A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
"A Voyage to Arcturus" is a novel that follows the journey of two Englishmen, Maskull and Nightspore, who are drawn into an otherworldly adventure after witnessing a séance in London. The tale begins when they encounter an enigmatic figure named Krag, who claims to be an emissary of a hidden light and offers to take them to the planet Tormance, which orbits the star Arcturus. Traveling in a unique, crystal-like spaceship powered by a rare light known as backrays, they embark on a journey that defies the laws of physics.
Upon arriving on Tormance, Maskull experiences bizarre physical transformations that enhance his perception and allow him to sense the strange environment and its inhabitants. The planet features dual suns that emit a spectrum of exotic colors, leading Maskull into a series of episodic adventures as he seeks a demigod known as Surture, among other divine entities. His quest takes him through various landscapes and encounters with extraordinary life-forms, each presenting its own logic and challenges.
As the narrative unfolds, Maskull's understanding of reality is continually tested, ultimately leading him to a revelation about the nature of divinity and existence. The story culminates in a transformative conclusion where Maskull dies and is reborn as Nightspore, reflecting a deeper spiritual evolution. The novel explores themes of perception, reality, and the search for meaning in a universe filled with pain and suffering, embodied by the character of Krag.
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Subject Terms
A Voyage to Arcturus
First published: 1920
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—theological romance
Time of work: Undefined, on another world
Locale: Tormance, a planet revolving around Arcturus
The Plot
Two Englishmen, Maskull and Nightspore, who attend a London séance are surprised to see an apparition. The apparition is strangled by a newcomer, Krag, who has come into the room where the séance is being held. Krag, who calls himself an emissary of Muspel, the hidden eternal light, offers to take both Maskull and Nightspore to Arcturus with him in search of a demigod called Surture.
Maskull and Nightspore follow Krag to an old Scottish observatory. All three travel to Tormance, a planet orbiting Arcturus, in a spaceship similar to a crystal torpedo that is powered by a bottle of backrays, a type of light that radiates toward its source instead of away from its source, as ordinary light does. The ship travels faster than the speed of light, and this tremendous speed causes Maskull to fall unconscious.
When he awakes alone on the planet’s surface, odd adventures begin. Maskull discovers that he has a fleshy protuberance on his forehead, knobs on each side of his neck, and a tentacle budding from his chest. These new organs provide Maskull with additional senses to perceive the unusual world he is in. There are two suns in the sky that transmit not only traditional earthly colors but also exotic colors such as “ulfire” and “jale.” These invented colors cause feelings of pain and excitement in Maskull. In addition, he can now distinguish mental waves emanating from creatures on the planet. He is joined shortly by Joiwind, a woman who helps him fight the strong gravity of Tormance.
The rest of the novel tells of Maskull’s trip north across the surface of the planet in search of a being with divine attributes, referred to variously as Surture, Fac-eny, Crystalman, and Shaping. In addition, he hopes to find Muspel, another world of sublime and terrible reality, even though he knows nothing about it. The story is episodic, with Maskull repeatedly encountering new life-forms and methods of perception as he travels north. Each situation has its own strange logic, unrelated to the rest of the settings. As he changes locales, Maskull changes his ability to sense what is going on through modifications to his physiology.
Maskull undergoes many remarkable, violent, and terrifying adventures. He is led onward by mysterious drumbeats indicating that Muspel exists. Finally, Mas-kull enters a tower, where he sees Muspel fire. He dies and is reborn as Nightspore, a higher spiritual version of himself. He realizes that there is no Muspel and there are no divine flames. He is last seen traveling in a raft across the Ocean of Tormance with Krag, who by the end of the book has been revealed as a representation of pain and suffering.