Good, but I found my attention wandering to be honest.

Good, but I found my attention wandering to be honest. ( )

More of the Von Bek family adventures in THE CITY IN THE AUTUMN STARS, which isn't as rollicking an adventure as THE WARHOUND AND THE WORLD'S PAIN (although there is a glorious set piece battle in an otherworldly tavern as warring factions attempt to seize the Grail ), but more an examination of one man's journey from disillusioned French revolutionary to alchemical perfection.

Of course, being Moorcock, the path to perfection is a rocky one, and the end of the journey is rarely the destination that was in mind at the beginning. But it's well worth going along for the wild ride again, as Von Bek escapes Paris, heads for Switzerland, and gets involved in schemes with an early balloonist to swindle a fortune while searching for an elusive Countess that has stolen his heart.

The Countess proves to be after much more than that, and soon we are off into another part of Moorcock's multiverse, where the quest for the Grail is taken up in one of Moorcock's trademark baroque cities displaced in time and space. There's also a Concordance, a great meeting of the spheres that regular Moorcock readers will recognise as a motif holding everything together ( and blasting everything apart.)

There's great characters, typical Moorcockian musings on the nature of humanity, some glorious alchemical symbolism shot through it, and a lovely bittersweet ending.

Another winner from the great man, and a fitting later addition to the Eternal Champion cycle, which has been broadened by these additions weaving later European history into the rich tapestry. ( )

Manfred von Bek, the great-great-great-great grandson of Ulrich von Bek, has a problem. The French government wants him dead. So off he goes trailed by one of his old comrades in arms. While hiding out, he bumps into a beautiful woman who helps him evade capture. From that moment on, he's hooked and his life's purpose is focused exclusively on her. It's amazing how destructive blind passion can be.

I did not like this book. The dialog, to me, read like [Fox in Socks] - which was pretty disappointing. There was too much Greek mythology and French philosophy. If I was more familiar with those subjects, the multitude of references made to them may have made more sense to me, but as it was, I felt like I was on the outside of a whole series of inside jokes. The appearance of several demi-humans (the fox and the goat) made no sense to me. The flight where Libussa dances in the bone palace was simply bizarre and came out of nowhere. I'm forced to conclude that either I simply don't have the background to understand what Moorcock was writing about here, or that he was under the influence of some incredibly power drugs for the months during which he wrote this book. It's been a long time since I read a book I've disliked this much...

von Bek, unlike his warhound ancestor, appears to be a man without convictions or the intelligence to understand the implications of his actions. He whines and mopes for Libussa. He follows a conman's schemes but is concerned that it will ruin his name. He does whatever Libussa says - though she ignores or patronizes him incessantly even to the point of referring to him as 'little one'. He has the capacity for greatness but refuses to act. Klosterheim, on the other hand, acts. Probably the single image I'll take with me from this book is the bayonette buggering he gives the Red O'Dowd. I don't recall ever reading anything quite so disturbing. Although, some of the "song" names from the group Cannibal Corpse come close. Such as 'Meathook Sodomy'... But I digress. ( )

Manfred von Bek, a supporter of the French Revolution flees Paris when he becomes endangered by the Terror. He reaches the city of Mirenburg and joins up with the con man St Odhran in a scheme to raise money to build a large balloon for a voyage to uncharted lands. However, von Bek and several others find themselves actually transported into the alternate dimensions of the Mittelmarch, where von Bek is drawn into plots because of his family affinity to the Holy Grail.

I was not really able to get too interested in this book. The first half is quite slowly paced and in mainly concerned with von Bek's introspection on a number of topics. More happens as he journeys into the Mittelmarch, but the story becomes increasingly abstract as it progresses, and I did not care much about what happened. ( )