At the end of the last century, crop circles grew, mushroom-like, in fields of wheat and barley. Ever more circles with intricate designs appeared and outlandish claims of their origins emerged. The apotheosis of these claims was visiting aliens, although why they’d bother leaving designs and nothing else, wasn’t explained. The truth was much more prosaic.
Redbone and Calvert design and create crop circles in rural England. Redbone designs them and Calvert scopes out fields. The two are friends but have little in common and know little of each other’s life. Redbone is eccentric, with a chaotic home life but a creative mind. Calvert is ex-SAS, possessing great organisational skills but is very private.
The designs are simple to begin with. The pair need to develop their skills, working up to a ‘mythical’ level by the end of the season.
As the season unfolds, so do the challenges. They encounter various nocturnal animals and human intruders. The greatest obstacle is one they cannot change: England is in drought and the crops suffer accordingly. The denouement, where intricate design meets environmental challenge, epitomises the unattainability of the title: perfection is impossible.
While the designs evolve, the characters unfortunately remain mostly stagnant. That – for me – is the novel’s biggest disappointment.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
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