3 / 5 Stars
'A Tapestry of Time' (222 pp.) first was published in the UK in 1982. This Pocket Books edition (cover art by Don Maitz) was issued in the US in October 1986.
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| original cover art composition, by Don Maitz |
My review of 'The Road to Corlay' is here.
My review of 'A Dream of Kinship' is here.
To recap the novel's premise: in the aftermath of the melting of the ice caps, which began in 2000 AD, large tracts of the earth of the early 3000s are underwater. What was the United Kingdom is an archipelago of island kingdoms, and Paris, which long ago was submerged, is but a legend to the inhabitants of what used to be France. Civilization has reverted to a medieval level of technology, where crossbows are the premiere weapons, and wind- and horse- powers drive transportation and commerce.
'Tapestry' follows immediately upon the events related in volume two, 'A Dream of Kinship.' It's June, 3039, and protagonist Tom of Tallon, and his girlfriend Witchet, are traveling around Southern Europe in a a manner akin to that of the college graduates of our day and time. Tom and Witchet's skill in music earns them a place with a troupe of actors, and the young couple are enjoying life to the fullest.
Things are helped by the fact that the creed of the White Bird, a sort of primitive Christianity, now is regnant over the orthodox church, and Kinsmen (as believers in the White Bird are called) freely practice their faith in western Europe. While he finds this encouraging, Tom still is coming to terms with the fact that his father, Thomas of Norwich, was a martyr for the cause of the White Bird. Tom has inherited his father's numinous character; for example, playing magical pipes allows Tom to call up psychic abilities, including 'second sight' and out-of-body travel.
Tom and Witchet's idyllic life as troubadours comes to an abrupt end when their party is victimized by a group of bandits. In the aftermath, Tom finds himself questioning his role as the White Bird's Anointed. When bad things happen to good people, of what value is religion ? As his journey across Europe continues, Tom will find his faith tested, and with the testing will come revelations about his purpose in the world, and the truth underlying the phenomenon of the White Bird.
It's not disclosing any spoiler to say that 'Tapestry' is a Message novel, the Message being that religion works best when it is a personal encounter between one's psyche / soul, and the Divine. Author Cowper argues that when the religious experience is becomes codified and institutionalized, it loses its transcendent quality. Cowper also presents the religious experience as a manifestation of humanism, in that enlightenment must come from within one's self, rather than something inculcated by a dogmatic establishment.
While 'Tapestry' deserves praise for using the genre of science fiction and fantasy to address the nature of the Religious Experience, the novel's introspective quality means its narrative is sedate. This is particularly true of the book's final 73 pages, which are set in 3799 AD. A Victorian era has re-emerged, and the worship of the White Bird occupies a position akin to that of the Anglican church in the 19th century.
A young couple, Margaret Coley and Robert Cartwright, find themselves inspired by Divine forces to bring about a charismatic revival in the creed of the White Bird. There is much discussion of theological and philological matters, discussions that are related in well-crafted prose, but are devoid of energy. It seems as if author Cowper included this section of the narrative more to give himself a chance to write a pastiche of a Victorian novel, than anything else.
Summing up, as with the preceding two novels in the trilogy, I am giving 'A Tapestry of Time' a Rating of Three Stars. For the trilogy as a whole, I award Four Stars. Those who enjoy science fiction and fantasy that contemplates religious and spiritual matters are most likely to find the 'White Bird of Kinship' franchise rewarding reading.
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