The Winds of Limbo

by Michael Moorcock

Paperback

Status

Available

Call number

823.91

Collections

Publication

Mayflower books ltd. , Edition: New edition, 160 pages

Description

Earth's future is one of peace. There are no more wars, nuclear weapons are outlawed, and technology is raising mankind to new heights. Many cities are now underground. Alain von Bek is a bastard of distinguished lineage working an unassuming job with city administration in the underground city of Switzerland. But with the appearance of a massive clownish figure calling himself the Fireclown, Alain's life and the course of Earth's future are both about to change. The Fireclown claims to hold the keys to mankind's salvation. He carries an undeniable charisma that is winning him followers, chief among them Helen Curtis, Alain's cousin and former lover, not to mention serious candidate in the next presidential election. But there are also those who mistrust the Fireclown. At the forefront of this opposition is Minister Simon von Bek, Alain's grandfather, and Helen's chief competition in the forthcoming election. Gradually, Alain finds himself sucked into a game of chess between these three polarizing forces, but each new revelation raises new questions, about his past and that of the world's future. He will have to put his trust in someone, and time is running out--for him and the world--to make the right choice in this story of Michael Moorcock's celebrated multiverse. Michael Moorcock has been inducted in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers or America, and received the Lifetime Achievement World Fantasy, Bram Stoker, and Prix Utopiales Awards. The Winds of Limbo is one of his earlier novels, now back in print for a new generation.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member isabelx
I am the Fireclown, equipped for your salvation. I am the gift bearer, alive with the Fire of Life, from which the Earth itself was formed! I am the Earth's brother...."
A woman in a padded dress representing the body of a lion cried shrilly: "And what are we?"
"You are the maggots feeding off your
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mother. When you mate it is like corpses coupling. When you laugh it is the sound of the winds of limbo!"

A science fiction novel set in an enclosed city that covers most of Switzerland. Most of the city's inhabitants have never left the city, since although it isn't forbidden, they get feelings of agoraphobia at the thought of going outside. In the lower depths of Switzerland City, the Fireclown appears as if from nowhere, preaching against the ordered, artificial, machine-driven society and for a return to a more natural way of life. His speeches trigger something unexpected in the hearts of the people who attend his audiences and when the city council acts to suppress the Fireclown's influence, things turn ugly.

An interesting story of politics, cults and mass hysteria, but I think it was all wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly at the end. And I'm always annoyed when a protagonist gets himself into trouble by doing something really stupid. If you were a well-known figure who was often recognised on the street and you were trying to infiltrate a secret organisation in the area where the main baddie was holed up, and the first contact you made actually told you that they wore masks to their meetings to protect their identities, you would make sure you got hold of a mask before the meeting wouldn't you?
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LibraryThing member helver
The Fireclown is an enigmatic, polarizing figure that, according to Minister Simon von Bek, has the potential and the intention of destabilizing human society. The truth is somewhat different - the Fireclown advocates for a return to nature and acts toward an extinguishing of intelligence. His
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ability to manipulate chronons gives him the means to accomplish his goals, as well.

Apparently the original version of this book did not use the name 'von Bek' but the name Powys, instead. The change to von Bek seems like an attempt to bring about a more cohesive structure and possibly to include works not necessarily intended to be a part of the Eternal Champion into that framework after they were originally published. I'm not sure if there's a motive beyond the ability to sell more volumes of the Omnibus editions...
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LibraryThing member bibleblaster
Fireclown serves nicely as the "misunderstood prophet" in Moorcock's story of a stratified future society lacking in freedom and dignity.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1965

Physical description

160 p.; 6.9 inches

ISBN

0583123384 / 9780583123389
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