How list works and questions to mailers

Adam Thornton · 12 May 2008, 15:24 · from 2008-May.txt.gz

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From: adam at io.com (Adam Thornton)
Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 10:24:14 -0500
Subject: (urth) How list works and questions to mailers
In-Reply-To: <44fb53d10805120739j61829ac8w23e266a89a0813fe at mail.gmail.com>
References: <195888.40317.qm at web81405.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
	<8CA109F4-D63B-457A-B791-376BE2CA45E9 at io.com>
	<13788.67.142.130.48.1210601052.squirrel at brunians.org>
	<44fb53d10805120739j61829ac8w23e266a89a0813fe at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <257ABDFC-ABBC-4B01-95ED-F2D8320F43AD at io.com>

On May 12, 2008, at 9:39 AM, Matthew Keeley wrote:

> Moorcock wrote "Black Blade," "Veteran of the Psychic Wars," and one  
> other song for BOC. I used to be a pretty big Moorcock fan, but then  
> I discovered Wolfe, who is so many times better. I remember someone  
> on this list once explained why they disliked Moorcock, and I found  
> I agreed completely.

There is that.

Although one could argue that "Rape and Forgiveness" is absolutely in  
the Mervyn Peake tradition.

The thing I think is useful to remember about Moorcock is that he  
represents an alternative theme in British fantasy; effectively, he's  
championing the cause of Peake over Tolkien.  This has, of course,  
been a fairly doomed battle, both in terms of sales popularity of the  
respective authors and in terms of their influence on future  
generations of writers.  And if you haven't read the Gormenghast  
books...they're worth the time, at least _Titus Groan_ and  
_Gormenghast_.  _Titus Alone_ is less clearly terrific, although it's  
certainly got its moments.  The PBS miniseries thereof, also, totally  
kicks ass and takes names.

Then it's complicated by the fact that Moorcock has spawned his own  
set of prot?g?s.  Among them I count M. John Harrison and China  
Mi?ville.  Harrison...well, the *first* time you encounter the  
psychopathic dwarf and the lacquered horse's skull with pomegranates  
for eyes, it's really cool.  The seventh time, not so much.  That  
said, I had a *great* time reading both _Light_ and _Nova Swing_.   
Mi?ville I adore, although I have a possibly-uncomfortable feeling  
that Bas-Lag is the Discworld done as steampunk (not that the  
Discworld itself hasn't gotten there recently), and that the whole  
thing *may* just be an extremely artful retelling of his group's D&D  
adventures (_Iron Council_, in particular, gave me that feeling).

Adam

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