The Land Leviathan

[The New One]

Greetings fellow travellers of The Multiverse. It is I, The New One decended upon you from the realms of Pro football.

It gives me pleasure to report that Mr Moorcock's book, "The Land Leviathan" was the first book I read on graduation from Enid Blyton. I.E. the first one read in adulthood. It opened up a doorway into such fabulous worlds for me, I never looked back.

Mr Moorcock, your imagination laid the foundation for the wonderful view I now have of life: We are limited only by our perceptions. From the bottom of my heart I thank you.

I have a question for you. If after retiring to bed this evening you awoke the next day and discovered you were sixteen years of age again and everything was as it was at that time; would you do it all differently? Would you still write and if so would you pursue a different line? I am keen to learn your view of this particular scenario.

[Michael Moorcock]

So you share a town with the great Langdon Jones, eh ? If you want to read him, you can get a copy of New Worlds: An Anthology. Brilliant stuff. He's primarily a musician, composer (and town councillor) and only published one book, which contains The Eye of the Lens, the story I'm recommending. His musical setting for The Rhyme of the Flying Bomb was first done in Bracknell.
Anyway, I'm glad I got you off Enid Blyton, if nothing else.

It's an interesting question and one I've thought about quite a lot since reaching retirement age. I doubt if I would not have done Tarzan Adventures and so on and had the career I had up until the time I was commissioned to write the first Elric stories for Science Fantasy. I suspect I would have drifted away from fantasy fiction if I had not discovered a facility for it. But then I might still have been offered the job of doing New Worlds, and possibly would have done the work I did there which is regarded as being the initiative for the so-called 'New Wave'. Would I have used my fantasy fiction to support New Worlds ? Well, I would have had to have supported it somehow. It's a very hard one to consider. However, it's very likely I would have had a much more conventional career, writing perhaps more books like the Pyat books and fewer books like The Land Leviathan. Not that I regret how my life went (at least in career terms -- I believe I could have behaved better on occasions) but I suspect it would have been a more conventional literary career. Perhaps a duller one, too. And maybe even a poorer one!

[The New One]

Thankyou for your detailed answer Mr Moorcock.
I must investigate Mr Jones work, your recommendation carries much weight.

I would like to say I have read a great many books since Enid Blyton. As well as your fine tomes I have enjoyed Heinlein, Asimov and McCaffrey to name but three. I also like to immerse myself in cutting edge science ideas and new philisophical perspectives.

It is interesting to read in your post that if it came down to it you would change very little in what seems to have been a very satisfactory career.
I can't help feeling there is a new phase just beyond the horizon where a new dawn for Michael Moorcock emerges. Or am I in the wrong dimension?!!

[Michael Moorcock]

Well, having completed the Elric saga (and EC saga by definition) and having completed the Pyat sequence, I do have a new phase to look forward to. I have the two Peake projects, for a start, as well as a 'straight' novel called Pete's Rules.
If you're interested in new 'cutting edge' sf, I'd like to recommend China Mieville (Perdido Street Station, The Scar and Iron Council), Steve Aylett (Atom, The Velocity Gospel, The Crime Studio etc.), Jeff Vandermeer (Veniss Underground and others), Jeffrey Ford (Portrait of Mrs Charbuque and others) K.L. Bishop (The Etched City) and a few others. There's a lot of talent out there right now!

[Michael Moorcock]

Well, having completed the Elric saga (and EC saga by definition) and having completed the Pyat sequence, I do have a new phase to look forward to. I have the two Peake projects, for a start, as well as a 'straight' novel called Pete's Rules.
If you're interested in new 'cutting edge' sf, I'd like to recommend China Mieville (Perdido Street Station, The Scar and Iron Council), Steve Aylett (Atom, The Velocity Gospel, The Crime Studio etc.), Jeff Vandermeer (Veniss Underground and others), Jeffrey Ford (Portrait of Mrs Charbuque and others) K.L. Bishop (The Etched City) and a few others. There's a lot of talent out there right now!

[The New One]

It doesn't matter which dimension I find myself in MM you are there creating great stuff! God bless you. :D

[nalpak retrac]

Land Leviathan: Isn't that where a dictator invades Washington DC with an army made up of the underclass?

Happy Inauguration Day Folks!

[Anonymous]

"Ahead of Thursday's presidential inauguration, Washington is locked down to an unprecedented degree, residents are inconvenienced and have to pass through numerous checkpoints in some areas, police officers are on every corner, portable stinger missile launchers have been placed throughout the city, federal employees are being encouraged not come to work, other residents are opting to leave town altogether... "

--The End of the World Newds