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A review of Brendan Connell's The Architect

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Published on Monday, 27 August 2012 6:38 pm

Written by Seregil of Rhiminee

Brendan Connell's The Architect was published in March 2012 by PS Publishing.

Brendan Connell's fiction has been published in several places. He is the author of The Translation of Father Torturo (2005), Dr. Black and the Guerrillia (2005), Metrophilias (2010), Unpleasant Tales (2010) and The Life of Polycrates and Other Stories for Antiquated Children (2011).

More information about Brendan Connell can be found on his official website.

Here's a description of The Architect:

The mad and mystical Körn Society, based in Ticino, Switzerland, sets itself the task of building a grand, soul-uplifting Meeting Place for its members. An inspired architect, a visionary in stone, must be found, and one such is available: the mysterious and unpredictable Alexius Nachtman. But is he perhaps too visionary? This is the effect of his book of sketches:

"Huge edifices, megastructures, poured from the leaves. Bridges which spanned oceans, towers which stretched into the clouds, huge fortresses which looked as if they could withstand the destructive force of an Armageddon. Vertical cities rose up from desert plains in startling anaxometrics, while spatial cities, cities built fifteen or twenty meters above their counterparts, stood forth as visions of utopian architecture, only to be outdone on subsequent pages by floating cities, vast nests of hexagonal pods resting atop lakes and oceans. Structures which straddled the earth and others which burrowed under it. Buildings which brought to mind lost civilizations or seemed to be the habitations of beings from another world..."

Despite doubts, he is hired. And so, in this adventure of marble and mortar, of machines and workmen, of cult and manipulation, the most bizarre construction project since Babel commences its Cyclopean growth. Written by a contemporary master of the decadent and grotesque, The Architect is like Greek tragedy on hallucinogens - a brilliant, stylish short novel of eccentricity and decay.

A REVIEW OF BRENDAN CONNELL'S THE ARCHITECT

Brendan Connell is a gifted author, who avoids clichés and writes compelling prose. He's one of the best new authors, because his stories are simply brilliant in their originality. Although he has already written several stories, The Architect is definitely something different and unique, because the author manages to surprise his readers with the story.

Here's a bit of information about the plot:

The board members of the mad and mystical Körn Society hire a mysterious architect called Alexius Nachtman to build a meeting place for the members of their society. Nachtman wants to build something grand and never-before-seen, so his visions interest the board members. When the construction begins, everything seems normal at first and the board members seem to get what they want, but then the people involved in the construction process are beginning to question if the architect is going too far with his strange and almost otherworldly visions...

The Architect is a masterpiece of surreal and highly imaginative speculative fiction. It's a must-read story about eccentric persons and decadence. It's perfect fiction for everybody who loves quality writing and isn't afraid to read something different.

In my opinion The Architect is a unique achievement, because the author goes as far as possible with the story and seems to push the limits of imagination. Pushing the limits is good, because it's a pleasure to read imaginative and well written stories.

The Architect features vivid descriptions and excellent prose, which highlights the surreal elements of the story. When I read this short novel, I was amazed at its complex and sophisticated structure. It's easy to notice that the author has spent a lot of time writing this story, because this story is full of happenings and informative, but descriptive prose.

I'm not sure if other readers agree with me on this, but in my opinion Brendan Connell's prose reminds me a bit of Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. He doesn't write the same kind of weird fiction as these old masters did, but he writes decadent, grotesque and weird stories and knows how to write perfect literary English.

I think it's nice how the author manages to bring the whole construction process to life by writing about its different phases. He writes passionately about money problems etc and fascinates the reader by showing how Nachtman solves each problem in his own way (Nachtman's solutions are more than a bit unorthodox and bizarre).

The construction of the meeting place is quite a sight to behold, because it's a work of a visionary (and "slightly insane") man who has an almost unlimited imagination. Nachtman's visions are fascinating and the way the author writes about them feels fresh. The construction work starts innocently, but gradually it turns into a weird and mad spectacle, which will fascinate and horrify readers.

It was fun to read how the board members of the Körn Society were fascinated by Nachtman's visions and didn't care what happened as long as the meeting place would be finished and would look amazing. Nachtman seemed to be able to do almost anything, although his visions became weirder and weirder.

The author has a twisted and quirky sense of humour and he knows how to use black humour to his advantage. Nachtman's comments at the end are funny (or perhaps I should say hilarious).

It was interesting that the author mentioned two Finnish architects (Eero Saarinen and Alvar Aalto). I think that some readers may have heard of these architects, because they're well known persons.

I think that all fans of Brendan Connell will be pleased with The Architect. I also think that readers, who haven't read Brendan Connell's stories before, will like this short novel. (If you like The Architect, please consider reading more stories from Brendan Connell, because they're fantastic stories.)

Highly recommended!

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