Keith Roberts - Pavane

This is a remarkable work of alternate-history that is innovative both in terms of its subject and its structure. Set in an alternate future where Queen Elizabeth was assassinated in 1588 and the consequent invasion by the Spanish Armada was successful, England in 1968 remains a Catholic country. The hold of the Catholic Church is immense, holding back technological development, preventing rebellion and the country is trapped in a era powered by coal and driven by steam. The Civil War and English Revolution never happened and capitalism is very much restrained by old feudal relations. King Charles rules England and his North American colonies and local power is developed to feudal lords.

This is the promising backdrop to a series of linked short stories that show the growing discontent with the Church and the established order. The first few stories serve to give detailed backdrop. The first is the story of the driver of the Steam vehicle the Lady Margaret and his unrequited love for a woman. The driver makes a reappearance later when his business has grown massively, to the extent it can offer massive cash loans to the aristocracy. Another story follows the training of a signaller at the semaphore stations that are the only official methods of communication over great differences. The signallers guild is fiercely independent and plays a significant role in the later stories, but here we learn of its inner workings, it's trade secrets and Roberts tantalises us with a glimpse of the more fantastic denizens of this fantasy world.

For 1968 England in Pavane is not just an alternate history. There are other forces and figures, more magical that make their influence known. Perhaps this is why the country is a little more bucolic than its steam-punk mode of production might allow for. There's a clever story of a rebellion led by Brother John, a monk whose radical awakening was triggered by the work of the Church's inquisition. Readers will find plenty of names that reoccur through the different stories and times covered. It's up to them to decide who is the same and who is different.

But it is in the final couple of stories that we learn of the full rebellion as sections of the English ruling class break from Rome. Its a fast paced and exciting story, though the ending is inconclusive and Robert's coda is unsatisfying (not least in its passing reference to events outside the book's timeline). 

But I highly enjoyed the novel, for its detailed background and obsessive delight in the details of everyday life combined with a real sense of historical change and rebellion. I also found the structure of linked short stories enjoyable, giving a nice reading pace, and keeping me going back and forth to work out the links. I understand that Pavane is Keith Roberts best known novel and will look for others.

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