The Janus Cycle by Tej Turner
I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – Elsewhen Press
Published – Out Now
Price – £9.99 paperback £2.99 Kindle eBook
The Janus Cycle can best be described as gritty, surreal, urban fantasy. The over-arching story revolves around a nightclub called Janus, which is not merely a location but virtually a character in its own right. On the surface it appears to be a subcultural hub where the strange and disillusioned who feel alienated and oppressed by society escape to be free from convention; but underneath that facade is a surreal space in time where the very foundations of reality are twisted and distorted. But the special unique vibe of Janus is hijacked by a bandwagon of people who choose to conform to alternative lifestyles simply because it has become fashionable to be "different", and this causes many of its original occupants to feel lost and disenchanted. We see the story of Janus unfold through the eyes of eight narrators, each with their own perspective and their own personal journey. A story in which the nightclub itself goes on a journey. But throughout, one character, a strange girl, briefly appears and reappears warning the narrators that their individual journeys are going to collide in a cataclysmic event. Is she just another one of the nightclub's denizens, a cynical mischief-maker out to create havoc or a time-traveller trying to prevent an impending disaster?
Contemporary fantasy often gets stereotyped very easily as some form of supernatural detective story and that’s quite incorrect. From the strange epicness of Susan Cooper’s Dark is Rising sequence, Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane or Rivers Solomon’s blurring of boundaries in Sorrowland there are many strange tales in our world where the fantastical helps put a lens on our lives. In Tej Turner’s impressive The Janus Cycle we explore eight characters experiencing strange episodes all around one particular nightclub which stands for them as a haven that allows them to be themselves.
This novel uses an unusual format of eight linked chapters each focusing on a regular or newcomer to the Janus – an alternative nightclub known for tolerance and a place where people who don’t fit mainstream society can relax in and feel safe. Or at least they used to be able to. We meet Pikel a person who lives for their weekend raves and now finds themselves constantly meeting a woman who keeps vanishing into thin air and warns him of trouble coming. Then Tristan who has fallen for an older man and their paintings seem to mirror the imbalanced and borderline abusive relationship they’ve gotten themselves into. Sam who taking unusual two pills at once find themselves playing in and out of alternate realities and seeing the darker side of Janus’s newest residents. As we meet the rets of the cast, we see Janus is at a crossroads as the alterative club is now viewed by the mainstream as the place to be and that means all the dangers of the world outside are gathering.
This is a hugely impressive piece of storytelling. Turner is very much giving voices to people we don’t tend to see in fantasy novels. The ravers, the goths, the musicians, and the artists. But importantly Turner by making each chapter told from that character’s perspective means we see them as a fully rounded individual. We experience their fears, their loves, their talents, and their hopes. These are people who have made a life for themselves often in spite of the world’s ignorance and desire for conformity. As the stories entwine, we see a split between the newer residents who often see Janus and the fashions as simply this year’s in place and look to portray but you know by next year they’ll be somewhere else wearing very different clothes and make-up and who don’t approve of people who are queer or don’t seek their friendship and approval. Whereas the characters we meet need this way of life to express who they are and will always be. If you remember those teenage and times in your early twenties trying to find a place where you could be you this should definitely bring back those days.
Turner achieves this by having a very skilled approach of making each character have their own voice and world view as well as their stories unique style. Pikel’s story feels almost comic as they try to solve a mystery with their best friend K-hole Kev and ketamine is not always conducive to a quest. Yet we quickly swap with Tristan’s story which is an intense yet tender love story of two people who could almost be perfect for each other yet don’t yet quite fit. Sam’s story of a night that goes tremendously wrong is an eerie, loud, and disturbing dark fantasy while we also get tales of horror on a night out, time travelling to sort your life out and finding first love in a battle of the bands. This leads to a fantastic final tale where all the other characters appear again focused around Tilly a trans teenage girl who explains her story of growing up and finding out who she needs to be, telling their family and then dealing with a truly horrific time in school and yet Tilly’s refusal to give up being who she is shines throughout and means the novel ends on personal high stakes rather than world-ending ones and actually that makes the story feel even more important.
This is a hugely impressive debut and Turner’s skill at creating complex yet relatable characters and creating different magical setting demonstrates great versatility at storytelling. The Janus cycle is a trip into a wild and unpredictable night where you’ll meet unforgettable people and also remind yourself of the importance of being who you really are. I loved it and it is highly recommended!
