I used to live in Central Illinois, and one of my favorite places near my home was Allerton Park in Monticello. I loved Allerton for many reasons, but one of the main attractions was the amazing statuary in the park. Among my favorite pieces was an enormous statue called The Sun Singer. It is, of course, a statue of Apollo, his arms stretched wide, welcoming the sun.
So when I learned author Malcolm R. Campbell had written a book called The Sun Singer, I knew I had to read it. I had high expectations; the statue is pretty spectacular, and any book inspired by it would have to be pretty spectacular, too, to get my seal of approval.
I was not disappointed. Campbell has written a novel that is both wildly exciting and quietly thought provoking, not an easy feat.
The story is that of young Robert Adams, the Soothsayer of West Wood Street, who receives the gift of prophecy when he first sees The Sun Singer in Allerton. But his gift does not allow him to save Julianne, his best friend’s sister, from dying a tragic death. Distraught, Robert shoves his gift into the recesses of his mind, where it remains … until his dying grandfather extracts from him a promise to finish a quest he himself had been unable to fulfill. Robert steps through a doorway to the alternate universe of Pyrrha, where he must re-awaken his gift in order to fulfill his promise to his grandfather, uncover the tragic mistake that resulted in Julianne’s death, and undo the deeds of the man who betrayed his grandfather. In doing so, he must learn to trust strangers who, at first, threaten to kill him; battle enemy soldiers, and learn to capture and harness the magical power of The Sun Singer in order to help save Pyrrha and return home alive.
I recently had the honor of chatting with author Malcolm R. Campbell about his inspiring coming of age tale:
Smoky On Books: Young Robert Adams has some pretty amazing and prophetic dreams, and his grandfather tries to teach him how to control and guide his dreams. What do you dream about? Do you have prophetic dreams? Can you control your dreams?
Malcolm R. Campbell: I have no conscious control of my dreams and have always found them difficult to interpret. Like most people’s dreams, they are an ever-changing mix of people I know and don’t know involved in adventurous to mundane situations that make sense within the dream and are baffling when I wake up. In a sense, they’re coded messages from my deeper self and, over the years, have only made more sense to me as I’ve gotten to know myself better—that is, to make the unconscious conscious.
Smoky: There are three magical staffs that play important roles in the book, and they are each made of different wood. Is there significance to your choice of wood for each staff?
While I do not mention this in The Sun Singer, the three staffs equate to the three pillars of the Tree of Life. The middle pillar, which equates to Robert Adams’ Staff of Equilibrium, is thought to be the most balanced approach to enlightenment, bringing to mind peace, joy, love and harmony. So this works well for a young man who is learning about magic. While tree and flower symbolism is a tangle of beliefs depending on the cultures and traditions involved, apple has been said to have or bring about qualities similar to that middle pillar. The Staff of Wisdom, carried by Robert’s grandfather prior to the beginning of the novel, is made of oak, a wood often seen as substantial, royal, powerful and solar. The Staff of Intelligence, carried by David Ward is made of Rowan—also called Mountain Ash, and available within Glacier Park. It was a favorite of the Druids and can be used for many purposes, including repelling lightning and predicting the future. This staff plays into the plot and theme of my novel about David Ward, Garden of Heaven: an Odyssey.
Smoky: Ah, Garden of Heaven is in my stack of books to read and discuss in the upcoming months! ‘m eager to read more about David Ward, the man who was so instrumental in assisting Robert Adams in making his journey to Pyrrha. But back to The Sun Singer. The story is set in Glacier National Park, mostly in the alternate universe of Pyrrha, which occupies the same space. Why Glacier? Why not Yellowstone, or Yosemite?
Campbell: I worked two summers in Glacier as a bellman at one of the rustic resort hotels and, basically, fell in love with the place. Working there put me into a mountain environment from the end of April through the beginning of September. The group I hung out with wanted to hike as many of the trails as possible: we thought nothing of a 25-30 mile hike. Some of us climbed, too. After college, I did some volunteer work for the Glacier Association, wrote articles about the park, was actively involved in environmental issues, and kept accumulating more and more books, memories and trips as possible over the years. I like to balance magic with realism. Knowing Glacier as I do, I can be very precise about the trails, plants, rock formations, and wild life. This provides a stable foundation for the magic and the mystical and, I think, makes the supernatural more believable.
Smoky: Is any part of The Sun Singer autobiographical? Is your personality infused into Robert, or Aton, or any of the characters? Which character do you most identify with?
Campbell: Robert Adams grows up on West Wood Street in Decatur, Illinois. My grandparents lived in that house, though of course I don’t mention the address in the book!. As a child, I saw that neighborhood a lot, mostly on return visits. I have many childhood memories of that street and the style of the houses on it as well as the nearby Fairview Park. Like Robert, my grandfather took me on a day trip from Decatur over to Monticello to see Allerton Park where a statue called the Sun Singer stands. Robert’s reaction to the statue is what mine was. He felt a strong energy flowing through him from the sun and from the statue. Like me, his homeward trip out of the park occurred during a violent thunderstorm in which the lightning flashes seemed to bring the park’s other statues to life. Afterwards, he began to dream about future events involving people he know. The Sun Singer statue was a fixture of my dreams for a long time, while the other statues—including the Fu Dogs, Primitive Man, and the Death of the Last Centaur—appeared in my nightmares. Like Robert, I have been at war within myself trying to balance my logical side with my intuitive side. In the book, Robert is forced by dangerous circumstances to confront the power and magic of his dreams: that’s all fiction since I have never been forced into a fight with bad guys carrying swords and bows and arrows!
Smoky: Is there anything else you’d like to say about the book?
Campbell: Robert Adams’ adventure is a “hero’s journey” adventure, a sequence of steps popularized by mythologist Joseph Campbell. These steps are quite obvious in the Star Wars movies, The Matrix, and Lord of the Rings. Basically, a hero or potential hero leaves his every day world and sails across a unknown sea or travels through a dark forest where he finds demons and tricksters and dangerous circumstances as well as allies. All the while, he is seeking something magical and wonderful while, possibly, rescuing a damsel from a tower or dragon, that he will bring back to his everyday world. While the hero’s journey involves physical dangers, the most important thing is what happens to the hero within himself. He is meeting the terrors of his unconscious mind, seeing his faults mirrored in the world he is traveling through, and if he triumphs, he ends up as a much better person, one who truly knows himself. In mythology, of course, heroes are equated with larger than life men and women or demigods. In the view of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, the hero’s journey is rather like a rite of passage, the process of growing up and learning that there is much more to us than our logic, our ego, and our five physical senses.
I ended the interview on that note.
The Sun Singer is indeed a hero’s journey as defined by Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, yet it is an utterly accessible read. While the protagonist is a teenager, and while teens certainly will enjoy the book, it most certainly isn’t young adult literature. Malcolm R. Campbell has created a fantasy world at its finest, and written a real page-turner that rivals the best in the fantasy genre. I have heard rumors he is writing a new novel centered around one of the characters created in The Sun Singer. I hope it is a rumor that proves true, for I long to return to Pyrrha.
The Sun Singer is from Vanilla Heart Publishing, and is available in multiple e-book formats as well as in print. To read an excerpt from The Sun Singer, visit http://www.freado.com/read/6882/the-sun-singer.
Wonderful interview, Smoky and Malcolm! Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one! Thank you! 🙂
First you discuss Steinbeck. Then you discuss Campbell. That makes my week.
Unlike my protagonist Robert Adams, I my psychic abilities only have an accuracy rate of 37.5%. But, I’ll go out on a limb and predict that you will also discuss a book by an author known in some parts of the world as Sai Zhenzhu who was a Pearl among writers.
But, I digress.
Thank you so much for exploring the magic of Robert Adams in “The Sun Singer” and discussing it here. Depending on how NaNoWriMo goes next month, that rumor you mentioned might prove to be true.
Writing is a journey in and of itself, and I’m so glad, my friend, that our paths crossed en route to places we don’t yet know, but are trying to imagine.
Malcolm
Aah, your psychic percentage just might go up a tad, Malcolm!
This is a wonderful book, Malcolm. I hope my writing about it garners you some attention!
Smoky
Descriptions are lovely, Malcolm. My Book Club enjoyed your story, especially those who read fantasy. They said they had never read a fantasy quite like this one.
Made me want to write one of my own, lol.
Question: Will there be a sequel?
Marilyn, I wrote this blog, not Malcolm. I’ll pass you comments on to him, though.
Smoky
Wonderful post & interview!
Malcolm, I’m looking forward to reading The Sun Singer. It reminds me a little of Maui & The House of the Sun. I went to Maui about 25 yrs ago and went to Haleakala National Park. There’s a painting of Maui lassoing the rays of the sun on the sign at the park. I have great pictures 🙂 It’s a gorgeous volcano, a cool story & a beautiful island.
They say you shouldn’t bring any of the black lava home with you or you’ll be cursed – so I wrote a scene in Falling for Autumn about Autumn’s trip to Haleakala.
Again, I enjoyed reading about The Sun Singer & about you. I wish you much success! I do hope you write a sequel as well.
Sandy
Thank you, Marilyn. I hope there will be a sequel.
Malcolm
Fantastic interview! And now I have to order the books…and fight my 12 year old to see who can read them first.
Oops, I mean book. For some reason I thought it already was a sequel. At any rate, it should ship tomorrow. My boys (ages 10 and 12) and I have a tradition that we’ve had pretty much since they were old enough to talk. We read a chapter of a book aloud every morning during breakfast. It’s a great way to wake up our brains to start the day. I think this is going to be our next one.
I went to Hawai’i twice while I was in the Navy, Sandy. I wanted to go back when I wasn’t.
Melinda, I used to enjoy passing books around a group of people and reading them aloud. Haven’t done that for years.
Malcolm
Beautifully done, you two! This was a most enjoyable interview! Vila
Thank you, Vila.
M
Another really nice interview. Informative too. Sun Singer’s on my tbr list.
Thank you, Sheila.
Smoky
I hope you enjoy the story, Sheila.
M
From your words, ” I used to live in Central Illinois” to the very end, you held me captive. There is a symbiotic relationship between you, Smoky, and Malcolm as the author. The interview shines.
Thank you both.
Thank you, Charmaine.
Smoky
Oops, as I was working on “Sarabande,” the sequel to this story, last night, I had a funny feeling I had given you the wrong wood for one of the three staffs. I can’t believe it: I did.
Before this goes on my permanent record, I’ll set the record straight: Grandfather Elliott’s staff is made out of Box Elder, one of the trees on the ranch where he lived.
I need a giant database to keep all my woods, rocks, flowers, totem animals and symbols straight.
Malcolm
Malcolm, I won’t hold it against you. And if you start that data base, let me know how I can tap into it!