Win a Copy of The Final Programme, the First Volume in Michael Moorcock’s Cornelius Quartet
Titan Books has been doing something pretty marvelous for modern fantasy fans: they’ve been gradually reprinting Michael Moorcock’s fabulous back catalog, which includes some of the most fondly remembered fantasy of the 20th Century.
They began with his early steampunk trilogy Nomad of the Time Streams (which opened with The Warlord of the Air), and continued with the complete Chronicles of Corum (see our cover gallery from last May). In 2016, they’ve turned their attention to the Cornelius Quartet, starring the hippest adventurer in fantasy, scientist and rock star Jerry Cornelius.
Black Gate has copies of The Final Programme to give away to three lucky readers, compliments of Titan Books. How do you make one of them yours? Just send an e-mail to john@blackgate.com with the subject “The Final Programme,” and a one-sentence review of your favorite Michael Moorcock tale.
That’s all it takes. Three winners will be drawn at random from all qualifying entries, and we’ll reprint some of the best reviews when we announce the winners.
All entries become the property of New Epoch Press. No purchase necessary. Must be 12 or older. Decisions of the judges (capricious as they may be) are final. Not valid where prohibited by law, or anywhere postage for a trade paperback is more than, like, 10 bucks (practically, that means US and Canada).
The Final Programme was published by Titan Books on February 2, 2016. It is 255 pages, priced at $9.95 in trade paperback and $7.99 for the digital edition.
I have fond memories of MM from my youth, alas, he doesn’t seem to hold up well over time (at least for me). I realize a lot of his writing is Pulp Fiction, but even judged on that level it doesn’t seem to hold up. The Elric Saga needs an editor. Count Brass is embarrassing (this is the same guy who wrote Epic Pooh?). No one reads Jerry. The whole Eternal Champion Cycles is a great idea poorly executed. Hakmoon…good, Corum….good, Erekose….good. The rest…..meh.
“I have fond memories of MM from my youth, alas, he doesn’t seem to hold up well over time (at least for me).”
I had similar thoughts when I returned to MM in my twenties (who was by far my favorite author in junior high). However, after re-returning to him in my forties, I’ve been able to get back into the joy of reading MM for what he is: pulpy sword & sorcery, or pulpy whatever.
I think the Eternal Champion idea is rather clumsily executed as well, but I also think that any such negative criticism is a bit anachronistic. MM was ahead of his time with this idea and I hardly think that he had some grand plan set out before he started piecing these tales together.
I also never got much into the Cornelius books; they seem more geared towards the British–yeah baby!–generation. However, I do plan on reading them in the near future and giving them a good college try.