The Hollow Lands

Dancers at the End of Time #2

by Michael Moorcock

In which we find Jherek Carnelian, one of the small population of hedonistic immortals remaining on earth at the end of time, still obsessively in love with Mrs. Amelia Underwood, a reluctant time-traveler from Victorian England. After narrowly escaping death in nineteenth-century London, Jherek again is separated from his love by several millenniums. And so he begins a new, headlong campaign - seesawing through space and time regardless of risk or consequence - to reunite himself with Mrs. Underwood.

This is volume II in a trilogy, The Dancers at the End of Time, of which An Alien Heat was the first. It is full of astounding antics and incredible characters. Another outstanding book by one of the most esteemed and prolific writers of science fiction.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Time Travel, Dying Earth, Romance, Humor

182 pages, hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Michael 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.

Reviews

[Glenn Russell]

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, Dancers at the End of Time:

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 (see the book cover). "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 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.


British author Michael Moorcock, born 1939

[Graham P · Rating 3 out of 5]

The equivalent of eating too much florescent, overly-sweet candy, Moorcock continues this time-travel epic of Jerry Cornelius' doppelganger, Jherek Carnelian. Yes, yet again, he plays the kid not only in the candy store, but utterly trashing the hell out of it. While not as strong as the 1st book in the trilogy, 'The Hollow Lands' is quick witted and furiously paced with absurd situations diving headfirst into even more ridiculousness. This is wholly, and unbridled, British slapstick, complete with nose-picking aliens, bobby cops chases through turn-of-the-century London, robot maids, and HG Wells fix-ups....truly, this one is a sitcom, but never shallow, its momentum is the key. And how can one not love to witness a romance budding in the miasma of the Silurian prehistoric landscapes?

Moorcock is batshit crazy.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than the first in the series, mainly since the characters were already known and the action complemented the humor more thoroughly. There is a wonderfully silly chase sequence, after a delicious scene where Jherek is quite innocently attempting to hold a friendly and convincing conversation with a stuffy and religious husband, which all made me laugh aloud.

Again, I am realizing that time travel fiction can lead to headaches. My little pea brain has difficulty wrapping around the concept and paradoxes involved but if I were to truly become lost in a story, I do not think I would have cared.

I did feel a greater connection to the characters this go around, in the opposite way I had expected. I quite loved Jherek's innocent befuddlement but Amelia fell flat with me. I enjoyed the bits with Mr. Wells and liked this ending much more than the ending of the first book.

I will be picking up book 3 (and the rest in the series), though only when I am in the mood for such silly humor. 3 1/2 stars, maybe to be bumped up to 4 stars.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second volume in Moorcock's Dancers at the End of Time trilogy, and picks up directly where An Alien Heat ended; it would be important to read them in order. It's an interesting continuation of his examination of morals and manners and involves scenes from the end of time to 19th-century London with many stops in between. In addition to the Jerry Cornelius incarnation (Jherek Carnelian this time), many of the familiar multiverse characters appear, not to mention H.G. Wells. It's an entertaining and thought-provoking work.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Love this whole series. So imaginative...and the love story really makes you invested in the story. He satirizes a future world far removed from our own, but depicts romantic love in a way that is truly timeless. He makes the citizens of the future almost alien...then shows how human nature hasn't changed at all. Like Gulliver's Travels at the End of Time, with a sincere love story thrown in, and characters that transcend their role in the satire to capture your heart. Brilliant and hilarious.

[Daniel Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second novel in the Dancers at the End of Time series is more of the same following An Alien Heat; which is to say, it's fantastic and delightful and laugh out loud silly.

Moorcock seems even more in control of his characters this time around, and sometimes it feels as if I could read about the denizens at the End of Time cavorting, chatting, having parties, and going on grand adventures for thousands of pages without getting tired of them. After spending the last novel in their company, all the characters are crisp and funny and unpredictable.

In many ways, the story arc in The Hollow Lands follows that of An Alien Heat, except that the intensity and hilariousness of the events is further ramped up. Moorcock introduces the Lat, a troupe of boorish, juvenile alien musicians and, predictably, all hell breaks loose at the End of Time. All this, plus Jherek is reunited with Mrs. Underwood; and the road leading to their reunion made me pause at times to wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes.

I've grown quite fond of Jherek over the course of these two novels. In the hands of anyone else than Moorcock, his naivete, his obliviousness, might be grating; but here, he is never anything but sympathetic, charming, funny, and endearing. Mrs. Underwood, too, turns out to be more than a mere love interest, and she grows as a character into a strong, young woman, conflicted though she is by the appearance of an immortal in her life.

My small criticism of The Hollow Lands stems from the role of Mrs. Amelia Underwood in the story. I do feel pity for Amelia Underwood, who has very little choice in the matter of being loved by Jherek. Her life gets turned upside down without her never having a voice in whether she desires this up-ending or not. This is a point which I wished Moorcock had explored a little bit more; instead, she begrudgingly opens up to Jherek, basically giving him justification for his relentless pursuit; although, to be fair, he sounds reasonable enough, and respectful enough, that he would have stopped hounding her if Mrs. Underwood had ever stated, with certainty, that she does not love him back.

But nevertheless; what remains of The Hollow Lands is a fun, exciting, well-written adventure romp, filled with aliens, lascivious immortals, wonky time travel, and a comedy of errors in Victorian England. A real treat.

[Jim McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

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')

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than An Alien Heat, the first of the Dancers at the End of Time series. Hilarious. Once again, kicking myself for not picking these up sooner. Dancers at the End of time deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy when people mention great humorous sf.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moorcock continues his grand, surreal juggling act in The Hollow Lands, where time machines are as casually discussed as tea service and our boy Jherek Carnelian remains blissfully clueless in the most enjoyable way possible. If An Alien Heat was about a foppish dandy falling in love, this one is about that same dandy trying to understand what love even is—while careening through increasingly absurd timelines.

We get more of the wry social satire, more decaying elegance, and more nods to the doomed frivolity of the End of Time (and ALIENS! And ROBOT!). Moorcock doesn’t offer straight answers—thankfully—but he does let things get weirder, which is always the right choice. It feels like there’s more plot here, but it still maintains the mood or (dare I say) vibes he creates in the first book.

One less star only because it feels like the middle volume it is-pushing the story forward but somewhat transitional. All in all, I’m enjoying this Michael Moorcock fellow. Bring on the next.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the lovers got separated across time and space and spend much of this novel trying to come back together - or at least one of them does. It's rather more just things happening than in the first one - a series of misadventures and unfortunate events that don't tie together terribly well. A common trend for Moorcock, of course, but still.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An immortal from the end of time is willing to risk everything to be with the 19th century woman who tried to colonize the future. This second part is not as good as An Alien Heat, but I'm very curious to see where the final book in the trilogy ends up.

[Bryn Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We cannot afford to be sentimental, Mr Carnelian."
"We cannot afford not to be, I think."

The love story of Mrs Amelia Underwood, prim wife and missionary from 1896, and Jherek Carnelian, experimenter in the emotion of love from the decadent End of the World, continues.

With epigraph--and title--from Ernest Dowson, whose fin de siècle poetry I was infatuated with in the first anthology of English verse I got my hands on.

[M Hamed · Rating 2 out of 5]

not even a chuckle

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another mad-cap, humorous adventure. At first our 'lovers' are kept apart by millennia, but after a few boring years, a crashed group of aliens, a hunt and the discovery of a robot manned nursery deep underground, Carnelian is flung back in time once more and manages, against all the odds, to find Mrs Underwood. Which has its own problems, number 1 being that she thinks he was hanged. But when all the future people briefly arrive in England, chaos definitely ensues, although everyone seems to take their appearance in good grace!

Moorcock does a great job of showing how pointless and empty life is in the future, where things can be made and destroyed on a whim, and no-one seems to recognise how pointless and empty their lives are. The introduction of the Lat and Nanny almost seemed a step too far, but it did give a reason for the time travel and another reason for a laugh at their expense. The ending was mildly confusing and hints at something else going on, something that Jagged knows all about, but we, as readers, can only surmise for now.

Looking forward to reading the last one of the series to find out what it's all about!

[J.R. Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was Jherek's first encounter with the cheese sandwich.

Perfect.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the trilogy has Jherek chasing through time in search of his lost love, Mrs Amela Underwood. Lots of anarchy and crazy interludes with the same characters from the first book, plus a bunch of crazy aliens called The Lat, who play beautiful music, but have a distinct lack of morals, or empathy towards others. A crazy yarn, not too long, and I loved the part where H G Wells appears and there is much talking at cross purposes as our hero goes in search of a time machine. However, for me this second book falls a bit flat, sandwiched as it is between the An Alien Heat and the End of all Songs. Worth a trip back to visit though.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book unfortunately suffers badly from middle-book syndrome: Moorcock spends too much time treading water, rather than addressing the plotlines set up in volume 1, presumably to be resolved in volume 3.

The first half of the story is the worst. It's entirely high-jinx at the End of Time which are largely a waste of time. Things pick up with Carnelian gets back to the past, but still there's more farce than plot. A funny climaxes makes some of it worthwhile, but I feel like the whole plot of the book could have been summarized in a couple of chapters.

[Marcus Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Moorcock takes us on a trip, from the end of time to the nineteenth century, to the end of time again which might just be the beginning of time. It is the trip to end all trips.

Themes of love collide with nods to vintage science fiction ( Moorcock dares to feature H G Wells as a major character), and the humour is rich throughout with its fish out of water scenario, as Jherek Carnelian tries to make sense of 1896 England.

This is fabulous science fiction, rich in fantasy and imagination, and thought provoking and psychedelic. I loved every page of it.

[Nathan Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this one fairly dull. The middling part of the trilogy – that, really, is just one novel – where very little happens. One of those books where characters just get thrown into locations, stand around for a bit talking with nothing happening nor character development, then get thrown to the next location. Characters rush to and fro without any sense of agency. The plot needs them thither, and hence they go.

[Blue Gargoyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume of a trilogy (in this case the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy) is often the weakest installment in my view. However, I found this book surpassed the 'original'. More comedic and a tighter storyline.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too absurd and fun not to like, too cartoonishly contrived to love.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Lucian Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi-a plăcut mult.

Jherek vrea să se întoarcă în secolul al XIX-lea pentru a o lua cu el pe Mrs Underwood, de care e îndrăgostit. În viitorul unde trăiește, a recreat inclusiv Anglia victoriană – în viziunea și conform înțelegerii sale, desigur. Deși e avertizat că o nouă călătorie poate produce paradoxuri care să afecteze curgerea timpului, Jherek pornește după Mrs Underwood. După ce întâlnește niște extratereștri și un robot care „reciclează” timpul, ajunge la obiectul adorației tale. Dar asta nu înseamnă că va obține ceea ce-și dorește. Și nici că timpul nu-și va cere plata pentru încălcarea regulilor sale.

Am așteptat cu nerăbdare să citesc acest al doilea volum al trilogiei, după ce primul m-a dat pe spate. Aici, Moorcock mai pune la loc piese menite să prezinte frumusețea viitorului imaginat de el. Cartea mi-a plăcut, chiar mult, dar nu am putut scăpa de impresia că aduce un pic a ciorbă reîncălzită. Bună la gust, condimentată, dar… mai mult trăgându-și seva din prima carte, nu din propria originalitate. Mă așteptam la final, dar mi-a plăcut cum a ieșit, oricum.

[Marth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hollow Lands - 3.5/5

(Read as part ah The Dancers at the End of Time series collection)

Ah wonderfully fun romp through time filled wae comedy, commentary n calamity as Jherek messes aboot at the end of time afore gaeing leuking fir Mrs Amelia Underwood in the late 19th century.

Funny n sumwhit heartfelt it dis sorta run a wee bitty thin despite is shart length, especially as is very similar tae beuk wan. There are a few tae monny coincidences fir ma taste is weel, though considering the nature of the story as an absurd comedy it kin get mair've a pass fae me.

O'eraw, a guid time. Cannae wait tae sink mma teeth intae the last wan!

[Mark Sabol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! How did I miss this trilogy? You have to read them in order, IMO, to enjoy and appreciate. The Hollow Lands continues the unrequited romance in this fantastical universe with quickening pace. 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.

[Ezekiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn't feel as complete as An Alien Heat, like a lot of 2nd-in-a-trilogy works. Though things do get hilariously zany near the end, I found myself speed-reading through the plot without really missing anything important, because everything seems so superficial in comparison to the first book - funny, light, any hint of risk/danger mitigated by wry irony. Maybe An Alien Heat isn't as "heavy" as I remember it being, but there's no denying that the closing chapters really lent some heft/drama to the proceedings, which is absent here. I'm hoping that the 3rd rounds the matter out sufficiently. Still a fun read, all things considered.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a whimsical speculation on the direction of human evolution. Really, it exhibits fantastic imagination. The story is not immersive, but rather descriptive. It took me about a month to read slowly while reading other stuff. However, this tale really has a lot to offer, including the nature of time. The enduring message, though, and the point of this speculation, is the hollowness of Eutopia (hence the title). I do appreciate the perspective that in imperfection lies emotive depth and the ultimate in human striving, happiness and love.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Hollow Lands" isn't quite as surreal as "An Alien Heat" (the first book in the series). It's still amusing and enjoyable (more so, in parts), but it has more of a spoof feel to it. I'm looking forward to the final book in this trilogy. It's going to be interesting to see how everything is wrapped up!

[Ryan Dennehy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to be amazed by this series. Not only does it deliver as a wonderful exploration into this world, it also serves as a concise and satisfying narrative. As with the first book, you could stop here and be satisfied with the ending to the story. But, I have to say, I'm so glad there's one more! Highly recommend!

[Arthur B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moorcock has in the past been a bit hit and miss when it comes to writing women, so seeing Amelia come into her own in this book was quite nice. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...