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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2018)
22 // COASTWEEKEND.COM light fantastic and written a rollicking novel with a sprawling set of characters — both human and ento- mological. In fact, of all the stars in “Magdalena Moun- tain,” I found myself most waiting for the continuing story about our Erebia magdalena. (Erebia is a genus of 90 to 100 species of “brush-footed butterflies, family Nymphalidae, dark brown or black in color.”) We follow this Erebia throughout his life — through his transformation to butterfly, to escape from a swallow’s beak, to finding a mate, to his nearly witness- ing a crime, to his death Continued from Page 9 “Letting the Flies Out” (Fishtrap, 2011), followed shortly by a full-length book of poems, “Evolution of the Genus Iris” (Lost Horse Press, 2014). As Bob said about two prominent poet friends, Pattiann Rogers and Alison Deming, “I listened to them a lot and I read a lot of poetry. I read and read. And I began to realize, and they told me, that my prose was poetic. I found that I had an ear for cadence.” I’d say that’s an understatement. A rollicking tale Now Bob has tripped the Crossword Answers B U M B R A S N O W S * A D U L P O I S P E T E I A S S B L U N L O V E Y E S W P A Y O F F S B A R E F O O T H U N T E R G A T H E R O L E V E R E A R C T A U R L R U M E M S T O N I P O M A C E R A I R E A T A L E D D E R A O M R I O B A T T A N O R B R T E A V E T T E R E A N M C M P O E T S T E M P E R A O L O C A F C * L E I A A D O U L A T E I D I O T L I G H T S E R S T I L A C R E N A O T A L R N L I A O P T N G G * S O R S T A I F R B S I E S A N A T I O N L A N C O N D O S E S S R O L A N D S G O A E S F R I N D E L I N D Y A Y S A S S A Y P E E L E E C A L L R D E L S E G O A V O W W H I R S O N L Y R D T R A P S H I P S T E S S A O F E E T A * R I R A F S T O P F I S T S E D O C E N C Y T M O E E O N on the scabby rocky slope where his whole existence has been spent. Meanwhile, in alternating chapters, is the story of the human cast: James Mead, a young Yale student of ecology; professor George Winchester and his me- ga-roaches; Mary Granville, a spiritual savant; Oberon, the head of a monkish group of Pantheistic environmen- talists called the Grove; Attalus, an angered and misogynistic Grove ab- errant; October Carson, a peripatetic butterfly col- lector and journal writer; Bagdonitz, the leader of the Flying Circus, a roving band of biology students; and … well, I don’t want to give away the whole story. When Bob manages to bring them all together, in the climactic final chapters, to the question “What’s the occasion?” Oberon says, “Storm, lightning, attempted murder, general mayhem …” So don’t expect a tidy tucked-in tale with profound interior monologues and a subtle slow-moving plot. This novel is a fast-paced lighthearted frolic, equal parts nature study, biological inquiry, mystery of identities and eco-feminist manifesto lite, with dark corners pro- viding tension. Bob’s strength is his stunning descriptions of the natural world and his deep Your Adventure Starts Here! FLOWER • CONCENTRATES • EDIBLES PREROLLS • ACCESSORIES • TOPICALS hi Casual Cannabis • 193 Marine Dr., Astoria, OR 97103 • 503.325.4078 • hiAstoria.com Mystic Roots Cannabis • 38012 Highway 26, Seaside, OR 97138 • 971.225.7420 • MysticRootsCannabis.com Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. For use only by adults twenty-one years of age and older. Keep out of reach of children. DAVID LEE MYERS PHOTO Lepidopterist, scholar and Grays River author Robert ‘Bob’ Michael Pyle has just published his first novel, ‘Magdalena Mountain.’ knowledge of the fauna and flora. Less convincing for me were parts of the dialogue, especially when the female characters speak up. These seem almost asides meant to nudge the plot along, or fill in some theoretical frame- work, rather than discourse emanating from character. Shakespearean Humor and wit bubble up throughout, aided by the vast range of Bob’s knowledge of literature and biology. The love scenes — this book has everything! — are sensual meanders often set in terms that reflect nature. The occasional unlike- ly plot twists — well, we forgive those because we simply want to enjoy the story as it races along from Boston to Magdalena Moun- tain to New Mexico and back. Do we need the side story of the loss of James’ sister and his guilty and remorseful relationship to his mother? Maybe better to deepen James’ relationship with Noni Blue, give her more dimension and perhaps a different name. (“Noni” is the street name for a knobby, sour fruit, a food of last resort in the Hawaiian islands.) I place “Magdalena Mountain” in the same file as my favorite of Shake- speare’s romances — “Cym- beline” and “The Winter’s Tale” — where a mash-up of realism and whimsy combine for surprises and morbid twists that land on their feet in the light of day. In good Shakespearean tradition, Bob gives us dis- guise, lovers thrown asun- der, lovers reunited, good overpowering evil and the kind of satisfying operatic crescendo in which everyone shows up onstage just before the final curtain. I read the book straight through in two nights — couldn’t put it down. Bob has pulled yet an- other genre — and another funny, lovable, well-man- nered, exquisitely detailed pika — out of his hat. I highly recommend this romp through the natural world of the Colorado Mountains, and through the hearts and minds of a colorful, diverse and inti- mately connected kaleido- scope of characters. CW
