This short novel has the power of parable, much like Kafka’s best stories, a la “The Hunger Artist”. And in this case, it’s disturbing and memorable, with just enough details to cause a certain amount of long-lasting queasiness, a la Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” or Kafka’s “Penal Colony.” I expect that even with time’s ability to erode the sharper edges of my already dull memory, the essential aspect of Explorers of the New Century—a hearty bravado masking an unconscious, supercilious racism—will remain with me. Two other discrete images still stand out: the image of the five revelers (one explorer and four mule women) aboard the Perseverance when come upon by the other, surviving party; and the moment when the leader of the surviving party declares that the AFP (Agreed Furthest Point) is not fit for the mules, and he ascertains that half of his consignment of mules is less fit, summarily shoots them and disposes of the bodies with a “number of other unwanted items” in preparation for his party’s long march back to their ship.As with other Mills novels (Restraint of Beasts, Three to See the King, All Quiet on the Orient Express), there is a schematic quality to the setting, characters, and plot. These things are kept simple, but there is enough distinction in the character of the two parties involved in the quest, and there is enough detail to give many of the characters their own personalities. What distinguishes most as they travel, however, is the pettiness of their concerns, but this is a seemingly natural consequence of their barren and stark surroundings, where there is a routine of simple tasks alloyed to continual exertion and privation. Where the magic of Mills schematic writing works best is in the portrayal of the general mood, tone, and purpose of the parties’ endeavors to fulfill their quests to reach the AFP. There is in the dialogue and the characterization of the individuals a forthright, purposeful strutting in their behavior and a bravado of assured purpose in their words. This evocation of the purposeful 19th century Victorian Englishman is uncanny, as Mills is able to conjure it with so few ingredients. There are many cheery assertive declarations, numerous expressions of bluff heartiness and fair play, and several allusive and direct comments about the scientific probity that guides them. These are all members of an intellectual and social elite, the cream of the crop of society and civilization as embodied in England immediately before WWI.The mission of these two parties, to reach the AFP to determine how practical it will be to remove all mules to this part of the world is an unquestioned good, and where quibbles might exist, it’s in details not substance. The mules must be removed, as has been asserted and agreed upon by all sane individuals. This assurance is a tacit immanence that pervades everything; it is again a marvel of economy and evocation that Mills makes palpable so much with so few deft lines. The coup de grace, as in “The Lottery”, is perceiving just what this chronicle of quotidian details and evocation of grand purpose are masking. It’s the gradual recognition that the mules are people, apparently of a different race, that are segregated and now being subjected to an experiment in repatriation. That these people are “mules” serves two purposes; it hides from them and the reader their true nature. The reader early on sees the subjectification of the mules: one “hapless creature” is killed in an accident when grounding the ship. When the party leader is made aware and stoically resolves to make do “with one less mule, that’s all”, he says reasonably to his men, “Could everyone please try to be a little more careful in future? I should hate to lose another.”The mules continue to be described as if pack animals (they are fitted and tied down with gear each morning, and they are harnessed to one another as they march together, they are tethered at night in a group outside the explorers’ tents), and it’s only when they’ve stampeded into a river (with some of them dying) and they are being rounded up that as if stray animals that an explorer is addressed: “Come on then; catch me if you can.” The rest of the novel is further revelation and recollection of the meaning of the mules in the world of these explorers.In short, smashing good stuff!
Having thoroughly enjoyed my previous Mills expeditions - Restraint of Beasts, Scheme for Full Employment - I was impressed by the way he has forged onward into new territory here. Opening as a pastiche of the Scott/Amundsen race to the pole, it will gradually dawn on the reader that something is rotten in this dark fictional landscape. Suffice to say that the truths eventually unleashed in its second half make Explorers a genuinely perturbing read, which will have you retracing your steps at journey's end. Perhaps due to this tone, the comic moments are not quite as enjoyable as in, say, Restraint of Beasts, which despite its macabre twists, seems more played for laughs. However, full marks for scope, ambition and invention. I am sure the reputation of this and other Mills' books will go on growing.
Do You like book Explorers Of The New Century (2005)?
Some books are just plain weird and this is one such. For a start the reader really needs a preliminary knowledge of the Scott & Amundsen Antarctic expeditions of 1911/12 and the tensions and rivalries that existed both between and within the two polar parties to fully appreciate this playful pastiche of those events. That said, I'm not entirely sure what the author's point was in writing it and the added twist in the closing chapters would lead me to suggest he should have added a touch more water to whatever spirituous liquor he was imbibing at the time of writing.
—Alex
What a sly little book this is!On the face of it a rather old fashioned tale of The Gentlemen vs The Players, as two bands of explorers race each other to an "Agreed Furthest Point" of undiscovered wilderness, much as Scott and Amundsen had competed to reach the South Pole in the early years of the 20th century. The imaginary British contingent here are typically amateur, consisting of willing yet naive "what oh!" volunteers, whilst the Scandinavian party is rigorously scientific, yet hierarchical to the point of tyranny. Both parties struggle with the conditions, with each other and with the train of mules that they have brought with them to help carry supplies, whilst attempting to try and prove some obscure scientific mumbo-jumbo called the "Theory of Transportation".I can't really explain what Mills does to completely subvert the genre and make the whole thing so funny, it's a very subtle alchemy, you can't really pick much out, yet I read pretty much the whole thing with a faint smile on my face, occasionally laughing out loud. At one point members of the British party have a pedantic disagreement about the correct pronunciation of the word "scones", which slayed me for some reason. Then there were the sorrowful mules... Comedy gold.
—Perry Whitford
So clever, funny, twisted, eccentric and brilliant. Loved the shocking "reveals" and the way we slowly learned a little more about their world. Standout bits, the "court scene".Only complaint, though this novel evoked the spiffing tales of old, the vast Victorian novel; it should have been as long as Moby Dick, and I would have enjoyed every word of it. It could be in a HUGE format with all the maps and illustrations.
—Henry
