Somewhen Over the Rain
Clouds
We’re not in Seattle
(1984) anymore: An Adult Fantasy Adventure Through an alternative
Universe By Lisa M. Peppan
Review by Jerry Jaffe, Ph.D.
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (2013)
Amazon paperback $14.32
To
Purchase: Amazon.com
Author’s Webpage:
http://www.fortlangley.ca/SWOTRC/author.html
In this postmodern era, one
question that permeates pulp fiction of all genres is whether or not
the characters in any given story are themselves knowledgeable of
the genre they seem to be in. In a zombie movie, do the characters
know the films of George Romero? In Lisa M. Peppan’s Somewhen
over the Rain Clouds, the answer is a resounding YES. The
title itself is a clear signal to the reader alluding to the
universe of The Wizard of Oz as it does. And in this story of Lee
Taska, a Seattle-based cabbie who experiences a bad storm that
results in a car accident, from which she awakens in what is
effectively a parallel universe. Lee’s story clearly and
intentionally follows a path similar to Dorothy.
Upon arriving in the land of
Geaeh, confused and uncertain of where she is or what has happened
to her, Lee crosses paths with both evil witches and then a good
witch called Laetha (witches in Geaeh also referred to as Wiqqs).
Laetha unfortunately is dying and survives only long enough to set
Lee on her path to meet a mysterious figure called Merroe in a
far-off city called Lynn’a’lyrr (this novel’s Wizard and Emerald
City). Of course, between Lee and this far-off sanctuary where
supposedly all other questions will be answered is a perilous
journey where she must confront weird magic, witch hunters,
monsters, guards, and evil Yellow Wiqqs.
To aid Lee, Laetha grants her
use of her Van, a magical wagon that has interior dimensions large
enough to contain a 2-story house full of food, furniture and other
amenities. The Van is pulled by magical beasts that resemble
horses, but whose colorful nubs between their eyes bring to mind
unicorns. Later, these beasts of burden are revealed to be much
more than they seem. On the road to Lynn’a’lyrr, Lee also comes
across three traveling companions, her own Scarecrow, Tin Man, and
Cowardly Lion. Apparently, the storm that enabled her to come
through also captured her two best friends, Jerry Young and Ian
Weitz. Also both cabbies, they each have their own adventures until
the three are reunited. (The novel’s self described genre is Adult
Alternative Universe Fantasy, and at least some of the “Adult” comes
about due to Ian’s Tom-Jones-like humorous digression in which he is
for a time a sex slave for the eccentric Lady Sumpter!)
Lee’s third helper turns out to
be her deceased fiancé Peter “Eagle” Raymond, who himself had passed
away in a motorcycle accident several years earlier and for whom Lee
has never stopped grieving. At the time of his apparent death, he
actually came through to this universe and has been surviving as a
magical bard. His skill with music has translated into magical
capabilities. People from time to time slip between these parallel
worlds, and called Come Throughs. Further, it is explained that
most Come Throughs have some magical gifts. Thus, Lee is learning
to use Laetha’s powers, while Ian also seems capable of some gifts.
Whether or not Jerry has magical gifts is itself a developing plot
point of the novel, so I will leave it for now.
Nonetheless, for the reader one
of the most fun aspects of the novel is that the characters are
aware that they seem to have fallen into an Oz-like magic realm.
During his sexual servitude, Ian sneaks into a barn and clicks his
shoes together, just in case it might work to send him home.
Another servant—also a Come Through—finds him doing it and the two
laugh at the effort. Besides The Wizard of Oz, there are
many other delightful pop culture references, including Monty Python
and Douglas Adams. While trying to explain how his music functions
as magic, Eagle summarizes it as being “like a D&D bard. I can cast
spells with music and song.” The D&D reference is apt, since
readers who have played the game may at times feel the novel
resembles the record of a private Dungeons and Dragons quest.
However, the lively pace of the writing, and the over-all
likeableness of our four heroes, keep the reader involved in what is
an enjoyable story. Also, like the Lord of the Rings novels, Peppan
has a nice eye for pastoral details, bringing to life the fauna and
the environment where these four Come Throughs find themselves.
The violent death of Laetha, and
the general persecution of the Wiqq, certainly resonates with
readers interested in both religious tolerance in general and the
historic treatment of witches in medieval Europe and colonial
America. The West’s legacy of violent mistreatment haunt many of the
more violent or disturbing moments of the novel, beginning with
Laetha’s brutal death at the hands of thuggish witch hunters.
Again, this parallel is not lost on the characters themselves. At
one point while Eagle explains the various factions and who might
wish to harm the Wiqq, Jerry asks Eagle “Anything like witches
during the Dark Ages?” And indeed, there is a faction derived from
some previous Come Throughs from the Crusades, who utilize a
re-written Bible transcribed from memory. Now they “take up a
Divine Mission to exterminate any who make magic…”
This historic context of
witchery has another element important to the novel. Lee herself is
part Native American, and she often thinks of the lessons her
great-grandmother taught her as a child. This predisposition to the
supernatural not only offers a non-western contrast to the historic
oppression of witches, but is also an important element in the plot
as Lee’s development as a character and as a Wiqq dovetails with
what she learned from her great-grandmother.
Waking up in a strange
environment, Lee says to herself, “Its more important to figure out
where I am anyway.” As a cabbie in her former life, she spent her
days taking others from place to place while feeling uprooted
without a sense of place for herself. Readers joins Lee as this
journey of discovery of location becomes a journey of discovery of
self. We finds ourselves interested in the life and fate of these
Come Throughs, and in joining them on the adventure of discovering
the new world of Geaeh. The ironic awareness the characters of
their participating in a fantasy universe combined with the
contextualization of Wicca and also Native American spiritual
traditions give the novel added depth and richness to Lee’s finding
out where, and who, she is.
 Jerry
is an Associate Professor at Lake Erie College. He coordinates the
theater program and oversees all theater productions within the
program. As a teacher, Jerry’s interests include all aspects of the
theatre, including actor training, and theater history and
philosophy.
As a director, Jerry has worked in New Zealand, Japan, and also
numerous venues around the United States (in particular around
Ohio). While teaching at Tsukuba University in Japan, he ran a local
community theater group called Bingo Parallax, for which he directed
8 productions, including David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow and
Glengarry Glen Ross, Woody Allen’s God, and an original
devised piece Words by Shakespeare, as well as acting on tour
with Japan’s largest professional children’s theatre group kaze
no ko (in their production of Oretachya benriya).
While in New Zealand he taught at the University of Otago and
directed numerous college and professional productions. His 2006
production of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things was selected
by the NZ Listener magazine as one of the best productions in
the country that year. His 2007 production of Flywheel, Shyster,
and Flywheel was included in the 2007 New Zealand International
comedy festival.
He has further interests in various aspects of performance studies,
including popular entertainment, museum studies, and environmental
entertainments. He is currently working on a study of religious
satire, having made several conference presentations on the subject,
as well as recently published ““I needed to go to this tabernacle of
ignorance”: Marc Maron’s critique of the Creation Museum.”
Bulletin for the Study of Religion, Vol 42, No 3 (2013). |