Dan Simmons, Song of Kali -- 20th Anniversary Edition (Earthling, 2005)
Song of Kali is a fantastical tale of an American fish way out of the water in Calcutta. It's the first novel Dan Simmons wrote, completed in 1982 when he was still a sixth-grade teacher, and published in 1985 by a small house that went out of business before it could publish his second. It went nowhere as a hardcover book, but won the World Fantasy Prize in '85 and thus came to the attention of fantasy readers everywhere. It's been re-released by Earthling Publications in a handsome 20th Anniversary limited edition of signed and boxed copies.
Song is a dark (and sometimes darkly humorous) story about Robert "Bobby" Luczak, an American poet and editor for a small poetry magazine. He accepts an assignment to travel to Calcutta to pick up the manuscript of the well-known and long-thought dead poet M. Das; he hopes to secure an interview with the poet for a larger magazine, and to bump up the prestige of his small publication by printing excerpts of what reportedly is an epic work.
He takes with him his wife, an Indian-American named Amrita, and their toddler daughter Victoria, and a series of adventures, each more unlikely than the last, ensures.
Much is made of the vastness and squalor that is Calcutta, a sprawling city packed with teeming millions of abject poor, whose name reflects its one-time dedication to Kali, Hindu goddess of darkness and chaos.
Song of Kali's status as Simmons' first major work of fiction shows through, in comparison with the superb science fiction author he has grown into. It's a gripping story in many ways, not least that the reader is kept off-balance nearly as much as its hero is. But between the protagonist's descriptions of his emotions and motivations, and his descriptions of his overwhelming surroundings, I found something on nearly every page that felt over-written. Luczak's awkwardly sentimental conversations with and descriptions of his wife read like . . . well, those of a green writer. And the set-up itself, the quest for a poem, never seemed a convincing motivation for the tale in the first place. Perhaps some of this is just my general prejudice against fantasy writing in general, but I don't think so.
On the other hand, I'm glad that established writers like Dean Koontz and Harlan Ellison liked the story and saw Simmons' promise shining through it, because he has gone on to write some of my favorite science-fiction books of the past two decades.
If you're a fan of Simmons, or you read and liked Song of Kali a quarter-century ago, by all means consider getting this lovingly produced reissue for your library. Don't expect writing on the same level as the Hyperion or Olympos series or others of his more recent books -- although fantasy fans may indeed find this right up their alley.
