The Science Fiction Novel - Michael John Moorcock

It's a cool windy day today. It seems like it wants to rain but so far it's mainly been a bit of a drizzle at times. GET THAT SUN BACK OUT!

So with that short preamble I'll move along to my ongoing look at the Science Fiction novel.

The Science Fiction Novel - Michael John Moorcock

Michael John Moorcock

Michael John Moorcock is an English musician and author of science fiction and fantasy. Moorcock was born in London in 1939. He edited New Worlds, a Sci-Fi magazine in the 60s and then again in the 70s and was one of the developers of the New Wave of Sci-Fi in both the UK and in the US. Moorcock was also a musician contributing to bands like Hawkwind and Blue Oyster Cult.

Moorcock was one of the original members of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America a group of eight heroic fantasy writers founded in the 1960s and led by American fantasy writer, Lin Carter. Moorcock has been a prolific writer, writing many series, novels, music, collections, etc. I have read only two of his novels finding them both interesting and different. I'll highlight those below.

1. The Warlord of the Air (Oswald Bastable #1 / 1971, first of three). I read this many years ago and decided to try it again more recently when I found a copy in North Bay, Ontario.










"I have read Warlord of the Air by Michael Moorcock once before, many years ago. I saw it in a used book store on one of my visits a few years back and decided it would be worth trying again. So there you go, a bit of back history before my review.

The book was originally published in 1971. It purports to be a story written by Michael Moorcock's grandfather, from events he recorded back in 1903. It's a neat tale, told to Moorcock Senior by Oswald Bastable, a Victorian Captain who is thrust into the future. Sound confusing? Well, it is only somewhat but the story is rich and interesting.

Moorcock Senior has moved to Rowe Island, a small island near Indonesia to recover from a nervous disability. While there, he encounters Bastable, who has disembarked from a tramp steamer, his clothes worn and shredded and also appearing to suffer from a heroin addiction. Moorcock takes him under his wing, feeds and bathes him and tries to stop him from using heroin. While with Moorcock, Bastable tells his fascinating tale.

While in the British army in India, Bastable takes a troop of Sepoys and Gurkhas to a remote Himalayan country, Teku Benga to stop the warlord / magician from continuing to threaten border outposts. Bastable and a few of his men go to the capital city and are drugged. An earthquake strikes and while trying to escape, Bastable is lost in the passage ways of the palace. (He has been warned that there are doorways to unknown places below the palace.

Waking up, Bastable finds himself in rubble of the destroyed city and is unable to get off the mountain due to the destruction. He is very surprised to find himself rescued by an airship of the Royal Indian Air Force. Thus begins Bastable's adventure. It turns out that he has moved from 1902 to 1973, in a different, modern world. The world is at peace, airships are the norm, the world is divided into major empires; the British, the American, the Russian, the Japanese, etc.

Bastable finds himself in this new, seemingly peaceful world. After exams he trains for a job on one of the commercial airships as an Security Air Policeman. And from this point the adventure builds and moves into a time of less peace.

It's a fascinating fantasy adventure. Reading this again in 2019, trying to picture both the Victorian era from which Bastable starts to the 1970's, which is different from that we've experienced and comparing with some of the actual events that occurred in 'our' world's history makes for a surprisingly rich layer of textures. It's a simple story in many ways but also quite complex. Meeting some historical characters and events that take place in Bastable's future add to the story. I'm glad I read it again; I think I appreciate it more. (4 stars)"

2. Behold the Man (1994).









"I have previously read one book by Michael Moorcock, that being The Warlord of the Air, a book I enjoyed very much (as I recall). It will be a reread someday son. There was a lot to like about Behold the Man. The premise, a man, Karl travels back in time to try and meet Jesus. Karl is lost, has spent his life trying to find out something, who he is, what he believes, and it this dissatisfaction that leads him to take this journey.

The time travel machine breaks, leaving him trapped at the beginning of the Judaeo - Christian period. The book jumps back and forth between the present and the past, maybe more accurately, the future and the present... hmm, maybe between two presents. Anyway, I enjoyed the journey with Karl very much. The book is a thoughtful exploration of his activities and his thoughts and his interactions with the people around him.

The journey takes him to an ending he didn't expect but that he accepts as necessary. I enjoyed the writing very much and the ideas. What prevented me from giving this a 5 was the ending, which just kind of happened, as though the author didn't quite know where to go. Still, it was probably a realistic ending in its way. All in all, I did enjoy this story, a quick, entertaining, different read. (4 stars)"

The complete listing of Moorcock's books can be found at this link.

Take care.