of science.

I've had a couple of goes at trying to describe some of the plot, but it always comes out sounding much weaker than it should. I'll try again: de Bergerac's love Roxanne is captured by the mysterious Master of Secrets and taken to his lair, which happens to be located on Venus. de Bergerac sets off in pursuit in an elephant shaped space craft powered by rocks from Venus. Hijinks ensue.

Told you I wouldn't do it justice. I'm not going to describe any more, as half the enjoyment from the book comes from the anticipation of absurdities to come. And Browne does a great job of coming up with stuff you just wouldn't have thought of, even when steeped in the surreal world he has created.

There are not many laugh out loud moments in the book, but it is nonetheless amusing all the way through. Some of the amusement is derived from weird and wacky situations, some from the bizarre science that just shouldn't work, some from outrageous characters and some just from the sheer wit of the prose.

I read this novel on my Kindle, where Browne's illustrations also come up beautifully. The only technical issue I had with the book was that the text was tiny on the Kindle, I had to ramp the font size up to almost maximum in order to read it. A minor quibble though for an otherwise excellent publication.

Highly recommended.

I also reviewed this book on my website.

[Jane Routley · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Pyrotechnicon, Adam Browne's tribute to the Science Fiction writings of the flamboyant Cyrano De Bergerac (Comical Histories of the States and Empires of the Moon 1657 and The States and Empires of the Sun 1662) Browne jettisons the mightily proboscis-ed one into a third exciting adventure. When Roxane is kidnapped by The Master of Secrets, Cyrano gives chase across the solar system in an fast-paced adventure concerning sinister billiard table men, gigantic microbes, lantern headed orangutans and a vast range of ingenious forms of transport. This is a delightful book full of plumptious whim whams, word play and outrageous puns by someone who truly savors words. And unlike many pastiches which often get bogged down in their own gravitas, this one doesn't forget to entertain but rips along at a jolly pace. If you want to check out Browne's work you can check out an Adam Duncan animation made from one of his stories The adjustable cosmos on Youtube.

[Bluecityladyy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic sci-fi.
The tone reminded me of 18th century gothic then add in a bit of Pohl, Pratchett, and philosophy too.

I'm very happy to have read this book and look forward to more of Adam's work.

I'll keep this review simple so that instead of reading my review you go and read the book!

[Darrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"That I have left my tales intact, complete with imperfections, serves not as proof of my dishonesty, but the opposite! Any blame lies not with the poor author who writes with the strictest regard to honesty, but with the events themselves."

Pyrotechnicon is a fantastical, whimsical novel in which Cyrano de Bergerac has to face off against a man who's part billiard table, a giant microscopic organism, a house made of birds, and other fantastical wonders. It's pre-steampunk science fiction based on 17th century scientific ideas taken to their logical conclusions.

He encounters many strange phenomena during his journey through space. When he approaches the moon, he starts to experience menstrual symptoms. He encounters an alien race with lanterns for heads and salamanders who treat shadows like ponds. He rides on a cloud, meets God, travels through time, experiences nothingness, and becomes part of a painting.

A movie version of this book would never do it justice. Scenes are often described in ways impossible to picture in your head. The text is more poetry than prose. Much of the delight comes in the form of word play. At times, the text itself is a necessary part of the story, so even an audio version would cause you to miss out on some of the fun.

A ship's departure "was marked by three fat bubbles like the ellipsis at the end of a sentence too sorry to conclude..." At one point a sloshing chamber pot comes flying towards Cyrano - "A case where the pessimist saw the vessel as half-full."

An enormous feast being brought to a table is described as a siege-engine that has to pass through several hazards to get to the dining room. A space ship has "vacuum-tolerant flowers" hanging from window-boxes outside. There were many laugh-out-loud moments for me, but, of course, your own experience may vary.

Cyrano's arrogance is charming. He receives a lump upon his head that he claims would have killed a lesser man. He also remarks that "If you could have resisted the temptation to watch these private reminiscences, reader, you are a better man than I (and we both know that is not true)."

Of course, Cyrano's famously large nose is his most distinctive feature. At one point a character remarks, "Like your nose, Sir, your reputation precedes you."

Though Cyrano and his fiancé Roxane face many dangers along the way, the end of the book is absolutely delightful. This book is a pure joy. I rarely read a book more than once, but this is certainly one I want to revisit. The best book I've read in a while.

[Peter Hilliard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book that challenges perceptions add you go through it. At sometimes hard to follow, but I like a book you have to work at a little bit. The journey is epic and hard in all the what-iffery born from borderline nonsense that almost works if you abandon reality.

[Owen Korman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author writes deliberately in the style, choice of words, and narrative structure of the 16th century (or was it 17th century?, ...well, either way). Really, really very well done, sir.

Owen Jay Korman
Philadelphia, PA (usa)

[S.B. Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pyrotechnicon is the debut novel of Adam Browne, Aurealis Award winning short fiction author.

As the extended subtitle informs the reader, it’s the further adventurers of Cyrano de Bergerac.

Why does that name sound familiar? Perhaps you have stumbled upon the the performance of Gérard Depardieu in the 1990 film version of the play based on Cyrano’s life, or indeed the 2008 stage play featuring Kevin Kline. These dear readers are about the historical figure.

Browne’s work harks back to the writings of the man himself. A freethinker, and rationalist most relevant to speculative fiction readers for his works, The Other World: or the States and Empires of the Moon and The States and Empires of the Sun published toward the end of the seventeenth century. They were forerunners of what came to be science fiction and formed part of the literature that fed writers such as Swift and Poe.

The style, true to the works of Cyrano, therefore, is one that is a little more verbose than many readers would be accustomed to. To give you an inkling:

Chapter the Zeroth: Dawn
Le 28 juillet de l’an 1655

Dear Reader:

My nose surfaced first, rising from slow waves of sleep, from darkness into darkness.

The hour was early. My feet were cold.

I heard a baker’s horse clopping through the Toulouse streets, and a costermonger’s soft singing as he prepared his stall. Then a ragged clatter of footsteps, and the laughter and drunken shouts of revellers leaving a tavern after a long night. I heard one of them spewing into the gutter, and by the grunts forced out of him as he heaved — the shapes of them, as it were, the grunted consonants, the bowely vowels — I knew the fellow for a Gascon.

It is not then a book which one runs through at breakneck pace. No. One must stroll through the language, appreciate the artistry, the wit and the absurdity. It is a book in which the tale matters less than the manner of its telling. One might even venture to call it art, if one does not care about being considered pretentious.

For those who must know, who cling to plot like a drowning rat; it is the story of the rescue of Cyrano’s love Roxanne from the sinister billiard table attired Master of Secrets. Do you need to know more?

My ePub version was illustrated, featuring works inked by Brown himself, which only add to its verisimilitude as a text from a bygone era.

Lovers of Baron Munchausen, Terry Gilliam movies in general and French wine will enjoy this book. It is also one that I think demands rereading, that may improve with further tasting.

[Chris Fellows · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an audacious book. The prose is coruscating. It is not so much garnished with arresting images and gavottes of wordplay; not so much buried under a thick frosting of such stuff; as composed entirely of outlandish images and giddy whirls of words at play. Browne has not captured Cyrano de Bergerac - not exactly - but the Cyrano de Bergerac he conjures here reminds me of Lem's Ijon Tichy, which the Cyrano de Bergerac of Cyrano de Bergerac's novels also does, and which no other character in literature does, so he must have done something right.

Having read Cyrano's voyage to the moon, which is a solid philosophical treatise lightly dusted with action, I was disappointed that there was no philosophical spine to the Pyrotechnicon. For all its scintillating technical brilliance, it is an invertebrate blancmange.

In other minor quibbles, the font in the Kindle version was two sizes smaller than that of all my other Kindle books; "Urschleim" is spelled with an umlaut; and the orang-outang is placed in Africa- which is perhaps a cunning reference to the possibly apocryphal story of the party of Dutchmen on the Cape who killed and ate a "boschjeman", misled by a too-literal translation of the Malay.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pyrotechnicon is Adam Browne's first novel, and it is a cornucopia of invention.

The book tells the story of Cyrano de Bergerac's travels among the stars to win back his love Roxane, who has been abducted by the Master of Secrets, a malign alien being. On the way, Cyrano is assisted by Fritillary, an orang-utan with a lamp for a head, and Louis XVI, who has succeeded God and lives in a palace that is a life-size model of the universe.

This is fantasy written in the proto-science fiction style of the 19th century (e.g. Jules Verne). Browne dreams up houses made out of birds, a planet consisting entirely of mathematics, a ship propelled by nothing (because nothing is faster than light) and a host of other ideas. And that's my problem with this book. The language is florid, there are endless little puns, and Browne is more concerned with showing off his ideas than constructing a solid plot. His Cyrano is a pretty one-dimensional character as well, so I eventually got tired of the whole thing.

[Seán Ó Séaghdha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hmm...I was so sure I had written a review of this. Maybe Goodreads ate it.

Part de Bergerac, part Rostand, all Browne. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had many a chortle, gasp and sometimes groan, at its audacious punnery. Adam takes the spirit and starting point of Cyrano’s phantasy and rather than dole out a wooden pseudo-17th century facsimile, he runs off with it and delivers a heady confabulation of his own devising.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!