The sci-fi author leads the reader on an imaginative journey from his early life in London to a wondrous tale of England’s past
Acclaimed science fiction and fantasy writer – not to mention one-time member of Hawkwind – Michael Moorcock is not the type to come up with a generic autobiography, nor, for that matter, a conventional novel. Consequently, The Whispering Swarm is a lively combination of the two forms which slightly distorts both. Its protagonist, “Michael Moorcock”, is a version of the real-life author – complete with his upbringing in a post-blitz London, extraordinary creative precocity (he edited the highly popular Tarzan Adventures at the age of 17) and early marriage and parenthood; but he departs from the narrative straight and narrow when he allows a Carmelite monk to lead him to the gates of Alsacia, a hidden community in the city of London that acts as a gateway to England’s past. The resulting tale is enough to make you wish all writers would garland their memoirs with highwaymen and cavaliers and roundheads.
The Whispering Swarm is published by Gollancz (£25).
The Whispering Swarm is published by Gollancz (£25).
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