Weaving together a realistic collective of futuristic fiction, poetic mastery and sound ecological knowledge, Dan Wylie’s The Wisdom of Adders is a South African literary treat and an utter delight to read.
Set in 2170 as climate change meets tenacity, courage and startling beauty, Wylie’s writing speaks so truly to our current crises while taking us into a sometimes dark yet enlightening future.
Shawn Xaba, with the help of her mentor, Stormchaser, sets off on search for Xaba’s father, who disappeared when she was a mere seven years old. Xaba finds herself on an incredible journey that will hold the reader’s attention.
The novel, based in the Eastern Cape, stirred an overwhelming sense of amusement and intrigue in me as Wylie talks of Makhanda (Grahamstown) in an innovative and unique way. He refers to Port Alfred as “Palfred”, the N2 as the “Entu” and Hill Street in Makhanda as “Hellstreet”.
The front cover and title of this book speaks to Xaba’s encounter with an adder as she notes:
“It began to move, motion with no clear beginning or end, a slow unfurling into visibility, until she could make out its subtle ribs walking along in perfect accord beneath the mottled sheath of skin ... And then it was gone, its long body losing its boundaries in the dappled light, its skin turned back into leaves.”
He spoke about how the cover and production of this book came about.
“As I came to produce the book, I happened to be getting back into painting, which I had neglected for many years, and experimenting with acrylics, which I'd not tried before," Wylie said.
"So the cover seemed a good thing to experiment on, working off a couple of photographs.”
The familiarity, futuristic approach and originality of Wyile’s stylistically slick pen captured me from the very first chapter. The Wisdom of Adders is written and published by Dan Wylie