Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion returns as Kane of Old Mars, a brilliant American physicist whose strange experiments in matter transmission catapult him across space and time to the Red Planet. Kane's is a Mars of the distant past - a place of romantic civilizations, fabulous many-spired cities and the gorgeous princess Shizala. To win her hand and bring peace to Mars, Kane must defeat the terrible Blue Giants of the Argzoon, whose ravaging hordes threaten the whole planet!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By John Middleton
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
As the old saying goes, if you budget is $100m it's a homage, if its $50 it's a rip-off. City of the Beast is a homage to the old Sword and Planet tales of Burroughs and Kline, Brackett and C.L. Moore (and a host of others). Originally titled Warriors of Mars under the name "Edward P Bradbury" when published back in 1965, it probably looked more like rip-off than homage. 45 years later, and with Michael Moorcock a well-known name in the business, it's a bit different.
There is not a lot of point talking about the plot, other than in the broadest terms - earthman is myteriously transported to Mars, fights monsters, meets a girl. The villian is an evil pirate queen who can mesmerise man and beast alike with the power of her mind - and whether this is extreme beauty, magic or some genetic mutation caused by radiation is never made clear. In fact, looking back on that last sentence I may have given the matter more thought than Moorcock did when writing the book. But you know what? That's OK. This is a book that was written to be read and enjoyed, not closely studied, interpreted, deconstructed, and analysed in depth. It's a simple, straightforward adventure story with a few fun flourishes. Its short, punchy and to the point: this is not a multi-volume fantasy epic to fear committing too, it's a one-night stand with a tongue in cheek romp through a fantastic world that never was.
There is not a lot of point talking about the plot, other than in the broadest terms - earthman is myteriously transported to Mars, fights monsters, meets a girl. The villian is an evil pirate queen who can mesmerise man and beast alike with the power of her mind - and whether this is extreme beauty, magic or some genetic mutation caused by radiation is never made clear. In fact, looking back on that last sentence I may have given the matter more thought than Moorcock did when writing the book. But you know what? That's OK. This is a book that was written to be read and enjoyed, not closely studied, interpreted, deconstructed, and analysed in depth. It's a simple, straightforward adventure story with a few fun flourishes. Its short, punchy and to the point: this is not a multi-volume fantasy epic to fear committing too, it's a one-night stand with a tongue in cheek romp through a fantastic world that never was.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.9 out of 5 stars
11 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Homage to Burroughs succeeds
7 Mar 2009
By C. S. Nelson
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
City of Beasts/Warriors of Mars succeeds, admirably, at being a homage to the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. For anyone who is a fan of the genre of Planetary Romance, or who just enjoys well written action, this is a good book to read. Is it high literature? No. Does it make sense with what we know of science today? Not only no, but a resounding no! In the end will you understand the Human Condition better than before? Well, not really.
What it is, is a fairly simple straight forward story of adventure. In this book you will find all the derring do, vile villians and heroic... well, heroes that you would wish from a book of this type.
The writing in this novel only hints at the true depth of Michael Moorcock's gift for writing. Any fan of his who has read any of the later Eternal Champion series should see in this book the development of a truly gifted author. I am not sure when Michael Kane was added to the list of Eternal Champion's but so be it.
As a homage to the literary genre, though, it is a truly fun book. In the end, it is that word that makes me feel really happy about having taken the time to read a novel and why I am willing to give this one five stars (in spite of some minor flaws): That it is in the end a FUN read.
What it is, is a fairly simple straight forward story of adventure. In this book you will find all the derring do, vile villians and heroic... well, heroes that you would wish from a book of this type.
The writing in this novel only hints at the true depth of Michael Moorcock's gift for writing. Any fan of his who has read any of the later Eternal Champion series should see in this book the development of a truly gifted author. I am not sure when Michael Kane was added to the list of Eternal Champion's but so be it.
As a homage to the literary genre, though, it is a truly fun book. In the end, it is that word that makes me feel really happy about having taken the time to read a novel and why I am willing to give this one five stars (in spite of some minor flaws): That it is in the end a FUN read.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Afternoon (or Late Night) Read
15 Dec 2007
By J. May
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This is a very exciting book! I started reading it around 10:30 as some intending it as some before bed reading and finally finished it around 2:30am. I did not even notice the passing of time. I could not put the book down.
I am a huge fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars books, and this book definitely the same genre. There are two sequels to this book that will be released later in the Plaent Stories Line: Lord of the Spiders and Masters of the Pit.
I hope that you enjoy this story as much as I did.
I am a huge fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars books, and this book definitely the same genre. There are two sequels to this book that will be released later in the Plaent Stories Line: Lord of the Spiders and Masters of the Pit.
I hope that you enjoy this story as much as I did.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jhaeman's Reviews
13 May 2010
By Jeremy
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
On Grognardia, I've been reading a lot recently about Paizo's Planet Stories series, which is a line of classic fantasy and science-fiction novels (most from the 1950s to 1970s). The books come out bi-monthly and subscriptions are available, though so far I've just picked up several of the novels in used book stores.
The first one I read was Michael Moorcock's City of the Beast. Moorcock is a famous fantasy writer (especially with his Elric stories), but this is the first time I've ever actually read one of his books. City of the Beast (originally titled Warriors of Mars) has a refreshing simplicity to it, insofar as it is very much straight-up heroic adventure. Except for a framing sequence, it's told from the first-person point of view of a character named Michael Kane. A modern-day physicist (who just happens to be an expert swordsman and military tactician), Kane is transported by accident to the Mars of thousands of years ago--a world which is a lush, fantastic place full of strange creatures, civilizations, and quasi-scientific technology. Kane immediately falls in love with a native princess named Shizala and goes on an epic quest to rescue her when she's kidnapped by a race of blue-skinned giants named the Argzoon. In other words, this is the story of a guy fighting monsters to rescue a princess: it is Super Mario Bros: The Novel. I say that facetiously, as it's fun to read a fantasy novel that is straight-forward and fast-moving (it weighs in at just over 150 pages) and that doesn't carry with it dozens of subplots and hundreds of characters. As much as I like the layered myth-making and deep characterization in stories like The Wheel of Time, a book like City of the Beast offers a nice change of pace.
The first one I read was Michael Moorcock's City of the Beast. Moorcock is a famous fantasy writer (especially with his Elric stories), but this is the first time I've ever actually read one of his books. City of the Beast (originally titled Warriors of Mars) has a refreshing simplicity to it, insofar as it is very much straight-up heroic adventure. Except for a framing sequence, it's told from the first-person point of view of a character named Michael Kane. A modern-day physicist (who just happens to be an expert swordsman and military tactician), Kane is transported by accident to the Mars of thousands of years ago--a world which is a lush, fantastic place full of strange creatures, civilizations, and quasi-scientific technology. Kane immediately falls in love with a native princess named Shizala and goes on an epic quest to rescue her when she's kidnapped by a race of blue-skinned giants named the Argzoon. In other words, this is the story of a guy fighting monsters to rescue a princess: it is Super Mario Bros: The Novel. I say that facetiously, as it's fun to read a fantasy novel that is straight-forward and fast-moving (it weighs in at just over 150 pages) and that doesn't carry with it dozens of subplots and hundreds of characters. As much as I like the layered myth-making and deep characterization in stories like The Wheel of Time, a book like City of the Beast offers a nice change of pace.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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