Michael Moorcock’s cycle of three novels is a tribute to the decadent dandyism of fin de siècle England with such colorful personalities as Oscar Wilde, Max Beerbohm and Aubrey Beardsley.

Since I'm a huge fan of Decadent classics, Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans comes immediately to mind, and also New Wave SF, I found every page of this singular Michael Moorcock positively scrumptious - so much so, I even created a special black and yellow bookmark from a Victor Vasarely print to match the cover of the SF Masterworks edition.

The three novels are: 1) An Alien Heat, 2) The Hollow Lands, 3) The End of All Songs.

AN ALIEN HEAT
We're hundreds of thousands of years into the future where the remaining humans (only a handful, it appears) are in complete control of their surroundings. You want your very own Swiss castle in the Alps or a French garden in the style of Louis XIV out your window or a baroque harpsichord in your parlor? Just twist your ring - and presto, thanks to highly advanced technology, there it is.

As to all those distasteful, less than completely satisfying bits of human experience - childhood and adolescence, sickness and aging, urinating and bowel movements – not a trace in this distant world. Pain and suffering, you say. What’s that, pray tell? Oh, please, don’t be boring – we don’t want to hear it. By the way, pass the apricot jam as its orange-golden hue matches the color of my antique pendant and I so love spreading lusciousness on my crisp croissant.

As to the exact science behind all this, no explanations are forthcoming, not even close. This is soft SF with a vengeance.

Philosophical inquiry, national identity, religious beliefs, moral principles - gone, nonexistent, all part of a long forgotten past, having been replaced by aesthetics, taste, sensuality and a zest for eye-catching fashion. One such fashion that's all the rage is assembling your very own menagerie. For, you see, darling, as we in our modern world have collected the artifacts of ancient and traditional cultures to be put on display in our museums, so individuals in this future world create menageries out of all forms of life in the universe; oh, yes, even aliens from other planets or time travelers from other times are placed on display for the amusement of guests who care to take a leisurely stroll between having sex on a satin chaise lounge and trading witticisms in their host's plush drawing room.

It is in this elaborately decadent landscape we meet Jherek Carnelian lounging on a cream-colored beach with his mother, the Iron Orchid, and speaking of his wish to try out what it would be like to be "virtuous." Baffling and bewildering, this "virtue," Jherek admits, but it's something that has tickled his fancy and he would definitely like to give it a go.

Several scenes later Jherek and the Iron Orchid fly in his air ship formed in the shape of a 19th century locomotive (Jherek has a particular fascination with object from that bygone era) to attend a party hosted by the Duke of Queens. And it is here where Jherek spots the lady, a time-traveler from that very same 19th century, that will change his life. "She wore a tight-fitting grey jacket and a voluminous grey skirt which covered all but the toes of her black boots. Beneath the jacket could just be seen a white blouse with a small amount of lacework on the bodice. She had a straw, wide-brimmed hat upon her heavily coiled chestnut hair and an expression of outrage on her pretty, heart-shaped face."

You bet she had an expression of outrage. For, as we eventually learn, this lady was abducted from her home in 19th century England and forced to travel through time landing her at this decadent party. Her name is Mrs Amelia Underwood and when Jherek casually refers to sexual activity, she delivers a hefty smack on his cheek.

When Jherek recovers, he searches the room for her. But, alas, she's nowhere to be found. Most unfortunate, since, wonders of wonders, he desperately desires this time-traveler. "His heart was set on her. She was charming. He fingered his cheek and smiled."

Thus we have in this Michael Moorcock novel, a most unusual love story. Unusual for several reasons, not the least of which is romantic love, love that sets the heart on fire, is a phenomenon completely unknown in this future. However, there is something unique about Jherek - unlike everyone else, including the Iron Orchid, all of whom came into this world as adults, as remarkable, odd and farfetched as it might seem, Jherek was actually born.

Another reason is obvious and one that frames a good portion of the novel's satire and humor: Jherek Carnelian's aesthetic, morality-free society versus Mrs Amelia Underwood's Christian, morality-heavy society. Amelia is astonished, and that's understatement. "It was often hard for her to remember what duty actually was in this - this rotting paradise. It was hard, indeed, to cling to all one's proper moral ideals when there was so little evidence of Satan here - no war, no disease, no sadness (unless it was desired), no death, even. Yet Satan must be present. And was, of course, she recalled, in the sexual behaviour of these people."

Likewise, when Jherek follows Mrs Amelia Underwood back to 19th century England, where, thanks to Michael Moorcock's keen sense of timing and language, every single one of the decadent dandy's encounters is a perfectly timed comedy of errors. And Jherek is such an innocent, a most likable handsome gent in his top hat, cape, dashing black suit and boots.

A wonderful beginning with more adventures to follow in the next two novels.

THE HOLLOW LANDS
The Hollow Lands picks up where An Alien Heat left off: Jherek Carnelian is back in his own distant future time, out on a jaunt with his mother, The Iron Orchid. Here’s a preview of what a reader is in store for with this, the middle volume, of Michael Moorcock’s scintillating trilogy:

Where have all the people gone? - Although these immortal men and women of the future control the mechanics of nature to the point where they no longer experience suffering or pain, they sense a loss of vitality, of intensity, of zest in their current world. "Once, it was said, the whole city had been sentient, the most intelligent being in the universe, but now it was senile and even its memories were fragmented. Images flickered here and there among the rotting jewel-metal of the buildings; scenes of Shanalorm's glories, of its inhabitants, of its history."

Anybody familiar with, say, Amsterdam or Paris or New York, knows so very much of the vibrancy and pulse of the city comes from the sheer number of people out on the streets. A striking feature of this future world Michael Moorcock has created: there are only a handful of people. So when Jherek and the Iron Orchid picnic in one of the Shanalorm parks, they are completely isolated. How much fun in the city is that?

Love & Passion - Jherek's heart still throbs for Mrs. Amelia Underwood. Mom doesn't fully understand or appreciate what it means to be in love with another person. But she realizes her son must work it out for himself. "It is your drama and you must be faithful to it, of course. I would be the first to question the wisdom of your veering from your original conception. Your taste, your tone, your touch - they are exquisite. I shall argue no further."
"It appears to go beyond taste," said Jherek, picking at a piece of bark and making it thrum gently against the bole of the tree. "It is difficult to explain"

It is ever thus. Love is difficult, even impossible, to explain to another, especially if that other person is a being incapable themselves of such impassioned, hot-blooded feelings. Recall Jherek is the exception here: unlike Iron Orchid and others, he was actually born and thus retains a connection with our all too human emotions.

Kooky Air Car - All the familiar faces from An Alien Heat gather about Jherek and the Iron Orchid, My Lady Clarlotina, Werther de Goethe, Lord Jagged among their number. Then, up in the sky - it's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's the Duke of Queens in his unique air car the shape of a huge hen. "Its wide wings beat mightily at the air, its mechanical head glared this way and that as if in horrible confusion. The beak opened and shut rapidly, producing a strange clashing noise." You see, these suffering-free denizens of this future age do continue one aspect of our current day world - they indulge each other with entertainment and amusements.

Captain Mubbers and his Crew - Jherek and company saunter into the forest to partake of a hunt. Tally-ho! Off they go. They come upon a strange band of time-travelers from a distant planet, "Near the crippled machine stood or sat seven humanoi beings who were unmistakably space-travellers - they were small, scarcely half Jherek's size, and burly, with heads akin in shape to that of their ship, with one long eye containing three pupils, which darted about, sometimes converging, sometimes equidistant with large, elephantine ears, with bulbous noses." These small fry hearties are called the Lat and their presence here in the forest and in future scenes, even 1896 London, makes for laugh out loud hilarity.

Nurse and the Children of the Pit - Another jocular, playful romp is when Jherek falls down and is trapped among "The Children of the Pit" ruled over by a robot nurse who treats Jherek like one of the children. Jherek being such a silly name, Nurse renames him Jerry Jester to fit in with the other boys and girls. And more: "We'll have to get you out of those silly clothes. Really, some mothers have peculiar ideas of how to dress children. You're quite a big boy, aren't you." Then when Captain Mubbers and his crew also enter the scene, the fun really begins.

1896 London - When Jherek finally reaches 19th century London, he meets and takes a train ride with none other than H.G. Wells. A New Wave SF writer just can't help himself. I recall H.G. Wells also making a cameo appearance in another New Wave SF novel - Christoper Priest's The Space Machine.

Home of Mrs Amelia Underwood - Again another sparkling section of the novel is when Jherek enters the home of his love, Mrs. Amelia Underwood. His conversation with the pious Mr. Underwood just returned home after his Bible Meeting makes for one rib-tickling exchange. This section of the novel is, as the saying goes, worth the price of admission.

Travel and Paradox - Ultimately, The Hollow Lands makes for a fast-paced adventure back and forth through time. Sure, there's paradox and problems galore, however, no problem is too formidable for the mighty Moorcock.

THE END OF ALL SONGS
The End of All Songs, the concluding novel of the trilogy, picks up where The Hollow Lands left off - Jherek Carnelian and Mrs Amelia Underwood are stranded on a beach during an early stage in the Earth's evolution, before birds, land lizards or mammals. But fear not - they are soon joined by other time travelers, familiar names for readers of the previous two volumes. And, thanks to new time machines, Jherek and Amelia zoom off to other distant times.

Many are the adventures here - The End of All Songs is nearly as many pages as the first two novels combined. If you were taken by Michael Moorcock's magical, mystical, time-travel tour in An Alien Heat and The Hollow Lands, surely you will enjoy novel number three. I certainly did!


British author Michael Moorcock, born 1939