The Siege of Burning Grass

Science Fiction can be upbeat and utopian or downbeat and dystopian. The current trend is to focus on the negatives, but even these books have a glint of hope in them. When it comes to dystopian visions of the future, they do not come much more intense than Premee Mohamed’s The Siege of Burning Grass. This book is part Waiting for Godot, part Catch-22, part 1984 – all the jolly books mixed into this Futurescape with fantasy feel. Sound fun? You may just be surprised. 

Alefret is a pacifist, and in a world of perpetual war, this is as bad as being the enemy. He helped found a group of pacifists and whilst his allies have been taken away and disappeared, Alefret finds himself imprisoned. An unusual physical specimen, Alefret is tortured and experimented on, but still won’t die. His time in prison has only built his legacy and his torturers decide to use him to end the war, what better way to infiltrate the enemy camp but with the world’s most famous pacifist? 

Burning is a science fiction novel that has a fantasy feel, this is because the world has become so broken that we have returned to a feudal like system of kingdoms. The technology exists, but it is used to kill. Alongside the science fiction elements, there is a strong bent towards philosophy and psychology, like any good sci fi writer Mohamed uses the concept of the future to explore the world of today. 

What is the world of Burning? It is two countries at war, both refusing to surrender. One is technologically advanced, whilst the other has the power of the zealots on their side; they would rather die than surrender. In the middle is Alefret, a man who does not believe in violence, but he is given an option; escort the disguised Qhudur into the enemy's stronghold and end the war. What level of violence is acceptable to end more violence? 

This question returns several times in the book from the individual level to the national. Two nation states are killing one another, each side escalating the bloodshed because the other side did first. Where does it stop? Alefret has at his side a cold-blooded killer, how many lives could Alefret save by just smothering this killer in his sleep?  

The novel is told in parts, and each has a different feel. The book opens with Alefret’s viewpoint and then expands to take on that of a zealot, and then finally a group of pacifists. Mohamed is always asking questions of the characters and the reader. The diametrically opposed view of Alefret and Qhudur drives the thinking on. Qhudur is certainly not right, but is there something to be said to sacrifice a few to save the many? 

Like Alefret’s walking pace, the book does not move quickly to begin with. It is a novel that probes the ideas before getting to the action. Towards the latter part of the book our protagonist finds himself in the heat of battle and the action increases. Even at the book’s most explosive, Mohamed never forgets to pose the big questions. 

Is Burning an enjoyable book? It depends on what you are looking for in a novel. If it is pure escapism then the subject matter will be too heavy, but if you are looking for escapism with meaning behind it, this book has it is troves. It is the type of novel that people will read in diverse ways. The meaning of the book can be attributed to different sides of a conflict and plenty of modern wars. Who do you trust? Do you think for yourself? Not a book to discuss around the watercooler but would work well in an intense book club.