‘Epic Pooh’ – Michael Moorcock

The ‘Epic Pooh’ essay can be found in the ‘Wizardry and Wild Romance’ collection and I’m not a hundred percent sure if said collection is being re-published as part of Gollancz’ new ‘Moorcock’s Multiverse Collection’. Amazon says no but Amazon tends to say a lot of things that are easily disproved; the collection is going for pennies though and is probably worth a punt if you want to see what Moorcock has to say when he’s not writing books.
One of these essays, of course, is ‘Epic Pooh’; an essay that caused a little bit of rowdiness on forums that I have frequented in the past (people love to yell on forums don’t they?) I’d never read it myself so when I saw the book, in the charity shop, I was quite keen to pick it up and see what the fuss was all about. Having polished it off on the commute this morning I’m finding this post a little difficult to write. I find myself agreeing with a lot of what Moorcock says but, at the same time, can’t help wondering if he has missed the point a little bit.

Commuting constraints meant that ‘Epic Pooh’ was a quick read (in terms of me having to get through it) so what I’m giving you guys are quick thoughts and reactions to it; nothing too deep here then…

To sum things up, Moorcock basically attacks the likes of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and a couple of others, saying that their work is a kind of comfortable ‘rural romance’ where middle class ideals and religious propaganda ‘dull’ the actual story. I can kind of see where he’s coming from here, especially (and I’m going off on a slight tangent here) when he talks about Tolkien’s ‘awful verse’. I can’t stand Tolkien’s poetry, does very little if anything for the actual plot, and it’s my fear of encountering Tom Bombadil again (and his insistence on poetry) that stops me reading ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ as much as I would otherwise. Sorry, I’m digressing; Tolkien’s poetry will do that to me…. I’d also agree with him in that I would much rather read a book by Alan Garner than C.S. Lewis. Garner is the better storyteller, in my opinion, and keeps that as the sole focus; no pushing an agenda here. I really need to re-read ‘The Weirdstone of Brisingamen’ and ‘The Moon of Gomrath’ again… Moorcock does come across as attacking Lewis for his beliefs rather than his storytelling though and that does take the edge off what he is saying (keep it about the books, don’t make it personal). The point does stand though. There is an element of comfort to these works that don’t make them particularly challenging reads, hence the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ argument.

So Moorcock also says that these books somehow betray what Epic Fantasy (or romances) is all about and that’s where I think that his argument at least falters, if not completely falls down. By acknowledging the big difference between the two strands; it becomes clear that while the slight similarity offers room to have a little moan, Moorcock’s vehemence on this score highlights the fact that there isn’t really an effective basis for comparison. So does ‘Epic Pooh’ become a case of Moorcock having a moan about books that he just doesn’t get on with? Not quite, there’s enough analysis here not to make that an issue, but I couldn’t help feeling that Moorcock was framing things to suit his argument and perhaps missing the point of what the focus of his ire was all about. Have any of you guys read ‘Epic Pooh’?

‘Conan: The Road of Kings’ (Sphere)

Despite how it looks, I’m (very) slowly working my way through the books that I brought home from Nine Worlds. There are so many cool looking books on the pile right now that it’s hard to know where to start sometimes (and how cool is that?)

Over the last couple of years, I’ve gone from wanting to read only Howard’s Conan to reading the comics as well and finally just wanting to read anything with Conan on the cover. No matter who the author is, there are core elements guaranteed in a Conan story that will pretty much hit the target with me so it was long past time I widened my scope. I’ve been a bit of a fan of Karl Edward Wagner’s ‘Kane’ books (more evidence that ‘grimdark’ has been a thing for far longer than we realise) so when I saw his name against ‘The Road of Kings’ the book pretty much bought itself :o)
‘The Road of Kings’ weighs in at just over two hundred pages long and was therefore just the right book to be reading on a commute where the carriages can get a bit cramped sometimes. It took me a little longer to finish than I’d planned (I’m far too into playing games on my phone at the moment) but, on the whole, was worth the read. If you’re looking for a copy yourself by the way, ‘The Road of Kings’ can only be found second hand; but I’m digressing, onto the book itself…

Conan is about to find himself at the wrong end of the hangman’s rope but the daring rescue of a fellow prisoner catapults him into the murky Zingaran world of organised crime and revolutionary politics. Sedition is brewing in Zingara and Conan is about to play a crucial role in the overthrow of a corrupt King. But what happens next when the new ruler is not only prey to the corruption of power but is backed by an army of stone warriors that even Conan’s sword arm cannot prevail against…?

Well, it’s Conan that we’re talking about here so we know how things will end up, how things have to end in fact. Wagner spins a pretty good tale though, keeping certain secrets hidden until the last minute so the reader has to find out how things tie together. That part of things is done pretty well by the way, we’re given a reasoned theory that is tested to completion rather than a ‘sudden reveal’ which just magically sorts everything out. I was more than happy with another level of uncertainty which moved the plot forward nicely at a critical moment.

Other than that though… Being as short as it is, ‘The Road of Kings’ is an entertaining read but also a read where the plot is forced into a straight line by page constraints. Working within those constraints, Wagner actually does a very good job of giving the city of Kordava (and ‘The Pit’ beneath) enough depth for it to be more than just a backdrop. I already knew that Wagner could write a mean fight scene but he proves it here all over again with enough swordplay and viscera to keep people like me happy. Wagner also has a pretty good idea of what Conan is all about, giving us the viewpoint of a barbarian constantly bemused (and contemptuous) by the eccentricities of southern ‘civilisation’, eager though to make his mark where the situation demands. To be fair, Robert E. Howard laid those guidelines pretty darn clearly, in the original tales, but Wagner makes Conan stand out on the page in just the way that he was always meant to. You can’t ask for much more than that really.

Or can you? Like I said, the plot starts at point A and moves through all the points, in order, ending at point Z. Conan is not as simplistic a character as people might think and I couldn’t help but think that he deserved a plot that would test the limits of his character, not just his sword arm. It was a nice move by Wagner, forcing Conan to confront indestructible stone warriors, and looking for alternative means to defeat them, but I wonder if there was room for more along those lines. I guess there’s only so much you can fit into so many pages but even so…
I couldn’t complain too much though when all the ingredients of a classic Conan tale are present, in ‘The Road of Kings’, and delivered with gusto. A nice little slice of old school sword and sorcery that made me forget about the perils of the commute; if I could have more of that in my reading I’d be a happy man :o)

'The Lost Canal' - Michael Moorcock

My reading being the way it is right now, it's very unlikely that you'll see an anthology reviewed here in its entirety. I'm more likely to dip in and out of collections, reviewing a short story here and a short story there; at least until I get a spare couple of hours to sit down for some serious reading time.

I used to love watching the old Flash Gordon shows on a Saturday morning (they were repeats on TV, I'm not that old...) so I was instantly interested in Martin and Dozois' latest anthology. Those guys are prolific aren't they?
Where was I? Yes, 'Old Mars'... We're not talking about the Mars of someone like Kim Stanley Robinson, all sterile and waiting to be terra-formed, this is the Mars that we all wished for as kids; majestic and brimming with the possibility of adventure. In case you're still not sure, there's a picture of an old school ray gun on the back. Yep, we are all about the pulp here.

So where to start then? A quick look at the contents and there was really only one option. I (still) have Michael Moorcock's 'Mars' books waiting to be read so 'The Lost Canal' looked like a great way to get accquainted with what Moorcock can do in this setting. As it turned out, 'The Lost Canal' is actually set thousands of years later (and possibly in a slightly different strand of the Multiverse) but it was still a lot of fun to read, albeit with a small reservation...

Mac Stone is a man on the run across the deserts of Mars, for reasons that he is unaware of. The answer lies under his feet, amidst a secret kept for thousands of years. The clock is ticking though and if Stone cannot evade capture then the future of Mars itself is at stake...

If you follow this blog then the odds are that you followed the last blog and know that I am a big fan of Michael Moorcock; a man who has the happy knack of writing pulp sci-fi and fantasy that makes you think at the same time. There’s a real sense of adventure in Moorcock’s writing that, coupled with engaging characters, will always keep me reading. That’s very much the case here with a high stakes scenario being played out by a character that you can’t help but feel sympathetic towards as he has no idea why he is in so much trouble. The answer is another clever hook, to engage the reader, that really opens up the history of Moorcock’s Mars (tying it into earlier works I think) while at the same time making it clear what the threat is in the ‘here and now’. A bomb, from a million years in the past, set to blow up the planet in seven hours time. I wasn’t too sure about that by the way; if the scientists of the past knew where the bomb was and how to deactivate it, why are they calling someone from the future to do the job? I’ll need to go back and re-read those passages I think. While I wasn’t sure about that, there’s still a real sense of urgency here that powers the plot forward in just the right way. Moorcock rounds things off in style with a chase through ancient catacombs followed by a tense and (literally) explosive finale. There’s even a little time for Mars to fall back into the hands of the people who really love it, giving the reader some hope for the planet’s future. It felt like a fitting way for the story to end.

The only other real issue I had here was with the amount of background history Moorcock gives us for Mac Stone and Mars itself. While I love getting into a character’s head (and here, Mars is as much a character as Mac is) it did feel, at times, as all that background took precedence over the plot. This imbalance was unfair on the plot as it ended up feeling a little more lightweight than it actually was. ‘The Lost Canal’ was still fun to read though, a nice little way to spend the commute to work.

More Fantasy Masterworks coming from Gollancz

And I'm all excited and stuff, you already know most of this first paragraph so feel free to skip it if you like ;o) I love well written fantasy that I get lost in for days at a time (well, the commute to and from work at least) so I was very excited to learn that the Fantasy Masterworks series was getting a makeover and a whole load of new titles to kick things off for new readers. I thoroughly enjoyed the old books (that I’d read) and there were a whole load of new titles here that I’d never heard of. I’m looking forward to talking about them here very soon. Disclaimer: Reading time at a premium and all that (blahblahblah)

What I was slightly more interested in though was the bit of the Gollancz press release that said they would be re-publishing some of the old Fantasy Masterworks from years ago. As someone who is trying to collect the old series, I’m up for anything that makes my collecting a little easier and a little cheaper at the same time. I’ve mentioned it before but ‘Emperor of Dreams’ (amongst others) is going for ridiculous money, second hand, and that’s the kind of thing that makes those gaps, in the series, look like they will never be filled.
So what ‘old’ books will Gollancz be re-publishing then? Amazon isn’t the most reliable of sites sometimes but I was having a little nose around and came across the following titles…

‘Little Big’, John Crowley (published December 2014)
There’s a little while to wait for ‘Little Big’ then but I can hold on as this is one of the ‘old titles’ that I’m having trouble tracking down in the old format. Score one for me then, go me! :o)

‘Beauty’, Sheri S. Tepper (published November 2014)
I’d completely forgotten that ‘Beauty’ was even on the old list so this was a nice surprise. It’s not a title that I’ve come across in my travels (anyone here read it?) and now, if I don’t find it in the meantime, I’ll be able to read it in a year’s time. I’m two up now and things are looking good.

‘Ombria in Shadow’, Patricia A. Mckillip (published October 2014)
Okay, this isn’t one of the old Masterworks at all but I’m intrigued nonetheless as I’ve yet to read anything by McKillip. Anyone here read this book?

‘Mythago Wood’, Robert Holdstock (published September 2014)
I already own a copy (absolutely gorgeous read) but wanted to mention ‘Mythago Wood’ here as it’s long past time this book made the ‘Fantasy Masterworks’ series. If you haven’t read ‘Mythago Wood’ yet then don’t wait until September next year to read it; go out and buy a copy now. Literally, right now. Turn your computer off and go buy that book. You can thank me once you’ve read it :o) Or you could wait until next year if you wanted to. If the recent ‘Fantasy Masterworks’ covers are anything to go by I can’t wait to see what they do for ‘Mythago Wood’.

‘The Broken Sword’, Poul Anderson (published August 2014)
‘The Broken Sword’ is another great book (and one that I’ve read) but it feels like a bit of a lazy choice this time round when there are other authors that could really do with being reintroduced to a new audience. Everyone know’s that ‘The Broken Sword’ is a Masterwork and it’s been published, as such, at least twice that I know of. Or it might just be me wanting to Gollancz to make my collecting easier by just publishing the stuff that I want them to… You decide ;o)

There are some good books on the way then, will you be reading any of them?

2000AD – Prog 1858

I’ve managed to get onto the list for electronic copies of 2000AD so you can expect to see more posts like this in the future. I’m still not a hundred percent sure when I’ll post them but Prog 1858 is out on Wednesday so I figured today would be a good time to kick things off.

The thing about comics like this is that, unless you’re very lucky, you’re never going to be able to start at the beginning. You’ll always be catching up and there will always be at least one story where you’ll never know how it began (unless you’re willing to backtrack a little and I’m not one for that these days). You have to start somewhere though and although I’ve come in at the beginning of the Judge Dredd story, as well as ‘Damnation Station’, I’m playing catch up with the other three. In at the deep end then, lets get going.

‘Judge Dredd: Ferals’ (Part One)

I’ve read a few Dredd stories now and I’m feeling like I’ve heard this one before with a monster prowling the ruins of Mega City One and Dredd the man to stop it. This is only the start though so there’s still time to be surprised. Emma Beeby sets things up well and there’s a nice little hint of ‘bringing law back to a lawless city’ (Dredd has a lot to do in the eyes of the juves) that I think could be as interesting to watch play out as the main plot. Nice artwork by John Burns as well with his minimalist approach to the Mega City Skyline heightening the sense of devastation.

‘Brass Sun: The Diamond Age’ (Part Nine)

There was always going to be one story here where I didn’t have a clue what was going on; ‘The Diamond Age’ is that story. The story is buzzing along a little too fast to get caught up (my fault, not the story) and the art didn’t give me much of an idea of what was going on and where.
I’ll follow ‘The Diamond Age’ through to its conclusion but really I’m waiting for this one to finish I think.

‘Flesh: Badlanders’ (Part Nine)

I loved ‘Flesh’, way back in the day (and on the other blog), so I was looking forward to more tales of cowboys harvesting dinosaurs and inevitably doing something really stupid so the dinosaurs get loose. This is another ‘part nine’ but it was really easy to get caught up here. It’s simple, a dinosaur gets loose and there’s carnage. Pat Mills and James McKay are sticking to a formula that won last time round, they may be playing it safe but the end result is cool so I don’t mind too much.

‘Tharg’s 3rillers: Rewind’ (Part Three)

And sometimes you’ll come in right at the end of a story… This time round a dead cop finds that there is still police work to be done, involving time travel, so that the restless dead can finally have justice. There’s not much to say here other than that the ending seems to tie everything up very neatly. I get the impression that ‘Rewind’ was strictly a one off but I wouldn’t mind seeing more.

‘Damnation Station: The Howling Beast on the Borderline’

I’m a big fan of Al Ewing’s work (although I still need to re-read the second ‘Zombo’ collection just to work out what the hell is going on…) so ‘Damnation Station’ was a great way to round off this issue. It’s typical space opera with a typical weird twist from the man Al Ewing; I loved how the battle played out (as well as the dialogue between the Commander and the alien Host) and the cliffhanger has got me really eager for the next issue to come along. It’s brilliant stuff and Mark Harrison is clearly the man to illustrate the darkness at the edge of space.

Not a bad prog to get things started here then. There will be more to follow…

Some Books in the Post - The 'Got The House All To Myself' Edition!

I seem to be getting into a habit of saying this but, wow what a week...!
Sue and Hope spent the first part of the week being ill here (bronchitis for Sue and a filthy cold for Hope) and have since spent the second part of the week being ill down in Plymouth with my in-laws. Hopefully they should be well and back here in the next couple of days (I miss them).As for me? I've been busting my bits trying to get head round the ins and outs of the new job; I'm almost there :o)

This week has been all about the books as well though, isn't it always here? :o) You've seen one of them already (see the post below) but there were a few others as well. Check em' out...

The 'Judge Dredd Casefiles' are all about me trying to catch up with, and revisit, some of the cool stories that I missed out on years ago. This post has been scheduled so volume 20 will be what I'm reading a few hours from now when I wake up. Volume 21 could well be a 'commute read', on Monday, so if you're in London and see someone reading this book, it's probably me. Come and say hello :o)

I'm not going to lie, as soon as I knew Sue and Hope were on their way to Plymouth I took the chance to nip across town to the 'Book and Comic Exchange' in Notting Hill; a second hand bookshop that I'd been meaning to visit for a long time. Normally the only time we're ever there is for the Notting Hill Festival which isn't the best time for browsing books... This time was different though :o)
I've got to say that the 'Sci-Fi Corridor' was more like a slightly elongated 'Sci-Fi Alcove' but it was still crammed full of the good stuff so I shouldn't complain. You really need to go and check it out if you're in the area. Anyway...
The 'Fantasy Masterworks' collection grows a little bit more with 'The Land of Laughs'. I used to own a copy of this, which got lost in a long ago purge, so I was really pleased to see it on the shelf. Same deal with 'The Centuari Device'; it might not be the same cover but the book is back where it belongs on my shelf (and that's good).
I'm not quite sure how it happened but I somehow seem to be collecting old 'Conan' stories now and 'The Sword of Skelos' is the latest addition :o)

All of these books will get the review treatment here at some point. Can't say exactly when though as I've got some other bits and pieces that I want to write about first. Have a good Sunday everyone :o)

One for 2014? 'Moth and Spark' - Anne Leonard (Headline)

It's still only November (although where has this year gone...?) but advance copies are starting to show up are starting to arrive for all the books next year. You have to admire all those publicity people who are already thinking about books that are months from publication as well as dealing with the 'here and now' of book publicity. :o)
But anyway... I used to do this on the old blog and thought it would be worth continuing here; a little feature where I talk about these books and any first impressions that I have. Here goes...

Prince Corin has been given the task of freeing the dragons from their bondage to the Empire. However, it seems that that not even the dragonriders themselves know how these terrifying beasts are kept under control.

When Tam, a doctor's daughter, arrives in the capital she makes an amazing discovery: she is a Seer, gifted with visions.

Sparks fly when Corin and Tam meet ... but it's not all happily ever after. Not only is the prince forbidden to marry a commoner, but war is coming to Caithen. Torn between love and duty, they must work together to uncover the secret that threatens to destroy their country.

First things first. If I see a nicer looking cover next year I'll be very surprised. The book looks just as nice in my hands as it does on the screen. It's not just about the cover though is it? If it was, well... Just imagine what publishing would look like.

The blurb though, doesn't look too inspiring though does it? Luckily I've got the book to hand and, based on the few pages that I glanced at, I'll give it a few more chapters to prove itself. Also, the way it has been pitched ('The Princess Bride' meets 'A Game of Thrones' with a dash of Jane Austen) has caught my interest as well. Yep, I can't say when I'll get round to reading 'Moth and Spark' but read it I will. How about you?

'Moth and Spark' will be published in the UK, by Headline in February 2014. A quick Google shows it also being published in the US, by Viking, at around the same date.