I would have to say that as a teenager, I had an interest in the fantasy novels by Michael Moorcock as one of his tragic heroes was named Elric, close to my last name, just missing the letter “k”. (In a similar vein, I thoroughly enjoy the Fullmetal Alchemist stories and get a similar kick that the main characters, two brothers, have the last name Elric.)
It also didn’t hurt that Moorcock’s fantasy novels were well written and so I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. His books were a welcome departure from the stories of JRR Tolkien as Moorcock’s characters were darker and the heroes themselves did questionable deeds in their quest for survival and power: something to which a teenager can relate.
I recently purchased some used, musty Moorcock books. These included:
- The Sleeping Sorceress
- The Jewel in the Skull
- The Sailor on the Seas of Fate
- The Bull and the Spear
The book covers are quite funny as they reflect the psychedelic times of the 70’s. But the stories themselves are not the current, boring introspective-type books I find are currently published, where we always seem to be inside the head of someone and hear all their thoughts. No, the stories in these books race at breakneck speed: stuff happens, and the stuff that does happen involves magic, alternate planes of existence, alternate existences, demons, and magic, loads of magic. All great stuff.
And so when the Guardian published a recent article about him, there was a linked article published in 2011 of an interview between Moorcock and Hari Kunzru. It’s a great read and sheds light on Moorcock, especially his writing habits, all fascinating. Here’s the link: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/feb/04/michael-moorcock-hari-kunzru
But here’s the thing: When I visit a bookstore like Chapters in Canada or Barnes and Nobles in the States, I can never find any of Moorcock’s fantasy books. I know it is because the bookstores only stock current authors, and want to push only recently published books. But it still seems a shame to me that it is in some ways it is denying young readers, like I was once, the opportunity to read some of the classic fantasy novels, the groundbreaking sword and sorcery stories.
I guess that kids nowadays need to be in the know, just need to be more of a fantasy nerd and know the history of swords and sorcery. Because when you read GRR Martin, you can appreciate his novels, because I can bet you dollars to donuts, he read Moorcock’s books.
And here’s a link to the Guardian website with all sorts of articles about Moorcock, going back several years: http://www.theguardian.com/books/michael-moorcock
Enjoy 🙂