McSweeneys & Michael Moorcock

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Wed, 2003-10-08 15:47

I'm in the midst of reading the 10th edition of McSweeneys (the Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling tales, as it is better known) and it's chockfull of great short stories (Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby, Dave Eggers, Rick Moody, Michael Chabon - lots of big names) . . .

Anyway. The point of this ramble. I finished reading the Eggers' story last night (which was pretty good) and arrived at a 50+ page short story by Michael Moorcock. Now. The only thing I know about Michael Moorcock is that he's been churning out stuff for generations. My only previous awareness of him came from a terrific Half Man Half Biscuit tune "Dickie Davies Eyes" (with the lyric "Moorcock, Moorcock, Michael Moorcock, you fervently moan . . .")

For whatever reason I started in fearing the worst and - it is an absolute blast . . . The Case of the Nazi Canary it's called. Worth the cost of purchase alone . . .

My eyes have been well and truly opened . . .

Wed, 2003-10-08 18:10

drew

Good news Pete, I bought this off bol (60% off) and am still waiting for it to come. I too have often heard of Moorcock and have never read anything by him. I've gone a bit short story mad lately. Is Eggers any good - I read his short story in the Bummed Children of America and I liked that one. I read this book in Borders last week. They have comfy seats where you can sit and read.

Wed, 2003-10-08 18:14

drew

Speaking of Chabon - the editor - I'm currently reading his Marvellous Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. This is fab - history of American comic books and WW2 escape story. (I've just finished Middlesex and considering it's the same kind of thing Chabon wipes the floor with him.)

Thu, 2003-10-09 09:18

Pete

Ahw, you know Middlesex. That did nothing for me. I loved The Virgin Suicides but - Middlesex. Don't know what it was. Whether it was his horrendous author photograph or the sentences that seemed to just roll on and on and on . . . Put years on me. Kavalier & Clay, tho! Yes! Marvellous!! That was one of those books that sat on my shelf for ages with me thinking - oh it's too big, I'll never find the time . . . and when I did: what a blast! Such a great novel . . . Do you also know that Chabon has become involved with an Escapologist comic book which is due for publication this December thru Dark Horse . . . How cool will that be? (December is a great month for graphic novels - there's the second volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and the 4th volume of Promethea too . . . Ah, the joys of being thirty+ and reading comics!!)

Thu, 2003-10-09 09:53

Wolfgirl

Ah Michael Moorcock...a superb, original talent who has stupidly fallen out of fashion and favour. Read his Jerry Cornelius stories such as A Cure For Cancer etc, plus The Adventures of Catherine Cornelius and Una Persson but if you want a real treat, read the very short Behold The Man. Very impressive.

Thu, 2003-10-09 13:20

Tony Cook

I read all his stuff when I was a student (many moons ago) but his more recent writing has been of an even higher ilk. I loved his Mother London - a truly original and stunning book. He also wrote what I regard as my favourtie ever article in that fine organ Red Pepper. See it here:

Thu, 2003-10-09 15:20

Pete

I didn't answer yr Eggers question, Drew - sorry. Eggers is okay. His (debut) memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is pretty great, and his short stories are interesting (read his shaggy dog tale in Nick Hornby's Speaking with the Angel - that's pretty good). His novel You Shall Know Our Velocity was a bit hit and miss, but - he's interesting, no doubt. And I'm despeately trying to find the cash to subscribe to McSweeneys. They do great things . . .

Thu, 2003-10-09 15:49

sheepshank

Funny that this subject should come up because I read one of the stories in that book in the shop this morning. I'd never heard of Michael Moorcock but now I'll be sure to go back. I kept thinking that if ABC ever publishes a book, this would be a great way of doing it. (Don't like the 2-column layout though.)

Fri, 2003-10-10 09:26

drew

Pete, I thought Middlesex was very well written, the Smyrna tragedy at the beginning was fab, but then it all got a bit (and the word I'm looking for is a Jewish writer whose stories always had twee little endings)... Then at about page 400 he seemed to find a story when Cal runs away to California. The whole book should have been about that. And then it comes to a sudden end. But the quality of writing was good. Am still enjoying Kavelier and Clay - Chabon has got that something that Eugenides hasn't - you get to the end of a chapter and you have to know what happens next. Then the next chapter starts off on a tangent so you have to read as quickly as possible to get to the next bit of the story.

Fri, 2003-10-10 09:39

#10

drew

Sorry, for Pete too, what did you mean about cash for McSweeneys - it's a website and free isn't it?

Fri, 2003-10-10 10:27

#11

Pete

McSweeneys is a website - and the website has a lot of rather nice things on it - but it's also (and primarily) a quartely publication: the Mammoth Treasury is issue 10, issue 11 is due in a couple of months and features a new story by TC Boyle (one of my favourites!), Issue 12 is a purely comic edition, issue 13 comes in 3 parts and features one volume of all new writers and one volume that features a new story by Roddy Doyle . . . Basically innovative short story collections. Subscription is something like $60 a year BUT with postage outside the US it runs to about $110 . . . I'm dropping lots of Christmas type hints to loved ones . . . .

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