The Land Leviathan
by Michael Moorcock
Oswald Bastable series (book 2), The Eternal Champion (The Nomad of Time book 2)
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A brand-new edition of the second novel in Moorcock's acclaimed steampunk series. Oswald Bastable visits an alternate 1904. Here, he discovers that most of the Western world has been devastated by a short, yet horrific, war fought with futuristic devices and biological weapons. An Afro-American Black Attila is conquering the remnants of the Western nations, destroyed by the wars, in an attempt to bring civilization and social order.Tags
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Member Reviews
An entertaining follow-up to 'Warlord of the Air'. I must say I prefer Moorcock's outings on Earth (or alternate reality Earths) to his Elric stuff that I have read. Once again we are given an account of Oswald Bastable's adventures. Trying to get back to his own time he stumbles into another post-apocalyptic Earth where a new conqueror has arisen from the ashes of civilization known as the 'Black Attila'. What really makes this book stand out is the way that Moorcock uses all the conventions of turn of the century adventures, but neatly turns them on their head. (For example how many times have we read/seen a damsel in distress rescued from savages who are about to sacrifice her in some distant barbaric land? In this instance the land show more in question is England!) An entertaining read which leaves me looking forward to the third installment of Bastable's adventures. show less
The author's grandfather, also named Michael Moorcock, is unwilling to let the spirit of Oswald Bastable alone, and so goes adventuring in an effort to find Bastable. In this volume, though he's unable to locate his mystery man, he encounters Una Persson and she leaves for him a set of memiors written by Bastable to be delivered to Moorcock. These memories tell of the next adventures of Oswald Bastable - his return to jolly old England, his meetings with old friends and new acquaintances and his eventual betrayal of the white race to aid the Black Atilla in his conquest of America.
One of the most interesting things to me about this and the prior volume of the Bastable series is his inclusion of cameos of various people of note. In this show more one, the one that really stands out for me was Mick Jagger as a low ranking military liaison officer - and, of course, Ghandi as the leader of South Africa. Joe Kennedy makes an appearance as a racist gun runner and I'm sure that the president of the US was portrayed by someone I should probably know or recognize, but I simply don't.
Very much looking forward to book 3. show less
One of the most interesting things to me about this and the prior volume of the Bastable series is his inclusion of cameos of various people of note. In this show more one, the one that really stands out for me was Mick Jagger as a low ranking military liaison officer - and, of course, Ghandi as the leader of South Africa. Joe Kennedy makes an appearance as a racist gun runner and I'm sure that the president of the US was portrayed by someone I should probably know or recognize, but I simply don't.
Very much looking forward to book 3. show less
Even though I don't think Bastable is considered an incarnation of the Eternal Warrior, his helplessness in the face of a force greater than himself that throws him through the multi-verse definitely places him at least as a companion.
Quite interesting to see a world where reverse-racism was about to be worldwide.
Quite interesting to see a world where reverse-racism was about to be worldwide.
This was interesting. It's about time travel between various possible timelines in the 20th century. Lots to do with race relations and an armageddon-type world war. A short, quick read.
I've read this book twice, I think, but since I never read the various Moorcock series in order, these books all get jumbled up in my memory. One of these days I'll reread them all, in order, because I do remember enjoying them.
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Author Information
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Michael Moorcock, 1939 - Writer Michael Moorcock was born December 18, 1939 in Mitcham, Surrey, England. Moorcock was the editor of the juvenile magazine Tarzan Adventures from 1956-58, an editor and writer for the Sexton Blake Library and for comic strips and children's annuals from 1959-61, an editor and pamphleteer for Liberal Party in 1962, show more and became editor and publisher for the science fiction magazine New Worlds in 1964. He has worked as a singer-guitarist, has worked with the rock bands Hawkwind and Blue Oyster Cult and is a member of the rock band Michael Moorcock and the Deep Fix. Moorcock's writing covers a wide range of science fiction and fantasy genres. "The Chronicles of Castle Brass" was a sword and sorcery novel, and "Breakfast in the Ruins: A Novel of Inhumanity" uses the character Karl Glogauer as a different person in different times. Karl participates in the political violence of the French Revolution, the Paris Commune, and a Nazi concentration camp. Moorcock also wrote books and stories that featured the character Jerry Cornelius, who had no consistent character or appearance. "The Condition of Muzak" completed the initial Jerry Cornelius tetralogy and won Guardian Literary Prize in 1977. "Byzantium Endures" and "The Laughter of Carthage" are two autobiographical novels of the Russian emigre Colonel Pyat and were the closest Moorcock came to conventional literary fiction. "Byzantium Endures" focuses on the first twenty years of Pyat's life and tells of his role in the Russian revolution. Pyat survives the revolution and the subsequent civil war by working first for one side and then another. "The Laughter of Carthage" covers Pyat's life from 1920-1924 telling of his escape from Communist Russia and his travels in Europe and America. It's a sweeping picture of the world during the 1920's because it takes the character from living in Constantinople to Hollywood. Moorcock returned to the New Wave style in "Blood: A Southern Fantasy" (1994) and combined mainstream fiction with fantasy in "The Brothel of Rosenstrasse," which is set in the imaginary city of Mirenburg. MoorCock won the 1967 Nebula Award for Behold the Man and the 1979 World Fantasy Award for his novel, Gloriana. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Series
The Eternal Champion (The Nomad of Time book 2)
Belongs to Publisher Series
DAW Book Collectors (178)
Heyne Science Fiction & Fantasy (06/3903)
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Der Landleviathan
- Original title
- The Land Leviathan
- Original publication date
- 1974
- People/Characters
- Oswald Bastable; Lu Kan Fon; Liu Fang; Una Persson; Manuel O'Bean; Josef Korzeniowski (show all 8); Cicero Hood; Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
- Important places
- London, England, UK
- Dedication
- Dedicated to Emma (and also Bertie)
- First words
- Mein Großvater, der relativ jung starb - er hatte sich im Ersten Weltkrieg freiwillig an die Front gemeldet, war schwer verwundet worden und erholte sich nie ganz davon - wurde in seinen letzten Lebensjahren immer verschloss... (show all)ener und menschenfeindlicher, so daß die Entdeckung einer kleinen Stahlkassette zwischen seinen Hinterlassenschaften nicht die geringste Neugier bei seinen Erben erweckte, die sie, als sie feststellten, daß sie sie nicht öffnen konnten (ein Schlüssel dazu tauchte niemals auf), einfach mit seinen Papieren fortstellten und vergaßen.
My grandfather, who died relatively young after he had volunteered for service in the Great War, became increasingly secretive and misanthropic in his last years, so that the discovery of a small steel safe amongst his effect... (show all)s was unsurprising and aroused no curiosity whatsoever in his heirs who, finding that they could not unlock it (no key ever came to light), simply stored it away with his papers and forgot about it. — Introduction
If I were ever to write a book of travel, no matter how queer the events described, I am sure I would never have the same trouble placing it with a publisher as I when I tried to get into print Oswald Bastable's strange tale of his visit to the future in the year 1973. — Prologue - In Search of Oswald Bastable.
After I left you that morning, Moorcock, I had no intention of departing Rowe Island so hastily. — Book One - The World in Anarchy / Chapter One - The Return to Teku Benga - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Ich kann Ihnen versichern, daß ich die Neuigkeit dann augenblicklich weitergeben werde!
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Good luck, old man.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)If anyone else ever reads this, perhaps he or she will be able to make more of it than I — Epilogue
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I assure you that the moment she does, I shall pass the new on!
Michael Moorcock — Somewhere in the twentieth century — Editor's Note - Publisher's editor*
- Jeschke, Wolfgang
- Original language
- English
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 823.087627
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Science Fiction, Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 823.087627 — Literature & rhetoric English & Old English literatures English fiction By type Genre fiction Adventure fiction Speculative fiction Science fiction Steampunk
- LCC
- PZ4 .M8185 — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction in English
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 587
- Popularity
- 49,715
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.53)
- Languages
- English, Finnish, French, German
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 17
- ASINs
- 13
