Instructions for use

One question I've never been asked is, "Ian, how can I get the most out of the new album and companion novella?"

Well, let me tell you, it rather depends.

(I do sometimes have conversations with myself but the acting's usually more convincing than this.)

This work is, to my knowledge, pretty unique, in that it closely combines a concept album of music with a book telling a fictitious story, one chapter per track, so it might not be immediately apparent how you should approach it.

To give you a bit of help, I thought I'd try to lay out a few options.

1. Just listen to the music

This is a valid option. Let's call it the traditionalists' approach. The album is a full and complete thing with, I hope, a good sequencing of tracks, and there are a couple of big tunes mixed in with the more atmospheric pieces. On the other hand, you probably won't get any idea of why this is a "concept album" in the first place.

2. Just read the novella

Also valid but be warned, the book depends a lot on the album. I think it works OK as a short novella but it might feel a bit incomplete without its soundtrack. The credits and notes at the end are also going to be quite meaningless. I might write the full novel version one day and if I do, that'll be a proper standalone piece.

3. Music first, then the book

Reading the book second will give the music context. It is, after all, billed as a "soundtrack to a lost film", and the book stands in for the film because, strangely, I didn't really have the budget for one. This option is recommended if you want to just enjoy the music first and then delve deeper into the narrative later on.

4. Book first, then the album

This is a sensible approach. You read the story, you get the gist of it, then you listen to the music that accompanies and expresses it. By the time you listen to the album you already know, for example, why there's all that dramatic banging at the end of track 8.

5. Read one chapter at a time, then listen to the related track

This is one for the purists, I think, but does at least mean that each chapter's action will be fresh in your mind when you listen to the music. I did consider releasing a version of the album with narration of the relevant chapter before each music track. Trouble is, human (actor) narration costs money. AI narration is a cheaper option but I can't imagine it pronouncing "Belas Knap" properly, least of all its Old English form, bēl cnæpp. (I similarly have little idea how to pronounce this to be honest, so I don't know why I'm dissing the robots.)

6. Read the book and listen to the album at the same time!

This is a bit radical and might give you a nose bleed. How will you concentrate? Definitely one for the reckless.

So that's it, so many ways to enjoy Children Of Belas Knap. Let me know which one you prefer, or if you have other ideas. (Me, I'd probably plump for option 3.)