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emiemzy's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.5 stars
I'm not even sure how to get into this book. It took me forever to read. And I mean forever. Normally, it bugs me if I leave a book half read for too long but this one just didn't call me back. At all.
The writing style just bored me to death. Even when something major was happening I could just feel the need to yawn and 'rest my eyes'. And this languid feel was made worse by the fact I normally read before bed so the way it was written made it really hard for me to stay awake. Usually a book sucks me in completely and I end up not going to bed until 4 just to finish it but not this one, oh no. This made me look at my watch and think, I don't care if its only 7 pm, its time for an early night. In the end I actually scheduled when I was going to read it (which is something I have never ever done before) but after successfully finishing it, I can honestly say I'm glad I read it.
I really wanted to read this book. As soon as I laid eyes on it I knew that I wanted it and had to read it, which probably made the dreary style seem worse. Picking it off the shelf and seeing that it was all about music, the Birmingham scene and that it was based on Joy Division made my eyes wide and my heart flutter. I felt just as addicted to Karl as David felt, despite my growing hate for him. I wanted so much for the band, grasping onto hopes of their success before my heart shattered at the ending, even though I knew where it was going.
Lane, despite his languid style, also made the band feel very real. They were definitely the sort of band I'd find myself loving and buying every piece of music I could find. Another very clever factor Lane added in was the quotes from the magazines and a discography at the end. This made the band seem so real that I actually (stupidly) found myself googling them just to find a 70's Japanese band also called Triangle.
From Blue To Black is definitely a book for the more serious reader (which, on reflection, probably isn't me) and I would recommend that you give it a go.
I'm not even sure how to get into this book. It took me forever to read. And I mean forever. Normally, it bugs me if I leave a book half read for too long but this one just didn't call me back. At all.
The writing style just bored me to death. Even when something major was happening I could just feel the need to yawn and 'rest my eyes'. And this languid feel was made worse by the fact I normally read before bed so the way it was written made it really hard for me to stay awake. Usually a book sucks me in completely and I end up not going to bed until 4 just to finish it but not this one, oh no. This made me look at my watch and think, I don't care if its only 7 pm, its time for an early night. In the end I actually scheduled when I was going to read it (which is something I have never ever done before) but after successfully finishing it, I can honestly say I'm glad I read it.
I really wanted to read this book. As soon as I laid eyes on it I knew that I wanted it and had to read it, which probably made the dreary style seem worse. Picking it off the shelf and seeing that it was all about music, the Birmingham scene and that it was based on Joy Division made my eyes wide and my heart flutter. I felt just as addicted to Karl as David felt, despite my growing hate for him. I wanted so much for the band, grasping onto hopes of their success before my heart shattered at the ending, even though I knew where it was going.
Lane, despite his languid style, also made the band feel very real. They were definitely the sort of band I'd find myself loving and buying every piece of music I could find. Another very clever factor Lane added in was the quotes from the magazines and a discography at the end. This made the band seem so real that I actually (stupidly) found myself googling them just to find a 70's Japanese band also called Triangle.
From Blue To Black is definitely a book for the more serious reader (which, on reflection, probably isn't me) and I would recommend that you give it a go.
adam613's review against another edition
3.0
"Nobody really belongs anywhere. I don't think we go where we belong when we die. It's more like...like the airwaves, messages drifting around. That's what left of us, messages."
The latest release from Influx Press is a reprint of the 2000 Joel Lane novel From Blue to Black. Taking place in Birmingham in the early 1990s, Triangle is a cult post-punk band led by singer-guitarist Karl who is haunted be ghosts and dangers. When David joins the band to play bass, it begins a passionate and torrid affair between the two with hazy lines that end in confusion and pain.
"Where do they go, where does their time belong? Swimming through the river underground. Past the stinking bodies and the photographs. Until there's nothing left except a sound."
Originally written over twenty years ago, From Blue to Black is a feverish blitz of the love and lust Karl and David. Along with the customary traps of a band trying to make it, Joel Lane tries to make sense of our relation to sound and mortality. There is a belief held by Karl that suspects that sounds constantly remain alive even when inaudible to the human ear. Much like an everlasting spirit that resonates and surrounds us on and on until the end of time. Perhaps this is why the artist creates, to live on in immortality no matter how micro a scope that would be. I wonder if Karl believed it to be for reasons of ego or our deep need to be connected and make sense of our world.
"The music can't die. But that's the really terrible thing. No sound ever dies. It echoes through the universe, breaking up. They're all floating around us. In mindless orbit. Some day, you'll hear them all again."
Far more than a run-of-the-mill story of rock fiction, From Blue to Black is filled with sex, drugs, rock n roll with a deeply felt humanity in its characters. Along with a wonderful descriptive world-building and a list of bands referred to, I found Joel Lane's reprinted debut to be a totally immersive read. I did find some of the parts hitting really close to home and the agony and pains of Karl and David's emotions written with immediacy and compassion. Joel Lane's From Blue to Black is definitely worth exploring as either a fan of rock n roll and/or literary fiction.
The latest release from Influx Press is a reprint of the 2000 Joel Lane novel From Blue to Black. Taking place in Birmingham in the early 1990s, Triangle is a cult post-punk band led by singer-guitarist Karl who is haunted be ghosts and dangers. When David joins the band to play bass, it begins a passionate and torrid affair between the two with hazy lines that end in confusion and pain.
"Where do they go, where does their time belong? Swimming through the river underground. Past the stinking bodies and the photographs. Until there's nothing left except a sound."
Originally written over twenty years ago, From Blue to Black is a feverish blitz of the love and lust Karl and David. Along with the customary traps of a band trying to make it, Joel Lane tries to make sense of our relation to sound and mortality. There is a belief held by Karl that suspects that sounds constantly remain alive even when inaudible to the human ear. Much like an everlasting spirit that resonates and surrounds us on and on until the end of time. Perhaps this is why the artist creates, to live on in immortality no matter how micro a scope that would be. I wonder if Karl believed it to be for reasons of ego or our deep need to be connected and make sense of our world.
"The music can't die. But that's the really terrible thing. No sound ever dies. It echoes through the universe, breaking up. They're all floating around us. In mindless orbit. Some day, you'll hear them all again."
Far more than a run-of-the-mill story of rock fiction, From Blue to Black is filled with sex, drugs, rock n roll with a deeply felt humanity in its characters. Along with a wonderful descriptive world-building and a list of bands referred to, I found Joel Lane's reprinted debut to be a totally immersive read. I did find some of the parts hitting really close to home and the agony and pains of Karl and David's emotions written with immediacy and compassion. Joel Lane's From Blue to Black is definitely worth exploring as either a fan of rock n roll and/or literary fiction.
quasimodo_dragon's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
danidamico's review
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Esta es mi primera lectura de Joel Lane, un autor inglés que me llamaba mucho la atención desde hace tiempo por las temáticas que aborda y los paisajes industriales del norte británico que utiliza como escenario. Sé que se dedicaba principalmente al terror y la weird fiction, pero From Blue to Black es diferente, es más bien un drama con tintes perturbadores. Se nota que Lane era un escritor abocado al terror porque esta novela está repleta de escenas donde figuras sin rostro parecen seguir a los protagonistas o fábricas abandonadas cobran el peso ominoso de casas embrujadas. Hay una presencia constante de lo fantasmagórico en un sentido estético.
La historia es bastante simple: Birmingham, principio de los 90s. David, el narrador, es el bajista de una banda de post-punk, Triangle. En paralelo al ascenso de la banda en la escena local, seguimos el vínculo sexo-afectivo que se va desarrollando entre el propio David y Karl, el cantante de la banda, un rockstar alcohólico de carácter complicado y con mucha carga traumática. Me recordó a Layne Staley de Alice in Chains, aunque se puede pensar en cientos de comparaciones. Lo más atractivo de la novela no es tanto la trama, sino más bien el modo en que está narrada, el estilo de la prosa de Lane, las descripciones y también las emociones que logra transmitir.
Por momentos la lectura me resultó algo densa y opresiva a causa del estado psicológico y emocional de los personajes, no es un libro fácil de leer. Hay mucho sufrimiento y desesperación en estas páginas. Es un texto extremadamente melancólico, desolador, triste. Diría que los únicos destellos de esperanza provienen de la música, que es una presencia sumamente importante en el relato. Tanto la música ficcional de Triangle como las numerosas referencias a bandas como The Fall, Joy Division, Felt, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure, Manic Street Preachers, Hüsker Du y demás. La música aparece en la novela como la única posibilidad de conexión entre los personajes. Es casi un personaje en sí, una materia viva.
En fin, me gustó muchísimo, no me animo a decir que lo disfruté, pero me impactó en el mejor de los sentidos. Sé que algunas escenas van a seguir dando vueltas por mi cabeza durante mucho tiempo. Como fantasmas.
La historia es bastante simple: Birmingham, principio de los 90s. David, el narrador, es el bajista de una banda de post-punk, Triangle. En paralelo al ascenso de la banda en la escena local, seguimos el vínculo sexo-afectivo que se va desarrollando entre el propio David y Karl, el cantante de la banda, un rockstar alcohólico de carácter complicado y con mucha carga traumática. Me recordó a Layne Staley de Alice in Chains, aunque se puede pensar en cientos de comparaciones. Lo más atractivo de la novela no es tanto la trama, sino más bien el modo en que está narrada, el estilo de la prosa de Lane, las descripciones y también las emociones que logra transmitir.
Por momentos la lectura me resultó algo densa y opresiva a causa del estado psicológico y emocional de los personajes, no es un libro fácil de leer. Hay mucho sufrimiento y desesperación en estas páginas. Es un texto extremadamente melancólico, desolador, triste. Diría que los únicos destellos de esperanza provienen de la música, que es una presencia sumamente importante en el relato. Tanto la música ficcional de Triangle como las numerosas referencias a bandas como The Fall, Joy Division, Felt, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure, Manic Street Preachers, Hüsker Du y demás. La música aparece en la novela como la única posibilidad de conexión entre los personajes. Es casi un personaje en sí, una materia viva.
En fin, me gustó muchísimo, no me animo a decir que lo disfruté, pero me impactó en el mejor de los sentidos. Sé que algunas escenas van a seguir dando vueltas por mi cabeza durante mucho tiempo. Como fantasmas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abortion and Hate crime
pap3rcut__'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
From Blue to Black is a melancholic read of blurred memories and guilt.
It's the early 90's in England, Triangle are a cult band on the post-punk scene with talented yet troubled vocalist Karl and bass player David. Karl has a haunted past and is stuck between chasing fame and his destructive behaviours.
This is a story of passion, blood, alcohol and broken lives that is fuelled by music and politics. It's quite an empathetic read as Lane provides a clear perception of feeling lost. It's quite bleak but Lane captures the live gig energy perfectly as we go on a journey of sexual and musical discovery.
It's the early 90's in England, Triangle are a cult band on the post-punk scene with talented yet troubled vocalist Karl and bass player David. Karl has a haunted past and is stuck between chasing fame and his destructive behaviours.
This is a story of passion, blood, alcohol and broken lives that is fuelled by music and politics. It's quite an empathetic read as Lane provides a clear perception of feeling lost. It's quite bleak but Lane captures the live gig energy perfectly as we go on a journey of sexual and musical discovery.
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