HW: The Time Of The Hawklords

[MissileCommand]

Jon Jarrett wrote:

> On Tue, 2 May 2000, Steve P wrote:
>
> > On Wed, 3 May 2000 05:20:28 +1000, you sent through the ether:
> >
> > >Hype is quite a good book actually, though it didn't exactly set me alight
> > >or anything, but, thinking about it, I'm reminded of Mike Moorcock's
> > >comments that Calvert ought to have stuck to music, and given up his
> > >literary pretensions.
> >
> > On the Calvert v Moorcock feud I`m definitely on Bobs side.. however, I
> > was really surprised at how badly written Hype is.. unless Bob was
> > trying for a Mills & Boon style sales explosion.. in which case it
> > literary genius.. :)
>
>         I think the line goes something like: "Anyone who knows my work
> will realise, that no matter how bad it seems, it's all intentional." I
> wasn't really convinced of this until I heard the _Hype_ album, and then
> I decided that anyone who could outperform the then chart artists at their
> own game in a throwaway project between a book and a play could probably
> do pretty much anything :-)
>
> > Now, I`d say Calvert was a better songwriter than Moorcock is an
> > author... <cat, pigeons.....>
>
>         I've had the Moorcock argument with a few people and I think it
> comes down to this - you can't dispute the grandeur of his imagination or
> his prolific output. But it seems to me that it's only in the last
> fifteen years or so that his ability with words has really caught up with
> what he's imagining - the extra Elric that introduces the Rose (I forget
> its name) is maybe the best of the lot, and does a much better job of
> conveying Elric's internal torment than any of the `first round'.

I must disagree! The Dancers at the End of Time trilogy (early 70s) is
astonishingly well written. Same for the Cornelius novels, though they're hard to
really judge I guess. His character development is extraordinarily good as well
for most of his early material (Gloriana, Behold the Man, Jerry Cornelius)- I
can't think of many authors who can match him in that field.

>
>
>         And then of course there's _Blood_ :-) I think it's brilliant but
> I understand very little of it, which is probably the point. I do think
> you'd have to be a genius to write it though. That's my pigeon put to
> roost anyhow, yours,
>                      Jon

Haven't seen that yet. I recently finished The Brothel in Rosenstrasse and have
started Byzantium Endures. Also just finished High Rise :) -wasn't that impressed
with it

>
>
> --
>  |  Jon Jarrett (01223 741219)         jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk   |
>  | ======================================================================|
>  | "Now, back me up on this, but isn't it always the same? You've just   |
>  | got on the phone and the bath starts running? Back me up!" Harry Hill |

--
"When I look into your eyes
I realize they're in a glass jar on the shelf!" -ICU