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Would it bother you if Mike never wrote another fantasy...?

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  • #1

    Would it bother you if Mike never wrote another fantasy...?

    With the EC saga apparently now wrapped up for good, I wondered how much it would bother many of his fans if he were to write no more fantasy books? Fantasy and sf forms the bulk of his output over the years, but at this stage in his career I would like to see Mike write whatever he wants, whether it be fantastic or 'straight' novels like Mother London or King Of The City, whatever. Unfortunately, the realities of the publishing world don't always allow for that. Speaking for myself, I think Mike has given us an incredible body of fantasy work, so I really hope he feels free to follow whatever course he wants in the future.

    So, would it bother you if Mike never wrote another fantasy book...?
    'You know, I can't keep up with you. If I hadn't met you in person, I quite honestly would NOT believe you really existed. I just COULDN'T. You do so MUCH... if half of what goes into your zines is to be believed, you've read more at the age of 17 than I have at the age of 32 - LOTS more'

    Archie Mercer to Mike (Burroughsania letters page, 1957)
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  • #2
    Re: Would it bother you if Mike never wrote another fantasy.

    Originally posted by Aral Vilsn
    So, would it bother you if Mike never wrote another fantasy book...?
    Nope, I enjoy Mike's fantasy stuff (I'm currently re-reading the Hawkmoon tetralogy atm) but what makes Mike stand out from other 'fantasy' writers (imo) is the sheer range and breadth of his output. I can pick any Moorcock book at random from my shelves and pick a fantasy book one time, a SF novel the next, Gloriana another and Letters from Hollywood the time after that.

    I also tend to think that just as it can get easy for an author to keep churning out the same stuff year in, year out so it can be for the reader as well. The fact that Mike keeps changing the 'genre' he writes in I think means that the reader is challenged to 'keep up' with him, as were.
    _"For an eternity Allard was alone in an icy limbo where all the colours were bright and sharp and comfortless.
    _For another eternity Allard swam through seas without end, all green and cool and deep, where distorted creatures drifted, sometimes attacking him.
    _And then, at last, he had reached the real world – the world he had created, where he was God and could create or destroy whatever he wished.
    _He was supremely powerful. He told planets to destroy themselves, and they did. He created suns. Beautiful women flocked to be his. Of all men, he was the mightiest. Of all gods, he was the greatest."

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    • #3
      Re: Would it bother you if Mike never wrote another fantasy.

      Originally posted by Aral Vilsn
      So, would it bother you if Mike never wrote another fantasy book...?
      Nope. I seriously doubt I've gotten all I can out of his fantasy, so re-reading stuff is inevitable and besides that, I haven't even read all of it to begin with. Plenty I still need to get to.

      So, no, wouldn't bother me a bit.
      "Wounds are all I'm made of. Did I hear you say that this is victory?"
      --Michael Moorcock, Veteran of the Psychic Wars

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      • #4
        Nope - from me too. All is fine with me if Mike is happy (and Linda) and thinks "enough is enough". I can always reread the books, and there is still so much to discover in them.
        Google ergo sum

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        • #5
          Another read like KING OF THE CITY would be great. More Cornelius would be great too. I wouldn't be disappointed. More Second Ether please. Is that sci-fi or fantasy? Seemed like a mathematical romance to me.
          The cat spread its wings and flew high into the air, hovering to keep pace with them as they moved cautiously toward the city. Then, as they climbed over the rubble of what had once been a gateway and began to make their way through piles of weed-grown masonry, the cat flew to the squat building with the yellow dome upon its roof. It flew twice around the dome and then came back to settle on Jhary's shoulder. - The King of the Swords

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          • #6
            If a writer is "good," it doesn't matter which genre he chooses to work in.

            It has been a long time since Thomas M. Disch has written an sf novel, but I've continued to read his books as they come out. One of his better books (Neighboring Lives) isn't even remotely fantastical in inspiration. It's a sort of historical novel. His horror novels (e.g., The Priest) are very entertaining, and I don't even like horror as a genre.

            So Mr. Moorcock should write whatever he likes, and we'll check it out when it hits the stores. The genre isn't important.

            LSN

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            • #7
              Please don't hit me for saying this, but...

              I much prefer The Second Ether and JC to the bulk of Elric's adventures. I've just never been a fan of that sort of "fantasy", although I appreciate the way the character has been dragged in to other strands of the multiverse (such as in Fabulous Harbours). I haven't read any of the Pyat, or London-related books yet, but ultimately it is Mike's humour and intelligence that I enjoy most in his writing, and I think it's most compelling when unleashed on a world that more closely resembles our own. I don't tend to "get" symbolism generally, so satire is more my speed (to put it very crudely).

              As a somewhat mercurial Gemini, the fact that his work straddles so many genres (and even blends a few of them together) means that it would be almost impossible for me to lose interest in his work, because if I get bored of dragons and rune swords, I can switch to needle guns and scary bishops. All the fun of the fair, as they say. :)
              "That which does not kill us, makes us stranger." - Trevor Goodchild

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              • #8
                I can appreciate his wish to keep moving and not become formulaic. In a sense fantasy / non-fantasy is a bit of a false dichotomy: did anyone ask Milton if he was going to write any more fantasies? Still, I was pretty chuffed when I heard he might consider writing something else along the lines of Gloriana, so I guess the answer's "Yes". But I'll be happy with whatever comes, I'm sure.
                \"...an ape reft of his tail, and grown rusty at climbing, who yet feels himself to be a symbol and the frail representative of Omnipotence in a place that is not home.\" James Branch Cabell

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                • #9
                  I've only read about 1/50th of Mr M's output, and I can safely say if I'd produced that amount and quality of work, I'd need a bloody long lie down and a few jars... :roll:

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                  • #10
                    I'll tale what I can get and there's still plenty I haven't read yet. I agree with Dee, the Second Ether trilogy (as well as the Multiverse of MM graphic novel, which constitutes a fourth part) really encapsulated the feeling of his Multiverse for me. I'd like to see more graphic novels and collaborations such as Making of a Sorceror.
                    Yuki says, "Krimson used to be known as Kommando, but he rarely uses that name anymore. Sometimes he appears as Krimson Gray as well. Do not be confused, he still loves cats and bagels."

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                    • #11
                      well I don't read that much fantasy anymore. Anything MM wants to write, I'll want to read...

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                      • #12
                        I don't know if I will be disappointed, but I know that I'm glad for every fantasy book that he puts out. So, some of my joys would disappear.

                        But on the other hand, is it possible to feel the loss of a joy that you never have had as in a non-existent book?

                        Have to go to my chamber and think that over. 8)

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                        • #13
                          Some of the joy is in the anticipation. You lose that.

                          I wonder how many unpublished manuscripts Mike has lying around?
                          \"...an ape reft of his tail, and grown rusty at climbing, who yet feels himself to be a symbol and the frail representative of Omnipotence in a place that is not home.\" James Branch Cabell

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                          • #14
                            Quite truthfully, he's written so much fantasy, I can see why he wants to quit writing it. I like his fantasy fiction and he's wildly inventive, but if he's tired of it, then go and write something new.

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                            • #15
                              I hope he continues to write fantastic fiction--another novel set in the End of Time would be awesome. I suppose I'm just obsessed with Dancers.

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