Review of The Troika by Stepan Chapman

The first Philip K. Dick Award to go to a small press.

Jeff Vandermeer published this when 120 other publishers declined it. Chapman was a very accomplished author with hundreds of short stories in high profile magazines way back in the days of what I consider the most entertaining science fiction boom, and boasting, I have heard, at least one enticing, unpublished novel. You will be hard-pressed to find any of his works, or I should say I will, since I am currently on the search for them and quickly becoming woe-befallen.

In this superb novel, a quirky trio of protagonists conspire within a bizarro setting to conquer the unique curse that shackles them to their reality. The machinations of their efforts, their internal development and the external factors actively tormenting them, make up the bulk of the book. Within the first chapter you learn that a Jeep, an old Mexican woman and a dinosaur journey together within an endless desert. All of them were once human. How did they become trapped in their absurd forms?

The answer is slowly elaborated through rich and detailed backstories, taking the reader through a truly spellbinding series of events involving space travel, microchips, cryogenics, a bowling alley, a warehouse stocking otherworldly goods, and much more.

The storytelling is memorable, while failing to nicely wrap up all the existential questions, leaving us with a concerning number of concerns, hinging on a delicate balance between utter bafflement and clever explanation. The characters have charm and individuality, displaying varying degrees of cynicism and resourcefulness, considering the situation.

There’s nothing else like it out there, and it is highly readable. A yarn related with a page-turning flare reminiscent of pulp s-f while not eschewing poetic moments, in which it indulges liberally. A one-of-a-kind writer. I truly hope someone works up the necessary resources to publish his oeuvre in full, at least in ebook form. Pronto.