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Dancers at the End of Time #1
An Alien Heat
An alien named Yusharisp comes to Earth to warn its remaining inhabitants that the universe is coming to an end; his own planet has already disappeared, and the Earth is sure to follow. Earth's inhabitants are unfazed as they believe him to be yet another doomsayer; the End of the Earth has been predicted for centuries. Jherek is far more interested in Mrs Amelia Underwood, a time traveller from Victorian England, as he is fascinated by the Victorian era. Jherek resolves to fall in love with her. Mrs Underwood, at first repulsed by the debauchery of the End of Time, finally comes to believe that Jherek is sincere in his affections and starts teaching him about moral values. She falls in love with him at last; as they are about to embrace, however, she is whisked back to her own time. Jherek, heartbroken, decides to rescue her, and travels to 19th century London.
Jherek is inexperienced to the point of naivete about the Victorian Era, despite his interest in it, and a (temporally) local thief, Snoozer Vine, tricks him into becoming an accomplice to Snoozer's latest scam. Not surprisingly, Jherek proves to be a poor criminal, and is quickly arrested, jailed and sent to trial. To his surprise, the judge appears to be none other than his friend, Lord Jagged but claims to be one Jagger. Jherek is sentenced to death, as the case against him is unequivocal, but he cannot understand why all the people around him are so upset; inhabitants of the End of Time are immortal, and for them death is merely transitory. Jherek is hanged, only to wake up among his friends at the End of Time, who tell him that to them, he has only been gone for a second.
This is the first Avon paperback printing.
Jherek is inexperienced to the point of naivete about the Victorian Era, despite his interest in it, and a (temporally) local thief, Snoozer Vine, tricks him into becoming an accomplice to Snoozer's latest scam. Not surprisingly, Jherek proves to be a poor criminal, and is quickly arrested, jailed and sent to trial. To his surprise, the judge appears to be none other than his friend, Lord Jagged but claims to be one Jagger. Jherek is sentenced to death, as the case against him is unequivocal, but he cannot understand why all the people around him are so upset; inhabitants of the End of Time are immortal, and for them death is merely transitory. Jherek is hanged, only to wake up among his friends at the End of Time, who tell him that to them, he has only been gone for a second.
This is the first Avon paperback printing.
147 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
35 people are currently reading
1359 people want to read
About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,209 books3,753 followersMichael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
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January 25, 2021
An Alien Heat - Michael Moorcock’s first of three novels forming Dancers at the End of Time, a tribute to the decadent dandyism of fin de siècle England with such colorful personalities as Oscar Wilde, Max Beerbohm and Aubrey Beardsley. Since I'm a huge fan of Decadent classics, Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans comes immediately to mind, and also New Wave SF, I found every page of this singular Michael Moorcock novel positively scrumptious - so much so, I even created a special black and yellow bookmark from a Victor Vasarely print to match the cover of the SF Masterworks edition of Dancers at the End of Time (detail above).
We're hundreds of thousands of years into the future where the remaining humans (only a handful, it appears) are in complete control of their surroundings. You want your very own Swiss castle in the Alps or a French garden in the style of Louis XIV out your window or a baroque harpsichord in your parlor? Just twist your ring - and presto, thanks to highly advanced technology, there it is.
As to all those distasteful, less than completely satisfying bits of human experience - childhood and adolescence, sickness and aging, urinating and bowel movements – not a trace in this distant world. Pain and suffering, you say. What’s that, pray tell? Oh, please, don’t be boring – we don’t want to hear it. By the way, pass the apricot jam as its orange-golden hue matches the color of my antique pendant and I so love spreading lusciousness on my crisp croissant.
As to the exact science behind all this, no explanations are forthcoming, not even close. This is soft SF with a vengeance.
Philosophical inquiry, national identity, religious beliefs, moral principles - gone, nonexistent, all part of a long forgotten past, having been replaced by aesthetics, taste, sensuality and a zest for eye-catching fashion. One such fashion that's all the rage is assembling your very own menagerie. For, you see, darling, as we in our modern world have collected the artifacts of ancient and traditional cultures to be put on display in our museums, so individuals in this future world create menageries out of all forms of life in the universe; oh, yes, even aliens from other planets or time travelers from other times are placed on display for the amusement of guests who care to take a leisurely stroll between having sex on a satin chaise lounge and trading witticisms in their host's plush drawing room.
It is in this elaborately decadent landscape we meet Jherek Carnelian lounging on a cream-colored beach with his mother, the Iron Orchid, and speaking of his wish to try out what it would be like to be "virtuous." Baffling and bewildering, this "virtue," Jherek admits, but it's something that has tickled his fancy and he would definitely like to give it a go.
Several scenes later Jherek and the Iron Orchid fly in his air ship formed in the shape of a 19th century locomotive (Jherek has a particular fascination with object from that bygone era) to attend a party hosted by the Duke of Queens. And it is here where Jherek spots the lady, a time-traveler from that very same 19th century, that will change his life. "She wore a tight-fitting grey jacket and a voluminous grey skirt which covered all but the toes of her black boots. Beneath the jacket could just be seen a white blouse with a small amount of lacework on the bodice. She had a straw, wide-brimmed hat upon her heavily coiled chestnut hair and an expression of outrage on her pretty, heart-shaped face."
You bet she had an expression of outrage. For, as we eventually learn, this lady was abducted from her home in 19th century England and forced to travel through time landing her at this decadent party. Her name is Mrs Amelia Underwood and when Jherek casually refers to sexual activity, she delivers a heavy smack on his cheek.
When Jherek recovers, he searches the room for her. But, alas, she's nowhere to be found. Most unfortunate, since, wonders of wonders, he desperately desired this time-traveler. "His heart was set on her. She was charming. He fingered his cheek and smiled."
Thus we have in Michael Moorcock's An Alien Heat a most unusual love story. Unusual for several reasons, not the least of which is romantic love, love that sets the heart on fire, is a phenomenon completely unknown in this future. However, there is something unique about Jherek - unlike everyone else, including the Iron Orchid, all of whom came into this world as adults, as remarkable, odd and farfetched as it might seem, Jherek was actually born.
Another reason is obvious and one that frames a good portion of the novel's satire and humor: Jherek Carnelian's aesthetic, morality-free society versus Mrs Amelia Underwood's Christian, morality-heavy society. Amelia is astonished, and that's understatement. "It was often hard for her to remember what duty actually was in this - this rotting paradise. It was hard, indeed, to cling to all one's proper moral ideals when there was so little evidence of Satan here - no war, no disease, no sadness (unless it was desired), no death, even. Yet Satan must be present. And was, of course, she recalled, in the sexual behaviour of these people."
Likewise, when Jherek follows Mrs Amelia Underwood back to 19th century England, where, thanks to Michael Moorcock's keen sense of timing and language, every single one of the decadent dandy's encounters is a perfectly timed comedy of errors. And Jherek is such an innocent, a most likable handsome gent in his top hat, cape, dashing black suit and boots.
I must admit, as much as a reader can with a work of literature, I fell in love with An Alien Heat. I relished the many delicious pages and to my joy, as noted above, there are two other novels in this series - The Hollow Lands and The End of All Songs. I'll be traveling next week. Any guesses what I intend reading?
British author Michael Moorcock, born 1939
October 16, 2015
As a writer, it's hard for me to imagine how people can just keep writing the same thing, over and over--just providing slight variations on the same plot, characters, and setting, where the only thing that changes are the names. At that point, it's less a creative endeavor than the symptom of a neurosis: an obsessive need to recreate the same familiar pattern, over and over, in hopes that it will free you--and truthfully, I can think of few better ways to murder creativity than to write in this way.
Of course, we writers have certain interests and concerns that are going to crop up again and again, our favored themes, whether it's PKD's paranoid uncertainty of self or Le Guin's mutual cultural incomprehensibility, but as long as we keep finding different angles of approach, different ways to explore these themes, then we're not just treading water.
Of course, I know that many writers do it to get paid, and that in any field, after years of working your way up with fresh ideas and hard work, it can be tempting to sit on your laurels and stop really trying, just letting the paycheques come in--hell, plenty of folks end up at that point without ever having had a fresh idea in their lives. I mean, I've written ten thousand words in a day before, so if I wanted to pump out a generic fantasy novel every week, I'm certainly physically capable of doing so--it's the mental aspect that prevents me.
Not just the fact that I can't stand the idea of filling the world with more generic crap (which I can't), but the need to completely turn off my brain and not care at all about what I've made--and that's part of what makes Moorcock interesting, is that he is clearly capable of not being critical of himself. He has a reputation in the field of being able to turn out a short story faster than anyone else, and I have sometimes gotten the impression from various works of his that his pen was outstripping his thoughts--because he has produced works like Corum, which is more or less a rewrite of Elric with slightly duller characters and slightly weirder cosmology--but then he comes along and writes something like Gloriana , or An Alien Heat.
It's as if you took a writer as flat (though intriguingly madcap) as E.R. Burroughs and told me that he'd tried his hand at something in the style of Conrad and Ford's The Inheritors --it's such a complete change in voice and approach. Indeed, Moorcock's book has much in common with that tale of profound intelligences lost in the stream of time, the past and future colonizing and changing one another in unpredictable, unexpected ways.
As with Gloriana, Moorcock is working in a completely different voice here, a different tone and pacing. While in Corum, the romance may be central, it is perfunctory, accomplished in a moment, without bothering to delve introspectively to shore up its foundations--no real depth of feeling is ever produced. Yet here, the romance is the plot, is the conflict, drawn out over the length of the series, the back and forth of it, the inner turmoil of it all are more Darcy of Pemberly than Carter of Mars.
Instead of revolving around a series of cosmic villains, as in Elric, it is a story built upon the decisions and feelings of its characters, built from the inside out instead of imposing some artificial external conflict upon the characters to motivate them--and the former method is always going to seem more personal, more vital, and more perilous to the reader, even when the stakes of the conflict are much lower.
Indeed, in terms of sci fi tropes with farce, Moorcock seems to be laying out a prototype for one of my favorite series: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy . Indeed, in the third book, when Moorcock's characters are trapped in the beginning of Earth's history, the parallels are almost too remarkable to be coincidence.
However, Moorcock does not quite have the precision necessary for a well-turned farce, as Wodehouse so often demonstrated, where the timing and rhythm of the scenes must be constructed with great care in order for them to work like the well-oiled machines they are. As such, in his pointed satire Adams ends up perfecting the form that Moorcock laid out--as is so often the case with his grand and intriguing but somewhat rough ideas.
However, An Alien Heat does share some shortcomings with works like Corum--quite literally, in that the exceedingly strange and imaginative world that he sets up for us is populated with characters who are all too mundane. In a world that is not only post-scarcity, but in which people have an ability to reshape the world to their liking beyond the wildest dreams of virtual reality, it seems odd that the characters would stick so closely to modern conceptions of identity.
For example, if a person can change their gender at will, or negate it entirely, or invent a new one, you aren't going to see the same old gender roles continue on as if nothing has changed. In a world where physical identity and appearance are completely fluid, you would expect peoples views of themselves to be similarly mutable.
Likewise, in a world where people can create anything with a thought, things like gold and gems would no longer retain the status rarity affords them currently--indeed, Moorcock often touches upon the fact that really, the only thing that produces value in his world is novelty, and yet he does not always succeed in demonstrating this effectively in his actual descriptions.
There are certainly good touches--that once we have all we want, things like depression or moroseness become interesting as poses, as markers of difference for their own sake, even when they aren't necessary--precisely because they aren't--but he might have done much more.
Indeed, one can also see the effect the work has had on another great writer who took the ideas and ran with them: Moorcock's protege M. John Harrison, who in his Viriconium series does begin to explore what a world of such profound difference might look like, where things like reality and identity begin to lose their meaning, and cohesion in the face of an ever-shifting world in which very little can be taken for granted. Once again, in the third book, when Moorcock gives us his hallucinatory cities, intelligent entities dying and going mad out in the wilderness, where most folks are happy to leave them alone, though some are drawn in by curiosity, we see a blueprint for the world that Harrison will later present us.
I do think that this book ends a chapter too late--that the conclusion Moorcock gives us originally produces an intriguing tale along the lines of Kafka, almost an inversion of Bierce's classic Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge . As it is, Moorcock gives us a denouement which is altogether too tidy and easy, wrapping everything up and explaining it away, which I think would have made a much better opening to the next book.
Then again, perhaps his mainstream sci fi publishers were not ready for that sort of book--just as they weren't ready for Harrison, and put a Burroughs cover on his Kafka story. In any case, while the next book in the series is a bit of a lull, giving us much of the same, over again, the third book does much more with the setting and characters--even if the conclusion is a bit tacked-on.
Overall, the vision Moorcock gives us here is a testament to his creativity--he does not stick to just one story, or just one kind of world, even when his worlds are all interconnected, he still manages to give each one its own tone and voice, and second only to his masterwork, Gloriana, the End of Time series is one of his most intriguing.
Of course, we writers have certain interests and concerns that are going to crop up again and again, our favored themes, whether it's PKD's paranoid uncertainty of self or Le Guin's mutual cultural incomprehensibility, but as long as we keep finding different angles of approach, different ways to explore these themes, then we're not just treading water.
Of course, I know that many writers do it to get paid, and that in any field, after years of working your way up with fresh ideas and hard work, it can be tempting to sit on your laurels and stop really trying, just letting the paycheques come in--hell, plenty of folks end up at that point without ever having had a fresh idea in their lives. I mean, I've written ten thousand words in a day before, so if I wanted to pump out a generic fantasy novel every week, I'm certainly physically capable of doing so--it's the mental aspect that prevents me.
Not just the fact that I can't stand the idea of filling the world with more generic crap (which I can't), but the need to completely turn off my brain and not care at all about what I've made--and that's part of what makes Moorcock interesting, is that he is clearly capable of not being critical of himself. He has a reputation in the field of being able to turn out a short story faster than anyone else, and I have sometimes gotten the impression from various works of his that his pen was outstripping his thoughts--because he has produced works like Corum, which is more or less a rewrite of Elric with slightly duller characters and slightly weirder cosmology--but then he comes along and writes something like Gloriana , or An Alien Heat.
It's as if you took a writer as flat (though intriguingly madcap) as E.R. Burroughs and told me that he'd tried his hand at something in the style of Conrad and Ford's The Inheritors --it's such a complete change in voice and approach. Indeed, Moorcock's book has much in common with that tale of profound intelligences lost in the stream of time, the past and future colonizing and changing one another in unpredictable, unexpected ways.
As with Gloriana, Moorcock is working in a completely different voice here, a different tone and pacing. While in Corum, the romance may be central, it is perfunctory, accomplished in a moment, without bothering to delve introspectively to shore up its foundations--no real depth of feeling is ever produced. Yet here, the romance is the plot, is the conflict, drawn out over the length of the series, the back and forth of it, the inner turmoil of it all are more Darcy of Pemberly than Carter of Mars.
Instead of revolving around a series of cosmic villains, as in Elric, it is a story built upon the decisions and feelings of its characters, built from the inside out instead of imposing some artificial external conflict upon the characters to motivate them--and the former method is always going to seem more personal, more vital, and more perilous to the reader, even when the stakes of the conflict are much lower.
Indeed, in terms of sci fi tropes with farce, Moorcock seems to be laying out a prototype for one of my favorite series: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy . Indeed, in the third book, when Moorcock's characters are trapped in the beginning of Earth's history, the parallels are almost too remarkable to be coincidence.
However, Moorcock does not quite have the precision necessary for a well-turned farce, as Wodehouse so often demonstrated, where the timing and rhythm of the scenes must be constructed with great care in order for them to work like the well-oiled machines they are. As such, in his pointed satire Adams ends up perfecting the form that Moorcock laid out--as is so often the case with his grand and intriguing but somewhat rough ideas.
However, An Alien Heat does share some shortcomings with works like Corum--quite literally, in that the exceedingly strange and imaginative world that he sets up for us is populated with characters who are all too mundane. In a world that is not only post-scarcity, but in which people have an ability to reshape the world to their liking beyond the wildest dreams of virtual reality, it seems odd that the characters would stick so closely to modern conceptions of identity.
For example, if a person can change their gender at will, or negate it entirely, or invent a new one, you aren't going to see the same old gender roles continue on as if nothing has changed. In a world where physical identity and appearance are completely fluid, you would expect peoples views of themselves to be similarly mutable.
Likewise, in a world where people can create anything with a thought, things like gold and gems would no longer retain the status rarity affords them currently--indeed, Moorcock often touches upon the fact that really, the only thing that produces value in his world is novelty, and yet he does not always succeed in demonstrating this effectively in his actual descriptions.
There are certainly good touches--that once we have all we want, things like depression or moroseness become interesting as poses, as markers of difference for their own sake, even when they aren't necessary--precisely because they aren't--but he might have done much more.
Indeed, one can also see the effect the work has had on another great writer who took the ideas and ran with them: Moorcock's protege M. John Harrison, who in his Viriconium series does begin to explore what a world of such profound difference might look like, where things like reality and identity begin to lose their meaning, and cohesion in the face of an ever-shifting world in which very little can be taken for granted. Once again, in the third book, when Moorcock gives us his hallucinatory cities, intelligent entities dying and going mad out in the wilderness, where most folks are happy to leave them alone, though some are drawn in by curiosity, we see a blueprint for the world that Harrison will later present us.
I do think that this book ends a chapter too late--that the conclusion Moorcock gives us originally produces an intriguing tale along the lines of Kafka, almost an inversion of Bierce's classic Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge . As it is, Moorcock gives us a denouement which is altogether too tidy and easy, wrapping everything up and explaining it away, which I think would have made a much better opening to the next book.
Then again, perhaps his mainstream sci fi publishers were not ready for that sort of book--just as they weren't ready for Harrison, and put a Burroughs cover on his Kafka story. In any case, while the next book in the series is a bit of a lull, giving us much of the same, over again, the third book does much more with the setting and characters--even if the conclusion is a bit tacked-on.
Overall, the vision Moorcock gives us here is a testament to his creativity--he does not stick to just one story, or just one kind of world, even when his worlds are all interconnected, he still manages to give each one its own tone and voice, and second only to his masterwork, Gloriana, the End of Time series is one of his most intriguing.
August 6, 2011
This series has come recommended rather highly by a few friends here on Goodreads, all people whose tastes and opinions I value rather highly, so I had looked forward to beginning. So much so, that I ordered the omnibus edition of The Dancers at the End of Time, which contains the first three books. My copy was due back at the library before I was able to break into book 3, but I was able to finish the first 2 books. I enjoyed both, but I say that with a slight hesitation. I can not help but think that if I had fallen in love with these books as some of my friends have, I would foregone sleep and read the 3rd book the night before it was due.
This first book is the very definition of an absurd romp. The humor is both subtle and in-your-face and will appeal to fans of the Hitchhiker books. Those were books I loved when I was younger. If I were to read them now, I am afraid that the ratings would not be too high.
I think it is only fair of me to point out two things which I count against the book, at no fault of the writing or story, as the entire thing is written perfectly. These two things just happen to be pet peeves of mine that most readers will be able to ignore, overlook, or count as postives instead.
First, even though this is humor and I realize Moorcock was trying to make a point of how morals are nearly nonexistent in the future, I will forever be unable to get past the ick factor that incest makes me feel. I know I was supposed to feel that ick factor, but I just hate the entire idea, incest as a tool to prove a point. I'm nitpicking, I know. I can read just about any horrific, skeezy, or disturbing thing but incest throws me off unlike anything else and if it were not for my friends recommendations, I would have ended the book only a few pages in. So, please do not take what I'm complaining about to heart. There is nothing tasteless or graphic and it is really such a small thing in the entire book but I still felt the need to point out something which made it extremely difficult for me to connect with the characters.
Second, I am beginning to realize that I am not a fan of time travel fiction. I'm sure there are exceptions, though I can not think of any off the top of my head. This is something I have not thought much about before reading this but it is becoming more obvious to me, especially after finishing book 2.
The reason why I think all fans of science fiction and fantasy should give this series a try (even considering the 3 stars) is that Moorcock paints a most amazing picture of the future of humanity and our planet. Though I often receded from the story during the (purposefully) stilted dialogue, I regularly became lost in Moorcock's descriptions, details, and setting. I loved the settings in this book. Imaginative feels as an inadequate description but this book really is one of the most imaginative books I have ever read. So take a chance and read it, especially if you love humor.
This first book is the very definition of an absurd romp. The humor is both subtle and in-your-face and will appeal to fans of the Hitchhiker books. Those were books I loved when I was younger. If I were to read them now, I am afraid that the ratings would not be too high.
I think it is only fair of me to point out two things which I count against the book, at no fault of the writing or story, as the entire thing is written perfectly. These two things just happen to be pet peeves of mine that most readers will be able to ignore, overlook, or count as postives instead.
First, even though this is humor and I realize Moorcock was trying to make a point of how morals are nearly nonexistent in the future, I will forever be unable to get past the ick factor that incest makes me feel. I know I was supposed to feel that ick factor, but I just hate the entire idea, incest as a tool to prove a point. I'm nitpicking, I know. I can read just about any horrific, skeezy, or disturbing thing but incest throws me off unlike anything else and if it were not for my friends recommendations, I would have ended the book only a few pages in. So, please do not take what I'm complaining about to heart. There is nothing tasteless or graphic and it is really such a small thing in the entire book but I still felt the need to point out something which made it extremely difficult for me to connect with the characters.
Second, I am beginning to realize that I am not a fan of time travel fiction. I'm sure there are exceptions, though I can not think of any off the top of my head. This is something I have not thought much about before reading this but it is becoming more obvious to me, especially after finishing book 2.
The reason why I think all fans of science fiction and fantasy should give this series a try (even considering the 3 stars) is that Moorcock paints a most amazing picture of the future of humanity and our planet. Though I often receded from the story during the (purposefully) stilted dialogue, I regularly became lost in Moorcock's descriptions, details, and setting. I loved the settings in this book. Imaginative feels as an inadequate description but this book really is one of the most imaginative books I have ever read. So take a chance and read it, especially if you love humor.
May 20, 2024
I was a huge fan of Elric of Melniboné as a teen, so I know Moorcock's unparalleled imagination and stellar writing. What I didn't know until I read An Alien Heat, however, is how good Moorcock could be at comedy, as well.
Everything about An Alien Heat, the first novel in the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy, is bizarre. It features omnipotent dandies, millions of years in the future, who will the millennia away by throwing lavish parties and having sex with one another regardless of gender or filial affiliation. These beings, oblivious or uncaring about the upcoming End of the Universe, cavort and amuse themselves, playing pranks on one another, and spending their time telling each other how brilliant they are. They sound like an immoral, immortal version of the Court of Versailles, moments before the guillotine became a fashion item.
This synopsis in itself would make for a terrible novel, but in the hands of Moorcock, it quickly becomes charming and engaging. The protagonist of the story is one Jherek Carnelian, vaguely obsessed with the 19th century, who convinces himself he should fall in love with Mrs. Underwood, an unwilling time traveler from this cherished time period, who stumbles upon his era.
The story of their blossoming love affair is hilarious and engaging. Jherek is a goof, but he is likable, and funny. It's hilarious to see how little he understands the 19th century, confusing it with, oh, about anything a thousand years before or after, give or take. His courting of Mrs. Underwood is naive and sincere, and the slow emergence of his humanity is fun to watch.
A lot of the appeal of An Alien Heat is the humor, and in this the novel is not dated in the slightest. The characters are strong, colorful, and interesting, and the world at the End of Time is filled with details that make it stand out.
An Alien Heat is quick, and over with just as quickly. Good thing there are two more novels in this cycle.
Everything about An Alien Heat, the first novel in the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy, is bizarre. It features omnipotent dandies, millions of years in the future, who will the millennia away by throwing lavish parties and having sex with one another regardless of gender or filial affiliation. These beings, oblivious or uncaring about the upcoming End of the Universe, cavort and amuse themselves, playing pranks on one another, and spending their time telling each other how brilliant they are. They sound like an immoral, immortal version of the Court of Versailles, moments before the guillotine became a fashion item.
This synopsis in itself would make for a terrible novel, but in the hands of Moorcock, it quickly becomes charming and engaging. The protagonist of the story is one Jherek Carnelian, vaguely obsessed with the 19th century, who convinces himself he should fall in love with Mrs. Underwood, an unwilling time traveler from this cherished time period, who stumbles upon his era.
The story of their blossoming love affair is hilarious and engaging. Jherek is a goof, but he is likable, and funny. It's hilarious to see how little he understands the 19th century, confusing it with, oh, about anything a thousand years before or after, give or take. His courting of Mrs. Underwood is naive and sincere, and the slow emergence of his humanity is fun to watch.
A lot of the appeal of An Alien Heat is the humor, and in this the novel is not dated in the slightest. The characters are strong, colorful, and interesting, and the world at the End of Time is filled with details that make it stand out.
An Alien Heat is quick, and over with just as quickly. Good thing there are two more novels in this cycle.
August 4, 2023
After the Jerry Cornelius Quartet, I was kind of windswept with Michael Moorcock and his prolific pounding out of many fantastical pages. 'An Alien Heat' is no different. With cracking readability and childlike wonder (toss in absurdism and unexpectedness), I find his work not only to be entertaining but influential in my own writing. A big breath of fresh air. Here, 'An Alien Heat' starts like an incestual soap opera, bending into future royalty hijinxs, into downright time-traveling, and even ending with a courtroom drama. Victorian steampunk, yes, and a ribald take on manners, yes, Moorcock paints future Earth as full of vanity-fed dummies. An alien (armed with a crappy translator machine) beckons these earthlings to realize and recognize that not only the universe is ending but time in itself, Moorcock puts his foot on the gas and doesn't relent. Throw in enough elaborate glam side characters (Mongrove being a favorite), and the novel charms even more.
Why is it that when I read Moorcock, I envision Ken Russell and Nicholas Roeg collaborating to bring these pages to the screen.
Why is it that when I read Moorcock, I envision Ken Russell and Nicholas Roeg collaborating to bring these pages to the screen.
March 15, 2008
I've been avoiding Michael Moorcock's Dancers at the End of Time series for years and now I feel like kicking myself. An Alien Heat was absurd and hilarious! Who knew Moorcock was so funny? Jherek Carnellian is a fantastic character, Bertie Wooster-ish at times. I knew I was going to enjoy the book when the prologue said "Following is the story of Jherek Carnellian, who didn't know the meaning of morality, and Mrs. Amelia Underwood, who knew everything about it."
The plot is as follows: The end of time approaches and all that's left of the human race is a group of decadent near-immortals. Jherek Carnellian falls in love with Victorian time traveler Mrs. Underwood and pursues her back to the 19th century. Hilarity ensues. The humor is equal measures Oscar Wilde, Douglas Adams, and P.G. Wodehouse. It's something to behold.
Here's another quote to show you how hilarious this book is:
"Do you plan to have any children, Mr. Underwood?"
"Unfortunately." Mr. Underwood cleared his throat. "We have not so far been blessed..."
"Something wrong?"
"Ah, no..."
"Perhaps you haven't got the hang of making them by the straightforward old-fashioned method? I must admit it took me a while to work it out. You know," Jherek turned to make sure Mrs. Underwood was included in the conversation, "finding what goes in where and so forth."
That's about all I have to say. Buy it. Read it. Quote it to your friends until they feel like slapping you.
The plot is as follows: The end of time approaches and all that's left of the human race is a group of decadent near-immortals. Jherek Carnellian falls in love with Victorian time traveler Mrs. Underwood and pursues her back to the 19th century. Hilarity ensues. The humor is equal measures Oscar Wilde, Douglas Adams, and P.G. Wodehouse. It's something to behold.
Here's another quote to show you how hilarious this book is:
"Do you plan to have any children, Mr. Underwood?"
"Unfortunately." Mr. Underwood cleared his throat. "We have not so far been blessed..."
"Something wrong?"
"Ah, no..."
"Perhaps you haven't got the hang of making them by the straightforward old-fashioned method? I must admit it took me a while to work it out. You know," Jherek turned to make sure Mrs. Underwood was included in the conversation, "finding what goes in where and so forth."
That's about all I have to say. Buy it. Read it. Quote it to your friends until they feel like slapping you.
January 22, 2025
It's basically City Mouse and Country Mouse with time travel. And love. The Victorian lady's attempts at coping with a miraculous and utterly immoral future were funny; the future boy's misadventures in Victorian London were funnier.
But I was left wanting for more. Maybe I should have just picked up the whole series and binge it all in one go.
But I was left wanting for more. Maybe I should have just picked up the whole series and binge it all in one go.
April 15, 2020
An Alien Heat is the first volume in Moorcock's Dancers at the End of Time trilogy, one of his best works. It's a short book with a fine dose of social satire and plenty of cosmic fantasy. It's firmly placed in his multiverse (the main character is Jherek Carnelian this time around), but is nothing like the adventure fantasies such as Corum or the early Elric stories, and also stands apart in tone and style from the contemporary Jerry Cornelius stories. As the title suggests, it's set far in the future when everything's been done and the challenge is to stay entertained, but there's a whole lot else going, too, of course... Doctor Who fans should give it a shot!
October 29, 2025
2025 reading challenge - Has time travel
From the far distant, decadent, and quite seedy future, Jherek falls in love with a woman from the 1800s and follows her back to her time - which is also quite seedy in its own grim and dark way. There isn’t much substance to the plot, but it’s fun and imaginative, and often entertainingly ridiculous.
From the far distant, decadent, and quite seedy future, Jherek falls in love with a woman from the 1800s and follows her back to her time - which is also quite seedy in its own grim and dark way. There isn’t much substance to the plot, but it’s fun and imaginative, and often entertainingly ridiculous.
February 14, 2023
Hauska, jännittävä ja viihdyttävä!
Alku oli vähän tylsä mutta loppu palkitsee sen läpi rämpimisen.
Alku oli vähän tylsä mutta loppu palkitsee sen läpi rämpimisen.
July 30, 2014
Fabulous fun. What I didn’t expect is that both the end-of-time aesthete and the Victorian lady are charming me to death and yes, I am getting into their romance. I preferred her in his world, though. The back half was him as an innocent abroad in 1890s England, but with more Dickens than fin de siècle. Whereas at the last thousand years of the universe, the parties reminded me of a 200-page party in the single volume I have read yet of Proust (Sodom and Gomorrah): since it’s Moorcock I can believe, deliberately.
August 17, 2019
I think this tends not to be a favorite Moorcock series, and it's not hard to see why, since it forgoes adventure narrative for a sort of weird ethnographic comedy of manners about the expiring cultural scene at the end of Earth (and perhaps the Universe), when humanity has accomplished nearly all it set out to and become bored with it, left immortal and all-controlling to invent new affectations in order to pass the time. The pacing is weird, the story gaining focus mostly in odd character interactions (mainly catalyzed by the appearance of a time traveler from 19th century England), and that works just fine for me, since sometimes Moorcock's "exciting" plot mechanics can become a little rote. I'd hazard that this is roughly Moorcock as satirist, but it's mostly of a dry earnest satire where the major arc remains more important (yet soundly absurd) than the incidentals it explores. Blatantly conceived of as a trilogy, this all feels like possibly little more than set up, but it's hard to feel any real urgency about getting to it anyway.
January 17, 2008
imagine a decadent world at the end of time where all human beings are immortal, omnipotent, and extremely bored with eternity. they've run out of people to fuck, drugs to try, wars to wage, etc. they are all completely jaded and bored with the mysteries of life. this book was fucking fantastic! i cannot find the rest in the dancers at the end of time series anywhere though.
October 20, 2015
This short novel really captured my imagination and defied my expectations. I found the decadence of the end-of-timers to be amusing and sympathetic, and loved the charming naïveté of the protagonist. Took me a few hours to read, and finished it in one sitting. Highly recommended.
May 19, 2025
"...a rom-com"
"I love you more than I love life, dignity, or deities," he went on. "I shall love you until the cows come home, until the pigs cease to fly."
(Look, it has romance in it, is has comedy in it, and sometimes they happen at the same time, so, it counts.)
This was the first Michael Moorcock I've ever read and it was a blast. This book is weird in a way I very much liked. It takes place in the far, far future, but instead of gritty dystopia or sleek sci-fi tech, we get a bunch of decadent weirdos living in a giant shifting city where nobody really works and everyone’s obsessed with fashion and artifice. It’s basically a post-apocalyptic soap opera mixed with time travel and existential dread, and somehow it mostly works. One of my favorite things was not ever really knowing where any given scene was heading.
Jherek Carnelian, the main character, is kind of like if an alien tried to cosplay as a romantic hero. He decides he’s in love with a time-traveling woman from the 19th century, which leads to a lot of awkward, funny, and occasionally tragic attempts to understand emotions, morality, and the concept of "being serious."
The tone walks a line between comedy and melancholy, which I appreciated. Moorcock builds a dying world full of beautiful distractions, and the characters are just trying to find meaning in a place where nothing really matters anymore. It also reminded me a bit of Oscar Wilde in tone (The Importance of Being Earnest popped into my mind) with maybe a dash of Hitchhiker's Guide here and there.
It’s not a plot-heavy book—don’t go in expecting a big sci-fi arc with lasers and rebels. It’s more about atmosphere and character and the weird tension between people who feel too much and people who’ve trained themselves not to feel anything at all.
"Mr. Carnelian!" She was stunned, it seemed, by his devotion. But why should she be stunned? After all everyone was always declaring their love to everyone else in her time!"
If you like your speculative fiction with equal parts humor, sadness, and surrealism, this one’s worth a shot. I know I'll definitely be reading the sequels.
"I love you more than I love life, dignity, or deities," he went on. "I shall love you until the cows come home, until the pigs cease to fly."
(Look, it has romance in it, is has comedy in it, and sometimes they happen at the same time, so, it counts.)
This was the first Michael Moorcock I've ever read and it was a blast. This book is weird in a way I very much liked. It takes place in the far, far future, but instead of gritty dystopia or sleek sci-fi tech, we get a bunch of decadent weirdos living in a giant shifting city where nobody really works and everyone’s obsessed with fashion and artifice. It’s basically a post-apocalyptic soap opera mixed with time travel and existential dread, and somehow it mostly works. One of my favorite things was not ever really knowing where any given scene was heading.
Jherek Carnelian, the main character, is kind of like if an alien tried to cosplay as a romantic hero. He decides he’s in love with a time-traveling woman from the 19th century, which leads to a lot of awkward, funny, and occasionally tragic attempts to understand emotions, morality, and the concept of "being serious."
The tone walks a line between comedy and melancholy, which I appreciated. Moorcock builds a dying world full of beautiful distractions, and the characters are just trying to find meaning in a place where nothing really matters anymore. It also reminded me a bit of Oscar Wilde in tone (The Importance of Being Earnest popped into my mind) with maybe a dash of Hitchhiker's Guide here and there.
It’s not a plot-heavy book—don’t go in expecting a big sci-fi arc with lasers and rebels. It’s more about atmosphere and character and the weird tension between people who feel too much and people who’ve trained themselves not to feel anything at all.
"Mr. Carnelian!" She was stunned, it seemed, by his devotion. But why should she be stunned? After all everyone was always declaring their love to everyone else in her time!"
If you like your speculative fiction with equal parts humor, sadness, and surrealism, this one’s worth a shot. I know I'll definitely be reading the sequels.
June 4, 2011
I came into Michael Moorcock due to an interest in researching the influences Grant Morrison has cited for his Invisibles series. That led to me to the Cornelius Quartet as Jerry Cornelius is one of the primary influences for Morrison's King Mob. I figured it would be a simply endeavor and my journey with Moorcok would begin and end within the Cornelius Quartet. As I read through the series I found myself increasingly drawn to the non-linear structure o the story telling and the complexity with which the characters are portrayed. It led to finding all of the Cornelius short stories and from there more research into Moorcock's "Multiverse" and his "Eternal Champion."
This budding obsession led me to a used copy of An Alien Heat which features the character Jherek Carnelian who is an incarnation of the Eternal Champion. On a linear scale Carnelian could be the final incarnation of the Eternal Champion as he exists at the End of Time and right before the Multiverse starts to fold in on itself. I was hesitant to crack open An Alien Heat, the first part in the "Dancers at the End of Time" trilogy, because it would be my first time venturing away from the Jerry Cornelius segment of Moorcock's writing. It was unfamiliar territory and featured a character of whom I'd heard nothing. Logically, I probably should have taking a left turn and started consuming the stories of Moorcock's most popular Eternal Champion, Elric of Melniboné.
Having completed finished An Alien Heat I'm confident in saying it was the right decision. I'm currently struggling with the possibility that I enjoyed it more than the whole of the "Cornelius Tetralogy."
The book starts off an unknown millennia from now when technology has advanced to such a state that there is nothing left to research or discover, with the small exception of time. Very few people are born, because those that are living can simply be resurrected. Nothing is made, because the denizens at the end of time can simply create with a thought by pulling together matter. As a result, there is little they truly value. Entertainment comes in the form of sexual indulgence, competition in the form of creating the most interesting constructs, and collecting fauna for personal menageries. They can even change their personal appearances from one day to the next, for example, spend a few weeks as a Great Ape simply...because.
Carnelian finds this world shaken when Mrs Amelia Underwood falls through time from the 19th Century. For fun, he decides to fall in "love" with her and plots with his friend Lord Jagged about how he will allow himself to become consumed with this love. The first point of order is to rescue Mrs Amelia Underwood from the menagerie of the eternally "despondent" and misunderstood-by-choice, Mongrove.
In order to trick Mongrove into releasing Mrs. Amelia Underwood, Carnelian must steal from My Lady Charlotina, thereby incurring her "wrath." The quotes around emotions are important, because emotion are simply game pieces at the End of Time. The denizens relish the opportunity to have these faux emotions indulged, because the don't otherwise have any real reason to experience them.
Carnelian hits a snag when he discovers that he actually is in love with Mrs. Amelia Underwood and he is sure she is in love with him. However, she refuses to say as much, because he has no sense of "virtue." Carnelian makes it his mission to understand being virtuous, so he can win the declared affection of Mrs. Amelia Underwood.
The adventure finds Carnelian traveling from the end of time to the 19th Century to pursue his love. In his time, Carnelian is considered and celebrated for being an expert on the early centuries of humans, but over millenia this knowledge became increasingly distorted so his "expertise" is rendered useless due the reality he faces.
For example, here is how those at the end of time understand the history of Billy the Kid:
"Lake Billy the Kid was named after the legendary American explorer, astronaut and bon-vivant, who had been crucified around the year 2000 because it was discovered that he possessed the hindquarters of a goat. In Billy the Kid's time such permutations were not fashionable."
The book is a fun romp and lays the foundation for a unique world from which to launch narratives. Also, this book is amusingly despised by Puritan reviewers on Amazon who can't wrap their heads around a fictional suggestion of what humans could become if they can have every need met with a snap of the fingers. It probably should only receive four stars, but such revulsion, honestly, makes me like it even more.
This budding obsession led me to a used copy of An Alien Heat which features the character Jherek Carnelian who is an incarnation of the Eternal Champion. On a linear scale Carnelian could be the final incarnation of the Eternal Champion as he exists at the End of Time and right before the Multiverse starts to fold in on itself. I was hesitant to crack open An Alien Heat, the first part in the "Dancers at the End of Time" trilogy, because it would be my first time venturing away from the Jerry Cornelius segment of Moorcock's writing. It was unfamiliar territory and featured a character of whom I'd heard nothing. Logically, I probably should have taking a left turn and started consuming the stories of Moorcock's most popular Eternal Champion, Elric of Melniboné.
Having completed finished An Alien Heat I'm confident in saying it was the right decision. I'm currently struggling with the possibility that I enjoyed it more than the whole of the "Cornelius Tetralogy."
The book starts off an unknown millennia from now when technology has advanced to such a state that there is nothing left to research or discover, with the small exception of time. Very few people are born, because those that are living can simply be resurrected. Nothing is made, because the denizens at the end of time can simply create with a thought by pulling together matter. As a result, there is little they truly value. Entertainment comes in the form of sexual indulgence, competition in the form of creating the most interesting constructs, and collecting fauna for personal menageries. They can even change their personal appearances from one day to the next, for example, spend a few weeks as a Great Ape simply...because.
Carnelian finds this world shaken when Mrs Amelia Underwood falls through time from the 19th Century. For fun, he decides to fall in "love" with her and plots with his friend Lord Jagged about how he will allow himself to become consumed with this love. The first point of order is to rescue Mrs Amelia Underwood from the menagerie of the eternally "despondent" and misunderstood-by-choice, Mongrove.
In order to trick Mongrove into releasing Mrs. Amelia Underwood, Carnelian must steal from My Lady Charlotina, thereby incurring her "wrath." The quotes around emotions are important, because emotion are simply game pieces at the End of Time. The denizens relish the opportunity to have these faux emotions indulged, because the don't otherwise have any real reason to experience them.
Carnelian hits a snag when he discovers that he actually is in love with Mrs. Amelia Underwood and he is sure she is in love with him. However, she refuses to say as much, because he has no sense of "virtue." Carnelian makes it his mission to understand being virtuous, so he can win the declared affection of Mrs. Amelia Underwood.
The adventure finds Carnelian traveling from the end of time to the 19th Century to pursue his love. In his time, Carnelian is considered and celebrated for being an expert on the early centuries of humans, but over millenia this knowledge became increasingly distorted so his "expertise" is rendered useless due the reality he faces.
For example, here is how those at the end of time understand the history of Billy the Kid:
"Lake Billy the Kid was named after the legendary American explorer, astronaut and bon-vivant, who had been crucified around the year 2000 because it was discovered that he possessed the hindquarters of a goat. In Billy the Kid's time such permutations were not fashionable."
The book is a fun romp and lays the foundation for a unique world from which to launch narratives. Also, this book is amusingly despised by Puritan reviewers on Amazon who can't wrap their heads around a fictional suggestion of what humans could become if they can have every need met with a snap of the fingers. It probably should only receive four stars, but such revulsion, honestly, makes me like it even more.
November 14, 2014
In the mid-70s Moorcock took a somewhat light-hearted generic and stylistic departure to the end of time. There a small population of immortal and decadent humans, along with assorted captured time travellers and aliens, exist in eternal hedonistic pleasure. Here, one's every wish can be granted via the use of energy rings. Moorcock has not completely abandoned his multiverse and Eternal Champion however since the central figure is Jherek Carnelian, the last human to be actually 'born', and whose name is obviously redolent of those of other Moorcock heroes.
The protagonists have adopted baroque titles such The Iron Orchid (Jherek's mother), My Lady Charlotina of Below the Lake and The Duke of Queens.
Very much like the postmodernists of the Sixties the inhabitants of this far future constantly modified Earth feed on the past, or a garbled version of it, in order to sate their insatiable need for spectacle.
The Duke of Queens decides to host a Disaster party, in a cluster of old Earth cities, built from water, which are paradoxically burning.
Here he introduces a new arrival, Yusharisp, a spherical alien who is travelling the galaxy to warn all intelligent life that the Universe is coming to an end.
At the same party a time traveller appears, Mrs Amelia Underwood, a housewife from 1896 Bromley.
Jherek - one of whose fascinations is the vague historical period from which Mrs Underwood hails - is enchanted by her and decides that he is to be 'in love', an ancient thing, no longer properly practised. Mrs Underwood, however, has been claimed by My Lady Charlotina who wants her as part of her collection of Time Travellers.
Having concocted a cunning plan and rescued her, Jherek is thoroughly confused by concepts of virtue and morality since his culture is one of complete hedonism and amorality, but one in which, paradoxically, malice, jealousy and violence do not exist apart from in some kind of 'art installation' sense.
My Lady Charlotina, for instance, decides to take revenge on Jherek not out of anger caused by his abduction of her 'possession' but as an artistic statement, as she believed that the initial abduction itself was itself an artistic statement.
When My Lady Charlotina eventually takes her revenge, she sends Mrs Underwood back to her own time at the very moment at which she was about to declare her love for Jherek. My Lady Charlotina expected Jherek to be delighted by her trick, and was confused by his subsequent reaction.
Jherek determines to bring her back and, setting off in an ancient time machine, becomes embroiled in a jewellery theft and a murder and is sentenced to death.
At various times the novel contrasts the seeming 'amorality' of The End of Time with the social values of the 19th Century. In one of Jherek and Amelia's first conversations, for instance, Jherek tells of how he made love to his mother and later to his friend, Lord Jagged of Canaria (who later is revealed as Jherek's father) which sends Amelia into a brief paroxysm of shock and outrage. Jherek's brief sojourn into Amelia's time finds him only partly comprehending the world of poverty, violence and social injustice into which he has fallen.
In the Gollancz edition (which may or may not have been revised) Moorcock provides a preface which lists his literary influences for the series, although I have always seen comparisons with Jack Vance, particularly in terms of wit, the dialogue and the names of the characters.
It's a brief but packed humourous adventure which is the first volume in his acclaimed 'Dancers at The End of Time' trilogy. See 'The Hollow Lands' and 'The End of All Songs'
The protagonists have adopted baroque titles such The Iron Orchid (Jherek's mother), My Lady Charlotina of Below the Lake and The Duke of Queens.
Very much like the postmodernists of the Sixties the inhabitants of this far future constantly modified Earth feed on the past, or a garbled version of it, in order to sate their insatiable need for spectacle.
The Duke of Queens decides to host a Disaster party, in a cluster of old Earth cities, built from water, which are paradoxically burning.
Here he introduces a new arrival, Yusharisp, a spherical alien who is travelling the galaxy to warn all intelligent life that the Universe is coming to an end.
At the same party a time traveller appears, Mrs Amelia Underwood, a housewife from 1896 Bromley.
Jherek - one of whose fascinations is the vague historical period from which Mrs Underwood hails - is enchanted by her and decides that he is to be 'in love', an ancient thing, no longer properly practised. Mrs Underwood, however, has been claimed by My Lady Charlotina who wants her as part of her collection of Time Travellers.
Having concocted a cunning plan and rescued her, Jherek is thoroughly confused by concepts of virtue and morality since his culture is one of complete hedonism and amorality, but one in which, paradoxically, malice, jealousy and violence do not exist apart from in some kind of 'art installation' sense.
My Lady Charlotina, for instance, decides to take revenge on Jherek not out of anger caused by his abduction of her 'possession' but as an artistic statement, as she believed that the initial abduction itself was itself an artistic statement.
When My Lady Charlotina eventually takes her revenge, she sends Mrs Underwood back to her own time at the very moment at which she was about to declare her love for Jherek. My Lady Charlotina expected Jherek to be delighted by her trick, and was confused by his subsequent reaction.
Jherek determines to bring her back and, setting off in an ancient time machine, becomes embroiled in a jewellery theft and a murder and is sentenced to death.
At various times the novel contrasts the seeming 'amorality' of The End of Time with the social values of the 19th Century. In one of Jherek and Amelia's first conversations, for instance, Jherek tells of how he made love to his mother and later to his friend, Lord Jagged of Canaria (who later is revealed as Jherek's father) which sends Amelia into a brief paroxysm of shock and outrage. Jherek's brief sojourn into Amelia's time finds him only partly comprehending the world of poverty, violence and social injustice into which he has fallen.
In the Gollancz edition (which may or may not have been revised) Moorcock provides a preface which lists his literary influences for the series, although I have always seen comparisons with Jack Vance, particularly in terms of wit, the dialogue and the names of the characters.
It's a brief but packed humourous adventure which is the first volume in his acclaimed 'Dancers at The End of Time' trilogy. See 'The Hollow Lands' and 'The End of All Songs'
August 20, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in September 2000.
The first Michael Moorcock novel I ever read, An Alien Heat remains one of my favourites. On the surface, it is about the very far future, from the very last days of the universe (which is why it begins a trilogy called The Dancers at the End of Time). The people who live at the end of time are extremely powerful, controlling vast amounts of energy to make and remake matter at will. They spend their time in an endless round of sophisticated parties - so much so that sometimes parties are set up to fail deliberately, for the sake of variation - and pointless hobbies, such as creating hordes of living miniature soldiers to re-fight all the wars of history.
As a diversion, then, Jherek Carnelian (whose name is significantly a variant of Jerry Cornelius) decides to fall desperately in love. The chosen object of his affections is a time traveller, a young married woman mysteriously abducted from her house in Victorian Bromley. Having started this as a joke, Jherek finds himself falling in love in earnest, just when Amelia Underwood disappears, returned to her home by one of his friends as a prank. Playing the part of a distraught lover to perfection, he sets out to follow her.
The baroque world if the end of time is very vividly portrayed; by contrast, the nineteenth century seems rather less real. This is deliberate, because it is seen through Jherek's eyes, and he has very little understanding of what is going on around him. He has never come across money before, for example, and morality is to him just a game - in what is perhaps a slightly obvious attempt to shock, the novel opens with an incestuous sex scene with his mother.
The name of the central character of The Dancers at the End of Time trilogy makes it clear that there is a connection with the Jerry Cornelius chronicles. Characters with variants on this name crop up fairly frequently in Moorcock's work, and they are usually figures rather like a medieval jester. Their function is to comment on a world that they are separate from, to point out the absurdity of their surroundings.
The purpose of Jherek Carnelian is slightly more direct: it is to point out the absurdity of modern Western culture. There are many parallels between the end of time and consumer led capitalist society (and, in the sixties and seventies, many people feared the imminent end of the world in nuclear war). Moorcock clearly wants to mock our meaningless, pleasure obsessed lives, and does so reasonably subtly.
It is chiefly on its surface level as a brilliantly imagined tale of a decadent far future that An Alien Heat succeeds; the targets it aims at are rather too diffuse for it to be entirely convincing as a satire. It is as a writer of fantasy background that Moorcock is a master, and this novel shows off this talent at its peak form.
The first Michael Moorcock novel I ever read, An Alien Heat remains one of my favourites. On the surface, it is about the very far future, from the very last days of the universe (which is why it begins a trilogy called The Dancers at the End of Time). The people who live at the end of time are extremely powerful, controlling vast amounts of energy to make and remake matter at will. They spend their time in an endless round of sophisticated parties - so much so that sometimes parties are set up to fail deliberately, for the sake of variation - and pointless hobbies, such as creating hordes of living miniature soldiers to re-fight all the wars of history.
As a diversion, then, Jherek Carnelian (whose name is significantly a variant of Jerry Cornelius) decides to fall desperately in love. The chosen object of his affections is a time traveller, a young married woman mysteriously abducted from her house in Victorian Bromley. Having started this as a joke, Jherek finds himself falling in love in earnest, just when Amelia Underwood disappears, returned to her home by one of his friends as a prank. Playing the part of a distraught lover to perfection, he sets out to follow her.
The baroque world if the end of time is very vividly portrayed; by contrast, the nineteenth century seems rather less real. This is deliberate, because it is seen through Jherek's eyes, and he has very little understanding of what is going on around him. He has never come across money before, for example, and morality is to him just a game - in what is perhaps a slightly obvious attempt to shock, the novel opens with an incestuous sex scene with his mother.
The name of the central character of The Dancers at the End of Time trilogy makes it clear that there is a connection with the Jerry Cornelius chronicles. Characters with variants on this name crop up fairly frequently in Moorcock's work, and they are usually figures rather like a medieval jester. Their function is to comment on a world that they are separate from, to point out the absurdity of their surroundings.
The purpose of Jherek Carnelian is slightly more direct: it is to point out the absurdity of modern Western culture. There are many parallels between the end of time and consumer led capitalist society (and, in the sixties and seventies, many people feared the imminent end of the world in nuclear war). Moorcock clearly wants to mock our meaningless, pleasure obsessed lives, and does so reasonably subtly.
It is chiefly on its surface level as a brilliantly imagined tale of a decadent far future that An Alien Heat succeeds; the targets it aims at are rather too diffuse for it to be entirely convincing as a satire. It is as a writer of fantasy background that Moorcock is a master, and this novel shows off this talent at its peak form.
December 17, 2011
In a future where there is no disease, old age, and the few humans left can live as long as they whant. In this future nothing is taken seriously. Then while at a party that hosting a alien thats been going to planets to worn the world that its going to end soon at the Dukes kingdom. The Alien is then captured by Lady Charlotina. Jherek Carnelian a 19th century specialist while at the party meet a young 19th century lady Mrs.Amelia Underwood and instantly falls in love with her. Jherek must learn the true meaning of love and somehow get Amelia to love him. Jherek ends up stealing the alien that Lady Charlotina kidnapped and trades it for Amelia who was currently living with Mongrove a giant that hates Jherek.Then Carnelian pledges her revenge against Jherek. Amelia than tries to teach Jherek the meaning of virtue. Charlotina then sent Amelia back to her own time. Jherek crushed fallows Amelia and then has to find her while trying to survive at the same time.
I really enjoyed this book. At first it was hard for me to comprehend but once you get into the story you really begin to enjoy it. It's a sci-fi book that even my dad read while he was in high school. It's a awesome book that I hope other would enjoy.
This book is for at least for ages 14+. There is minor language and some sexual contentin this book. It's more for a mature audience but I highly recomend this for people who like sci-fi stories.
I really enjoyed this book. At first it was hard for me to comprehend but once you get into the story you really begin to enjoy it. It's a sci-fi book that even my dad read while he was in high school. It's a awesome book that I hope other would enjoy.
This book is for at least for ages 14+. There is minor language and some sexual contentin this book. It's more for a mature audience but I highly recomend this for people who like sci-fi stories.
September 13, 2011
Millions of years in the future, Earth seems to have become the equivalent of a small enclave for the super-rich, only in this case funds are superfluous. Everything in unlimited -- lifetimes, the ability to alter reality, to create new settings for your life, sexual partners. This is a playground in which one of the chief players, Jherek Carnelian, is a young man who considers himself an authority on the 19th century. First he decided to explore "virtue" as a role, but soon he decides to fall in love. Enter Mrs. Amelia Underwood, an unwilling time traveller who has been kidnapped from her comfortable life in Bromley, 1896. And there is a newly arrived alien who announces that the universe is contracting and all will be destroyed.
At times laugh-out-loud funny and endlessly inventive, this first volume of Dancers at the End of Time seems to be making me into a Moorcock fan. When Jherek follows Mrs. Underwood back to 19th century London, he cannot imagine that everything is anything more than a play set and he is delighted by all his new experiences, right up to the point that he is to be hanged for thievery. But this is a trilogy, so the story is just beginning.
At times laugh-out-loud funny and endlessly inventive, this first volume of Dancers at the End of Time seems to be making me into a Moorcock fan. When Jherek follows Mrs. Underwood back to 19th century London, he cannot imagine that everything is anything more than a play set and he is delighted by all his new experiences, right up to the point that he is to be hanged for thievery. But this is a trilogy, so the story is just beginning.
November 4, 2010
Moorcock takes us on an absurd journey into the far future when death, birth, freedom and energy itself are settled questions. We find an earth populated with a small number of idle humans whose every whim can become reality.
Into this world is thrust a time traveler from Victorian England. Jherek, himself a strange example of the human species at the end of time, decides to fall in love with her, and ends up doing so in truth. When another's revenge takes the form of sending his beloved back to her own time, Jherek decides he must follow her.
An Alien Heat is a fascinating (and fascinatingly probable) look at what the future might be like if all of our needs were truly met. It's also an excellent vehicle for the leftist, anarchist Moorcock to expose some of the foibles of Victorian England, a period often viewed by nostalgics through rose-colored glasses.
In the end, I found it a bit too predictable to be truly excellent, but I certainly did enjoy it. I plan to pick up the rest of the "Dancers at the End of Time" as well.
Into this world is thrust a time traveler from Victorian England. Jherek, himself a strange example of the human species at the end of time, decides to fall in love with her, and ends up doing so in truth. When another's revenge takes the form of sending his beloved back to her own time, Jherek decides he must follow her.
An Alien Heat is a fascinating (and fascinatingly probable) look at what the future might be like if all of our needs were truly met. It's also an excellent vehicle for the leftist, anarchist Moorcock to expose some of the foibles of Victorian England, a period often viewed by nostalgics through rose-colored glasses.
In the end, I found it a bit too predictable to be truly excellent, but I certainly did enjoy it. I plan to pick up the rest of the "Dancers at the End of Time" as well.
March 13, 2014
Interesting take on planet wide innocence that has been brought about through technological mastery and immortality (I assume Moorecock is suggesting that the peace and innocence of those at the end of time has come about due to their almost complete immortality and thus a personal lack of psychological trauma concerning an impending death). Because of this innocence, most of the book is as exciting as reading about a group of talking babies admiring each other jammies.
Energy is infused towards the end of the book when a character from Victorian England arrives, so I will attempt the sequel. Hopefully, the somewhat fascinating, but unnecessarily dull, investigation of innocence will be handled in a less painstaking manner in that one.
Energy is infused towards the end of the book when a character from Victorian England arrives, so I will attempt the sequel. Hopefully, the somewhat fascinating, but unnecessarily dull, investigation of innocence will be handled in a less painstaking manner in that one.
October 24, 2014
This book was completely amusing! It was absurd but not confusing, funny but not ridiculous, and very fun. I highly recommend it if you like sci-fi that doesn't take itself too seriously, mild satire, and time travel. I love fish-out-of-water stories, and the last third of the novel was a great example of what makes those tales so amusing. And it was smart too, behind the scenes. The cyclical nature of the story, the revolving confusion/misunderstandings of Amelia and Jherek, and the little twists here and there.
Oh, and I've decided to change my name from Tina to My Lady Charlotina; it's much better.
Oh, and I've decided to change my name from Tina to My Lady Charlotina; it's much better.
May 27, 2013
"Once upon a time, there was a time traveler named Mrs. Amelia Underwood.", and it starts. The very name brings a tear to my eye--she's 'the one who got away', or the one you never met, or the one you thank the gods for every day--that she IS or WAS in your life.
'An Alien Heat' is the first book of possibly the most thoughtful fantasy trilogy of all time--The Dancers at the End of Time. It is both hilarious, and a heart-rending love story. The very definition of a 'Romance', it bridges New Wave SF, Magic Realism, Fantasy and Myth.
'An Alien Heat' is the first book of possibly the most thoughtful fantasy trilogy of all time--The Dancers at the End of Time. It is both hilarious, and a heart-rending love story. The very definition of a 'Romance', it bridges New Wave SF, Magic Realism, Fantasy and Myth.
August 3, 2015
kind of silly throughout but picks up at the end and has some highlights, namely the misquoting of history/popular culture and mongrove's personality. reminds me of something doctor who might have done around this time period. the book is also dedicated to the members of hawkwind
December 1, 2018
I was named after this book lmao
April 3, 2024
Sain vinkin tähän Moorcockin vuonna 1972 julkaistuun scifi-klassikkoon Lukuhäiriöitä-sarjan scifi-jaksosta Tampereen kaupunginkirjaston Youtube-kanavalta. Idea aikaluupissa maailmanlopun partaalla hurvittelevista viimeisistä ihmisistä oli niin herkullinen, että halusin tutustua aiheeseen paremmin. Viimeisten aikojen valtiaat aloittaa Dancers at the end of time -nimisen sarjan, jota suomennettiin 1990-luvulla kolme osaa. Ensimmäinen osa on vain 200 sivuinen, eli tämä oli nopeasti luettu.
Viimeisten aikojen valtiaat sijoittuu miljoonien vuosien päähän tulevaisuuteen. Jäljellä olevilla ihmisillä on käytössään voimasormuksia, joilla he voivat tehdä itselleen ja ympäristölleen mitä ikinä haluavat. He elävät käytännössä ikuista elämää vailla ihmisyyden tuskia ja vaivoja. Siksi monet ennen niin tärkeät tunteet ja elämän perusperiaatteet ovat täysin unohtuneet, ja asiasta kiinnostuneet opiskelevat näitä asioita mm. vanhoista kirjoista. Lähteinään he voivat käyttää myös aikamatkalaisia, joita heidän aikaansa on eksynyt runsain mitoin.
Päähenkilö Jherek on yksi harvoista jäljellä olevista “syntyneistä”. Hänellä siis on isä ja äiti, olkoonkin vain biologisessa mielessä: äiti kun unohti lapsen pian hedelmöityksen jälkeen kasvamaan kohdun ulkopuolella, eikä isästä ole täyttä varmuutta. Aikuiseksi kasvanut Jherek rakastaa antiikkia, eli 1800-lukua, ja hän on luonut kotinsa tarkaksi aikakauden kuvaksi, eli ei sinne päinkään. Kun 1800-luvulta lennähtää vielä aikamatkalainen, siveä kotirouva Englannista, Jherek on myyty. Hän heittäytyy rakkauden kuohuihin ja antiikkisen kosiskelun monimutkaiseen tanssiin koko sydämestään. Kotirouva on enemmän kuin hiukan järkyttynyt..
Moorcockin kaukainen tulevaisuus oli viihdyttävää luettavaa, mutta aika etäiseksi tarina outoine käänteineen silti jäi. Yllättävän hyvin tämä on kuitenkin kestänyt aikaa.
Viimeisten aikojen valtiaat sijoittuu miljoonien vuosien päähän tulevaisuuteen. Jäljellä olevilla ihmisillä on käytössään voimasormuksia, joilla he voivat tehdä itselleen ja ympäristölleen mitä ikinä haluavat. He elävät käytännössä ikuista elämää vailla ihmisyyden tuskia ja vaivoja. Siksi monet ennen niin tärkeät tunteet ja elämän perusperiaatteet ovat täysin unohtuneet, ja asiasta kiinnostuneet opiskelevat näitä asioita mm. vanhoista kirjoista. Lähteinään he voivat käyttää myös aikamatkalaisia, joita heidän aikaansa on eksynyt runsain mitoin.
Päähenkilö Jherek on yksi harvoista jäljellä olevista “syntyneistä”. Hänellä siis on isä ja äiti, olkoonkin vain biologisessa mielessä: äiti kun unohti lapsen pian hedelmöityksen jälkeen kasvamaan kohdun ulkopuolella, eikä isästä ole täyttä varmuutta. Aikuiseksi kasvanut Jherek rakastaa antiikkia, eli 1800-lukua, ja hän on luonut kotinsa tarkaksi aikakauden kuvaksi, eli ei sinne päinkään. Kun 1800-luvulta lennähtää vielä aikamatkalainen, siveä kotirouva Englannista, Jherek on myyty. Hän heittäytyy rakkauden kuohuihin ja antiikkisen kosiskelun monimutkaiseen tanssiin koko sydämestään. Kotirouva on enemmän kuin hiukan järkyttynyt..
Moorcockin kaukainen tulevaisuus oli viihdyttävää luettavaa, mutta aika etäiseksi tarina outoine käänteineen silti jäi. Yllättävän hyvin tämä on kuitenkin kestänyt aikaa.
January 7, 2022
Mi s-a părut fabuloasă.
Mai e circa un mileniu până la sfârșitul timpului. Asta descoperă omenirea dintr-un viitor aflat peste un milion de an. O omenire ce posedă bănci de energie cu ajutorul cărora poate crea orice – de la obiecte și forme de relief la ființe vii. Totul e un joc, o sursă de amuzament – chiar și dramele, fărădelegile. Fiecare om are colecții imense cu obiecte și ființe aduse de pe alte planete, ori din trecutul omenirii. Și unul dintre ei se îndrăgostește de o femeie din Anglia victoriană, fiind dispus chiar să călătorească după ea în acel timp, ale cărui limitări și legi îi rămân de neînțeles.
Moorcock nu e primul autor la care întâlnesc această ușurință de a se juca, de a jongla cu idei și personaje ce transcend umanitatea așa cum era ea văzută în anii ’70. Pentru un cititor ca mine, la care firul logic și rigurozitatea sunt esențiale în aprecierea unei opere literare, misiunea unui asemenea scriitor e dificilă. Dar Moorcock se achită de ea atât de bine, încât l-am savurat în totalitate. Episodul călătoriei în secolul al XIX-lea, incapacitatea personajului din viitor de a înțelege ce pățește acolo, că nu e vorba despre un joc, ci despre tragismul vieții, mi s-a părut fabulos (probabil că aici a rezonat din plin cu viziunea mea asupra vieții). Din fericire, cartea pe care o am conține toate volumele din trilogie, așa încât voi trece cât de curând la al doilea.
Mai e circa un mileniu până la sfârșitul timpului. Asta descoperă omenirea dintr-un viitor aflat peste un milion de an. O omenire ce posedă bănci de energie cu ajutorul cărora poate crea orice – de la obiecte și forme de relief la ființe vii. Totul e un joc, o sursă de amuzament – chiar și dramele, fărădelegile. Fiecare om are colecții imense cu obiecte și ființe aduse de pe alte planete, ori din trecutul omenirii. Și unul dintre ei se îndrăgostește de o femeie din Anglia victoriană, fiind dispus chiar să călătorească după ea în acel timp, ale cărui limitări și legi îi rămân de neînțeles.
Moorcock nu e primul autor la care întâlnesc această ușurință de a se juca, de a jongla cu idei și personaje ce transcend umanitatea așa cum era ea văzută în anii ’70. Pentru un cititor ca mine, la care firul logic și rigurozitatea sunt esențiale în aprecierea unei opere literare, misiunea unui asemenea scriitor e dificilă. Dar Moorcock se achită de ea atât de bine, încât l-am savurat în totalitate. Episodul călătoriei în secolul al XIX-lea, incapacitatea personajului din viitor de a înțelege ce pățește acolo, că nu e vorba despre un joc, ci despre tragismul vieții, mi s-a părut fabulos (probabil că aici a rezonat din plin cu viziunea mea asupra vieții). Din fericire, cartea pe care o am conține toate volumele din trilogie, așa încât voi trece cât de curând la al doilea.
October 2, 2025
My first Moorcock. A guy called Jherek lives in a post-scarcity far future. He has an interest in the 19th century and flies around in a steam locomotive he fashioned himself. At a party he comes across a supposed time-traveller, a lady from Victorian England called Mrs Amelia Underwood, and decides that his next project will be falling in "love" with her, and maybe learning what she means about "virtue", a quaint and old-fashioned idea.
This actually held up quite well given its age and I think Moorcock's ideas for a post-scarcity utopia and what its inhabitants would feel and do are quite reasonable. The way they're constantly remaking the world according to their whims reminds me of virtual spaces like Second Life. The fact that we do act this way in spaces where such control is possible makes me think he was on the money. He's also charmingly liberal about it, unlike a certain conservative writer I once read who thought humans with total power and immortality would still have strict gender roles.
I found the writing slightly grating and grandiose to begin with but adjusted eventually. It's funny, too. Some of the plot points seem barely internally consistent and required a lot of suspension of disbelief, but it's a fun pulpy read so with such low stakes, it's not a big deal. It doesn't take itself seriously.
My main gripe was the length. This book ends abruptly at what feels like halfway into the story. It's not particularly long, either, so why leave it on a jarring cliffhanger and not just... Write the rest of the book? I feel like I need to continue the series now, but only out of annoyance.
I enjoyed this though, and in general I'll happily read more of his stuff.
This actually held up quite well given its age and I think Moorcock's ideas for a post-scarcity utopia and what its inhabitants would feel and do are quite reasonable. The way they're constantly remaking the world according to their whims reminds me of virtual spaces like Second Life. The fact that we do act this way in spaces where such control is possible makes me think he was on the money. He's also charmingly liberal about it, unlike a certain conservative writer I once read who thought humans with total power and immortality would still have strict gender roles.
I found the writing slightly grating and grandiose to begin with but adjusted eventually. It's funny, too. Some of the plot points seem barely internally consistent and required a lot of suspension of disbelief, but it's a fun pulpy read so with such low stakes, it's not a big deal. It doesn't take itself seriously.
My main gripe was the length. This book ends abruptly at what feels like halfway into the story. It's not particularly long, either, so why leave it on a jarring cliffhanger and not just... Write the rest of the book? I feel like I need to continue the series now, but only out of annoyance.
I enjoyed this though, and in general I'll happily read more of his stuff.
September 15, 2025
Michael Moorcock is ADHD manifested as literary fiction. The first chapters with Jherek Carnelian is like the author just included everything he thought about in the moment. You just jump on the space train and just think; okay that is just how it is.
Another interesting aspect is the aliens or future humans fascination with the Victorian era. as someone who loves The Lady in White, Little Woman and Dracula, this is just fun as heck. I totally buy in of how quickly Jherek falls for Amelia Underwood.
However the pacing is kinda off, so either have to read it in one go or twos.
But as The Twilight Man and the "first" Elric book i can recommend this, if you hunger for some fun adventures reading with alot interesting ideas. :D
Another interesting aspect is the aliens or future humans fascination with the Victorian era. as someone who loves The Lady in White, Little Woman and Dracula, this is just fun as heck. I totally buy in of how quickly Jherek falls for Amelia Underwood.
However the pacing is kinda off, so either have to read it in one go or twos.
But as The Twilight Man and the "first" Elric book i can recommend this, if you hunger for some fun adventures reading with alot interesting ideas. :D
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