The Jaxon Files
by Tony Markham
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R. K. Books: 1996. Trade paperback: 230 pages. ISBN-10: 1-55978-781-3 Suggested retail price: $12.95 (US) Tag: Science Fiction Tactical strength: [7/10] |
Against the recommendations of Book Reviewing, I will review a book by someone who I know personally -- at least through e-mail correspondence. While I worked as an editor for Covenant Communications, Tony sent a set of submissions that contained some of the most vivid writing I had ever experienced. Images of swarming crows and subterranean dinosaur civilizations flashed through my mind for days (and now years). I recommended both Tony's short stories and his then unfinished novel to the publication committee at Covenant, but they couldn't see the LDS market at that time buying an allegory of Joseph Smith or a science fiction novel that had a Mormon character and nothing else explicitly Mormon. I even argued that we should publish for the sake of good literature, even if it wouldn't break even in the short term. Alas, finances won over art, and I had to write a rejection letter.
Years later while reading posts to the Association for Mormon Letters mailing list, I saw a post by Tony. I wrote to him privately and confirmed that except for the passage of time he was the same person. Tony told me he had found a publisher for his book and that we would send me a copy. I read The Jaxon Files and found both renewed delight and subtle disappointment.
Tony writes some of the most vivid descriptive scenes. At any time, I can bring to mind the image of the Arizona desert with the setting sun illuminating a crosshatching of fighter-jet contrails above Jackson, the protagonist, as he prepares to spend the night in the desert. Jackson has narrowly escaped from Breath, a bipedal dinosaur from an underground civilization. Country singers could have a heyday with Jackson: he has lost his dog, his truck, and most of his personal belongings; the beautiful woman he meets turns into a lizard; and he turns down eternal life. But Jackson hasn't seen the last of Breath, she takes on both a sympathetic and antagonistic role throughout the book and he makes a somewhat unwilling journey into the underworld along the lines of traditional epic tales.
In case you were wondering, Jackson belongs to the Mormon church and attends Brigham Young University. These associations shape much of Jackson's worldview, but provide more of a setting than a source for prominent themes.
My disappointment comes primarily from a desire for additional material. I could have enjoyed a novel of twice the length. This desire has both selfish and literary components. I like Tony's writing and would have enjoyed reading more, but also the chapters could have used more connective tissue. Each chapter reads well on its own, but the overall story feels abrupt. By the time you reach the climax, you have seen only a few formative components of Jackson's personality. With some more material, Tony could have fleshed out Jackson's character and made his emotional state at the climax much more unstable, making the ending more of an all or nothing struggle for survival on both the physical and psychological levels. Also with some additional material, Tony could have more fully addressed some of the themes he invokes: reality vs. illusion, fate vs. free will, and good vs. evil.
Another disappointment has nothing to do with Tony, but rather with the publisher. R. K. Books typeset The Jaxon Files like online fiction: no paragraph indents, full line breaks between paragraphs, straight not curly quotes. Yech.
The Jaxon Files shows a lot of promise for a first novel, especially for a Mormon science fiction novel that takes place in modern day. Tony, write us another one. Please.
