The novel “Song of Time” by Ian R. MacLeod was published for the first time in 2008. It won the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award.
Roushana Maitland is an elderly violinist who is trying to make a very important decision. While she’s walking on a beach near her home in Cornwall, she finds an unconscious naked man in the sand. After verifying that he’s still alive, she takes him to her home.
When the man regains consciousness, Roushana discovers that he’s suffering from amnesia. She tries to help him recover but there’s nothing that can give her any clue as to where he’s from. As she tries to gain some clues about him, she tells him the story of her life.
“Song of Time” offers a glimpse of a future that, at the beginning of the protagonist’s life, is close enough that it’s similar to the present. The technology to create a kind of virtual immortality is the most sci-fi element but there are no technical details in its descriptions. That’s because this novel uses that element to tell the story of the characters and the world in a decidedly humanistic science fiction.
In that future, Roushana Maitland is a famous violinist, and this was the main problem for me. Music is central to the story, also because the protagonist marries a pianist and conductor, but this requires a certain understanding of the subject to fully appreciate it. I had to search Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri to understand why having one of his violins in her hands was such a big deal for Roushana.
The story between Roushana and her husband is the other problem because it’s a classic tormented love story, the kind of melodrama that doesn’t pique my interest in the slightest. The consequence is that what are supposed to be important twists connected to the couple were not relevant moments for me.
Part of the novel is connected to future events. The protagonist isn’t in the midst of them but she sees their developments in particular through the media, just like ordinary people do. In the case of a major event involving India, Roushana’s mother, who is Indian, is directly involved. With regard to terrorism, Roushana happens to see some consequences in person.
In general, the important events of the future told by Ian R. MacLeod are similar to those of the present but more severe. Wars, natural disasters, and terrorism seem to have worsened over time, to the point where it’s surprising to see that human civilization survived.
From a personal point of view, Roushana Maitland goes through episodes of discrimination due to her “mixed” ethnic origin. Her reflections related to feeling caught between two worlds are among the best things in the novel, also because they’re linked to the other important elements. The search for her identity is also significant when she has to decide whether to take advantage of the technology that would allow her to move into a sort of virtual life.
Roushana Maitland’s memories, told to a man who has no memories, offer a story that flows between life and death. Roushana Maitland’s revisitation of her own life when its natural end is approaching is central to a novel with a truly gloomy tone for the events that affect a humanity that seems unable to eliminate certain problems. The personal and global elements seemed to me mixed in a balanced way and my problem with the protagonist’s story is due to personal tastes and very limited knowledge of classical music.
Ian R. MacLeod uses a refined style to write “Song of Time”, another reason why it can be appreciated by people who don’t read science fiction. The story of Roushana Maitland has interesting elements but there are parts where classical music is central and they left me with the feeling I was missing something. For this reason, I think it can be especially appreciated by readers who can understand those parts.
