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Eternal Champion #9
Kane of Old Mars
The ninth volume of the Eternal Champion series collects one of Michael Moorcock's most epic fantasy adventures--the story of Kane of Old Mars. The saga begins on the south coast of France, but the adventure continues through space and time. "›Moorcock| is a major novelist of enormous ambition".--"The Washington Post" .
334 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1981
About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,091 books3,520 followersMichael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 21, 2008
This is actually the collected novels of the Kane series: City of the Beast, Lord of the Spiders and Masters of the Pit (all US titles, I gather the UK ones differ).
It's a good homage to ERB but, unlike Stirling's In the Court of the Crimson Kings, it's also a (at times not-so-subtle) subversion of Burroughs and the pulp SF/fantasy/adventure genre his novels represent. The third book is dominated by Kane's efforts to avoid fighting his foes and, rather, talking to them in an effort to avert violence. (Considering the current state of world affairs, quite topical.)
Like Burroughs, however, a little can go a long way, and after three books, the novelty begins to wane. It's probably a good thing that Moorcock abandoned his hero after only three books (if only ERB had had the same fortitude).
It's a good homage to ERB but, unlike Stirling's In the Court of the Crimson Kings, it's also a (at times not-so-subtle) subversion of Burroughs and the pulp SF/fantasy/adventure genre his novels represent. The third book is dominated by Kane's efforts to avoid fighting his foes and, rather, talking to them in an effort to avert violence. (Considering the current state of world affairs, quite topical.)
Like Burroughs, however, a little can go a long way, and after three books, the novelty begins to wane. It's probably a good thing that Moorcock abandoned his hero after only three books (if only ERB had had the same fortitude).
January 9, 2022
While Michael Kane is certainly no Elric of Melnibone, this incarnation of Moorcock's Eternal Champion is another one of my favorites. I first read these books nearly 40 years ago and while I'd forgotten most of the little details of these fast-paced adventures, they were still enormously entertaining. This is space opera at its finest and it's a glorious tribute and homage to the sword & planet books by Edgar Rice Burroughs featuring John Carter.
August 18, 2017
Book #1
Depending on your point of view, THE CITY OF THE BEAST is either homage to, or plagiarism of, Edgar Rice Burroughs' PRINCESS OF MARS. Moorcock does a terrific Burroughs impersonation, for better or for worse, though the world-building here isn't as good, even if you put aside how derivative it all is. On the other hand, Moorcock improves upon certain of PRINCESS OF MARS' plot defects: for example, by providing a scientific explanation for how the hero, Michael Kane, suddenly found himself on Mars (malfunction of a STAR TREK-esque transporter beam) and how he came to be so handy with a sword (qualified for the Olympic fencing team). There is nothing particularly novel or exciting about this story or its characters, but, in true Burroughs's fashion, it remains just engaging enough to while away the time, especially if you aren't in the mood for contemplation.
Book #2
These KANE OF OLD MARS novels may be total rip-offs of Burroughs' BARSOOM series, but they are also a rare instance in which the rip-off is as good as (or better than) the original. (Not that JOHN CARTER set the bar very high.) Moorcock perfectly mimics Burroughs' breathless style of adventure storytelling--both its positives and its negatives--to the point that I already have difficulty remembering which exploits correspond to which hero. LORD OF THE SPIDERS is full of action and interplanetary adventure. It's also loaded with eye-roll-inducing coincidences and one hell of a deus ex machina. Dumb, brawny fun, at best.
Book #3
This is the third and final adventure of the legendary Michael Kane (not to be confused with British actor Michael Caine, whose voice people love imitating on late night talk shows). If you've read the previous two novels in the trilogy, you know exactly what to expect. The first half of the book made me think that Moorcock was improving at this type of storytelling, but it turns out he was just saving the really dumb stuff for later. This series never stops feeling like a rip off of Edgar Rice Burroughs' JOHN CARTER stories, but one can't really complain, since the JOHN CARTER books borrowed so heavily from Edwin Lester Arnold's GULLIVER OF MARS. There's not much one can say about MASTERS OF THE PIT. Michael Kane fights the bad guys, gets captured, escapes, fights other bad guys, gets captured, escapes, fights other bad guys, gets captured, escapes...and so on and so forth. It's entertaining enough, but not something you'd go out and recommend. Interestingly, this book attempts to soften Michael Kane's image a bit, as though Moorcock were starting to feel guilty about the level of violence in these tales. At one point in the narrative, Kane insists on abandoning the capital city rather than kill the human zombies that are bent on invading it. Since this is your typical pulp novel, such noble intentions inevitably pay off in the end. Unfortunately, deus ex machinas aren't so common in real life.
Depending on your point of view, THE CITY OF THE BEAST is either homage to, or plagiarism of, Edgar Rice Burroughs' PRINCESS OF MARS. Moorcock does a terrific Burroughs impersonation, for better or for worse, though the world-building here isn't as good, even if you put aside how derivative it all is. On the other hand, Moorcock improves upon certain of PRINCESS OF MARS' plot defects: for example, by providing a scientific explanation for how the hero, Michael Kane, suddenly found himself on Mars (malfunction of a STAR TREK-esque transporter beam) and how he came to be so handy with a sword (qualified for the Olympic fencing team). There is nothing particularly novel or exciting about this story or its characters, but, in true Burroughs's fashion, it remains just engaging enough to while away the time, especially if you aren't in the mood for contemplation.
Book #2
These KANE OF OLD MARS novels may be total rip-offs of Burroughs' BARSOOM series, but they are also a rare instance in which the rip-off is as good as (or better than) the original. (Not that JOHN CARTER set the bar very high.) Moorcock perfectly mimics Burroughs' breathless style of adventure storytelling--both its positives and its negatives--to the point that I already have difficulty remembering which exploits correspond to which hero. LORD OF THE SPIDERS is full of action and interplanetary adventure. It's also loaded with eye-roll-inducing coincidences and one hell of a deus ex machina. Dumb, brawny fun, at best.
Book #3
This is the third and final adventure of the legendary Michael Kane (not to be confused with British actor Michael Caine, whose voice people love imitating on late night talk shows). If you've read the previous two novels in the trilogy, you know exactly what to expect. The first half of the book made me think that Moorcock was improving at this type of storytelling, but it turns out he was just saving the really dumb stuff for later. This series never stops feeling like a rip off of Edgar Rice Burroughs' JOHN CARTER stories, but one can't really complain, since the JOHN CARTER books borrowed so heavily from Edwin Lester Arnold's GULLIVER OF MARS. There's not much one can say about MASTERS OF THE PIT. Michael Kane fights the bad guys, gets captured, escapes, fights other bad guys, gets captured, escapes, fights other bad guys, gets captured, escapes...and so on and so forth. It's entertaining enough, but not something you'd go out and recommend. Interestingly, this book attempts to soften Michael Kane's image a bit, as though Moorcock were starting to feel guilty about the level of violence in these tales. At one point in the narrative, Kane insists on abandoning the capital city rather than kill the human zombies that are bent on invading it. Since this is your typical pulp novel, such noble intentions inevitably pay off in the end. Unfortunately, deus ex machinas aren't so common in real life.
April 16, 2022
This is a straight up pastiche/ripoff/fan-fiction/gary stu for the John Carter books. Moorcock even admits this in the introduction. The three novellas here are standard action-adventure pulp stories that don't really offer anything beyond that, and it is evident that these were Moorcock's first novels. Don't expect anything too deep or unique, there's a lot of coincidence and deus ex machina to solve the hero's problems. There's a lot of repetition in the story, with the character getting captured by one villain, escaping, getting captured by the next villain, etc. Glad I read it, but its definitely not one of Moorcock's books that I would recommend.
March 21, 2016
A quick confession: I've not read the Burroughs' classics, nor any other Victorian "Cities on Mars" fiction. "Kane of Old Mars"is an obvious and loving tribute to those works. As I've not had a chance to read what's being paid tribute to, I judge them on their own merits.
On their own merits, it is a trilogy about a human scientist, who finds himself transported to another time and place--Ancient Mars, back when it was inhabitable, before its people had to abandon the dying world and come to Earth. Having been trained by a fencing master as a child, the titular Michael Kane finds himself right at home in the pulpy warrior society of Old Mars, falls in love, and gets to go on many adventures.
This is definitely a popcorn read by modern standards. It's mostly fantasy, there's no magic, but there's ancient, sometimes incomprehensible technology that sometimes seems like magic. Lots and lots of travelling, lots and lots of sword-fighting, clear villains, no real ties to the rest of the multiverse.
The last story, "Barbarians of Mars" tries to get thematic and philosophical, as Kane faces a threat to Mars that comes from a new dogma, rather than from a defined villain. Personally, I felt it wasn't all that effective, but that's just me, others may find themselves liking it.
So, overall, a fairly quick heroic fiction fix. Nothing's too special about the setting, or the characters, or the action. enjoyable, as it doesn't overstay its welcome, but bland.
On their own merits, it is a trilogy about a human scientist, who finds himself transported to another time and place--Ancient Mars, back when it was inhabitable, before its people had to abandon the dying world and come to Earth. Having been trained by a fencing master as a child, the titular Michael Kane finds himself right at home in the pulpy warrior society of Old Mars, falls in love, and gets to go on many adventures.
This is definitely a popcorn read by modern standards. It's mostly fantasy, there's no magic, but there's ancient, sometimes incomprehensible technology that sometimes seems like magic. Lots and lots of travelling, lots and lots of sword-fighting, clear villains, no real ties to the rest of the multiverse.
The last story, "Barbarians of Mars" tries to get thematic and philosophical, as Kane faces a threat to Mars that comes from a new dogma, rather than from a defined villain. Personally, I felt it wasn't all that effective, but that's just me, others may find themselves liking it.
So, overall, a fairly quick heroic fiction fix. Nothing's too special about the setting, or the characters, or the action. enjoyable, as it doesn't overstay its welcome, but bland.
February 17, 2010
I'm kind of sorry this book showed up from the library just now. It hit at the "confluence" or arrival of several serious nonfiction books. It is a book that should have a dose of concentrated "frivolity".
Moorcock does very much capture the Burroughs "feel". The open scene is reminiscent of John Carter showing up and relating his story to the Earth bound writer. This character (Michael Kane)doesn't seem to share Carter's apparent immortality, or at least not on the same way. Where Carter only remembers seemingly having lived so long he's forgotten how long long it's been (and always seeming to be about 30) Kane doesn't start out discussing his age. Also Carter is drawn to Mars (Barsoom)by his desire, Kane is sent there in a faulty (or was it?) matter transmission accident.
The voice is here, the storytelling that has the sound of Burroughs, even the apparently dated attitude. It would have been a better read when I was 13.
It has become I believe an article of faith that this also has a place in Moorcock's Eternal Champion cycle. I suppose it could and am not aware if Moorcock has ever commented on that. While I enjoy the Eternal Champion books (especially Hawkmoon and Elric) I think you'll enjoy this more if you read it "primarily" as what Moorcock says it is, a tribute to Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Moorcock does very much capture the Burroughs "feel". The open scene is reminiscent of John Carter showing up and relating his story to the Earth bound writer. This character (Michael Kane)doesn't seem to share Carter's apparent immortality, or at least not on the same way. Where Carter only remembers seemingly having lived so long he's forgotten how long long it's been (and always seeming to be about 30) Kane doesn't start out discussing his age. Also Carter is drawn to Mars (Barsoom)by his desire, Kane is sent there in a faulty (or was it?) matter transmission accident.
The voice is here, the storytelling that has the sound of Burroughs, even the apparently dated attitude. It would have been a better read when I was 13.
It has become I believe an article of faith that this also has a place in Moorcock's Eternal Champion cycle. I suppose it could and am not aware if Moorcock has ever commented on that. While I enjoy the Eternal Champion books (especially Hawkmoon and Elric) I think you'll enjoy this more if you read it "primarily" as what Moorcock says it is, a tribute to Edgar Rice Burroughs.
June 29, 2009
Moorcock's pastiche of Edgar Rice Burroughs's John Carter series is great fun. Writing under the pseudonym Edward P Bradbury Moorcock tells the tale of Michael Kane, a physicist who gets zapped to Mars and plunged headlong into adventure. Fortunately as well as being a brilliant scientist Kane happens to be a master swordsman and is soon swashing his buckle as he fights alien monsters and woos a beautiful princess.
Good, pulpy fun.
Good, pulpy fun.
April 17, 2019
Kane of old Mars was the last book from the eternal champion series that I haven’t read although I have been reading and collecting the books in the last twenty-five years. I can’t remember why the book has eluded me but when I finally read it I realized that I hadn’t lost anything for not reading it. It is the first novel M Moorcock had written and it has none of the finesse and great story telling of the later works. Kane of old Mars is an omnibus edition of all three original books. Moorcock uses his favorite authentic story recipe that he interviews the narrator of the events. But the stories lack the luster and quality of writing he is associated with. The basic elements exist but in basic forms: The adventures in strange places, a meeting of strange races and monsters the switching between captivity mortal combat and constant hunting of a person or object. But the book overall is not interesting the main character is shallow and old mars is not an impressing setting. This is the first book of Moorcock along with the last books of Elric that disappointed me.
March 20, 2021
Ранний Муркок совершенно не похож на себя же позднего. В хрониках Майкла Кейна нет ни сложной космологии, ни философии, ни классической обреченности Вечного Воителя. Здесь есть только наивные, предсказуемые и излишне пафосные приключения абсолютно картонного героя.
Я бы не стал рекомендовать этот цикл даже отчаянным фанатам Муркока в частности и героической фэнтези вообще.
Я бы не стал рекомендовать этот цикл даже отчаянным фанатам Муркока в частности и героической фэнтези вообще.
March 25, 2018
As parodies/pastiches/tributes go, these are the only John Carter books you'll ever need. Don't treat them as anything more serious, though.
May 3, 2019
Nej, det här var inte speciellt bra.
January 23, 2008
Michael Moorcock, Kane of Old Mars (Warriors of Mars/Blades of Mars/Barbarians of Mars) (Lancer, 1965)
For the first book and a half of this trilogy, I had no idea what Moorcock was on about. Then I did a little research and found out Moorcock was parodying Edgar Rice Burroughs; that helped put things more into perspective and helped me get over some of my usual annoyances with many fantasy writers (the plethora of exclamation points and one-sentence paragraphs, etc.); traps Moorcock usually doesn't fall into.
Once that was behind me, I enjoyed these three books quite a bit more. The astoundingly cheesy premise herein is that a writer, Edward Bradbury (under which pen name the books were originally published), encounters and befriends one Michael Kane while vacationing in the south of France. Kane is a physicist who previously worked for the military but went off to the private sector to develop what he calls a matter transference machine (in this post-Star Trek world, we know them better as transporters or teleporters). Its only problem is that, when Kane tests it on himself, it sends him not to the receiving transference machine, but to Mars millions of years ago, a Mars that is full of thriving communities. They are, of course, at war with one another or in tenuous peace treaties that could erupt into war at any moment, leading to many examples of Kane's ability to show off the swordfighting techniques he learned as a child (how coincidental!), while forging alliances between peoples who have been at war for generations and earning the respect of all he encounters. It's high silliness of the order to be found in old Douglas Fairbanks pictures from the silent era (or the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, presumably).
Moorcock keeps the pages turning, and each of the books is slim; it's possible to get through one of them in a lazy afternoon and still have time to tackle thirty of forty pages of the newest Danielle Steel potboiler, if one is so inclined. Just don't be expecting great literature. For that matter, don't be expecting material up to Moorcock's usual high standards. Just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride. ***
For the first book and a half of this trilogy, I had no idea what Moorcock was on about. Then I did a little research and found out Moorcock was parodying Edgar Rice Burroughs; that helped put things more into perspective and helped me get over some of my usual annoyances with many fantasy writers (the plethora of exclamation points and one-sentence paragraphs, etc.); traps Moorcock usually doesn't fall into.
Once that was behind me, I enjoyed these three books quite a bit more. The astoundingly cheesy premise herein is that a writer, Edward Bradbury (under which pen name the books were originally published), encounters and befriends one Michael Kane while vacationing in the south of France. Kane is a physicist who previously worked for the military but went off to the private sector to develop what he calls a matter transference machine (in this post-Star Trek world, we know them better as transporters or teleporters). Its only problem is that, when Kane tests it on himself, it sends him not to the receiving transference machine, but to Mars millions of years ago, a Mars that is full of thriving communities. They are, of course, at war with one another or in tenuous peace treaties that could erupt into war at any moment, leading to many examples of Kane's ability to show off the swordfighting techniques he learned as a child (how coincidental!), while forging alliances between peoples who have been at war for generations and earning the respect of all he encounters. It's high silliness of the order to be found in old Douglas Fairbanks pictures from the silent era (or the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, presumably).
Moorcock keeps the pages turning, and each of the books is slim; it's possible to get through one of them in a lazy afternoon and still have time to tackle thirty of forty pages of the newest Danielle Steel potboiler, if one is so inclined. Just don't be expecting great literature. For that matter, don't be expecting material up to Moorcock's usual high standards. Just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride. ***
March 3, 2010
• When I read some reviews about this book I have to admit I was a little skeptical. It also didn’t help that Moorcock’s books have been a lot more bad than good lately. Overall, though, this book was pretty entertaining. It was a little predictable. It wasn’t like some literary masterpiece. It moved along well. I really like the character of Kane. He represents a more innocent version of a hero that Moorcock usually doesn’t get to write about much. Again, this book had little or nothing to do with the Eternal Champion or the multiverse, but it was still pretty good.
August 2, 2015
If you had fun reading E. R. Burroughs' John Carter of Mars series, you'll like this one too. It contains all three of Moorcock's Michael Kane books in one nice, tidy volume. Not Moorcock's best, by any means (they were published under the pseudonym of Edward P. Bradbury) but a great romp nonetheless. As in the Carter books, everybody runs around buck naked and there's plenty of swashbuckling to keep things moving. You will get a sense of déjà vu, and Kane can be just as clueless as Carter ever was, but then you read this for the fun of it, pure and simple. Give it a go!
May 20, 2014
has a sweet john carter vibe
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews