Pavane

By: Keith Roberts

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

Award-winning author, narrator, and screenwriter Neil Gaiman personally selected this book, and, using the tools of the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), cast the narrator and produced this work for his audiobook label, Neil Gaiman Presents.

A few words from Neil on Pavane: "When Old Earth Books told me they are reissuing Pavane, which was originally published in 1968, I told them: 'I read one story from Pavane when I was nine, and it scarred me…. I read the whole book as a teenager and learned where that story had come from, and the shape of the whole story and I felt the scars heal….' Pavane was Keith Roberts' masterpiece: profound and still remarkable."

Considered Keith Roberts' masterwork, this novel consists of linked short stories (six measures and a coda) of a 20th century in which the Roman Catholic Church controls the Western world, and has done so since Queen Elizabeth of England was assassinated in 1588. The Protestant Reformation never happened, and the world is kept in a Dark Age of steam-power transportation, with no allowance for electrical power, by a tyrannical Rome. Pavane shows the harshness of life in this society and details the generational struggle for independence by the citizens of Dorset, England. It's through this series of moving tales that Roberts interweaves a discussion of Destiny and History that take the book out of the ordinary. And the author's great love of his native country makes this the most English of novels, and one of the finest in fantastic literature.

To hear more from Neil Gaiman on Pavane, click here, or listen to the introduction at the beginning of the book itself.

Learn more about Neil Gaiman Presents and Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).

©1968 Keith Roberts (P)2011 Wildside Press LLC

Critic reviews

"Roberts's vivid depiction of the day-to-day lives of the common folk gives these stories a tangible reality. Steven Crossley's gentle voice, embedded with a regional accent, enhances the characters and places them solidly in their milieu." ( AudioFile)

Pre-steampunk

Years ago, while reading an anthology I came across "The Signaller" by Keith Roberts. This was over ten years ago and the story has haunted me every since. I had never heard of KR, but I did find a old book called "Kite World" by KR. I never got around to reading it, but I will listen to it since I can get on audible. Gaimen recommended this book, so I went with it first. To my surprise "The Signaller" ended up being the second story in this book. It was still just as haunting.

This is a book of short stories or novellas. The First two "The Lady Margaret" and " The Signaller" are five star stories. Roberts prose is beautiful and very descriptive. I usually don't like descriptive type books, but Roberts is so good at it, that he puts you right into the story. When he talks about a cold night with a full moon in the sky, you shiver, even if you are reading the book on a beach in July. He gives the best description of the death of a loved one I have ever heard. When someone you love dies, it is like the pulling of a thread from your life.

Why, only three stars? The five stories that remain are not near as good as the first two, matter of fact it was painful to get through them. The prose was not as good, the stories not as compelling, they sucked.

Warning: Roberts does not believe in happy endings and he will break your heart.

This is not steampunk, but kind of a precursor to steampunk.

In trying to figure out if this is worth buying, let me say figure on getting about 2 and half hours of really good writing and the rest you may want to skip.

Gorgeously-written alternate history classic

Keith Roberts's 1968 novel, Pavane, imagines an alternate 20th century in which England's 16th century split from the Catholic Church had never happened. As a result, all of the Western world is ruled from Rome, whose hierarchy has kept a jealous lid on science and technology. That which is permitted has taken on some pretty baroque forms, such as great steam-powered hauling vehicles and a communication system based on hilltop-mounted semaphors, run by a powerful paramilitary guild.

Such inventions might have been labeled "steampunk" had Pavane been published 30 years later, but that term is too hackneyed to do this book justice. While technology is part of Roberts's vision, it's also a window into a more mystical, pastoral England, where the ancient, primal religion of the past hasn't yet been supplanted by progress, and the supernatural world of Faerie still swirls around the edges of the Christianized one, playing its mischief on hearts and minds. For perhaps the old ways, both pagan and Christian, are meant to guide humanity, but in ways not fully revealed.

Pavane isn't a conventionally plotted novel, but consists of six loosely-connected "movements" that build on each other in layers. Each, centered around a different character, can be read as a self-contained story set in a shared world, but, together, they comprise a meditation on the way change can take hold of a person or society, the themes and actions of the earlier pieces taking on greater significance in the later ones.

A brief summary of the movements:
1. A young steam train driver suffers a broken heart, then is tested by bandits.
2. A semaphor operator in a lonely post is badly injured, but by who or what, we don't know at first. Flashbacks reveal his history and the nature of his guild.
3. An adolescent fisher-girl's transition to womanhood is associated with her encounters with a strange white boat, which the local folk aren't supposed to acknowledge.
4. An artistic monk is broken by a terrible assignment from his superiors, and leads a spiritual rebellion.
5. A significant death and a significant love affair lead to a vision.
6. A noblewoman faced with an unjust demand rebels against Rome. Maybe the most riveting piece.
Coda: the scientific revolution has begun at last, but with a significant difference from our own world.

While some of the stories, taken on their own, are more interesting than others, I loved seeing the connections between them unfold. I found Robert's prose to be lovely and sensory, and his storytelling quite good as well. It's not at all a surprise that Neil Gaiman used his influence to have this one brought into audio form. The major themes of the novel (discipline, change, awakening, the mystery of the unknowable) are more insinuated than spelled out, which might put off readers who require a strong, well-defined plot to hold their attention, but I'm not such a reader.

If, like me, you're drawn to the intersection between science fiction, fantasy, and literature, this book probably deserves a place on your shelf. For me, the wistful mood of Pavane, aided by Steven Crossley's fine, classically rich-voiced audiobook performance, secure it a place among my favorites. Kudos to Gaiman for calling attention to it.

Wonderful! Great for history and fantasy lovers

I heard this as a Neil Gaiman presents production. Fell right into the alternate world with a real appreciation for the basis in factual history that underlies the fiction. I highly recommend it.

some chapters better than others...

If you could sum up Pavane in three words, what would they be?

A series of stories down through the years assuming there was no Reformation in England.

What did you like best about this story?

The first 3 chapters were excellent.... I quickly got into the stories. But the last couple of chapters with the older woman who was rebelling was less convincing.

What does Steven Crossley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice was good and his performance was exceptional.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

England with the Reformation....

Just Buy It

I recently finished listening to Pavane, by Keith Roberts. Thus is part of Audible's Neil Gaiman presents series. The series, as I understand it, are made up of books admired by Neil Gaiman, though perhaps not as well known to the general public.
The book is named Pavane after the processional dance of the renaissance era. It was a formal Spanish dance comprised of six parts and a coda. This book is an alternate history that assumes that Elizabeth I was assassinated, the Spanish armada won, and Philip not only extended his own power but that of the church, putting an early end to any chance of a religious Reformation.
This book is written as six separate tales followed by a coda, similarly to the dance after which it was named. This is unusual for an alternate history novel. Most well written alternate history novels, such as 1632, go into great detail about the world they are in. They go to equally great pains to describe the differences in as brief a portrait as possible. If they didn't keep it brief the information would overwhelm any chance of a decent tale.
This is a serious departure from that model, once again reminiscent of the Pavane. Each story is extremely personal, extremely well crafted, and oft heart wrenching. The world of this alternate history is oft shown only as a backdrop, though not one even the fictional characters can ignore. In some areas it is extremely detailed and in other areas it is strangely vague. This style of dancing around the subject, rather than focusing on it directly not only draws one into the story, but also fires the imagination.
Conclusion: This is an excellent choice for any adult. I wouldn't suggest it as a YA novel, however, almost anyone else will find something of value here. It may be alternate history, but it is also made up of some of the best short stories I have had the good fortune to encounter.

Seminal alternative history

If you could sum up Pavane in three words, what would they be?

Listen to this.

What did you like best about this story?

In Pavane, Keith Roberts painted in beautiful, bittersweet detail complicated characters in a complex world that could, but mercifully does not, exist.

Which character – as performed by Steven Crossley – was your favorite?

Eleanor. Kudos to Steven Crossley.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Come now to a place that never was.

Any additional comments?

Until such time as human struggles are not defined by religious beliefs, this will remain an important, groundbreaking work of fiction.

Decent Classic Sci-Fi Alt History

Any additional comments?

A very interesting classes Sci-Fi/Fantasy short story collection all set in an alternate history. I'm not going to go into the plot as others have already done this.

The stories are all loosely connected in one way or another. And I found some to be a lot better than the others, I personally thought the last story was the best of the lot. They are all well written, it's just that one tends to enjoy some stories over others.

A recommended read for all fans of Sci-Fi.

If the Spanish Armada defeated England...

An alternate history of 20th century England, where giant semaphore towers are the main means of communication. The book is divided into six "measures" and a coda. It took me a while to get into it, but overall I enjoyed it.

thoughtful bursts of story

This is one I have listened to one story at a time. Each takes me into the the alternative world through a different lens, complete in its own framing and development. A thoughtful book which is a counterpoint to action-oriented fantasy/science fiction.

Listen to learn you need to read it yourself.

Would you consider the audio edition of Pavane to be better than the print version?

Audio performances are about the only way I can find the time to take in a book, but around the third story I realized the prose was so lush, so magnificent, it demanded I read it myself. It's a dry, dark world Roberts creates, but when he cranks his descriptive engine to full, I sit back in awe. Were I to passively listen I could only take in a fraction of its beauty. Don't get me wrong, the performance is excellent. Just understand, this is the most beloved book from a writer's writer. I started it while driving and eventually turned it off when I realized I couldn't give it the attention it deserved and stay on the highway. Buy this performance, but don't be surprised if you find yourself buying it in print as well. I bought two copies so I could give one as a gift.

Have you listened to any of Steven Crossley’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've listened to hundreds of audio books, but this is the first I've heard him read. Gaiman describes this as a book that touched him deeply, and Crossley's performance had to have pleased him. The characters were rendered with care and surprising depth. The man is damned good at his job!

Any additional comments?

Never read anything like it. Thanks Neil for turning us on to it.