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Eternal Champion #10
The Dancers at the End of Time
Enter a decaying far, far future society, a time when anything and everything is possible, where words like 'conscience' and 'morality' are meaningless, and where heartfelt love blossoms mysteriously between Mrs Amelia Underwood, an unwilling time traveller, and Jherek Carnelian, a bemused denizen of the End of Time.
The Dancers at the End of Time, containing the novels An Alien Heat, The Hollow Lands and The End of All Songs, is a brilliant homage to the 1890s of Wilde, Beardsley and the fin de siècle decadents, satire at its sharpest and most colourful.
The Dancers at the End of Time, containing the novels An Alien Heat, The Hollow Lands and The End of All Songs, is a brilliant homage to the 1890s of Wilde, Beardsley and the fin de siècle decadents, satire at its sharpest and most colourful.
672 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
68 people are currently reading
3842 people want to read
About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,205 books3,743 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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December 15, 2021
Michael Moorcock’s cycle of three novels is 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 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.
The three novels are: 1) An Alien Heat, 2) The Hollow Lands, 3) The End of All Songs.
AN ALIEN HEAT
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 hefty 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 desires this time-traveler. "His heart was set on her. She was charming. He fingered his cheek and smiled."
Thus we have in this Michael Moorcock novel, 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.
A wonderful beginning with more adventures to follow in the next two novels.
THE HOLLOW LANDS
The Hollow Lands picks up where An Alien Heat left off: Jherek Carnelian is back in his own distant future time, out on a jaunt with his mother, The Iron Orchid. Here’s a preview of what a reader is in store for with this, the middle volume, of Michael Moorcock’s scintillating trilogy:
Where have all the people gone? - Although these immortal men and women of the future control the mechanics of nature to the point where they no longer experience suffering or pain, they sense a loss of vitality, of intensity, of zest in their current world. "Once, it was said, the whole city had been sentient, the most intelligent being in the universe, but now it was senile and even its memories were fragmented. Images flickered here and there among the rotting jewel-metal of the buildings; scenes of Shanalorm's glories, of its inhabitants, of its history."
Anybody familiar with, say, Amsterdam or Paris or New York, knows so very much of the vibrancy and pulse of the city comes from the sheer number of people out on the streets. A striking feature of this future world Michael Moorcock has created: there are only a handful of people. So when Jherek and the Iron Orchid picnic in one of the Shanalorm parks, they are completely isolated. How much fun in the city is that?
Love & Passion - Jherek's heart still throbs for Mrs. Amelia Underwood. Mom doesn't fully understand or appreciate what it means to be in love with another person. But she realizes her son must work it out for himself. "It is your drama and you must be faithful to it, of course. I would be the first to question the wisdom of your veering from your original conception. Your taste, your tone, your touch - they are exquisite. I shall argue no further."
"It appears to go beyond taste," said Jherek, picking at a piece of bark and making it thrum gently against the bole of the tree. "It is difficult to explain"
It is ever thus. Love is difficult, even impossible, to explain to another, especially if that other person is a being incapable themselves of such impassioned, hot-blooded feelings. Recall Jherek is the exception here: unlike Iron Orchid and others, he was actually born and thus retains a connection with our all too human emotions.
Kooky Air Car - All the familiar faces from An Alien Heat gather about Jherek and the Iron Orchid, My Lady Clarlotina, Werther de Goethe, Lord Jagged among their number. Then, up in the sky - it's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's the Duke of Queens in his unique air car the shape of a huge hen. "Its wide wings beat mightily at the air, its mechanical head glared this way and that as if in horrible confusion. The beak opened and shut rapidly, producing a strange clashing noise." You see, these suffering-free denizens of this future age do continue one aspect of our current day world - they indulge each other with entertainment and amusements.
Captain Mubbers and his Crew - Jherek and company saunter into the forest to partake of a hunt. Tally-ho! Off they go. They come upon a strange band of time-travelers from a distant planet, "Near the crippled machine stood or sat seven humanoi beings who were unmistakably space-travellers - they were small, scarcely half Jherek's size, and burly, with heads akin in shape to that of their ship, with one long eye containing three pupils, which darted about, sometimes converging, sometimes equidistant with large, elephantine ears, with bulbous noses." These small fry hearties are called the Lat and their presence here in the forest and in future scenes, even 1896 London, makes for laugh out loud hilarity.
Nurse and the Children of the Pit - Another jocular, playful romp is when Jherek falls down and is trapped among "The Children of the Pit" ruled over by a robot nurse who treats Jherek like one of the children. Jherek being such a silly name, Nurse renames him Jerry Jester to fit in with the other boys and girls. And more: "We'll have to get you out of those silly clothes. Really, some mothers have peculiar ideas of how to dress children. You're quite a big boy, aren't you." Then when Captain Mubbers and his crew also enter the scene, the fun really begins.
1896 London - When Jherek finally reaches 19th century London, he meets and takes a train ride with none other than H.G. Wells. A New Wave SF writer just can't help himself. I recall H.G. Wells also making a cameo appearance in another New Wave SF novel - Christoper Priest's The Space Machine.
Home of Mrs Amelia Underwood - Again another sparkling section of the novel is when Jherek enters the home of his love, Mrs. Amelia Underwood. His conversation with the pious Mr. Underwood just returned home after his Bible Meeting makes for one rib-tickling exchange. This section of the novel is, as the saying goes, worth the price of admission.
Travel and Paradox - Ultimately, The Hollow Lands makes for a fast-paced adventure back and forth through time. Sure, there's paradox and problems galore, however, no problem is too formidable for the mighty Moorcock.
THE END OF ALL SONGS
The End of All Songs, the concluding novel of the trilogy, picks up where The Hollow Lands left off - Jherek Carnelian and Mrs Amelia Underwood are stranded on a beach during an early stage in the Earth's evolution, before birds, land lizards or mammals. But fear not - they are soon joined by other time travelers, familiar names for readers of the previous two volumes. And, thanks to new time machines, Jherek and Amelia zoom off to other distant times.
Many are the adventures here - The End of All Songs is nearly as many pages as the first two novels combined. If you were taken by Michael Moorcock's magical, mystical, time-travel tour in An Alien Heat and The Hollow Lands, surely you will enjoy novel number three. I certainly did!
British author Michael Moorcock, born 1939
September 2, 2019
"In short," said the alien, trying to make himself heard above a rising babble, "my people have reached the inescapable conclusion that we are living at what you might call the End of Time. The universe is about to undergo a reformation of such massive proportions that not an atom of it will remain the same. All life will, effectively, die. All suns and planets will be destroyed as the universe ends one cycle and begins another. We are doomed, fellow intelligences. We are doomed."The above passage encapsulates The Dancers at the End of Time quite nicely. In the extremely far future—you can’t get much further than the end of time—it is already generally known that the end of the universe is imminent. Nobody seems to know exactly how imminent but then nobody really cares. In this very far future—so far nobody bothers to number the years anymore—technology has advanced to a level literally indistinguishable from magic (thereby validating Clarke’s famous third law*). Every denizen of this sparsely populated future Earth has “power rings” which can create, conjure and basically just do anything imaginable (a bit like Green Lantern's I suppose). Nobody knows the scientific principle behind these rings anymore, “they just work”. With such great power comes no responsibility at all. The people of this world are generally entirely decadent, vapid, and have no conception of morality. Life can be enjoyed to the max, the only snag is that they don’t have a lot of time left.
Jherek yawned. He wished the alien would get to the point.
The Dancers at the End of Time is the name of Michael Moorcock’s trilogy and also the name of this omnibus volume being reviewed. I have already described the cool setting, but it would not be much of a book without a plot. The first volume, An Alien Heat introduces us to the protagonist Jherek Carnelian who is something of a trendsetter in the decadent society. It occurs to him that falling in love may be cool, and sets off to pursue an involuntary time traveling lady from 1896, Mrs. Amelia Underwood. Much to his astonishment his fun affectation turns into something real. Just when he is about to experience true love, Mrs. Underwood is snatched away and returned to 1896. Jherek pursues in a time machine, and when he lands in Victorian England—a time he knows nothing about—much hilarity ensues.
An Alien Heat is the fastest paced and funniest volume of the trilogy. The humour comes from Jherek’s complete ignorance of Victorian culture, money, crime, imprisonment etc. The second volume The Hollow Lands continues Jherek’s attempt to “reclaim” Mrs. Underwood from the Victorian era, and her husband! This book also features a malfunctioning robot nurse and malevolent horny aliens. The final volume The End of All Songs has a somewhat darker tone, and an apocalyptic climax when the much-vaunted end of time actually arrives, and the end of timers find it not to their liking.
The styling of the first volume, An Alien Heat, reminds me a little bit of the great Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell but by the third volume it has already morphed into something Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett may have written. I had a blast reading The Dancers at the End of Time (S.F. Masterworks edition). It is wild, anarchic and often hilarious. I love the writing, the faux-Victorian dialog, the stupid aliens with their crappy translation devices, and – most of all – the wacky characters. Jherek Carnelian is very likable, his clueless adventures in Victorian times is a highlight. The love of his life, Mrs. Amelia Underwood from Bromley, is wonderfully nuanced, complex, competent and very believable. There are also myriad other very colorful characters who I won’t even try to describe because I would be here all day.
The Dancers at the End of Time is an unalloyed delight, if you are feeling bored or down and need some crazy fun sci-fi (sci-fantasy really) to pick you up. This is just the thing.
_____________________________
Notes:
* “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” (from Clarke's three laws).
• There are several more sequels subsequent to this original trilogy. Hopefully, I will be able to get my mitts on them soon.
• I have been a fan of Michael Moorcock for the longest time. His Elric, Corum, Hawkmoon etc. "Eternal Champion" stuff are terrific entertainment, especially when I read them as a teen. Will they still hold up today? Of course, they will! I have not undergone any noticeable mental development since.
• A friend on PrintSF at Reddit ("thewillcar") made this observation about The Dancers at the End of Time on this thread that covers some important things that I neglected to mention in my review. So I would like to quote him directly here:
"I'm a big Moorcock fan and that's my favorite of his book series. I loved the comedy of manners between Jherek and Mrs. Underwood combined with the psychedelic imagery and decadence of the End of Time. It kept me up late reading and laughing. Such a contrast to the grim seriousness of other Eternal Champions like Elric. There's a fun novella called Elric at the End of Time that brings the two together, I recommend it!"
Thank you!
_____________________________
Quotes:
"Jherek looked about him, contemplating the enterprise afresh and wondering if it were not becoming too complicated. Too boring even. Perhaps he should invent a simpler affectation. Being in love took up so much time."
"I thought you controlled your own fate. This whole love-story business, which so excites the woman, did it not begin as an affectation?"
"Madness may be said to be a tendency to simplify, into easily grasped metaphors, the nature of the world. In your own case, you have plainly been confounded by unexpected complexities, therefore you are inclined to retreat into simplification — this talk of Damnation and Hell, for instance — to create a world whose values are unambivalent, unequivocal."
"Now," she hissed, "quickly. Mount."
"Is this the proper time for such things, do you think?"
"Climb onto the horse, and then help me up."
"Your heels, Mr. Carnelian. Use your heels!"
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Underwood, I'm not sure what you mean!" Jherek was almost helpless with laughter now.
"If the ladies will excuse us, I'd like a middle-of-the-leg word with you, sediment-nostril."
February 17, 2011
Yet another Dangerous Dan book review I did for BlackPigeonPress.com. This is one of the more entertaining ones I wrote.
Sometimes, after you've just finished killing a man with a horse shoe because you were out of bullets for instance, you need to read something light and funny to make you forget about all the carnage you've wrought. Michael Moorcock's Dancers at the End of Time Trilogy certainly fits the bill. It's available as a collection or as individual books: An Alien Heat, The Hollow Lands, and End of All Songs.
First off, I will refrain from making jokes like "I'm always in the mood for Moorcock" or "Ladies demand Moorcock." But just imagine how funny it would be if I didn't.
Many of you will recognize Michael Moorcock from his Eternal Champion series, most notably the Elric novels. While his Dancers at the End of Time series falls within the Eternal Champion saga, it's much closer to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Who knew old Moorcock had it in him?
As you all know, Dangerous Dan is rougher than Dollar Tree toilet paper. That's what kept me from reading something with the word Dancers in the title for far too many years, which is sad because the Dancers books made me smile wider than two for one night down at the Golden Garter. The bit that really tickled my innards and made me pay attention was this quote from the first book, An Alien Heat:
What follows, then, is the story of Jherek Carnelian, who did not know the meaning of morality, and Mrs. Amelia Underwood, who knew everything about it.
Couple a winning quote like that with the fact that Jherek has sex with his own mother on the second page and you can see why I just had to read all of them in the space of four days. As the quote says, Jherek Carnelian, one of the decadent denizens of the end of time, falls in love with stuffy Victorian age time traveller Mrs. Amelia Underwood and follows her back in time to prove his love. Hilarity ensues, coupled with the ongoing mystery of why Jherek's friend Lord Jagged continuously pops up in the same eras as Jherek and pretends not to recognize him. There's also the unstoppable end of the multiverse as we know it but that's on the back burner most of the time. Here's another quote just to show you how hilarious these books are:
"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."
As you can see, if you're easily offended, these aren't the books for you. However, if you're a twisted soul who likes mannerly british humor coupled with incest, perverse sex acts, drug use, time paradoxes, and the end of time as we know it, saddle up, enjoy the ride, and try not to get sprayed with bodily fluids along the way.
Sometimes, after you've just finished killing a man with a horse shoe because you were out of bullets for instance, you need to read something light and funny to make you forget about all the carnage you've wrought. Michael Moorcock's Dancers at the End of Time Trilogy certainly fits the bill. It's available as a collection or as individual books: An Alien Heat, The Hollow Lands, and End of All Songs.
First off, I will refrain from making jokes like "I'm always in the mood for Moorcock" or "Ladies demand Moorcock." But just imagine how funny it would be if I didn't.
Many of you will recognize Michael Moorcock from his Eternal Champion series, most notably the Elric novels. While his Dancers at the End of Time series falls within the Eternal Champion saga, it's much closer to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Who knew old Moorcock had it in him?
As you all know, Dangerous Dan is rougher than Dollar Tree toilet paper. That's what kept me from reading something with the word Dancers in the title for far too many years, which is sad because the Dancers books made me smile wider than two for one night down at the Golden Garter. The bit that really tickled my innards and made me pay attention was this quote from the first book, An Alien Heat:
What follows, then, is the story of Jherek Carnelian, who did not know the meaning of morality, and Mrs. Amelia Underwood, who knew everything about it.
Couple a winning quote like that with the fact that Jherek has sex with his own mother on the second page and you can see why I just had to read all of them in the space of four days. As the quote says, Jherek Carnelian, one of the decadent denizens of the end of time, falls in love with stuffy Victorian age time traveller Mrs. Amelia Underwood and follows her back in time to prove his love. Hilarity ensues, coupled with the ongoing mystery of why Jherek's friend Lord Jagged continuously pops up in the same eras as Jherek and pretends not to recognize him. There's also the unstoppable end of the multiverse as we know it but that's on the back burner most of the time. Here's another quote just to show you how hilarious these books are:
"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."
As you can see, if you're easily offended, these aren't the books for you. However, if you're a twisted soul who likes mannerly british humor coupled with incest, perverse sex acts, drug use, time paradoxes, and the end of time as we know it, saddle up, enjoy the ride, and try not to get sprayed with bodily fluids along the way.
May 21, 2022
"Dressed in various shades of light brown, the Iron Orchid and her son sat upon a cream-coloured beach of crushed bone. Some distance off a white sea sparkled and whispered. It was the afternoon. "
Enter the far, far decaying future of The End of Time where anything is possible and morals are a foreign idea. Love blossoms between Jharek Carnelian and Mrs Amelia Underwood, beautifully decadant, incredibly alien and absurdly hilarious.
This is a brillaint homage to Goethe, Wilde and the Fin de Siècle decadents of that period – with a wink and a nod.
I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of those classic authors since I read them begrudgingly in highschool, and I can't say that I very much loved them but I do appreciate what they did.
In this series Moorcock flexes his incredible imagination and takes that decadant period and applies it to a Dying Earth whose inhabitants are totally devoid of all basic moral ideas. Things like sickness, aging, hunger or thirst are gone. People can change their appearance or gender at a whim... want your own Eiffel Tower or a personal guard of Genghis Khans? Say no more.
They live in splendor and wish for nothing else except for new experiences – which are far in between because boredom threats to engulf them. They live recreating the past with hilarious inaccuracy and seldom wish to experience life itself.
'Who could fail to, O banisher of boredom!' The Duke of Queens beamed benignly upon Inspector Springer. 'And I do love your characters, Jherek. They are in perfect key.'
The story is paced perfectly and the prose is, dare I say, flawless for this kind of story. Very elegant and polished. My only complaint is that the third book drags a bit and delves too much into the philosophical matter of things while the first two are faster and funnier.
Moorcock writes without explaining too much of the „magic“ – except some interesting time travel ideas, especially in the third book. The characters are vivid and wild, most of them are somewhat two dimensional – which is done on purpose to hammer in their loss of humanity, as we know it, and showcase their decadent way of life.
Our main character, Jherek Carnelian, like many other Moorcock protagonists is an incarnation of The Eternal Champion. If you haven't read any of his other works like Elric, Corum, Von Bek and so on... no need to worry! This story is largely a standalone with few references to other stories being the only exception.
Jherek unlike many of his other doom-laden compatriots doesn't suffer from some pesky Cosmic Destiny, in turn he is driven by his human nature and natural affections. The object of his love, Mrs Amelia Underwood, is driven by her faith and is a moralistic, traditional woman from the 19th century England.
Their polar difference plays a mayor role in their relationship which is often very funny as well as incredibly cute. Jhereks lack of knowledge and innocence is especially hilarious when he finds himself bewildered by things happening around him.
'Virtue.' Eagerly he shuffled forward on his knees. 'Virtue? That is it. Will you teach me virtue, Mrs Amelia Underwood?'
She sighed.
The humor is absurd and cheeky, things that generally have no right to be funny are instead hilarious. Unlike Moorcocks other works which are usually serious and doom-laden this is a polar opposite. If you like sardonic humor and morally dubious jokes, if I can call them that, then you will love this. I'll let the book speak for itself, if you don't find this funny then perhaps this isn't for you:
'Poor Captain Mubbers,' said Jherek. 'He tries so hard and is forever failing in his schemes.
Perhaps we could arrange some charade or other — in which he is monumentally successful. It would do his morale so much good.
Is there something he could steal, Captain Bastable? Or someone he could rape?'
In short, Dancers at The End of Time is incredibly hilarious and exceptionally imaginative. Exploring human morality in a very edifying way, perhaps even making you question the life you lead. With that being said I couldn't recommend it enough.
Enter the far, far decaying future of The End of Time where anything is possible and morals are a foreign idea. Love blossoms between Jharek Carnelian and Mrs Amelia Underwood, beautifully decadant, incredibly alien and absurdly hilarious.
This is a brillaint homage to Goethe, Wilde and the Fin de Siècle decadents of that period – with a wink and a nod.
I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of those classic authors since I read them begrudgingly in highschool, and I can't say that I very much loved them but I do appreciate what they did.
In this series Moorcock flexes his incredible imagination and takes that decadant period and applies it to a Dying Earth whose inhabitants are totally devoid of all basic moral ideas. Things like sickness, aging, hunger or thirst are gone. People can change their appearance or gender at a whim... want your own Eiffel Tower or a personal guard of Genghis Khans? Say no more.
They live in splendor and wish for nothing else except for new experiences – which are far in between because boredom threats to engulf them. They live recreating the past with hilarious inaccuracy and seldom wish to experience life itself.
'Who could fail to, O banisher of boredom!' The Duke of Queens beamed benignly upon Inspector Springer. 'And I do love your characters, Jherek. They are in perfect key.'
The story is paced perfectly and the prose is, dare I say, flawless for this kind of story. Very elegant and polished. My only complaint is that the third book drags a bit and delves too much into the philosophical matter of things while the first two are faster and funnier.
Moorcock writes without explaining too much of the „magic“ – except some interesting time travel ideas, especially in the third book. The characters are vivid and wild, most of them are somewhat two dimensional – which is done on purpose to hammer in their loss of humanity, as we know it, and showcase their decadent way of life.
Our main character, Jherek Carnelian, like many other Moorcock protagonists is an incarnation of The Eternal Champion. If you haven't read any of his other works like Elric, Corum, Von Bek and so on... no need to worry! This story is largely a standalone with few references to other stories being the only exception.
Jherek unlike many of his other doom-laden compatriots doesn't suffer from some pesky Cosmic Destiny, in turn he is driven by his human nature and natural affections. The object of his love, Mrs Amelia Underwood, is driven by her faith and is a moralistic, traditional woman from the 19th century England.
Their polar difference plays a mayor role in their relationship which is often very funny as well as incredibly cute. Jhereks lack of knowledge and innocence is especially hilarious when he finds himself bewildered by things happening around him.
'Virtue.' Eagerly he shuffled forward on his knees. 'Virtue? That is it. Will you teach me virtue, Mrs Amelia Underwood?'
She sighed.
The humor is absurd and cheeky, things that generally have no right to be funny are instead hilarious. Unlike Moorcocks other works which are usually serious and doom-laden this is a polar opposite. If you like sardonic humor and morally dubious jokes, if I can call them that, then you will love this. I'll let the book speak for itself, if you don't find this funny then perhaps this isn't for you:
'Poor Captain Mubbers,' said Jherek. 'He tries so hard and is forever failing in his schemes.
Perhaps we could arrange some charade or other — in which he is monumentally successful. It would do his morale so much good.
Is there something he could steal, Captain Bastable? Or someone he could rape?'
In short, Dancers at The End of Time is incredibly hilarious and exceptionally imaginative. Exploring human morality in a very edifying way, perhaps even making you question the life you lead. With that being said I couldn't recommend it enough.
October 20, 2007
Michael Moorcock is one of those authors that blew my mind as teenager (alongside H.P. Lovecraft, H.G. Wells, and Edgar Allen Poe), but what can you read by him as an adult? I am going to review three that fit this category. Nick below states it way better than me but this one of the most interesting and fun books in modern fantasy. A comedy, a satire, a love story, a retelling of Adam and Eve, and tribute to the fin de siecle of Wilde and Huysmans (and also Wells and Dunsany) An uptight Victorian women in a post-human(and post-morality) future(resembling a description of a Bosch painting much of the time) and her tumultuous courting by Jherek Carnelian through time and past the end of the world. Genocidal aliens, ridiculous London cops, living cities, robot nannies, HG. Wells himself, and other weirdness and fun.
July 24, 2015
A delightful romp through the past and the future. If you like some romance and humor with your fantasy, quirky aliens, and a civilization of decadent and self-indulgent immortals, you will enjoy this wonderful and unusual story.
February 18, 2014
This is a trilogy collected in a single volume. The first book, An Alien Heat, is worth reading. The other two you can skip without missing much.
The premise is very enjoyably silly. Jherek Carnelian, a man living in an amoral, decadent society in the far future, falls in love with Amelia Underwood, a conventional, moralistic Englishwoman from the 19th century who has been transported to his age through an accident in time travel. She returns to her own time and he follows her. He has no understanding of 19th century technology or customs and his behavior is about what you'd expect of a fin de siecle dandy given godlike technological powers; this causes an endless string of predictable but entertaining comedic misunderstandings. It's basically a cross between Oscar Wilde and Doctor Who, and is as much fun as that sounds.
Unfortunately, as the trilogy goes on, it suffers from the kind of plot overgrowth that often afflicts serial fiction. The first book is very tightly plotted, with a tense and exciting ending. The latter two books, however, are full of needless complications that don't really do anything but inflate the page count. Most of the potential inherent in the premise has already been used up by early on in the second book. The ending of the series is not a bad ending, but it feels as though it could have happened 300 pages earlier without changing anything.
In terms of averaged enjoyment per page, this should be more like two stars, but I'm giving it three because the first book really is worth reading, and because it includes a character named "Sweet Orb Mace." I'm not sure it's possible to dislike a book with a character named "Sweet Orb Mace."
The premise is very enjoyably silly. Jherek Carnelian, a man living in an amoral, decadent society in the far future, falls in love with Amelia Underwood, a conventional, moralistic Englishwoman from the 19th century who has been transported to his age through an accident in time travel. She returns to her own time and he follows her. He has no understanding of 19th century technology or customs and his behavior is about what you'd expect of a fin de siecle dandy given godlike technological powers; this causes an endless string of predictable but entertaining comedic misunderstandings. It's basically a cross between Oscar Wilde and Doctor Who, and is as much fun as that sounds.
Unfortunately, as the trilogy goes on, it suffers from the kind of plot overgrowth that often afflicts serial fiction. The first book is very tightly plotted, with a tense and exciting ending. The latter two books, however, are full of needless complications that don't really do anything but inflate the page count. Most of the potential inherent in the premise has already been used up by early on in the second book. The ending of the series is not a bad ending, but it feels as though it could have happened 300 pages earlier without changing anything.
In terms of averaged enjoyment per page, this should be more like two stars, but I'm giving it three because the first book really is worth reading, and because it includes a character named "Sweet Orb Mace." I'm not sure it's possible to dislike a book with a character named "Sweet Orb Mace."
May 30, 2007
Though not generally regarded as Moorcock's best work, this series is my favorite. The prose is some of his most elegant and polished. The story itself shows Moorcock at his most spry, lovingly lampooning some of the themes of his other works, the romance genre, and English literary traditions in general. The settings and charicatures are also some of his most unique: a blend of scientific romance Victoriana and fin du siecle French symbolism and art nouveau, with a little Shakespearean flare added for show.
August 27, 2022
4.33 stars
January 15, 2011
Oscar Wilde Would Have Loved It!
Michael Moorcock is one of the most literate and witty fantasists of the twentieth century. His Elric Saga took the sword and sorcery epic far beyond standard tropes and created a literary tour de force.
The Dancers at the End of Time, which is a part of the Eternal Champions series, is full of the kind of wit and social satire that Oscar Wilde would have written.
Jherek Carnelian is one of the glittering, amoral denizens who inhabit the world At The End of Time. Magic and technology are inseparable, and life, such as it were, goes on like there's no tomorrow...which of course, there won't be. Jherek meets and falls madly in love with Mrs. Amelia Underwood, a very prim and proper Victorian wife, who finds herself in his future. Thus ensues a comedy of manners, morals and philosophical leanings reminiscent of the social changes that rocked England in the late nineteenth-century.
Not to mention that I loved the Thomas Canty cover art. If anything, buy the book just for that alone!
Michael Moorcock is one of the most literate and witty fantasists of the twentieth century. His Elric Saga took the sword and sorcery epic far beyond standard tropes and created a literary tour de force.
The Dancers at the End of Time, which is a part of the Eternal Champions series, is full of the kind of wit and social satire that Oscar Wilde would have written.
Jherek Carnelian is one of the glittering, amoral denizens who inhabit the world At The End of Time. Magic and technology are inseparable, and life, such as it were, goes on like there's no tomorrow...which of course, there won't be. Jherek meets and falls madly in love with Mrs. Amelia Underwood, a very prim and proper Victorian wife, who finds herself in his future. Thus ensues a comedy of manners, morals and philosophical leanings reminiscent of the social changes that rocked England in the late nineteenth-century.
Not to mention that I loved the Thomas Canty cover art. If anything, buy the book just for that alone!
September 13, 2019
106th book for 2019.
Originally a trilogy, republished as a single volume, Moorcock's story about the decadent final days of humanity starts strongly but lost its interest for me as it progressed. It felt like a strange, but ultimately pointless blend of JG Ballard crossed with Douglas Adams. I enjoyed the first volume in the series, but the final two books just felt a bit forced.
2-stars.
Originally a trilogy, republished as a single volume, Moorcock's story about the decadent final days of humanity starts strongly but lost its interest for me as it progressed. It felt like a strange, but ultimately pointless blend of JG Ballard crossed with Douglas Adams. I enjoyed the first volume in the series, but the final two books just felt a bit forced.
2-stars.
July 25, 2011
One thing Goodreads really does well, is separate fact from fiction. I have heard many times, that the "Dancers" series was not one of Moorcock's best. Yet, here I see that it rates almost universally above most, if not all of his other works. Real ratings from the reviewers that count; you and me.
And why does it rate so high?
Because it was freaking awesome! It was weird and disturbing and cool on a level that made me think someone broke into Michael's house, beat him with a shovel, wrote the novels for him and forced MM to mail them in to his editors.
"But people will think I have some depth of soul..." Michael must have muttered through his gag.
"Shut up you hairy troll, or I'll make you turn in a story where Elric doesn't get to use Stormbringer for 90% of the novel and you will be forced to rely on clever dialogue and characterization!"
"Sob" Michael sobs...
I think I read this series once a year or so. It rock like old socks. Go get it!
And why does it rate so high?
Because it was freaking awesome! It was weird and disturbing and cool on a level that made me think someone broke into Michael's house, beat him with a shovel, wrote the novels for him and forced MM to mail them in to his editors.
"But people will think I have some depth of soul..." Michael must have muttered through his gag.
"Shut up you hairy troll, or I'll make you turn in a story where Elric doesn't get to use Stormbringer for 90% of the novel and you will be forced to rely on clever dialogue and characterization!"
"Sob" Michael sobs...
I think I read this series once a year or so. It rock like old socks. Go get it!
March 17, 2014
The first volume of the original trilogy, 'An Alien Heat', is an utter delight - witty, subversive, wildly imaginative and very well informed about the literature and culture of fin de siècle. In-jokes abound - the Amelia Underwood isn't the poor woman who married George Gissing, and can Lord Jagged of Canaria really be Oscar Wilde (or is he just Mick Jagger or Mr Jaggers from Great Expectations?). The later books diluted the original, as MM is always prone to write too much, too quickly. Nevertheless, those of us more at home in the Dawn Age than the present will always be grateful for the fish tank that fires real fish.
November 20, 2016
Due to work I was unable to enjoy this as much as I would have liked, however...
This book contained the usual concepts and bizarre ideas and really got in my head, for example, the idea that time is a fixed, limited event so if you travel far enough into the future you end up at the beginning of time! What this means is that if you travel forward in time you cannot travel back however, because of the loop you can continue going forward to the point you left because even if time goes on forever it has a limited span!
Heady stuff indeed, but with a better than average plot I would suggest it to hardcore SF readers only.
This book contained the usual concepts and bizarre ideas and really got in my head, for example, the idea that time is a fixed, limited event so if you travel far enough into the future you end up at the beginning of time! What this means is that if you travel forward in time you cannot travel back however, because of the loop you can continue going forward to the point you left because even if time goes on forever it has a limited span!
Heady stuff indeed, but with a better than average plot I would suggest it to hardcore SF readers only.
abandoned
July 11, 2019End of times, humans live entirely for pleasure; constantly changing costumes and banging each other. Basically San Francisco. This is well written and witty but I live here.
August 21, 2021
I look forward to reading this book every night; it's full of amusing twists and turns. Lot's of good dry British humour, time travel, and outrageous romance. Would make a great adult tv series. Wow! Really took me a while to read, but I savored every page. Takes place in the far distant future, travels back to Victorian times, then Paleozoic and then back to the future. Great fantasy bedtime story, glad I found it.
December 21, 2025
It was good to revisit this book and not be disappointed. A charming, inventive and often funny account of near-omnipotent humans in the vastly distant future who spend their time recreating environments from what they take to be the past. Enter a redoubtable, woman from the nineteenth century, bearing that era's morality, and the threat of the universe ending.
March 14, 2020
Super mi je ovo. Eto, zahvaljujuci dragom prijatelju sam poceo citati ovo. Inace od Moorcocka mi je prica Behold the Man, medju pet najboljih koje sam procitao, Elrica sam citao i bio mi je ok, nista posebno.
Ova mi se knjiga bas svidjela, tema je onako kako volim, i mozda sam za takvom knjigom tragao zadnjih par godina, jer je velikih vremenskih razmjera od samog Kraja Svijeta do Pocetka. Ali nije pre dugo.
Lik Jherek mi je na trenutke cak i na zivce isao sa svojom naivnoscu i gluposcu, ali eto na kraju mi je bas ustvari predivan jer ima to "Djecje" srce u sebi.
A sad, vidim da su mnogi kasnije uzeli neke ideje iz ove knjige, npr na samom pocetku ona vecera na Kraju vremena me toliko podsjetila na jednu epizodu Gaimanovog Sandmana, cak se i spominje lik koji predvidja sve na slovo D (a u Sandmanu se svi i zovu na D). Spasavanje svijeta sa Novim Suncem mi je eto odmah bila asocijacija na Wolfeovog Severiana i njegove avanture...no, da se razumijemo i Sandmana i Gene Wolfea obozavam.
Ova mi se knjiga bas svidjela, tema je onako kako volim, i mozda sam za takvom knjigom tragao zadnjih par godina, jer je velikih vremenskih razmjera od samog Kraja Svijeta do Pocetka. Ali nije pre dugo.
Lik Jherek mi je na trenutke cak i na zivce isao sa svojom naivnoscu i gluposcu, ali eto na kraju mi je bas ustvari predivan jer ima to "Djecje" srce u sebi.
A sad, vidim da su mnogi kasnije uzeli neke ideje iz ove knjige, npr na samom pocetku ona vecera na Kraju vremena me toliko podsjetila na jednu epizodu Gaimanovog Sandmana, cak se i spominje lik koji predvidja sve na slovo D (a u Sandmanu se svi i zovu na D). Spasavanje svijeta sa Novim Suncem mi je eto odmah bila asocijacija na Wolfeovog Severiana i njegove avanture...no, da se razumijemo i Sandmana i Gene Wolfea obozavam.
June 17, 2025
A collection of the three books from Moorcock's Dancers at the End of Time series.
I really enjoyed Moorcock's vision of the future. It is populated by decadent dandys who have reached a level of technical perfection that they can transform reality with so-called powerrings even if they don't know exactly how it works because practical technological knowledge is basically lost. Death has no meaning to them because everyone can be resurrected. Therefore even the upcoming apocalypse doesn't seem to have any meaning to them.
They live without purpose until one of them, our main protagonist Jherek Carnelian, decides to find true love, even though he doesn't know what that means.
The object of his affection is Amelia Underwood, a woman who was kidnapped from the year 1896.
The first two books in this collection (An Alien Heat and The Hollow Lands) are the best. The last book (The End of All Songs) is more philosophical and a bit harder to get through. But as a whole, I thought this was an excellent read. The characters are funny and, as the story progresses, surprisingly deep.
Four stars.
I really enjoyed Moorcock's vision of the future. It is populated by decadent dandys who have reached a level of technical perfection that they can transform reality with so-called powerrings even if they don't know exactly how it works because practical technological knowledge is basically lost. Death has no meaning to them because everyone can be resurrected. Therefore even the upcoming apocalypse doesn't seem to have any meaning to them.
They live without purpose until one of them, our main protagonist Jherek Carnelian, decides to find true love, even though he doesn't know what that means.
The object of his affection is Amelia Underwood, a woman who was kidnapped from the year 1896.
The first two books in this collection (An Alien Heat and The Hollow Lands) are the best. The last book (The End of All Songs) is more philosophical and a bit harder to get through. But as a whole, I thought this was an excellent read. The characters are funny and, as the story progresses, surprisingly deep.
Four stars.
January 14, 2018
one of the best books I have ever read, And the Inspiration for so many films (including Back to the Future)
January 18, 2018
An Alien Heat - 4/5
The Hollow Lands - 4/5
The End of All Songs - 3/5
The Hollow Lands - 4/5
The End of All Songs - 3/5
May 19, 2020
I was lent this book by a work colleague & it was the first time I have read any science fiction. It interested me mainly because the time traveller went back to the Victorian era, which is a period of history that fascinates me, & the portrayal of a future world was very imaginative & amusing in parts, but I found it overlong & gave up 3/4 of the way in. It is well written, just not my thing.
August 13, 2020
I became intrigued with these characters when I read a short story in The Time Traveler's Almanac by Michael Moorcock titled Pale Roses [Tales from the End of Time]. I was hooked and I found myself dancing along with them at Moorcock's End of Time universe.
An Alien Heat- 5 Stars
The Hollow Lands - 5 Stars
The End of All Songs - 5 Stars
I do so hope this is not the end of hearing about Lord Jagged.
An Alien Heat- 5 Stars
The Hollow Lands - 5 Stars
The End of All Songs - 5 Stars
I do so hope this is not the end of hearing about Lord Jagged.
January 20, 2023
One of the funniest, most irreverent, poignant stories I've ever read. I recommend it to everyone.
January 31, 2025
Very good fun.
March 11, 2025
Well that was a ride and I'm not sure if I liked it still or not, a good week after I'm done with this.
Don't get me wrong it is not bad - the prose is intersting, I love the timey wimey stuff going on, and I was super happy to see that me picking up on the Wells reference with the Elois was not in vain, but holy molly so much happens and so very little and it's all so fucking weird and strangely misogynistic as well for some unclear reason and I don't get what Amelia sees in the dumbfuck MC but I guess I cannot relate to a 18th century character much huh.
So yeah, I don't really know, I'm not into it but cool stuff I guess.
Don't get me wrong it is not bad - the prose is intersting, I love the timey wimey stuff going on, and I was super happy to see that me picking up on the Wells reference with the Elois was not in vain, but holy molly so much happens and so very little and it's all so fucking weird and strangely misogynistic as well for some unclear reason and I don't get what Amelia sees in the dumbfuck MC but I guess I cannot relate to a 18th century character much huh.
So yeah, I don't really know, I'm not into it but cool stuff I guess.
April 1, 2012
When Jherek Carnelian makes love to his Mother, called Iron Orchid, on a beach of crushed bone, debating the meaning of the word 'virtuous', with the sea suddenly turning a deep pink, you know, you just KNOW that you're in for something truly different. With 600 pages still to come it screams at you "This saga's gonna take you where you've never been before!".
So here we are at the end of time, where anything is made possible; where landscapes, buildings and people themselves, can change immediately by request, and where anything goes with whoever you want.
Into this crazy, quaint, immoral World, stumbles Mrs Amelia Underwood, a prim and proper, 'virtuous' lady from 19th century England.
And as surely as love blossoms between this unlikely twosome, Amelia and Jherek, their battle of morals continues unabated amongst the comings and goings of time-travel, bumping into H G Wells, and the brilliant, but farcical one-upmanship between the dwellers at the end of time.
Frankly, I couldn't put the book down!
And when I did, couldn't wait to return to this incredibly fascinating World that Moorcock unfolds.
A feast to the senses, with tongue-in-cheek debates to jolly it along, I must count this as one of the most unique experiences I've ever encountered between the pages.
So here we are at the end of time, where anything is made possible; where landscapes, buildings and people themselves, can change immediately by request, and where anything goes with whoever you want.
Into this crazy, quaint, immoral World, stumbles Mrs Amelia Underwood, a prim and proper, 'virtuous' lady from 19th century England.
And as surely as love blossoms between this unlikely twosome, Amelia and Jherek, their battle of morals continues unabated amongst the comings and goings of time-travel, bumping into H G Wells, and the brilliant, but farcical one-upmanship between the dwellers at the end of time.
Frankly, I couldn't put the book down!
And when I did, couldn't wait to return to this incredibly fascinating World that Moorcock unfolds.
A feast to the senses, with tongue-in-cheek debates to jolly it along, I must count this as one of the most unique experiences I've ever encountered between the pages.
February 22, 2018
Moorcock has imagined a far future where a bunch of human beings ( modeled after 19th century gentlemen and ladies and their haughtiness towards common life ) experience the last utopia: a few years before the end of the universe, when entropy has consumed all order existent, these beings are capable of manipulate reality by mere thought at a high cost but they obviously seem not to care after all they have forgotten how things actually work. They are mundane, immortal and completely arrogant and devoid of things like morality or affection. Instead of having actual feelings or preferences they simply mimic one they find interesting by inspecting the past of the human race.
The three books narrate the adventures of Jherek Carnelian and Mrs. Amelia Underwood ( the real great character of the novels who steals the show if you ask me, a 19th century Lady that is kidnapped ) and their love story and subsequent changes in the chaotic nature of the end of time.
These three books included here are so good in a sense they explore the idea of human morality represented by Mrs. Amelia Underwood ( I did say she is the moral island here didn't I?) against dandies enjoying playing gods, but who are mere simulacrums of imaginary gods.
The three books narrate the adventures of Jherek Carnelian and Mrs. Amelia Underwood ( the real great character of the novels who steals the show if you ask me, a 19th century Lady that is kidnapped ) and their love story and subsequent changes in the chaotic nature of the end of time.
These three books included here are so good in a sense they explore the idea of human morality represented by Mrs. Amelia Underwood ( I did say she is the moral island here didn't I?) against dandies enjoying playing gods, but who are mere simulacrums of imaginary gods.
September 15, 2011
I actually read the original hardcovers of the first three books of what was published by Granada in 1981 in its original omnibus edition, viz. An Alien Heat, The Hollow Lands and The End of All Songs. Since then, like with Zelazny's Amber series, the End of Time has proceeded into additional volumes, both novels and short stories. I haven't read any of those and probably never shall.
The trilogy is comic like Oscar Wilde, a Victorian association maintained by the character of Underwood. The primary setting, however, is the very far distant future when our remaining descendants are virtually immortal and omnipotent as well as, by any previous standards, immoral. The crux of the story and of its humor is the decision of one of these descendants to woo a very Victorian time-traveller.
If you want to test your reactions to the infringement of virtually all standards of decency, the breaking of many hallowed taboos, all done lightheartedly, then this book may interest you. I found it amusing, but cannot imagine that more of it has broken enough new ground to be worth further effort.
The trilogy is comic like Oscar Wilde, a Victorian association maintained by the character of Underwood. The primary setting, however, is the very far distant future when our remaining descendants are virtually immortal and omnipotent as well as, by any previous standards, immoral. The crux of the story and of its humor is the decision of one of these descendants to woo a very Victorian time-traveller.
If you want to test your reactions to the infringement of virtually all standards of decency, the breaking of many hallowed taboos, all done lightheartedly, then this book may interest you. I found it amusing, but cannot imagine that more of it has broken enough new ground to be worth further effort.
April 16, 2018
An unjustly obscure and unfairly underrated epic, showcasing Moorcock at his most inventive, uninhibited and vastly imaginative. A bizarre cast of characters exist, almost aimlessly, in the bones of a culture so advanced as to seem all powerful. You don't get the feeling the civilization died or was destroyed, more that it just grew bored with absolute power and simply wandered away.
A tie in with a notable Moorcock character towards the end gives insight into who these characters may ultimately be.
A tie in with a notable Moorcock character towards the end gives insight into who these characters may ultimately be.
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