THE MISTY SERIES OF NEW VENICE

It might come as a shock that Aurorarama, this unashamed attempt at cashing in on one of the most glorious episodes of our history,  has finally been rescued from its deserved oblivion, fifteen years after its release, to be turned into a mini-series of six episodes to be broadcast on the Dreamstream Channel from September 17, 3 AM NVT. As it is our sacred duty to inform our readers, we publish below a few images from the first episodes - but, really, would you pay to dream of this ? 

OMINOUS CHAOS

Barents Boulevard has been in turmoil last tuesday when a riot broke out in front of the Black Pages Bookstore.

It had all started with a rumour that Luminous Chaos, a sequel to the local “cult hit ” and notorious roman à clef  Aurorarama, was a about to be released on October, 23rd, a perfect timing before the long stretch of “Wintering Weeks” that looms ahead of us. The public's eagerness, it has to be said, had less to do with the adventures and antics of the heroes, as entertaining as they may be, than with  the well-informed but somewhat indiscreet peep behind the scenes of our poletical “Secret History”. There was little doubt, indeed, that Aurorarama was the work of Orsinite insiders, and a weapon in their endless feud against the current Regent-Doge.

The Black Pages Bookstore: a lot to loot.

Accordingly, a crowd of  about three hundred readers had congregated in front of the bookstore early in the  “mornight ”, hoping to lay their hands on a copy before Peterswarden administration, already miffed by the satirical innuendos of Aurorarama, made a move to ban the book, as the rumour (or the promotional scam !) had it.

It was a huge disappointment when it eventually appeared that the book was not available at all. Believing it was another ploy from the Peterswardenites (or perhaps stoked by Peterswardenite  provocateurs wanting to cast the Orsinites as a source of civil unrest) the frustrated, angered crowd started to protest vehemently before smashing the widows and trying to loot the bookstore.

The dangers of reading

 (photograph courtesy of the Boreal Beadle Blimp Brigade)

Warned by the “Blimp Beadles” of the new Boreal Beadles Blimp Brigade, whose round fat shapes now quietly bob above the city, the Boreal Beadles quickly charged and dispelled the unruly mob, lightly injuring a few troublemakers.

However, Alexander Greenlander, the suave and knowledgeable owner of Black Pages Book, has taken a rather philosophical stance over the whole matter: “ I consider myself lucky to be a bookseller in a place where people would still riot for books.”

But as to the mysterious existence of Luminous Chaos, he declined to answer.

AURORARAMAMANIA

 Dear reader- if you are still, as we are, a bit grumpy about the election of the new regent-Doge, why not try and change your mind with the “dreampunk” cult-hit Aurorarama - the (largely fictitious but tolerably entertaining) story of last year's coup that dethroned the Council of Seven and brought us our Dauphin-Doges Reginald and Geraldine Elphinstone ?  Although it was only released in paperback  format yesterday, you would be well advised  to hurry while there are some copies left on the shelves, or while it is still authorized by the new administration: one can't really say that His Most Serene Highness Ole Peterswarden's cameo presents him in a flattering auroral light. 

The Citizens of New Venice flocking in mass to take heed of Mr Valtat's last "tweet".

PAPERBACK TIGER

 

It is not for us to say whether it is a coincidence, but the announced release on paperback of all-time New-Venice  “litertainment” bestseller “Aurorarama” in these hours of poletical tension, seems to be rather well-timed.

It would be not be the first time that the powers that be would use works of art to trigger, steer, or distract from the public debate, the Council of Seven’s past patronage the Cliquot’s Cub Clubbers or last year’s Elphinstone Exhibition being famous cases in point.

Accordingly, some voices are quick to denounce the fact that the novel (notoriously suspected to have been written by one of our citizens under a barely credible french-souding pen name) originates from the very close circles around the Regent-Doge, who is the transparent hero of this heady saga.  An epic of the city’s refoundation, it is, to its critics, nothing less than a work of vile propaganda for the current regime.

 

 In a brave effort to remain anonymous, “Jean-Christophe Valtat”,

and his bottle of compressed English.

Or so says, Pr Corkring, a Full-Fledged fellow at Doges College in an interview for the Arctic Illustrated News  : “ This rather bloated penny dreadful has no other purpose than to blacken the memory of the Council of Seven and of its loyal servants and to extoll the dubious merits of the Orsini clique.”

The Doges’ entourage has been quick to refute this allegation, through Gabriel d’Allier, the current Prime-Preceptor for the Dauphin-Doges, who answered our queries through pneumatic post. “ I seem to remember than Pr. Corkring is a literature teacher. His first degree reading is a sad indictment of the current trend in Higher Education. It is well known books worthy of that name has four levels of meaning, and he did himself justice by picking the most blatantly vulgar one.”

As to the recurring rumours according to which he would  himself be the author of “Aurorarama”, Mr d’Allier dismissed them unambiguously  as “fiction.” 

However, as a gesture to appease these “futile debates”, the Cultural Council of the Commonwealth has announced that “Aurorarama” will be only available from May one – two weeks after the results of the poll.

DANGEROUS TRAILS

Is there no end to this Aurorarama ballyhoo? Following the last trend in advertisement, someone made this book trailer for the U.S market. What will they do next ? A phantascopic adaptation ? 

Meanwhile, the rumours that this romance originated in the inner circle of the Regent-Doge, as a ploy to break our political isolation are getting somewhat louder, although it looks like more like an idea that the Council of Commerce and Customs could come up with, as another desperate way to bring tourists and revenue to the city. 

PHONEY COLE'S AURORAPHONE

This was bound to happen.

Given the amazing success of Aurorarama, the wildly inaccurate chronicle of our recent “poletical” turmoil written by a certain Jean-Christophe Valtat — every New Venice News reader knows who hides behind this transparent pen name—, it was only a matter of time before various subarctic penspushers, with moral standards as low as their latitude, flood the market with their own dubious versions of the tale, often maimed beyond recognition.

As its title eloquently indicates, The Auroraphone by Cyrus Cole (1890) does not even try to dissimulate its utter opportunism. It showcases a machine which, its excuse to communicate with Saturn nothwisthstanding, is a dead ringer for the Aurorarama: powered by the “tremulous streamers of the Aurora Borealis”, it eventually conveys reproductions of historical battles !

I hope that you are proud of yourself, Mr Cole. One can only wish that your own original ideas- — such as these artificial men called “dummies” revolting against their human creators— will be mercilessly pilfered in turn by hacks as unprincipled as you are.

Mikael Schmornoff