Metatemporal Detective:

Robert M. Tilendis calls Michael Moorcock's The Metatemporal Detectivea "series of delightful burlesques of Conan Doyle, noir detective fiction, the American Western (with special mention for the Masked Buckaroo, who rapidly became one of my favorite characters), spy thrillers, and of Moorcock himself" in a piece for Green Man Review.

His conclusion: "These are light fare compared to the bulk of Moorcock's work, although the connections are certainly there for those who are concerned with such things. They are, however, for those who appreciate things like Flash Gordon, a lot of fun."

A Load of Catching Up to Do

Here's a whole handful of things worth passing on.

Michael Moorcock is interviewed on ActuSF. He talks about the genesis of the Sir Seaton Begg character from The Metatemporal Detective,as well as the challenge of envisioning Hitler as a character: "I’m interested in political understanding, not what is correct. In fact you HAVE to look at these things if you are doing your job as a writer. You have to ask the unasked questions!"

Kay Kenyon's A World Too Near,just out this month, gets a marvelous review courtesy of Jackie Cassada in the Library Journal: "Kenyon's sequel to Bright of the Skydelves deeper into the personalities of her characters. This volume by a strong storyteller with a fresh new approach to fantasy and sf belongs in most libraries."

Meanwhile, Kay's previous novel, Bright of the Sky, was chosen as a staff selection for the Book Group Buzz: A Booklist Blog which makes recommendations (and offers sample discussion questions) for book club. They say, "Kenyon has done a masterful job of world building. Her setting is worth reading about. Her characters are believable. Her plot is intriguing. The tone is somber and mean, and there is little that happens in this first book that is redemptive. Conflict is constant and some of the violence is hard to look at. Did I understand all the science? No. Was that important to me? No. This novel is so accomplished that a reader little interested in the mechanics of the world can still enjoy the universe Kenyon has created.
Would I read the next book in the series? You bet!"

Graeme's Fantasy Book Review takes a look at the first of Joel Shepherd's Cassandra Kresnov novels, Crossover,His conclusion: "I think the hype has been totally justified...I loved Crossover and haven’t had as much fun with a sci-fi book in a long time."

Finally, Of Science Fiction takes a look at Justina Robson's Selling Out.TexasBlueBoy apparently hates series, but he likes this one despite himself: "Ms. Robson's blending of pretty hard sci fi with classic fantasy elements is flawless. Her characters are all flawed in very human ways and therefore approachable if not downright likable. I really hate to admit it, but Pyr has brought out yet another great speculative work that deserves to be read."

No shame in admitting that, now, surely!

Some Strange Place in the Universe

Love this review! Margaret Cannon is reviewing crime fiction for The Globe and Mail. She says she remembers "the utter delight of mysteries set in a perfectly realized alternative universe," but apart from a story by Robert J. Sawyer, hasn't found anything else to scratch this itch. Until now, that is, and Michael Moorcock's The Metatemporal Detective,which is a "wonderful collection...Seaton Begg and pathologist Taffy Sinclair, of the Metatemporal Investigation Department of the British Home Office, are pure imagination at its finest."

I knew this book would appeal to mystery aficionados, and it's great to see how well it worked for Margaret, who I gather has never heard of Elric, whom she calls "the beastly aristo Zenith the Albino, from some strange place in the galaxy," but who catches all the homages "to everyone from Dashiell Hammett to the nearly forgotten Sexton Blake."

Her conclusion? "For pure fun, this alternative universe is the place to explore."

Grand Master Michael Moorcock

From the Science Fiction Writers of America:

The SFWA® Board of Directors and President Michael Capobianco are pleased to announce that writer and editor Michael Moorcock has been named Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for 2008. The Grand Master represents SFWA's highest accolade and recognizes excellence for a lifetime of contributions to the genres of science fiction and fantasy.

Mr. Moorcock is the twenty-fifth writer recognized by Science FIction and Fantasy Writers of America as a Grand Master. He joins Robert A. Heinlein (1974), Jack Williamson (1975), Clifford D. Simak (1976), L. Sprague de Camp (1978), Fritz Leiber(1981), Andre Norton (1983), Arthur C. Clarke (1985), Isaac Asimov (1986), Alfred Bester (1987), Ray Bradbury (1988), Lester del Rey (1990), Frederik Pohl (1992), Damon Knight (1994), A. E. van Vogt (1995), Jack Vance (1996), Poul Anderson (1997), Hal Clement (1998), Brian Aldiss (1999), Philip Jose Farmer (2000), Ursula K. LeGuin (2003), and Robert Silverberg (2004), Anne McCaffrey (2005), Harlan Ellison (2006), and James Gunn (2007).

Moorcock & Picacio in Texas Signing

Michael Moorcock and John Picacio will be signing copies of the new, illustrated editon of Elric: The Stealer of Souls at Austin Books this Saturday. Copies of The Metatemporal Detective, with its matching Picacio cover illustration, will also be on hand, I'm told.

Details:

Austin Books
5002 North Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78751
Austin Books · info@austinbooks.com · (512) 454-4197

Saturday, February 23rd, 4pm-7pm

Metatemporal Detective: Best of 2007

Claude Lalumière has posted his SF, Fantasy, and Horror in 2007: Recommended Reading list for LocusOnline.

One of ours pops up under Collections:

"Michael Moorcock's The Metatemporal Detective(Pyr) is good pulp-fuelled fun, filled with stories that deftly pastiche many modes of popular fiction, though these tales might be somewhat arcane for readers not overly familiar with Moorcock's multiverse and his recurring cast of dimension-hopping characters and doppelgangers."

SciFiNow: Best of 2007

Just got the news that SciFiNow magazine, one of Britain's premiere sf media mags, has released their Best Books of 2007. And among the list, Ian McDonald's Brasyl,and Michael Moorcock's The Metatemporal Detective.

Here's the full list:

1) Halting State (Stross) - ORBIT
2) Stealing Light (Gibson) – TOR UK
3) Brasyl (McDonald) – PYR/GOLLANCZ
4) The Metatemporal Detective (Moorcock) - PYR
5) Helix (Brown) - SOLARIS

Congratulations to Ian and Mike! We're very proud.

Time-Drinking Never Tasted So Good

Author, editor, commentator Jeff Vandermeer interviews Michael Moorcock for Amazon's Omnivoracious blog today, talking about the origins of the Seaton Begg character in his recently released The Metatemporal Detective. The interview is a hoot, and well worth checking out in full, but here is a taste:

Amazon.com: Which of the following best describes your metatemporal detective, Seaton Begg (and why): “time-drunk slave to his insatiable appetites”, “linear successor to the hardboiled eccentrics of Dashiell Hammett,” “debonair ladies man who hardly has time out of the sack to solve crimes.”

Michael Moorcock: All of them.

Michael Moorcock: Top 50 English Language Writers since 1945

The Times Online have just released their list of The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945. Quite a few genre names on the list, including Tolkien, Lewis, Pullman and Rowling, and also, coming in at number 50, our own Michael Moorcock. They say, " Most of Moorcock’s 80-plus novels are unashamedly pulp. But he wins his place for a series of genre-crossing novels linked by a taste for metafictional devices — he often appears in them himself and characters occur and recur in 'historical' and 'fantasy' guises." They discuss his major works and his influences on such notables as William Gibson, Neil Gaiman, Iain Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd.

Meanwhile, Andrew McKie reviews The Metatemporal Detectivefor the Telegraph, in a piece called "Michael Moorcock: His Own Private Multiverse." McKie opens by crediting Moorcock with bringing the term Multiverse to quantum physicists and philosophers, then describes his latest as, "tremendous fun for fans of Sherlock Holmes, or perhaps Sexton Blake, so long as they are prepared for occasional forays into the milieu of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, as well as Robert E Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian... This is all pastiche, and Moorcock's fans will not be surprised to find that it is astoundingly sure-footed....I think it, on the whole, terrific. "

The Metatemporal Detective: The Intersection of History and Fiction

Rob H. Bedford, over on SFFWorld, reviews Michael Moorcock's The Metatemporal Detective.Rob says, "While each entry is a story in its own right, they do fit together to give an overall tapestry of Moorcock’s multiverse. Stories range from turn-of-the 20^th Century England to The Wild West of the 1800s to Nazi-era Germany. Though each of these time frames for the stories have an air of familiarity, each takes place on a world parallel to our own with slight differences. The Nazis in one world don’t quite escalate to power the way they did here, the United States of America isn’t so United in another. This is how Moorcock’s multiverse works, the worlds resemble our own but really aren’t. It is a neat trick and one of the strong points of much of Moorcock’s fiction – the intersection of history and fiction. Two elements, that when in the hands of a deft writer like Moorcock, makes for a very good story."

I was particularly gratified to see that Rob's favorite story was "The Mystery of the Texas Twister," since I have a history with that story predating this collection. It might be my favorite as well, tied perhaps with the final entry in the book. Meanwhile, Rob concludes that, "The strengths of these stories are many. The twisting plots, the quippy dialogue between Begg and Taffy, the interactions between Begg and Zenith, and the cool settings to name just a few. The stories are entertaining and range across the spectrum of Moorcock’s wide canvas. This book will appeal to Moorcock’s many fans as well as fans of dashing, pulpy stories and will fit very comfortably alongside and within Moorcock’s Eternal Champion saga."

Moorcock: Always a Big Deal!

Graeme's Fantasy Book Review proclaims that Michael Moorcock's The Metatemporal Detective"manages to capture perfectly the ‘pulp feel’ of the authors that Moorcock has affection for. Hard-bitten detectives, beautiful women, gun fights and car chases sit within these pages and some of the double crossing kept me guessing right up until the end of each story... All in all, a very entertaining read that made my daily commute go very quickly. A good one for fans, who are looking for their favourites, as well as the casual reader who may be looking to try Moorcock for the first time."

On the Road: John Picacio & Michael Moorcock, Part II

John Picacio reports from the road:

Great times in Austin, Texas yesterday...Mike Moorcock and I signed copies of The Metatemporal Detectiveat BookPeople, the largest independent bookstore in Texas. Mike did a short reading from the book, and then answered a wide range of questions from the audience. Amongst the topics discussed -- the origins of Elric; his theories on magic; the status of the developing Elric film project; his relationship with the Weitz brothers; his days with Hawkwind; why people should read Barry Bayley; and much, much more.

After that, we signed lots of copies of The Metatemporal Detectiveand hey, even some copies of my artbook, Cover Story: The Art of John Picacio. Mike's birthday isn't until Dec. 18th, but that didn't stop us from celebrating with a decadent Chocolate Eruption cake, sponsored by The Metatemporal Detective'sever-loving publisher, Pyr. Damn good. Here's what it basically looked like, but much bigger (scroll down the link above for "Chocolate Eruption").

After such a fine dessert, Linda Moorcock suggested we have dinner at Hyde Park Grill....fried egg sandwiches; buttermilk-battered fries; Kobe beef burgers; chicken fried steak; corn & cheese tamales; sirloin burgers smothered in cheddar cheese and scallions....so good. If you attended the signing, thanks for coming out, and if you missed out, maybe we'll try to do it again in '08 when Elric The Stealer of Soulsreleases in February.

Two Great Gift Recommendations

Lisa Tuttle, of The Time's Online, has recommended Ian McDonald's Brasylas part of The Times Christmas choice: science fiction / fantasy. She says, "Brasyl is the best novel yet by Ian McDonald, who deserves to be much better known. Audacious in scope and style, the story he tells is very human, full of vividly realised characters. It is a magical alternative history of Brazil and a mind-expanding intellectual adventure in prose bordering on the hallucinogenic."

Meanwhile, Jeff Vandermeer, of Amazon's Omnivoracious blog, recommends Michael Moorcock's The Metatemporal Detectiveas part of Four Great SF / F Gifts. He says, "Put out in a gorgeous hardcover edition from Pyr, featuring the art of World Fantasy Award winner John Picacio, this collection of short fictions will entertain anyone who loves wild imagination wedded to impeccable storytelling, along with liberal doses of humor and suspense. Detailing the exploits of Seaton Begg and his companion Dr. "Taffy Sinclair" as they solve mysteries in alternate universes, The Metatemporal Detective ranges far and wide, from 1960s Chicago to the wild west to Paris and points unknown. Another example of the range and depth of Moorcock's prodigious talent."

On the Road: John Picacio & Michael Moorcock

Via John Picacio's blog, On the Front:

This is gonna be fun. Michael Moorcock and I will be signing copies of his new hardcover release THE METATEMPORAL DETECTIVE on Saturday, Dec. 8th at 3pm at the largest bookstore in Texas, BookPeople / Austin, TX. (Store location details here.) In addition, I'll be bringing a few of my original drawings from the forthcoming release of ELRIC: THE STEALER OF SOULS. (Rumor has it, we may also be celebrating Mike's birthday early, with free chocolate cake all around.)

Here's a recent pic of a BookPeople shelf display featuring "Great Illustration & Design Books." Needless to say, I'll be happy to personalize copies of this book as well. :)

We'll Always Have Paris

Michael Moorcock signed copies of The Metatemporal Detective to a packed house this past November 5th at the Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Paris, France. He is pictured left with co-owner and event coordinator Sylvia Whitman (daughter of the legendary bibliophile George Whitman) and Martin Stone, (sometimes known as Martin "Mad Dog" Stone, whose guitar work will be familiar to all Stiff Records listeners. )

Pictured right is a shot of Mike reading taken from the very back of the crowd, and lower left shows Mike signing The Metatemporal Detective for a fan.

Meanwhile, Mike will be returning to the states shortly , where he'll join cover illustrator John Picacio for an event at BookPeople in Austin, Texas, at 3pm Saturday on December 8th.

We'll be back with more pictures from that event too!

The Metatemporal Detective: Signings and Launch Parties

Michael Moorcock will be hopping around the globe in celebration of the debut The Metatemporal Detective. First up, he's doing a signing at Shakespeare & Company, in Paris, France, on November 5th. Then he'll be at BookPeople in Austin, Texas, at 3pm Saturday on December 8th, where he joins cover illustrator John Picacio.

The 2007 NYLA Annual Conference

This week, my parent company Prometheus Books are exhibiting at the 2007 NYLA Annual Conference "Libraries: Learning for Life," currently being held this October 17 -20, 2007 in Buffalo, New York. Our director of publicity, Jill Maxick, sends along these pictures of the Prometheus Booth, including a close up on the Pyr display. On hand for the show is Richard Snyder, Marcia Rogers, Lynn Pasquale, and the aforementioned Jill Maxick (pictured below.)


Jill reports: "It is PB's 'first-ever' NYLA conference and though exhibit floor traffic was slower than we'd hoped for (we were told that Eastern NYS conference locations are busier due to a higher concentration of library systems in the eastern districts of the state,) Pyr was extremely well-received. Many comments were made about the female action-oriented protagonists of both the Quantum Gravity and Cassandra Kresnov series, which is funny because I think you've recently blogged about the similarities in their appeal, no? Librarians also favorably commented on the durability for circulation of our trade paper bindings versus mass-market only titles. "

That's Crossover: A Cassandra Kresnov Novelby Joel Shepherd being given out in the stack to Jill's right. Meanwhile, here is a picture of the Pyr display, where I can spy a copy of the just-out The Metatemporal Detectiveby Michael Moorcock. I'm still waiting on my own copy - but it looks good, doesn't it?