I’m not sure how to begin. A simple summary may suffice: this book wasn’t for me. There were times I wanted to set it aside and move on to another book.
Falling Down (Chronos Publishing, 2022) is the first novel by UK artist and magician, Jay Fortune. Some of you may know him from his association with Magicseen, or the Magic and Mystery School, or his wonderful illustrations in the posthumous books of Eugene Burger. I met Jay many years ago at the Magic and Meaning conference. At that time, the conference was small enough that you could get to know everyone attending. Since I try to support people I know, I made sure Falling Down was under the tree last Christmas.
Falling Down is about a day where suddenly and unexpectedly people start falling up into the sky. In the course of the book, you meet twenty three characters and how they are affected by the phenomenon. One of my issues was keeping track of all of them especially when three have similar names. There’s an alphabetical list at the beginning of the book which tells me that Jay or one of his early readers recognized the challenge.
There’s a few magic references sprinkled around. For example, one of the characters is Cyril Endfield, named after the magician, screenwriter, film director, theater director, author and inventor who escaped the US’s red scare by moving to England in 1951. Another is a closing quote from Robert E. Neale which was new to me.
The title page says it was published by a publishing house however I have my doubts. It looks and feels like a self published effort. The binding is stiff. The font size changes slightly throughout and layout is, well, slightly off. These may have been intended but I’m not entirely certain.
The story is how the strange phenomenon progresses and each person deals with it by working with others or acting selfishly. Around the last 75-100 pages of the 540, Jay gets to his punchline. I wish I was surprised but he telegraphs his twist. Through the reveal, we learn that there was some intention to the events as well as background on the twenty three. This final explanatory section plods along until it stops and previews a sequel. Oh, the post reveal introduces a three more characters to the mix.
A first time author has the challenge of getting noticed especially when publishing houses want sure things. The self-publishing industry is a boon for many writers. However this requires enlisting the help of an editor who has the skills and expertise you need on your own. A good editor would have helped tighten this book as the core story is intriguing.
I really wanted to like this book but as I said, it wasn’t for me. I feel it could have been a good read with an editor’s eye.
