Review of Sky Tracer by Hayden Moore with exclusive interview

Review by Adam Beckett

An addictive weird-fantasy depicting the brink of change with one foot in the darkness of brewing catastrophe and the other in found-family tenderness, Sky Tracer is a drug-like trip with dragons and magic and unapologetically bloody violence. Exclusive interview with the author included below the review.

"Everything is connected. That much I know. Ümfalla is held together by a thread. Change is in the wind, but I can't pretend understanding. Perhaps everything must fall for another Age to rise."

Welcome to Moore’s nightmarescape mushroom dystopia. Moore writes with an horrific type of beauty, one that reminds me of VanderMeer and Le Guin, and just like those two authors, his prose is the perfect accompaniment to the weird and the dark. This magical combination of borderline poetic text and mild horror fantasy world is, in my opinion, the books strongest asset. I was addicted from page one, and quickly found myself in love with the world and its mystique. Everything feels connected in a way that is as much literal as it is spiritual; as much horrifying as it was beautiful. Dense, fungal and anxiety-inducing landscapes are complemented by the spiritual, sometimes sensual connection between the characters. The bonds between them are a Yang to the worlds Yin. I was in awe of the mushroom focused setting and could tell that the author was clued up on his subject matter, you get the feeling that this is a project of passion as well as ambition. Not only did the mushroomyness of the thing create some wonderfully unique imagery, but it allowed the author to write some hallucinogenic sequences, indulging that part of me which forever craves the feeling of stupor in my fiction. Seriously: more authors should write trip sequences, it’s fantastic when done right.

It is the mystique of the world that drives much of the narrative: ‘What is this “Sky Tracer?”’ The point at which you ask this question is also the point where the world opens up in scale. The initial dose of claustrophobic queasiness, that confused doe-eyed introduction to Ümfalla which sets up the haunting beauty of the scene, begins to open up and reveal what is beyond the mushroom-spore shroud; what’s outside though is merely a different kind of darkness, one where the violence doesn’t yield and the horrors are greater than initially hinted at. I was impressed with the scope of this novel, and I’m eager to continue reading Moore...-do you...-do you see what I did there?

While I’ve so far described just how dark and bloodsoaked this world is, allow this segment to soothe your dread: there is a strong found-family element to this book with heavy focus on identity and belonging, and, admittedly, while my favourite bits were the hellish/beautiful landscape descriptions and overall poeticism of the thing, the bonds formed between the protagonists did truly warm my heart. I’m a fan of both main characters, and of the people they cross paths with. The magical elements of the characters’ in particular made for a refreshing read; I won’t spoil what Moore has worked hard at creating, but I will promise you that it’s much more interesting than wizards casting spells. If you’ve read this book, keep its magic a secret, speak of it only in whispered tones...

Who would I recommend this book to?

Fans of traditional sword-sorcery fantasy with wizards, goblins, action heroes and damsels in distress: avert your eyes. I don’t think there’s much for you here.

For anyone who finds that the fantasy scene is filled with tropey nonsense and you’re forever on the hunt for something special: I urge you to read this book. It is wonderful. This is how fantasy should be done.

“She thought she would see life in some kind of conciliatory light when death was near. Nothingness was ahead, while nebulous regrets followed through the grime.”

I would call myself a “part time” fantasy reader. I find myself reading fantasy about 1/10th of the time, or less, but I am constantly hunting for the gems. I’ve quite a specific taste when it comes to fantasy, namely I need something thick with atmosphere and negative, anxious emotions. None of that happy hero gets the girl lark. This book was my kind of fantasy, for the most part. If I have one complaint its that it does get a bit dialogue-heavy in the final acts, though I don’t think most people would think so. The book also uses lots of mad names, which I found myself skimming over here and there, though it’s not nearly as tryhard as China Miéville’s novels and I’m sure it’s a ‘me’ problem as a mostly non-fantasy guy.

I’ll wrap up the review section by saying thanks, Hayden. This book was sent to me and while I generally neglect to finish review copies owing to their low quality, I was honoured to read this one. It truly was a breath of fresh air and helped get me out of a reading slump.

Interview with Hayden below

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What inspired you to write Sky Tracer?

Growing up in Georgia and Tennessee, the woods and mountains were always a source of escape for me. They held stories and provided ‘real’ setting for books I read as a kid. After living in NYC for the past fifteen years, the stark contrast of city and sea and the experience of living on a little island in Queens, shaped the way for me to realize that civilization and Nature were inextricable. Nature doesn’t stop where the sidewalk begins.

Science, Nature and History books have always been at the forefront of my reading. I even spent the first few years in NYC as an apprentice for an historian, who taught me the ins and outs of research and the art of finding ‘good books’. When I read a book called, The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben, a seed was planted. The concept of the ‘wood-wide-web’—the Entanglement of mycelium and tree roots, allowing for ‘communication’ throughout the woods—fascinated me. I began to read books by mycologists such as Paul Stamets and Giuliana Furci, along with Merlin Sheldrake and far too many to list.

When I was swimming in the bay where I live, on no particular sunny day, without a cloud in the sky, I saw a contrail spanning the blue zenith. It looked like silk tracks in the sky… That was when the eponymous SKY TRACER took hold. I watch the clouds quite a bit. I’m member #29,346 of the Cloud Appreciation Society, formed by Gavin Pretor-Pinney.

How did you come up with Mēna and Ruthy? Based on people you know? Any influence from Mythology?

Back in 2019, something clicked while I was reading Ovid’s Metamorphoses. I began delving into obscure myths and the brutal truth of the Gods and their ruthless workings supercharged my imagination. Whether it was the tragic flight of Daphne, or the curse of Scylla, I shifted the perspective and listened to these nymphs and Goddesses. In mostly modern/speculative settings, I wrote over 50 short stories, over the course of six months and certain characters began to emerge, along with names.

Women have always been the strongest people in my life. Courage, strength and love I’ve learned through them is beyond a book’s worth of words, or a library. Mēna’s dark-bright eyes appeared to me first. The experience of ‘Wandering’ and shattered identity is something I’ve experienced, as well as seen in others, especially, in my time in NYC, so Mēna’s journey is something specific to my own journey. Along the way, other souls have pulled me out of deep darknesses, so Ruthy’s fall at the beginning of the novel and Mēna’s subsequent actions are rooted in that. Both are lost. Mēna’s search for identity and Ruthy’s despair/ambition are part of the human condition. Mēna is caught in a repetitive loop, until Ruthy falls. Nobody can go it alone, not really. Even hermits are defined by the very thing they shun…

Favourite authors? Favourite books?

Shakespeare’s Collected Works were on a bookshelf in my house growing up. From the time I understood every third word, something about the plays held a secret I wanted to unlock. Naturally, I still continue to do so, but theatre as a whole was integral in shaping the way I perceive storytelling and character. The richness of seeing countless plays in NYC and performing with a few theatre groups really inculcated the process of finding the character’s needs and wants, while trusting in those around you, all while serving the story.

Tolkien was my first love, as far as Fantasy, while writers like Philip K. Dick and Ursula K. Le Guin took hold, later on. Classic Literature, from Dostoyevsky’s The Idiot, to Woolf’s The Lighthouse, were and continue to be, beacons in this chaotic world. Perhaps the most influential writer for my work, over the past decade, has been Jorge Luis Borges and his short stories: Mirrors, Labyrinths, Dreams, Infinite Libraries, Mythology, The Tango, Flying Knives and Stabbing Arrows…such magic he weaves with a handful of metaphors and generally in the form of short stories.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Write. Find what brings you wonder and focus on that. For years, I was unmoored in my writing, drifting on the sea of infinite choices. Write. Through my focus on something like the ‘wood-wide-web’ and strong human influences in my life, a world began to emerge. Even when it did, it took years to find a way to begin. Forget about being dismissive, I’m still groping in the dark, but I’m learning to see and feel, a little more. Everyone’s journey is distinct, through Time and Space, but I think it’s impossible to write anything meaningful without the wonder. Lists and word counts are nothing but that, not without curiosity. Wonder breaks through the dead rubble of the mundane and helps find the living, warm seed of creation. Life is exhausting most of the time, so focus is hard enough. Find that ‘Song’ that resonates and keep listening. Write.

Favourite beer?

As much as I love a good IPA, it has to be a Stout. My first job was in a local Brewery/Pub where they brewed the beer in-house (I’m talking about you, Downtown Grill & Brewery on Gay Street). All I knew was Natural Light and Budweiser at that point, so discovering the way roasting could make a beer taste like coffee/chocolate, or a buttered biscuit, rewired my brain.

What are you working on now?

The sequel to SKY TRACER, Winds Of Entanglement, is well underway, so stay tuned. Along with that, I’m working on a more far-flung SFF book. It’s more along the lines of Steampunk, but follows the same magic system and ‘world’ from SKY TRACER. I hope to have the first draft finished by end of Summer.