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Dancers at the End of Time #3
Laulun loppu
For the hedonistic immortals who dwell at the End of Time, the return of Jherek Carnelian with Mrs. Amelia Underwood - a reluctant time-traveler from Victorian England - is cause for jubilant celebration. Led by Jherek's mother, the Iron Orchid, the immortals set off on a mad spree of spectacular festivities. And in no time at all, Amelia, with her radiant beauty and quaintly platonic way of looking at things (especially Jherek), becomes the toast of the End of Time.
But as the pandemonium progresses, some delicious and long-held mysteries are revealed and some distressing omens appear on the horizon. Due to circumstances beyond their control, immortality - at least as far as the immortals know it - will never be the same again.
But as the pandemonium progresses, some delicious and long-held mysteries are revealed and some distressing omens appear on the horizon. Due to circumstances beyond their control, immortality - at least as far as the immortals know it - will never be the same again.
327 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
11 people are currently reading
576 people want to read
About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,210 books3,752 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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July 29, 2021
Stunning, absolutely stunning.
Dancers at the End of Time, a cycle of three novels:
Book One: An Alien Heat
Book Two: The Hollow Lands
Book Three: The End of All Songs
The End of All Songs picks up where The Hollow Lands left off. Jherek Carnelian and Mrs Amelia Underwood are stranded on a beach during the Palaeozoic era, a time in Earth's evolution before birds and mammals.
I suppose one could turn to The End of All Songs without reading the first and second book of this Michael Moorcock trilogy, but having familiarity with all the many colorful characters will make for a richer, creamier, tastier, more satisfying read.
Assuming one has finished An Alien Heat and The Hollow Lands, I'll take an immediate shift to clips from an End of All Songs highlight reel -
SCENE MOST SUBLIME
"'It is simple,' she said, 'and it is magnificent! Look, Mr. Carnelian! It goes on forever. It is the world! So much of it. All virgin. Not even a wild beast to disturb its vast serenity. Imagine what Mr Ruskin would say to all this...Oh, Mr Carnelian - it is Eden. It is!'" So proclaims Amelia Underwood looking atop a cliff across the broad Palaeozoic expanse. And with Ameilia's mention of John Ruskin (along with Walter Pater, Ruskin was the most influential 19th century English thinker in the field of aesthetics and philosophy of art) we can detect a softening of the dear lady's rigid moral and religious categories, expanding out to appreciate the sublime beauty of nature in its pristine glory. Amelia's words here foreshadow her not so distant future radical transformation.
FARCICAL AND FAR-OUT
"Swaggering, in torn and mephitic striped pyjamas, a three foot high humanoid, with a bulbous nose, pear-shaped head, huge protuberant ears, facial whiskers, a silver dinner-fork in one hand and a silver dinner knife in the other, emerged from the ferns."
From the above description, we know Captain Mubbers and his five fellow Lats have made their way to the placid Palaeozoic. It's not long before Amelia, Jherek and an Inspector Springer, police officer in the service of Her Majesty the Queen, ask the Lats to join them for tea and biscuits.
However, the very next morning the trio wake to discover Captain Mubbers and his men, dirty little deceitful aliens that they are, have absconded with the hamper containing all their provisions. Thus the chase is on.
Michael Moorcock's inclusion of Captain Mubbers and his Lats along with Inspector Springer (guy can't give up his role as official guardian of the law even when 19th century England whence he came no longer exists) adds much broad slapstick humor.
CORNELIUS QUARTET CONNECTION
Out of the blue, blue sea, that is, there appears a power boat with two black-clad figures. As Jherek and the others quickly learn, one of those black-clad figures is female - heart-shape face, large blue-grey eyes, full mouth. "I am Mrs Persson."
Fans of Michael Moorcock's The Corenlius Quartet will be thrilled gorgeous Una Persson pops up at the opportune moment to transport Jherek and company to the End of Time.
Una Persson also treats Jherek and Amelia to lovely bits of philosophy revolving around time and the multiverse, Chronon Theory and Morphail Theory, "Yet there is a particular theory which suggests that with every one discovery we make about Time, we create two new mysteries. Time can never be codified, as Space can be, because our very thoughts, our information about it, our action based on that information, all contribute to extend the boundaries to produce new anomalies, new aspects of Time's nature."
Una, you're such a sweetie, especially when you wax sagacious. "Time is a dream - or a nightmare - from which there is never any waking. We who travel in Time are dreamers who occasionally share a common experience. To retain one's identity, to retain some sense of meaning in one's own life, that is all the time-traveler can hope for."
FIRE AND BRIMSTONE
There’s a hilarious Monty Python skit featuring Graham Chapman wearing the peaked cap and uniform of an army colonel from the waist up along with a ballerina’s tutu and pink leotards. The comedy is all in the sharp contrast.
Likewise, when the travelers return to the End of Time with its spectacular architecture, breathtaking landscapes and magnificent metamorphosing, who, of all people, shows up on the scene - Amelia's husband Harold Underwood. The contrast between Harold and the aesthetically attuned, amoral denizens of the End of Time couldn't be sharper.
Oh, yes, there he is, fresh from 19th century England, a religious fanatic who's an insufferable combination John Calvin, John Knox and Jonathan Edwards, a man forever at the ready to hurl harsh judgement at all who do not see things his way. And, predictably, Harold casts his harshest judgement on wife Amelia, exacerbated by Jherek saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. The scenes with Harold Underwood are among the funniest in the entire trilogy.
A NEW AMELIA
Recall I mentioned Amelia Underwood's transformation back there. "From the next morning it was as if a strange fever took possession of Amelia Underwood. her appearance in their breakfast room was spectacular. She was clad in crimson silk trimmed with gold and silver, rather oriental in influence. There were curling slippers upon her feet; there were ostrich and peacock feathers decorating her hair and it was evident that she had painted or otherwise altered her face for the eyelids were starling blue, the eyebrows plucked and their length exaggerated, the lips fuller and of astonishing redness, the cheeks glowing with what could only be rouge. Her smile was unusually wide, her kiss unexpectedly warm, her embrace almost sensual; scent drifted behind her as she took her place at the other end of the table."
GRAND FINALE
The concluding chapters of The End of All Songs not only serve as the ending for this novel but also the entire Dancers at the End of Time trilogy. For me, reading these chapters was like listening to the final movement of a Bach Brandenburg Concerto, the component parts of Space/Time swirling with stupendous energy, coming together and interconnecting with clarity, harmony and great beauty.
I've said enough. I encourage you to read for yourself. Thank you, Sir Michael!
British author Michael Moorcock, born 1939 - the good guys always wear white hats
March 29, 2012
The third and last entry in the Dancers at the End of Time is a different beast from the first two books, An Alien Heat and The Hollow Lands. Gone is the lightness of the first two novels, for the most part; the End of Time, it seems, is growing up, insofar as there is a lot more darkness and torment on display here.
I understand what Mr. Moorcock was trying to accomplish, taking his lighthearted characters, especially Jherek himself, and trying to see them change and mature under the strain of events. I respect the decision to add depth to his emotions. But at the same time, I'm forced to admit that, in so doing, Moorcock has chased much of the joy and happiness that made the first two novels so much fun to read.
That's not to say the result is bad. Central to the conclusion of the trilogy is the growing relationship between Jherek Carnelian and his beloved Mrs. Amelia Underwood. It's a testament to Moorcock's greatness that he made Amelia into a full-fledged, complex, intelligent, tortured soul. Her struggle to adapt to the End of Time is poignant, fully realized, and harrowing at times. I'm grateful that she turned out much, much more than just a blank canvas that Jherek gets to project his love upon, which is often the case of heroines throughout fiction, especially in SF.
Another large part of The End of All Songs concerns itself with the fate of Time and the Multiverse. This large part of the story detracted from the characters' growth. This is made even worse by the fact that the first two novels "trained" their readers to not give much credence to doomsayers; we are shown that the denizens at the End of Time care very little about anything as boring as the End of the Universe, and so, when they turn around and start actually giving a damn, it's hard to do so as well.
Overall, the third volume of the series was worth it to see Amelia fully come into her own as a strong female character in her own right, and to see her relationship with Jherek grow, mature, and struggle to resolve itself. But by the time the novel ended, I felt I had overstayed my welcome a bit at the End of Time, and that it was time to put these beloved characters to rest.
I understand what Mr. Moorcock was trying to accomplish, taking his lighthearted characters, especially Jherek himself, and trying to see them change and mature under the strain of events. I respect the decision to add depth to his emotions. But at the same time, I'm forced to admit that, in so doing, Moorcock has chased much of the joy and happiness that made the first two novels so much fun to read.
That's not to say the result is bad. Central to the conclusion of the trilogy is the growing relationship between Jherek Carnelian and his beloved Mrs. Amelia Underwood. It's a testament to Moorcock's greatness that he made Amelia into a full-fledged, complex, intelligent, tortured soul. Her struggle to adapt to the End of Time is poignant, fully realized, and harrowing at times. I'm grateful that she turned out much, much more than just a blank canvas that Jherek gets to project his love upon, which is often the case of heroines throughout fiction, especially in SF.
Another large part of The End of All Songs concerns itself with the fate of Time and the Multiverse. This large part of the story detracted from the characters' growth. This is made even worse by the fact that the first two novels "trained" their readers to not give much credence to doomsayers; we are shown that the denizens at the End of Time care very little about anything as boring as the End of the Universe, and so, when they turn around and start actually giving a damn, it's hard to do so as well.
Overall, the third volume of the series was worth it to see Amelia fully come into her own as a strong female character in her own right, and to see her relationship with Jherek grow, mature, and struggle to resolve itself. But by the time the novel ended, I felt I had overstayed my welcome a bit at the End of Time, and that it was time to put these beloved characters to rest.
April 30, 2020
As the title intimates, Moorcock brought his Dancers at the End of Time trilogy to a close with this volume. (Though he later couldn't resist adding on from time to time.) It's much longer than the first two books, An Alien Heat and The Hollow Lands, and has a much darker tone with less humor and silliness. He does a very good job in portraying the evolution and development of the characters. The book also spends more time in explaining the Eternal Champion saga and multiverse tapestry and fitting many pieces of this milieu into the puzzle. If you thought -your-family was messed up, check out Jerry Cornelius (or, here, Jherek Carnelian) and his.
November 12, 2023
The Dancers at the End of Time trilogy comes to an end. I thoroughly enjoyed these madcap journeys alongside Jherek Carnelian, Amelia Underwood, Lord Jagged, Iron Orchid, Mongrove, Duke of Queens, Bishop Castle, Morphail, The Lat, de Goathe, and even HG Wells himself, the time traveler in tweed. And the book is nearly all cast and canvas -- perhaps that is what drives it to be an emblem of absurd SF Fantasy. If you can't digest the head-scratching theater of time travel, all dressed in psychedelic abandon while touched with Victorian charms, then this may not be for you. The problem with this final volume is how Moorcock spends the entire middle of the book in a dying city with his cast of characters coming in and out of the frame like a bareboned stage play. It is bloated, and dare I say, boring. It was as if he lost his sense of wonder nearing the finish line, and fed the reader dialogue by the bucketfuls. Still, quite an achievement, and I'll never look at the prehistoric Silurian.Paleozoic era the same way. May Jerry Cornelius (I mean Jherek Carnelian) live and prosper beyond time.
March 18, 2008
End of All Songs tied up the loose ends of the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy nicely. I liked it but it wasn't as funny as the first two.
August 3, 2025
Michael Moorcock wraps up the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy with The End of All Songs, and it’s as eccentric, funny, and strange as you’d hope. Jherek Carnelian is a wonderfully odd hero — romantic, naïve, and out of his depth as the end finally comes for the immortals.
One of my favorite things is hearing the familiar names and places crossing over from the larger multiverse — Wheldrake, Tanelorn (very prominent in Elric), and echoes of other heroes. Jherek himself fits neatly into that web of identities, alongside figures like Jerry Cornelius, Corum Jhaelen Irsei, and Jagged of Canaria (there are a lot of multiverse characters with the initials J.C.). Moorcock makes the collapse of one decadent world feel like part of a much bigger pattern.
It’s playful, apocalyptic, and at times, surprisingly moving — exactly the kind of wild, genre-bending finale I’ve come to expect from Moorcock.
One of my favorite things is hearing the familiar names and places crossing over from the larger multiverse — Wheldrake, Tanelorn (very prominent in Elric), and echoes of other heroes. Jherek himself fits neatly into that web of identities, alongside figures like Jerry Cornelius, Corum Jhaelen Irsei, and Jagged of Canaria (there are a lot of multiverse characters with the initials J.C.). Moorcock makes the collapse of one decadent world feel like part of a much bigger pattern.
It’s playful, apocalyptic, and at times, surprisingly moving — exactly the kind of wild, genre-bending finale I’ve come to expect from Moorcock.
January 2, 2011
Didn't finish this one. I remember reading the first book about ten years ago. It was sweet. The second was a slog. The third, well... Moorcock is a very creative writer, just not always the best at keeping interest in plot and character.
January 14, 2019
The trilogy reaches its conclusion. What a strange, twisting tale it is. I love the universe of this series, but found the way it’s used boring. I only vaguely remember how everything is wrapped up. There is peril, peril is averted, and life moves on.
March 12, 2022
Mi-a plăcut mult.
Jherek și Amelia Underwood rămân captivi în Devonian. Acolo primesc vizita unor călători temporali care par să vină de pe o altă linie temporală și care-i ajută să ajungă înapoi în viitor. Un viitor în care află că sfârșitul timpului e accelerat de faptul că oamenii din timpul lui Jherek consumă întreaga energie a universului pentru „puterile” lor prin care modelează materia, spațiul și timpul după bunul plac. Dar mai află ceva: că e posibil ca sfârșitul timpului să nu fie un capăt de drum.
O carte în care Moorcock încearcă să dezvolte conceptele prezentate în precedentele volume, legându-le într-un tot unitar, oferind o imagine de ansamblu mai complexă, fără însă a renunța la punctele forte ale seriei. Am apreciat în continuare umorul, care reușește să fie extrem de natural și proaspăt, fără a duce textul în ridicol, combinându-se cu probleme profunde de moralitate. O serie care a constituit o surpriză foarte plăcută, cu un stil atipic pentru lecturile mele.
Jherek și Amelia Underwood rămân captivi în Devonian. Acolo primesc vizita unor călători temporali care par să vină de pe o altă linie temporală și care-i ajută să ajungă înapoi în viitor. Un viitor în care află că sfârșitul timpului e accelerat de faptul că oamenii din timpul lui Jherek consumă întreaga energie a universului pentru „puterile” lor prin care modelează materia, spațiul și timpul după bunul plac. Dar mai află ceva: că e posibil ca sfârșitul timpului să nu fie un capăt de drum.
O carte în care Moorcock încearcă să dezvolte conceptele prezentate în precedentele volume, legându-le într-un tot unitar, oferind o imagine de ansamblu mai complexă, fără însă a renunța la punctele forte ale seriei. Am apreciat în continuare umorul, care reușește să fie extrem de natural și proaspăt, fără a duce textul în ridicol, combinându-se cu probleme profunde de moralitate. O serie care a constituit o surpriză foarte plăcută, cu un stil atipic pentru lecturile mele.
February 24, 2022
I think this could be the weakest book in the trilogy. It started off well, but the 'mystery' of what Jagged was up was solved far too soon, and the middle part of the book really dragged as what is left of humanity prepares to survive the end of time. What may have been funny in the earlier books just seemed a bit repetitive in this one, and the sudden appearance of the Lat, Mr. Underwood and the Policemen, all seemed a bit too much.
Still, it did pick up a bit towards the end and I did kind of like how the Amelia and Jherek go on with their lives - even if modern genetics might show how unlikely just two people could perpetuate a viable new species.
Overall, an intriguing, fun and sometimes silly story, but I did enjoy the trilogy and look forward to tracking down more books by this author.
Still, it did pick up a bit towards the end and I did kind of like how the Amelia and Jherek go on with their lives - even if modern genetics might show how unlikely just two people could perpetuate a viable new species.
Overall, an intriguing, fun and sometimes silly story, but I did enjoy the trilogy and look forward to tracking down more books by this author.
July 30, 2019
These are great books. Taking place at the end of time where technology has peaked and people can create anything they want on demand(including reincarnation) using their minds and these power rings. Consequently there are no morals or values and people live only to enjoy themselves and experience all they can. These people are naive in the most innocent way and their conversations corroborate that. After three books, listening to them converse the way they do, I don't ever want to read another one. Still a great book like Michael moorcocks books always are. 4 stars.
July 16, 2024
This is kind of the most zany and the most philosophical of the trilogy. But it's also the funniest and Iron Orchid and Jherek's little pet names just kept getting sillier and sillier. I think at one point he called her "The firmest of metals" *DEAD*
January 11, 2025
The final Dancers at the End of time novel is interesting and fun, though for me it dragged on overly long.
November 3, 2016
This is a review of the entire Dancers at the End of Time trilogy.
The setting is Earth at the end of time, and humanity has achieved immortality, seemingly inexhaustible energy sources, and highly advanced technology that you can use to create anything imaginable by manipulating power rings. But because the human race has been around for millions and millions of years, concepts that are so integral to our lives like work, religion, philosophy, art, and morality have lost all meaning. So instead of using their nearly unlimited power to create great monuments or explore the galaxy, our descendants throw elaborate parties where they try to one-up each other and have casual sex regardless of gender or familial relation.
It’s never made clear exactly how humanity came to this point of ultimate decadence but it reminds me of the Stanislaw Lem short story “Altruizine,” collected in his fantastic book The Cyberiad. In this story, the constructor Klaupacius travels to a planet with a civilization that has attained the Highest Possible Level of Development (H.P.L.D.). Instead of doing advanced scientific or altruistic works, the inhabitants of this planet (which is shaped like a cube) loaf about in hyper-intelligent sand and only pick their noses or scratch their butts. Eventually, after some coercion, an inhabitant of this planet explains that .
So, probably with a similar outlook, the inhabitants of the Earth at the end of time only party, trying out different styles, ideas, and experiences out of an unquenchable desire for novelty. Of course, if Moorcock’s The Dancers at the End of Time was only this elaborate setting, the trilogy would quickly become boring. The conflict comes from time travelers that end up stranded in this idyll and find it disgusting debauchery but are unable to escape because of the nature of time travel in this cosmos. The protagonist, Jherek Carnelian, the last man born from a womb (rather than created as a fully-formed adult), and thus a darling of this future society, decides that his latest affectation is going to be falling in love with one of the time travelers, a woman named Mrs. Underwood from a 19th century suburb of London. The interplay and misunderstandings between Jherek and Mrs. Underwood form the comic core of these novels. Every interaction between a delight to read. And the plot is fast-paced. Moorcock throws up marvel after marvel, twist after twist. I highly recommend this trilogy, which ties in with Moorcock’s multiverse, but is such a contrast to the grim seriousness of other Eternal Champions like Elric.
The setting is Earth at the end of time, and humanity has achieved immortality, seemingly inexhaustible energy sources, and highly advanced technology that you can use to create anything imaginable by manipulating power rings. But because the human race has been around for millions and millions of years, concepts that are so integral to our lives like work, religion, philosophy, art, and morality have lost all meaning. So instead of using their nearly unlimited power to create great monuments or explore the galaxy, our descendants throw elaborate parties where they try to one-up each other and have casual sex regardless of gender or familial relation.
It’s never made clear exactly how humanity came to this point of ultimate decadence but it reminds me of the Stanislaw Lem short story “Altruizine,” collected in his fantastic book The Cyberiad. In this story, the constructor Klaupacius travels to a planet with a civilization that has attained the Highest Possible Level of Development (H.P.L.D.). Instead of doing advanced scientific or altruistic works, the inhabitants of this planet (which is shaped like a cube) loaf about in hyper-intelligent sand and only pick their noses or scratch their butts. Eventually, after some coercion, an inhabitant of this planet explains that .
So, probably with a similar outlook, the inhabitants of the Earth at the end of time only party, trying out different styles, ideas, and experiences out of an unquenchable desire for novelty. Of course, if Moorcock’s The Dancers at the End of Time was only this elaborate setting, the trilogy would quickly become boring. The conflict comes from time travelers that end up stranded in this idyll and find it disgusting debauchery but are unable to escape because of the nature of time travel in this cosmos. The protagonist, Jherek Carnelian, the last man born from a womb (rather than created as a fully-formed adult), and thus a darling of this future society, decides that his latest affectation is going to be falling in love with one of the time travelers, a woman named Mrs. Underwood from a 19th century suburb of London. The interplay and misunderstandings between Jherek and Mrs. Underwood form the comic core of these novels. Every interaction between a delight to read. And the plot is fast-paced. Moorcock throws up marvel after marvel, twist after twist. I highly recommend this trilogy, which ties in with Moorcock’s multiverse, but is such a contrast to the grim seriousness of other Eternal Champions like Elric.
September 11, 2019
To briefly recapitulate, Mrs Amelia Underwood was an unwilling visitor from her life in 1896 Bromley to the world of the far far future, The End of Time, where the denizens are immortal and amoral hedonists, able to conjure whatever environment they wish by dint of their power rings. Her original kidnapping, it begins to become clear may have been behind the complex machinations of the enigmatic Lord Jagged of Canaria.
The intelligent but woefully innocent (in many senses of the word) Jherek Carnelian, the last human to be produced from a natural childbirth, falls in love with Mrs Underwood. The previous volumes involve Jherek attempting to woo this rather strictured lady, bound by the mores and social boundaries of the Victorian age. He pursues her across time, and this volume begins with them stranded, along with some rather caricatured police officers and rapacious aliens, in the Palaeozoic era.
In the meantime, other aliens have arrived at The End of Time to warn Earth that the universe is dying due to the hedonists' power rings having drained virtually every star of its energy. Soon, everyone will die.
Moorcock's fabulous trilogy reaches its conclusion here and left me smiling with the irony of the timing of its release in 1976; that idyllic summer which seemed to have stretched itself from March to October, and through which I, and my sixteen year old friends, drifted through decadent days of fairly guiltless hedonism, refusing to accept that Winter would eventually arrive with all sorts of metaphorical and unpleasant surprises.
John Clute claims, in his lengthy and very informative introduction, that Moorcock invented Steampunk, with some justification, one has to say. Certainly, in the Carnelian novels, (and more tellingly in the Oswald Bastable books) there is a certain Victorian flavour assisted by random temporal trips to the period.
Jherek is of course another aspect of his ubiquitous avatar, The Eternal Champion, who exists across the planes of Moorcock's multiverse, ambivalently representing either Order or Chaos in their eternal battle. Here, one could argue, Jherek represents Chaos and Amelia, from her life of stifling rules and rigid social etiquette, represents the forces of Order.
In this instance it would appear, Order and Chaos achieve some kind of harmonic balance as one side adjusts to the other.
It's a unique creation, a darkly comic post-modern neo-scientific-romance of manners and morals. Moorcock brings in some of his other vast multiverse cast, such as Una Persson and Oswald Bastable, and one suspects he slipped in HG Wells' time traveller, just to confuse issues.
Wonderful stuff.
Previous volumes:
An Alien Heat
The Hollow Lands
The intelligent but woefully innocent (in many senses of the word) Jherek Carnelian, the last human to be produced from a natural childbirth, falls in love with Mrs Underwood. The previous volumes involve Jherek attempting to woo this rather strictured lady, bound by the mores and social boundaries of the Victorian age. He pursues her across time, and this volume begins with them stranded, along with some rather caricatured police officers and rapacious aliens, in the Palaeozoic era.
In the meantime, other aliens have arrived at The End of Time to warn Earth that the universe is dying due to the hedonists' power rings having drained virtually every star of its energy. Soon, everyone will die.
Moorcock's fabulous trilogy reaches its conclusion here and left me smiling with the irony of the timing of its release in 1976; that idyllic summer which seemed to have stretched itself from March to October, and through which I, and my sixteen year old friends, drifted through decadent days of fairly guiltless hedonism, refusing to accept that Winter would eventually arrive with all sorts of metaphorical and unpleasant surprises.
John Clute claims, in his lengthy and very informative introduction, that Moorcock invented Steampunk, with some justification, one has to say. Certainly, in the Carnelian novels, (and more tellingly in the Oswald Bastable books) there is a certain Victorian flavour assisted by random temporal trips to the period.
Jherek is of course another aspect of his ubiquitous avatar, The Eternal Champion, who exists across the planes of Moorcock's multiverse, ambivalently representing either Order or Chaos in their eternal battle. Here, one could argue, Jherek represents Chaos and Amelia, from her life of stifling rules and rigid social etiquette, represents the forces of Order.
In this instance it would appear, Order and Chaos achieve some kind of harmonic balance as one side adjusts to the other.
It's a unique creation, a darkly comic post-modern neo-scientific-romance of manners and morals. Moorcock brings in some of his other vast multiverse cast, such as Una Persson and Oswald Bastable, and one suspects he slipped in HG Wells' time traveller, just to confuse issues.
Wonderful stuff.
Previous volumes:
An Alien Heat
The Hollow Lands
August 30, 2011
My favourite 1970s science fiction book, bar none, and in many ways (IMHO), one of the best. Moorcock claims he wrote this as a riposte and critical response to the popularity of fantasy fiction like 'The Lord of the Rings', (which he called "epic Winnie-the-Pooh").
The trilogy is a joy from start to finish - a bit like Steampunk written by New Romantics, the Earth is populated at the end of time by carefree dandies with god-like powers. I'd certainly like to live there. Droll, funny, inventive, psychedelic, sardonic, a good plot with a satisfying ending (even though there are two more books ('Legends From the End of Time', and 'The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming') that are considered part of the series). Moorcock's love of language is obvious - this is a trilogy that would be fantastic if narrated by Stephen Fry - and he seems to be having tremendous fun writing the fantastical events at the End of Time and elsewhere.
The only thing I can think of that even comes close to this in tone (though taking itself a lot more seriously) is 'The Diamond Age' by Neal Stephenson - apart from more Moorcock, that is.
Never gets old, never fails to delight. Highly recommended.
(Review applies to the 'Dancers at the End of Time' trilogy as a whole - 'An Alien Heat', 'The Hollow Lands', 'The End of All Songs')
The trilogy is a joy from start to finish - a bit like Steampunk written by New Romantics, the Earth is populated at the end of time by carefree dandies with god-like powers. I'd certainly like to live there. Droll, funny, inventive, psychedelic, sardonic, a good plot with a satisfying ending (even though there are two more books ('Legends From the End of Time', and 'The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming') that are considered part of the series). Moorcock's love of language is obvious - this is a trilogy that would be fantastic if narrated by Stephen Fry - and he seems to be having tremendous fun writing the fantastical events at the End of Time and elsewhere.
The only thing I can think of that even comes close to this in tone (though taking itself a lot more seriously) is 'The Diamond Age' by Neal Stephenson - apart from more Moorcock, that is.
Never gets old, never fails to delight. Highly recommended.
(Review applies to the 'Dancers at the End of Time' trilogy as a whole - 'An Alien Heat', 'The Hollow Lands', 'The End of All Songs')
October 29, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in February 2001.
The conclusion of The Dancers at the End of Time trilogy opens at almost the opposite point in the earth's history, with Jherek Carnelian and Amelia Underwood marooned in the distant past, in the Devonian period with a broken time machine. They are eventually rescued, and return to the end of time, depicted more sombrely than before, to witness the end of the universe that had been predicted by aliens, seeking to warn pleasure loving earth dwellers that their massive consumption would bring the end much sooner.
The way in which this points a finger at our society is if anything more obvious than it was a quarter of a century ago. The whole of the series is a commentary on the present, as much of science fiction is designed to be; this is a particularly successful example.
This third in the trilogy is much darker than the first two, and the description of the earth as the end approaches and things begin to fail is quite chilling. While pessimistic, the novel does have positive moments. All in all, it is a satisfying ending to one of the best trilogies in science fiction.
The conclusion of The Dancers at the End of Time trilogy opens at almost the opposite point in the earth's history, with Jherek Carnelian and Amelia Underwood marooned in the distant past, in the Devonian period with a broken time machine. They are eventually rescued, and return to the end of time, depicted more sombrely than before, to witness the end of the universe that had been predicted by aliens, seeking to warn pleasure loving earth dwellers that their massive consumption would bring the end much sooner.
The way in which this points a finger at our society is if anything more obvious than it was a quarter of a century ago. The whole of the series is a commentary on the present, as much of science fiction is designed to be; this is a particularly successful example.
This third in the trilogy is much darker than the first two, and the description of the earth as the end approaches and things begin to fail is quite chilling. While pessimistic, the novel does have positive moments. All in all, it is a satisfying ending to one of the best trilogies in science fiction.
October 30, 2012
This is a hard series to explain. It begins humorously enough, as a riff on the madness of a world without cause and effect. It continues along in its dark comedy through the three books, but the final novel hit home with me on a specifically terrifying level. The last half of the book seems to be a meditation on the nature of infinity, which is a concept I have wrestled with my entire life. For me, it was very difficult to read, late at night, wanting to shut down for the day. It forced me into a tangle of philosophical thought. What seems on the surface to be just s supremely absurd parody ends up being quite profound, IMHO. Very different from the Elric series (which makes it even more bizarre when he tries to combine the two).
December 5, 2012
The end of the trilogy and this book had some very glorious moments. I was a little disappointed there was not more time travel, but the end of the universe was pretty spectacular. I loved that in the last day Jherek was very happy. I enjoyed the development of Mrs. Underwood. I think the end of time lost some of its magic when it went from being doomed to an eternally secure heaven. I loved the decedance in the face of destruction more than decedance in the face of eternal boredom. Still this was a very satisfying end to the trilogy and the whole thing was lots of fun. I will definitely try and read some more Moorcock in 2011.
May 18, 2013
The End of All Songs by Michael Moorcock is a story I have read many times. Moorcock excels himself with this amusing story of life at the end of time, and indeed many other times. The characters at the end of time are like Oscar Wilde on speed and equally as absorbing with their decadent and confronting behaviour, a real mirror on society and its norms. I love the way history is twisted by misinformation due to the tyranny of time and the way that all the beings are merely actors in life. Something to be preserved for ever.
Read
August 6, 2011i can't even believe i like these books so much- Moorcock is naturally a genius, but i really didn't have any interest in reading this series but now i have it's undoubtedly one of my favourites! the best bit for me was Bastable and Una Perrson showing up near the begining, and her asking if they were in Tanelorn- so exciting!
July 27, 2011
love the whole Dancers at the end of Time series having first read it while still in high-school. This is the same edition, same cover as the one I first had. It' since been lost now. Truly one of the most deliciously romantic time-twisting tales of human hubris ever.
August 27, 2021
Really drags at the end.
December 21, 2021
P8 shades of Alice in Wonderland - being virtuous is doing the opposite of what you want
Fashion and play
The play of language -
The genuine is often disappointing
Dangerous Liaisons
P61 li pao acts to speak truth to the other characters but has his own delusions “his eyes shine as he warmed to his theme and felt the full power of his own heroism surging through him”
Jhereks declaration of love p82
“She took a startled step backward and bumped against a wine tank. It made a faint sloshing”
“Jherek had never experienced anything particularly close to misery before, but she was beginning to understand the meaning of the word”
“I want to make love to you” he said reasonably
P105 jherek sad and this is what brings Mrs underwood to him - and then she disappears. charlotinas revenge!
P118 she leered at him and politely he leered back
Up to p160 London 1869 was rubbish - “cor blimey” and snoozers
P162
“Oh you are the best of us!”
“You are cruel” - “to a degree”
Lovely ambivalent ending - has jherek changed at all? “How do you mean mother, happy?”
A nice meta touch at the start of the second book; “the world awaits the outcome”
P177 shanalorm - ancient city, loved the descriptions and the moods of the characters
P244 nursey and the children actually ends up being a pleasant and fun diversion
“Good evening sir you have a table? Turning astonished; not with me” 250
P250 meeting HG Wells - it’s a bit crass, clumsy - Kipling, but then he illuminated and paints the age: Pett Ridge In 1924, fellow novelist Edwin Pugh recalled his early memories of Pett Ridge in the 1890s:
I see him most clearly, as he was in those days, through a blue haze of tobacco smoke. We used sometimes to travel together from Waterloo to Worcester Park on our way to spend a Saturday afternoon and evening with H. G. Wells.
And clever as HG wells was born in Bromley
Reunited with Mrs Underwood: He’s not dangerous, he’s from abroad
Meeting mr underwood - working out where everything goes to make children “nnng said Mrs Underwood”
“She dangled her hand in the water in a gesture which for her was almost abandoned”
It will not be long now until we are back in our age and you can pick up my moral education when you were forced to leave it when you were snatched from my arms”
“An imposture? Oh no! How could you think that!
Pause
Mrs Underwood?
Yes mr carnelian?
What is an imposture?”
It was jehreks first encounter with a cheese sandwich. He found it rather hard going”
“Donna Isabella moved a fraction closer to Jherek and he caught the mingled scents of violets and Egyptian cigarettes”
P 326 - night at the cafe royale - hits absolute heights; the whirling of the action and the number of characters and the conversations and declarations too:
“Love love my love but never commit the error of loving a person. The abstraction offers all of the pleasure and none of the pain”
Back to the Palaeozoic
Mrs underwood’s independence- even if not married wouldn’t necessarily marry jherek.
P353 Ernest dowson - decadent movement dregs poem
Fictitious Ernest Wheldrake - pseudonym of Algernon Charles Swinburne
Una Persson
“Even these circumstances, Mr Carnelian, do not permit you to take liberties”
P440 Florence Night of Gales Lady in the Lamp who tended to 500 soldiers in a Single night
P441 mother jealousy - why can’t she delight in my delight?
458 use less energy / they use up the universe
P476 still on English soil. The end of time in England
Increasingly metaphysical 488 with the memory rock in the lost city
The end of time with una persson and others arriving p518
Jherek looked admiringly on. As usual, the arguments were inclined to confuse him, but he thought that amelias assumption of authority was magnificent”
P544 “such is the character of one prone to morbid anxiety that he would rather experience the worst of things than hope for the best”
“Th infinite universe is a playground. To take it seriously is to demean it”
P548 prisoners and cages - a theme from earlier in the menagerie- is a week on a time loop in eternity a cage or a playground?
P554 travelling in the petrol of a petroleum tanker
Amelia distressed, Jherek can’t talk - it’s painful and well realise the difficulties of communication in relationships
585 a cosmic sense of humour - (this involved making obvious ironies about things commonly observed by the simplest intelligences)
“The kettle” he breathed as if the words had some kind of mystic significance for him. “splendid”
611 - how two people complement each other - morality brings texture to life- you only speak in artistic terms, it is all I have. Morality is texture, texture is the meaning of a painting - it’s shape - not the subject
623 We have our love - but can’t you see that’s what I fear most? What love without time, without death? It is love without sadness surely. Could that be love without purpose? Love is love
Fashion and play
The play of language -
The genuine is often disappointing
Dangerous Liaisons
P61 li pao acts to speak truth to the other characters but has his own delusions “his eyes shine as he warmed to his theme and felt the full power of his own heroism surging through him”
Jhereks declaration of love p82
“She took a startled step backward and bumped against a wine tank. It made a faint sloshing”
“Jherek had never experienced anything particularly close to misery before, but she was beginning to understand the meaning of the word”
“I want to make love to you” he said reasonably
P105 jherek sad and this is what brings Mrs underwood to him - and then she disappears. charlotinas revenge!
P118 she leered at him and politely he leered back
Up to p160 London 1869 was rubbish - “cor blimey” and snoozers
P162
“Oh you are the best of us!”
“You are cruel” - “to a degree”
Lovely ambivalent ending - has jherek changed at all? “How do you mean mother, happy?”
A nice meta touch at the start of the second book; “the world awaits the outcome”
P177 shanalorm - ancient city, loved the descriptions and the moods of the characters
P244 nursey and the children actually ends up being a pleasant and fun diversion
“Good evening sir you have a table? Turning astonished; not with me” 250
P250 meeting HG Wells - it’s a bit crass, clumsy - Kipling, but then he illuminated and paints the age: Pett Ridge In 1924, fellow novelist Edwin Pugh recalled his early memories of Pett Ridge in the 1890s:
I see him most clearly, as he was in those days, through a blue haze of tobacco smoke. We used sometimes to travel together from Waterloo to Worcester Park on our way to spend a Saturday afternoon and evening with H. G. Wells.
And clever as HG wells was born in Bromley
Reunited with Mrs Underwood: He’s not dangerous, he’s from abroad
Meeting mr underwood - working out where everything goes to make children “nnng said Mrs Underwood”
“She dangled her hand in the water in a gesture which for her was almost abandoned”
It will not be long now until we are back in our age and you can pick up my moral education when you were forced to leave it when you were snatched from my arms”
“An imposture? Oh no! How could you think that!
Pause
Mrs Underwood?
Yes mr carnelian?
What is an imposture?”
It was jehreks first encounter with a cheese sandwich. He found it rather hard going”
“Donna Isabella moved a fraction closer to Jherek and he caught the mingled scents of violets and Egyptian cigarettes”
P 326 - night at the cafe royale - hits absolute heights; the whirling of the action and the number of characters and the conversations and declarations too:
“Love love my love but never commit the error of loving a person. The abstraction offers all of the pleasure and none of the pain”
Back to the Palaeozoic
Mrs underwood’s independence- even if not married wouldn’t necessarily marry jherek.
P353 Ernest dowson - decadent movement dregs poem
Fictitious Ernest Wheldrake - pseudonym of Algernon Charles Swinburne
Una Persson
“Even these circumstances, Mr Carnelian, do not permit you to take liberties”
P440 Florence Night of Gales Lady in the Lamp who tended to 500 soldiers in a Single night
P441 mother jealousy - why can’t she delight in my delight?
458 use less energy / they use up the universe
P476 still on English soil. The end of time in England
Increasingly metaphysical 488 with the memory rock in the lost city
The end of time with una persson and others arriving p518
Jherek looked admiringly on. As usual, the arguments were inclined to confuse him, but he thought that amelias assumption of authority was magnificent”
P544 “such is the character of one prone to morbid anxiety that he would rather experience the worst of things than hope for the best”
“Th infinite universe is a playground. To take it seriously is to demean it”
P548 prisoners and cages - a theme from earlier in the menagerie- is a week on a time loop in eternity a cage or a playground?
P554 travelling in the petrol of a petroleum tanker
Amelia distressed, Jherek can’t talk - it’s painful and well realise the difficulties of communication in relationships
585 a cosmic sense of humour - (this involved making obvious ironies about things commonly observed by the simplest intelligences)
“The kettle” he breathed as if the words had some kind of mystic significance for him. “splendid”
611 - how two people complement each other - morality brings texture to life- you only speak in artistic terms, it is all I have. Morality is texture, texture is the meaning of a painting - it’s shape - not the subject
623 We have our love - but can’t you see that’s what I fear most? What love without time, without death? It is love without sadness surely. Could that be love without purpose? Love is love
January 6, 2022
The End of All Songs - 4/5
An excellent conclusion to Moorcock's masterful Dancers trilogy that stretches itself from the alien shores of the Lower Devonian to the familiar haunts of the end of time. This finale is far less focused on comedy as the previous two volumes, though there is still plenty present, instead centring itself upon the romantic entanglements and internal lives of our two protagonists, Jherek Carnelian and Mrs Amelia Underwood.
This is where the book shines, with these two characters whose struggles, whilst at times a hint too melodramatic for my tastes, are at all times consistent in their drama. Neither individual's moral beliefs change with the snap of a finger as the plot demands. Amelia (the real lead of this book) remains, despite her wild adventures, a late Victorian housewife who can see intellectually that her ideals do not fit her new surroundings but cannot truly divest herself of them entirely. Additionally, Jherek still holds himself as the ever bemused innocent from time's end but he struggles emotionally when he sees the emotional turmoil of his beloved, finally understanding a little of Victorian morals.
Additionally, Moorcock takes the time, with this last novel being almost the same length as the previous two stories combined, to explore more of the philosophical implications of his setting. For example, the end of time's inhabitants seeming lack of moral strictures leads to Amelia's distress, fearing that she will lose her own Victorian morality now that she is stuck with them . This is much to the confusion of Jherek, who does not understand why this should trouble her so deeply.
The ending however feels a little too... clean for me . It feels like a copout, resolving the emotional conflicts of both Amelia and Jherek from an outside source, although this resolution is set up with hints earlier on in the story.
However, the character's stories are still there and stand out as Moorcock's best work in that department (from the work of his I've read at least) and the comedy, whilst tempered down a little, still rings true most of the time, getting a couple of good laughs from me.
Overall, a solid 4 out of 5, reduced one point for the convenient ending and the sometimes overdone melodrama present in some scenes.
An excellent conclusion to Moorcock's masterful Dancers trilogy that stretches itself from the alien shores of the Lower Devonian to the familiar haunts of the end of time. This finale is far less focused on comedy as the previous two volumes, though there is still plenty present, instead centring itself upon the romantic entanglements and internal lives of our two protagonists, Jherek Carnelian and Mrs Amelia Underwood.
This is where the book shines, with these two characters whose struggles, whilst at times a hint too melodramatic for my tastes, are at all times consistent in their drama. Neither individual's moral beliefs change with the snap of a finger as the plot demands. Amelia (the real lead of this book) remains, despite her wild adventures, a late Victorian housewife who can see intellectually that her ideals do not fit her new surroundings but cannot truly divest herself of them entirely. Additionally, Jherek still holds himself as the ever bemused innocent from time's end but he struggles emotionally when he sees the emotional turmoil of his beloved, finally understanding a little of Victorian morals.
Additionally, Moorcock takes the time, with this last novel being almost the same length as the previous two stories combined, to explore more of the philosophical implications of his setting. For example, the end of time's inhabitants seeming lack of moral strictures leads to Amelia's distress, fearing that she will lose her own Victorian morality now that she is stuck with them . This is much to the confusion of Jherek, who does not understand why this should trouble her so deeply.
The ending however feels a little too... clean for me . It feels like a copout, resolving the emotional conflicts of both Amelia and Jherek from an outside source, although this resolution is set up with hints earlier on in the story.
However, the character's stories are still there and stand out as Moorcock's best work in that department (from the work of his I've read at least) and the comedy, whilst tempered down a little, still rings true most of the time, getting a couple of good laughs from me.
Overall, a solid 4 out of 5, reduced one point for the convenient ending and the sometimes overdone melodrama present in some scenes.
August 12, 2021
Finale of a great trilogy. You have to read them in order, IMO, to enjoy and appreciate. The End of All Songs continues the romance-quest, and ups the ante for the protagonist couple and all the characters in this fantastical universe. I was engaged enough as a human, rooting for the species, that aspect of the plot alone would have carried it, I think. But the romance is so well wrought, it's hard to imagine these books without it.
Again, it's a page-turner, and some of the funniest and most creative sci-fi I've ever read. I'd highly recommend the whole trilogy to sci-fi buffs. Besides, the only way you can easily any of the three is AS a trilogy, which is: Dancers at the End of Time. Individual copies, it seems, are collectors items and often go for hundreds of dollars, and the books were only printed as a (650 page ?) set after a few years.
Again, it's a page-turner, and some of the funniest and most creative sci-fi I've ever read. I'd highly recommend the whole trilogy to sci-fi buffs. Besides, the only way you can easily any of the three is AS a trilogy, which is: Dancers at the End of Time. Individual copies, it seems, are collectors items and often go for hundreds of dollars, and the books were only printed as a (650 page ?) set after a few years.
July 20, 2019
This is the concluding part of The Dancers At The End Of Time trilogy, Moorcock ties up all the loose ends and brings down the curtain on what has been one heck of a trip.
A different beast from the first two parts of the trilogy, I found this to be quite puzzling to read. Themes of pseudo science, religious philosophy, the nature of the human spirit all collide head on, and to be perfectly honest not all of it made a lot of sense to me. I still enjoyed Moorcocks writing though, and the imagery and the world he creates here at The End of Time is spectacular and mind blowing at times. There is still plenty of humour to be found in this book also, but overall I felt that it didn’t deliver the conclusion I was hoping for, in so far as it was way too psychedelic for what I was expecting.
A different beast from the first two parts of the trilogy, I found this to be quite puzzling to read. Themes of pseudo science, religious philosophy, the nature of the human spirit all collide head on, and to be perfectly honest not all of it made a lot of sense to me. I still enjoyed Moorcocks writing though, and the imagery and the world he creates here at The End of Time is spectacular and mind blowing at times. There is still plenty of humour to be found in this book also, but overall I felt that it didn’t deliver the conclusion I was hoping for, in so far as it was way too psychedelic for what I was expecting.
July 20, 2025
What a surprisingly enjoyable trilogy! So many of the subjects included in her could've been incredibly upsetting, after all this is basically a story in which Stockholm syndrome is a good thing. But, to my surprise, Moorcock handles it all with grace, humor, and not an insignificant amount of thought-provoking philosophy. This last book feels a bit overlong compared to the first two, but I was so enamored of this story and it's characters, that's just a minor quibble. I would highly recommend the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy to anyone and everyone, even if you're not a huge fan of sci-fi. It's a series decades ahead of its time!
September 24, 2025
A continuation in fun and form from the previous entries in the trilogy. The plot is rounded off nicely, it is laced with wit, and the character development of Jherek and Amelia was superbly managed. It is darker in tone and less slapstick than the previous entries, but that is where it holds it own. The focus on characters and the fundaments of time travel within the story's universe really built on the triumph of Alien Heat and Hollow Lands. This book and the trilogy as a whole are fantastic reads.
September 6, 2020
This one was a bit of a struggle. Having read the first 2 books in the series quite recently, book 3 felt like "Here we go again, more of the same" at the beginning. I didn't find "The End of all Songs" quite as amusing, but it did tie everything up nicely in the end (I was worried that it wouldn't). This series hasn't put me off reading more of Moorcock's work, but I don't think I'll be revisiting this series.
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