Customer Reviews

Gloriana, or The Unfulfill'd Queen: Being a Romance

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The cleverness of this book takes my breath away. No wonder it won the World Fantasy Award and no wonder Peter Ackroyd, among others, picked it as his Book of the Year (and seems to be dipping into it ever since!). As a student of Elizabethan, Jacobean and Carolignian literature, I am highly impressed both by the underlying philosophical argument (very late Renaissance) and the prose, which is more Carolignian than Elizabethan. Moorcock specifically says that while the book has some direct reference to Spenser's The Fairy Queen, it has none to Elizabethan England. What always astonishes me is how readers who don't read widely seem to know exactly why a book is bad! This is very much a book for grown-ups and I suppose it wouldn't appeal to bigots, but it's very hard to see bigots even beginning to understand it. The main characters represent Virtue and Vice, very much in a Jonsonian mode, but the plot has a more Jacobean feel -- Captain Quire the assassin, who enjoys his work and practises it like an art, an intellectual killer with a rationale subtler than Hannibal Lector's, and Gloriana, the burdened symbol of her Empire, the embodiment of all her nation regards as virtuous, yet unable to enjoy an organism and devoting all her free time to that quest, desperately seeking it in sensation, because she cannot trust herself to love. The book falls into four parts, following the seasons, very much a late Renaissance idea, and contains parodies of public poetry. The range of other characters, both comical and sinister, is brilliant. And so are the scenes -- the dance on the ice, the great masque, the hunt -- a major set piece for each season. Platonicism instead of Christianity. This is a well-considered and profoundly knowledgeable book, like most of Moorcock's ambitious fiction. This follows in theme books like Behold the Man and The Brothel in Rosenstrasse -- how much of the person is the embodiment of others' desires ? How do those desires mould the destiny of the person ? This is a superb piece of literary fiction. It is foolish to list it as generic fiction at all. It deserves a demanding and literate readership.

This new special edition not only includes BOTH of the controversial penultimate chapters but an illuminating afterword by Moorcock, AND several of the lyrics from his aborted musical version. It is the best version of a classic novel praised by the likes of Angela Carter, Peter Ackroyd, D.M. Thomas, Michael Chabon and many of the best contemporary writers and there's nothing much more I can say about it except buy this edition rather than any other. There is a Fantasy Masterworks edition done in the UK, but it isn't a patch on this, either for production or 'extras'. Far easier to get into than Peake, there are obvious relationships to Gormenghast as well as to Spenser's The Fairy Queen, The Pilgrim's Progress and other conscious allegories. It bears up well on rereading!

It is England under Elizabeth as it might have been if the Gods of Chaos still lurked in the walled-up secret corridors abandoned since mad, incestuous, violent Henry VIII was o'erthrown. In a palace in whose walled-in corridors lurk madmen and shadows, the frigid Queen seeks satisfaction, and a man who regards assassination as an art form seeks fulfillment. Moorcock's most surprising, rich and intense work, far beyond Elric and Corum.

If you've never read the Gormenghast books (and you should), you'll only be getting half a book, in my opinion. The prose is florid and descriptive to an extreme, a la Peake, and the great palace of Gloriana is a debauched, sensual version of Peake's Gormenghast. The fact that the book is dedicated to Peake pretty much spells out what Moorcock started with, but his vision is far more colorful and far more savage.

The turgid style make for tough going, and Moorcock goes out of his way to portray most of the characters as larger-than-life melodramatic poseurs (with a twisted edge). Not for those easily offended, but nonetheless enjoyable as a Baroque romp by an author known for his occasional forays into trashy fantasy.

I haven't read a whole lot of Moorcock's stuff, but I've been collecting it, trying to get all of the Elric books before I start in on them craving the kind of dark, fatalistic feeling that I associate with his work... this book is very different in the way it feels, and I'm no Moorcock expert, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

All of that aside, I really liked a lot of this book, I liked a lot of the IDEAS of this book, but there are problems with the realization of those ideas, and problems with the ending - and the problems I had with it were not the same sort of problems that many people have. I actually think the inclusion of an alternate ending does a lot of harm to the book itself.

I'd warn you to watch out for spoilers, but if you've read any of these reviews, the end has been spoiled plenty.

Rape fantasies are very popular among women and men, and many people find that playing this out in a consensual setting allows them to deal with very damaging, nonconsensual experiences they have had. The problem that I have is that the rape scene was somewhat clumsily written - and the alternate ending incredibly clumsily written. Also, some of the loose ends get tied up rather hastily at the end, kind of swept under the rug... Oh, everybody just forgives him at the end for no real reason. La dee da.

Being actually raped by someone is probably not going to allow anyone to work through their issues - but it's very easy for me to fill in some blanks here, especially in Gloriana's mind that make this consensual on some level - they've been in love for a while, he just saved her life - think 9 1/2 weeks, when he takes her on that table - tell me you didn't think that was hot - spare me the strawberries and honey. Moorcock just didn't really express that very well, especially for people who are uncomfortable with the subject to begin with. And the second ending, well, I can play that out in my head where it works, too - but the specifics would have gone down very differently. And it makes you question the specifics of the original ending a lot more too.

As far as Quire coming into power at the end, of course he does - someone who manages to nearly destroy a golden age in a matter of months in addition to having a long history of being very loyal to his employer... hell, the whole book demonstrates how you want HIM on YOUR team, not someone else's - and to kill him, what a waste of resources.

Moorcock's homage to Peake is not an imitation, like so many of those Tolkien clones. It is a brilliant and gorgeous story which Moorcock insists is an allegory not a fantasy. Much happens at Gloriana's court, the center of a magnificent Empire which includes 'Virginia' (America) but don't expect magic. This is essentially a bizarre love story, plus a study of what empires need to maintain the myth of their moral superiority over their subjects and as such it has quite a lot to say about our current political condition. But first and foremost this is an imaginative tour-de-force. If you're a Moorcock fan, this is a book to give to the unconverted. It's not S&S and it isn't a realistic novel, but, like the world of Spenser's Faerie Queene, it is a story full of scintillating writing and glowing
descriptions. This is in the finest tradition of non-Tolkien British fantasy of which Moorcock is the unchallenged master.
This particular edition, with its afterword by Moorcock, as well as lyrics for some of his music for the book (rumored to be released some time next year by Moorcock's record company) which remind you that among his many other talents, Moorcock is a capable musician song-writer and poet. This is the best edition yet published and I recommend it highly. I now have three copies on my shelves, each of which is slightly different! Grab one while you can. As long as you're not expecting swords and sorcery, you won't be disappointed!

Gloriana, queen of Albion, was born of rape from tainted stock. Taller, wiser, more beautiful and more kind than all other mortals-- she lacks the ability to find sexual (emotional) completion.

Captain Quire is an artist of evil, who seeks an appreciative patron for his finest works.

Quire is bidden to weaken Albion and force the queen to marry and sets about it with his usual skill. But Gloriana is no ordinary opponent, and whether the two of them will find destruction or redemption in each other becomes the crux of the novel.

Moorcock clearly delights in detail-- historial Elizabethan era, with the tiny twists that make it an alternative universe. Decadence, Dr. Dee, automatons, travelers from other realities, court seasons and public poetry make up the stage-setting which is almost more compelling than the story itself.

Moorcock is not my type of fantasy writer. His worldbuilding is lousy, if only because he professes to be the direct descendant of such revered writers as Mervyn Peake. I had heard around that _Gloriana_ is his tribute to that master--indeed, it is dedicated to him--and as I love Peake with a passion, coming across the 1978 Avon edition of _Gloriana_ seemed very lucky, and I thought myself fortunate to have some good reading ahead of me.

But _Gloriana_ was, alas, not good reading. It was a duty. Silly at parts, boring at others, it tries to be something grand and baroque (and allegorical--but of what?), and falls flat on its face.

The eponymous heroine represents Albion, the pseudo-British empire that dominates the world of the book. Ambassadors from Arabia to Japan show up at court, quite improbably, and carry on, quite ridiculously. Everybody in Albion loves the queen in one way or another, and she loves them too, but something terrible and very much in the spirit of our modern age plagues the poor, benificent queen: she is sexually unfullfilled. And, incidentally, determined to fullfill herself somehow...whether by debauching her handmaids or putting to use her vast and varied harem...

But on top of these personal troubles, Gloriana also has to contend with politics and of course suitors...

Before the story begins, Gloriana (not anything like Queen Elizabeth I--let's get that straight) succeeded her cruel and evil father King Hern and ushered in a Golden Age of prosperity and relative Virtue--supposedly. Now, unbeknowst to her (she who has abolished capital punishment), her trusted chancellor Montfallcon, the man who helped her through the abuses of her father and eventually instated her as queen, is still using less than idyllic methods to keep her in power. Montfallcon uses the twisted Captain Quire to execute some less than savory acts necessary (somehow) to keep things working neatly, on the surface, for Albion.

Quire is an inveterate creep, who considers himself an artist--in Evil. He is the opposite of Gloriana. He kills babies and ravishes maidens (I will not use the word "rape" because it just might make me hysterical). One particularly offensive (to me) passage involves Quire teasing a poor laundry maid. The dialogue is so particularly distasteful and typical of a psychologically troubled adolescent's wet dream, it was all I could do not to throw this book away from me. I suppose Quire is meant to come across as a despicable person. He does. But Moorcock seems to intend that we be attracted to this vision of evil the way we are to Steerpike of the _Gormenghast_ books. And this just didn't work, because Quire has none of Steerpike's weird brilliant cunning. But even more fatally, he doesn't have a Gormenghastian world to plot in--Moorcock's worldbuilding skills aren't up to it--and that makes all the difference.

What's wrong with _Gloriana_ in the end is probably that I am not the sort of person meant to read it, but instead am the sort of person singularly incapable of enjoying it. It may be clever for all I know, but I haven't read Spenser, and I don't care for really blatant postmodern aimless pseudo-wit. Nor do I find Moorcock's apparent attitudes about sexuality and morals appealing. I'm openminded, yes, but sometimes being so puts me in the way of distasteful books like this. Books displeasing on both a personal and aesthetic level. (_Gloriana_, for instance, seems to condone pederasty, or at least deals with it so casually that I am put off. But it seems this is fashionable lately: Mary Gentle anyone?)

Moorcock's descriptions are nothing like Peake's. The pomp and splendor of Gloriana's court are laundry-listed. Emeralds, rubies, topaz, bombazine, and covering our mouths when we yawn. Something bland, remote, so improbable that I couldn't suspend my disbelief,--found myself doubting that anything I got from doing that would be worthwhile.

I recommend this to about 80% of the literate fantasy audience out there. _Gloriana_ is pretty well tailored to our increasingly unimaginative tastes. It's in no way formulaic fantasy, so it has that dubious crackle,-- and it has just enough disregard for "conventional" morality to be enjoyed by selfrighteous pomo bloggers (this one excepted).

PS. Is there a more senseless, dumb ending in all fantasy than the ending of Gloriana? All right, shoot me, but I didn't get it!
PPS. As I've said, take this with a grain of salt: you may not share my prejudices and fancies!
PPPS. The art inside the book is superb; I pondered keeping the book for that alone: but no, disgust won out, and I gave it to a more openminded friend of mine.

_If I could only have one volume of Moorcock in my library, I do believe that this would be it. I have heard this exquisite fantasy compared with Peake's Ghormanghast- except that an American will find Gloriana actually readable and enjoyable.

_I can't think of a richer fantasy world encompased in a single self-sufficient novel. And while it is fantasy, it is not sugar-sweet and naive, it is fantasy most worldly and sophisticated. This global Elizabethan empire is quite convincingly atmospheric, as is London and the great palace itself. You want it to exist, hell, you want to go there.

_You would not hesitate to pledge fealty to Gloriana the First, Queen of Albion, Empress of Asia and Virginia. You want to believe in the ideal she represents, in a world that would otherwise redescend into darkness and madness....

Queen Gloriana rules the greatest empire in the history of the world, Albion. Under her rule, the vast kingdom has thrived as peace has led to enormous prosperity. Everyone in the vast realm from the Americas to Asia believes that Gloriana's enlightened leadership has led to the Golden Age as never heard of before.

On a global scale, Queen Gloriana knows she has a place in the future history books; on a personal level, she cannot achieve an orgasm as the weight of her monarchy has taken its toll. Though her image is that of high morals, Gloriana has tried every fetish known and a few unknown to get relief. To hide her debauchery she depends on ruthless Chancellor Montfallcon to brutally keep everyone in line. He spies on everyone at court. However, he alienates his best operative Quire, who begins a plan of vengeance starting with the destruction of Gloriana that will consequently extinguish Albion, starting with seducing Her Highness to fall in love with him.

GLORIANA, OR THE UNFULFILL'D QUEEN is a reprint of a late 1970s award winning satirical fantasy that holds up well in a world filled with spin doctors and the Lewinsky incident. The story line focuses on a Queen Elizabeth I like character whose public image is so different than her private reality. Gloriana has unfulfilled needs that send her seeking any form of sexual encounter to scratch her itch while acting virginal pure to her adoring subjects. Though at times the plot seems long winded as Michael Moorcock insures his audience sees the duality (duplicity) of Queen Gloriana, fans of erotic fantasy filled with plenty of treachery and intrigue will feel fulfilled with this tale.

Harriet Klausner