Here at STARBURST, we’re suckers for a book that manages to wrap up good old-fashioned Second World War occultism in a shroud of Cold War espionage with a slice of twisted sci-fi on the side, and Hannu Rajaniemi’s new thriller Summerland doesn’t disappoint… almost.
Actually, Summerland is set a few months before the start of WW2; England in 1938, where our attentions have been diverted away from the burgeoning threat of Nazi Germany towards the Spanish Civil War. But this isn’t the same 1938 that history books tell us about, because in this alternative universe we have already opened up the divide between the living and the dead.
The dead exist in Summerland, a kind of fourth-dimensional afterlife that allows the recently deceased to maintain contact with the mortal, and if all the breathing impaired ever did was contact their relatives from time to time to reassure them that being deceased is going swimmingly then that wouldn’t be a problem. But they actually have much more influence over us than that, in fact from Summerland they are still able to manipulate human affairs… often in extremely dangerous ways. And while the British Empire is trying to extend its reach into Summerland and its paranormal possibilities, the Soviets have installed their own spies there too. And that’s where SIS agent Rachel White comes in, because the Soviet mole she is pursuing is on the other side of the veil. How can she possibly bring a dead man to justice?
As an old-school spy tale, Summerland definitely ticks all the boxes. As a premise that promises supernatural shenanigans, it’s not quite as rewarding. This is closer to a multiverse tale than the creepy Gothic many horror fans will be hoping for, and despite being a seemingly better place, Summerland itself doesn’t feel like much more than an extension of the world we’re already living in. But Rajaniemi’s imagination is impressive, and for the most part, he manages to expertly juggle history with fantasy and keep all the plates spinning. His prose is punchy and his embattled protagonist is a great lead. We just wish Rajaniemi hadn’t revealed his mole’s identity so early into the story, because it would have been nice to be kept guessing for just a little bit longer. Still, that’s a small criticism to level at a novel that pays off expertly in most other respects.
On the surface, this is a very different book from most of Rajaniemi’s previous work but scratch the surface and you’ll find all the familiar connective tissue is intact. The author’s fans will lap it up, but if you’re looking for spookiness proceed with caution.
SUMMERLAND / AUTHOR: HANNU RAJANIEMI / PUBLISHER: GOLLANCZ / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 28TH
