Check out our sister sites:
The New Canon
Great literary works published
since 1985
Great Books Guide
Reviews of current books
Postmodern Mystery
Experimental works of mystery
& suspense
Fractious Fiction
Radical and unconventional
works of fiction
The New Canon
Great literary works published
since 1985
Great Books Guide
Reviews of current books
Postmodern Mystery
Experimental works of mystery
& suspense
Fractious Fiction
Radical and unconventional
works of fiction
| conceptual fiction Exploring the Non-Realist Tradition in Fiction The Final Programme by Michael Moorcock Essay by Ted Gioia |
Michael Moorcock hasn't made it easy for us to get a grip on
his work. As an editor, he had a dramatic impact on the New
Wave sci-fi movement of the 1960s, but here most of his
involvement took place behind the scenes—and in ways that
tended to hide his influence behind that of the writers he
championed. Of course, this merely reminds us of age-old
question of history: Who has more influence, the king or the
king-maker? Certainly in the realm of
experimental genre fiction, Moorcock
was clearly the power behind the thrones
of the 1960 reigning monarchs.
His output as an author is no easier to
pigeonhole. Moorcock's stories came
out hidden behind at least nine pseudonyms,
and even if you figure out which works are
his, you aren't sure whether these were
quick written-for-hire commercial ventures,
pastiches imitating other authors’ genre
fiction styles, or carefully considered
artistic statements. Moorcock once boasted
that he could churn out 15,000 words a day,
and complete a saleable manuscript in
three days—hardly a claim on which to
establish a literary reputation, or help later
generations evaluate an oeuvre.
Even a single work by Moorcock can go off
in so many different directions, that the reader may struggle
to identify a connecting thread unifying the various incidents
and characters. Moorcock’s The Final Programme, the first
of his well-known Jerry Cornelius novels, is a case in point.
After reading the opening pages, you will be convinced that
Moorcock is parodying the James Bond franchise. Midway
through the same book, you will think that Moorcock is working
within the conventions of dystopian political fiction, sharing
his vision of the collapse of Western Europe. In its final pages,
he immerses himself completely in fantasy and sci-fi concepts,
sometimes blurring the boundaries between the two. And when
you reach the end of the book, you won’t be sure whether
the Cornelius who exits the last scene is the same person
who appeared at the beginning. Frankly, I don’t think
Moorcock knows either.
See related essay
When Science Fiction Grew Up
Certainly Cornelius wasn't permitted to disappear completely.
Moorcock would, after all, hatch future books and stories
about this malleable protagonist. But those tend to be even
less straightforward than The Final Programme. As if this
isn't confusing enough, Moorcock often wrote about other
characters with similar names. Jehamia Cohnahlias appears
in The Secret of the Runestaff (1969). Jeremiah ‘Jerry’
Cornell shows up in The Chinese Agent (1970). And a host
of other characters with the initials JC frequent other
Moorcock works. Perhaps you should think of them as the
intersection of the "hero with a thousand faces" popularized
by one JC, and the robed redeemer with his devout dozen,
that most famous of JCs. By the way, you also get a dose
of John Cleese and Jackie Chan in these juicy characters.
So take your pick.
Jerry Cornelius, for all his chameleon-like qualities, captured
the essential peculiarities of the new British hero of that
period. Moorcock brilliantly grasped the nihilistic qualities
of James Bond and his many imitators. Recall that, except
for a brief moment at the beginning of each Bond film, during
which the secret agent demonstrates a brief and lukewarm
allegiance to Queen and country, this hero was a lone wolf,
a flippant and seductive rule-breaker, answerable only to
his own instincts and drives. One of the first things you learn
about Bond is that he is "licensed to kill"—in other words, he
is above all law, a kind of Nietzschean Übermensch with
cool weapons, hot car and hotter lovers. Cornelius is much
the same, but without the gratuitous 'Queen and country' part.
At several points in The Final Programme, he is warned that
his actions compromise the future of Britain, if not Western
society as a whole. Cornelius’s reaction is to look out for
number one, even if that means securing access his own
oil well and refinery to keep him "energy independent" during
the coming collapse. He is the ultimate survivalist.
But Ian Fleming would never have approved of the absurdist
and infantile elements Moorcock inserts into his Jerry
Cornelius narratives. The super-duper secret weapons and
gadgets are ridiculous in conception and frequently fail during
use. Why does Cornelius rely on a mini-crossbow or a dart gun
that can't shoot straight? It is all too typical of Moorcock's
modus operandi that (1) Cornelius murders the great love of
his life with his stupid dart gun; (2) the dead lover was his
own sister; and (3) this mishap took place while Cornelius
was trying to murder his own brother. Yes, readers learn
very soon that Jerry Cornelius sees himself as above even
those few moral laws that James Bond obeys.
Every story of this sort requires a super-villain, and in The
Final Programme that arch evildoer is Miss Brunner. She
has something nasty in mind, involving a kind of computer-
enabled demonic possession flavored with a sado-masochistic
twist. But it is indicative of the ambiguous moral valence of
this work that we are never sure whether Brunner is
Cornelius's adversary or collaborator. He isn’t sure himself.
Frankly, I don’t think Moorcock knows either.
I have a high tolerance for books that force me to abandon
control over the reading experience. I am willing to go to
unexpected places, and some of my favorite novels have
shown little mercy, sending me on journeys I never anticipated
when I checked into my cabin on page one. But I want
some assurance that author has a destination, or at least
a reliable sense of direction. Moorcock struggles to live
up to this minimal requirement. He not only writes without a
map, but he even throws away the bloody compass.
He could have written this book for thrills, and actually delivers
on that promise for a few pages. But not for long. He could
have turned The Final Programme into a funny, satirical novel,
and for brief spells Moorcock achieves just that. But not for
long. Given his obvious creativity and boundless imagination,
Moorcock could have pointed this premise into any number
of directions, and let it rip. Instead he advances in too many
directions at once—and that means he doesn't advance at all.
Like Mr. Cornelius's fancy gadgets and weapons, things just
don’t work, even if they look flashy and cool along the way.
Ted Gioia writes about music, literature and pop culture. His next book,
a history of love songs, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.
Publication Date: September 18, 2014
his work. As an editor, he had a dramatic impact on the New
Wave sci-fi movement of the 1960s, but here most of his
involvement took place behind the scenes—and in ways that
tended to hide his influence behind that of the writers he
championed. Of course, this merely reminds us of age-old
question of history: Who has more influence, the king or the
king-maker? Certainly in the realm of
experimental genre fiction, Moorcock
was clearly the power behind the thrones
of the 1960 reigning monarchs.
His output as an author is no easier to
pigeonhole. Moorcock's stories came
out hidden behind at least nine pseudonyms,
and even if you figure out which works are
his, you aren't sure whether these were
quick written-for-hire commercial ventures,
pastiches imitating other authors’ genre
fiction styles, or carefully considered
artistic statements. Moorcock once boasted
that he could churn out 15,000 words a day,
and complete a saleable manuscript in
three days—hardly a claim on which to
establish a literary reputation, or help later
generations evaluate an oeuvre.
Even a single work by Moorcock can go off
in so many different directions, that the reader may struggle
to identify a connecting thread unifying the various incidents
and characters. Moorcock’s The Final Programme, the first
of his well-known Jerry Cornelius novels, is a case in point.
After reading the opening pages, you will be convinced that
Moorcock is parodying the James Bond franchise. Midway
through the same book, you will think that Moorcock is working
within the conventions of dystopian political fiction, sharing
his vision of the collapse of Western Europe. In its final pages,
he immerses himself completely in fantasy and sci-fi concepts,
sometimes blurring the boundaries between the two. And when
you reach the end of the book, you won’t be sure whether
the Cornelius who exits the last scene is the same person
who appeared at the beginning. Frankly, I don’t think
Moorcock knows either.
See related essay
When Science Fiction Grew Up
Certainly Cornelius wasn't permitted to disappear completely.
Moorcock would, after all, hatch future books and stories
about this malleable protagonist. But those tend to be even
less straightforward than The Final Programme. As if this
isn't confusing enough, Moorcock often wrote about other
characters with similar names. Jehamia Cohnahlias appears
in The Secret of the Runestaff (1969). Jeremiah ‘Jerry’
Cornell shows up in The Chinese Agent (1970). And a host
of other characters with the initials JC frequent other
Moorcock works. Perhaps you should think of them as the
intersection of the "hero with a thousand faces" popularized
by one JC, and the robed redeemer with his devout dozen,
that most famous of JCs. By the way, you also get a dose
of John Cleese and Jackie Chan in these juicy characters.
So take your pick.
Jerry Cornelius, for all his chameleon-like qualities, captured
the essential peculiarities of the new British hero of that
period. Moorcock brilliantly grasped the nihilistic qualities
of James Bond and his many imitators. Recall that, except
for a brief moment at the beginning of each Bond film, during
which the secret agent demonstrates a brief and lukewarm
allegiance to Queen and country, this hero was a lone wolf,
a flippant and seductive rule-breaker, answerable only to
his own instincts and drives. One of the first things you learn
about Bond is that he is "licensed to kill"—in other words, he
is above all law, a kind of Nietzschean Übermensch with
cool weapons, hot car and hotter lovers. Cornelius is much
the same, but without the gratuitous 'Queen and country' part.
At several points in The Final Programme, he is warned that
his actions compromise the future of Britain, if not Western
society as a whole. Cornelius’s reaction is to look out for
number one, even if that means securing access his own
oil well and refinery to keep him "energy independent" during
the coming collapse. He is the ultimate survivalist.
But Ian Fleming would never have approved of the absurdist
and infantile elements Moorcock inserts into his Jerry
Cornelius narratives. The super-duper secret weapons and
gadgets are ridiculous in conception and frequently fail during
use. Why does Cornelius rely on a mini-crossbow or a dart gun
that can't shoot straight? It is all too typical of Moorcock's
modus operandi that (1) Cornelius murders the great love of
his life with his stupid dart gun; (2) the dead lover was his
own sister; and (3) this mishap took place while Cornelius
was trying to murder his own brother. Yes, readers learn
very soon that Jerry Cornelius sees himself as above even
those few moral laws that James Bond obeys.
Every story of this sort requires a super-villain, and in The
Final Programme that arch evildoer is Miss Brunner. She
has something nasty in mind, involving a kind of computer-
enabled demonic possession flavored with a sado-masochistic
twist. But it is indicative of the ambiguous moral valence of
this work that we are never sure whether Brunner is
Cornelius's adversary or collaborator. He isn’t sure himself.
Frankly, I don’t think Moorcock knows either.
I have a high tolerance for books that force me to abandon
control over the reading experience. I am willing to go to
unexpected places, and some of my favorite novels have
shown little mercy, sending me on journeys I never anticipated
when I checked into my cabin on page one. But I want
some assurance that author has a destination, or at least
a reliable sense of direction. Moorcock struggles to live
up to this minimal requirement. He not only writes without a
map, but he even throws away the bloody compass.
He could have written this book for thrills, and actually delivers
on that promise for a few pages. But not for long. He could
have turned The Final Programme into a funny, satirical novel,
and for brief spells Moorcock achieves just that. But not for
long. Given his obvious creativity and boundless imagination,
Moorcock could have pointed this premise into any number
of directions, and let it rip. Instead he advances in too many
directions at once—and that means he doesn't advance at all.
Like Mr. Cornelius's fancy gadgets and weapons, things just
don’t work, even if they look flashy and cool along the way.
Ted Gioia writes about music, literature and pop culture. His next book,
a history of love songs, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.
Publication Date: September 18, 2014
| To purchase, click on image |
Follow Ted Gioia on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/tedgioia
Conceptual Fiction:
A Reading List
(with links to essays on each work)
Home Page
Abbott, Edwin A.
Flatland
Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Aldiss, Brian
Barefoot in the Head
Aldiss, Brian
Hothouse
Aldiss, Brian
Report on Probability A
Allende, Isabel
The House of the Spirits
Amado, Jorge
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
Amis, Martin
Time's Arrow
Apuleius
The Golden Ass
Asimov, Isaac
The Foundation Trilogy
Asimov, Isaac
I, Robot
Atwood, Margaret
The Handmaid's Tale
Banks, Iain M.
The State of the Art
Ballard, J.G.
The Atrocity Exhibition
Ballard, J.G.
Crash
Ballard, J.G.
The Crystal World
Ballard, J.G.
The Drowned World
Barth, John
Giles Goat-Boy
Bester, Alfred
The Demolished Man
Blish, James
A Case of Conscience
Borges, Jorge Luis
Ficciones
Bradbury, Ray
Dandelion Wine
Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, Ray
The Illustrated Man
Bradbury, Ray
The Martian Chronicles
Bradbury, Ray
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Brockmeier, Kevin
The View from the Seventh Layer
Bulgakov, Mikhail
The Master and Margarita
Bunch, David R.
Moderan
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange
Card, Orson Scott
Ender's Game
Carpentier, Alejo
The Kingdom of This World
Carroll, Lewis
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Chabon, Michael
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Chiang, Ted
Stories of Your Life and Others
Clarke, Arthur C.
Childhood's End
Clarke, Arthur C.
A Fall of Moondust
Clarke, Arthur C.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Clarke, Susanna
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Crowley, John
Little, Big
Danielewski, Mark Z.
The Fifty Year Sword
Danielewski, Mark Z.
House of Leaves
Davies, Robertson
Fifth Business
Delany, Samuel R.
Babel-17
Delany, Samuel R.
Dhalgren
Delany, Samuel R.
The Einstein Intersection
Delany, Samuel R.
Nova
Dick, Philip K.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Dick, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Dick, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle
Dick, Philip K.
Ubik
Dick, Philip K.
VALIS
Disch, Thomas M.
Camp Concentration
Disch, Thomas M.
The Genocides
Doctorow, Cory
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Donoso, José
The Obscene Bird of Night
Ellison, Harlan (editor)
Dangerous Visions
Ellison, Harlan
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
Esquivel, Laura
Like Water for Chocolate
Farmer, Philip José
To Your Scattered Bodies Go
Fuentes, Carlos
Aura
Gaiman, Neil
American Gods
Gaiman, Neil
Neverwhere
Gibson, William
Burning Chrome
Gibson, William
Neuromancer
Grass, Günter
The Tin Drum
Greene, Graham
The End of the Affair
Grossman, Lev
The Magicians
Haldeman, Joe
The Forever War
Hall, Steven
The Raw Shark Texts
Harrison, M. John
The Centauri Device
Harrison, M. John
Light
Heinlein, Robert
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Heinlein, Robert:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Heinlein, Robert
Time Enough for Love
Helprin, Mark
Winter's Tale
Herbert, Frank
Dune
Hoffman, Alice
Practical Magic
Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World
Keret, Etgar
Suddenly, A Knock at the Door
Keyes, Daniel
Flowers for Algernon
Kundera, Milan
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
Kunzru, Hari
Gods Without Men
Lafferty, R.A.
Nine Hundred Grandmothers
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Dispossessed
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Lathe of Heaven
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Left Hand of Darkness
Leiber, Fritz
The Big Time
Leiber, Fritz
Conjure Wife
Leiber, Fritz
Swords & Deviltry
Leiber, Fritz
The Wanderer
Lem, Stanislaw
His Master's Voice
Lem, Stanislaw
Solaris
Lethem, Jonathan
The Fortress of Solitude
Lewis, C. S.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Link, Kelly
Magic for Beginners
Malzberg, Barry N.
Herovit's World
Mandel, Emily St. John
Station Eleven
Mann, Thomas
Doctor Faustus
Márquez, Gabriel García
100 Years of Solitude
Markson, David
Wittgenstein's Mistress
Matheson, Richard
Hell House
Matheson, Richard
What Dreams May Come
McCarthy, Cormac
The Road
Miéville, China
Perdido Street Station
Miller, Jr., Walter M.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Millhauser, Steven
Dangerous Laughter
Mitchell, David
Cloud Atlas
Moorcock, Michael
Behold the Man
Moorcock, Michael
The Final Programme
Morrison, Toni
Beloved
Murakami, Haruki
1Q84
Murakami, Haruki
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the
End of the World
Nabokov, Vladimir
Ada, or Ardor
Niffenegger, Audrey
The Time Traveler's Wife
Niven, Larry
Ringworld
Noon, Jeff
Vurt
Obreht, Téa
The Tiger's Wife
O'Brien, Flann
At Swim-Two-Birds
Okri, Ben
The Famished Road
Percy, Walker
Love in the Ruins
Pohl, Frederik
Gateway
Pratchett, Terry
The Color of Magic
Pynchon, Thomas
Gravity's Rainbow
Rabelais, François
Gargantua and Pantagruel
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Red Mars
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Rushdie, Salman
Midnight's Children
Russ, Joanna
The Female Man
Saramago, José
Blindness
Sheckley, Robert
Dimension of Miracles
Sheckley, Robert
Mindswap
Sheckley, Robert
Store of the Worlds
Shelley, Mary
Frankenstein
Silverberg, Robert
Dying Inside
Silverberg, Robert
Nightwings
Silverberg, Robert
The World Inside
Simak, Clifford
City
Simak, Clifford
The Trouble with Tycho
Smith, Cordwainer
Norstrilia
Smith, Cordwainer
The Rediscovery of Man
Stephenson, Neal
Snow Crash
Spinrad, Norman
Bug Jack Barron
Stross, Charles
Glasshouse
Sturgeon, Theodore
More Than Human
Sturgeon, Theodore
Some of Your Blood
Swift, Jonathan
Gulliver's Travels
Thomas, D.M.
The White Hotel
Tiptree, Jr., James
Warm Worlds and Otherwise
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Hobbit
Updike, John
The Witches of Eastwick
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Mixed Men
Van Vogt, A.E.
Slan
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle
Van Vogt, A.E.
The World of Null A
Vance, Jack
Emphyrio
Verne, Jules
Around the Moon
Verne, Jules
From the Earth to the Moon
Verne, Jules:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Vonnegut, Kurt
Cat's Cradle
Vonnegut, Kurt
The Sirens of Titan
Vonnegut, Kurt
Slaughterhouse-Five
Wallace, David Foster
Infinite Jest
Walpole, Horace
Hieroglyphic Tales
Wells, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon
Wells, H.G.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells, H.G.
The Time Machine
Wilson, Robert Anton & Robert Shea
The Illuminatus! Trilogy
Winton, Tim
Cloudstreet
Woolf, Virginia
Orlando
Zabor, Rafi
The Bear Comes Home
Zelazny, Roger
Lord of Light
Zelazny, Roger
This Immortal
Special Features
Notes on Conceptual Fiction
When Science Fiction Grew Up
Ray Bradbury: A Tribute
The Year of Magical Reading
Remembering Fritz Leiber
A Tribute to Richard Matheson
Samuel Delany's 70th birthday
The Sci-Fi of Kurt Vonnegut
Curse You, Neil Armstrong!
Robert Heinlein at 100
A.E, van Vogt Tribute
The Puzzling Case of Robert Sheckley
The Avant-Garde Sci-Fi of Brian Aldiss
Science Fiction 1958-1975: A Reading List
Links to related sites
The New Canon
Great Books Guide
Postmodern Mystery
Fractious Fiction
Ted Gioia's web site
Ted Gioia on Twitter
_____
SF Site
io9
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Los Angeles Review of Books
The Millions
Big Dumb Object
SF Novelists
More Words, Deeper Hole
The Misread City
Reviews and Responses
SF Signal
True Science Fiction
Tor blog
Disclosure: Conceptual Fiction
and its sister sites may receive review
copies and promotional materials from
publishers, authors, publicists or other
parties.
All rights reserved.
www.twitter.com/tedgioia
Conceptual Fiction:
A Reading List
(with links to essays on each work)
Home Page
Abbott, Edwin A.
Flatland
Adams, Douglas
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Aldiss, Brian
Barefoot in the Head
Aldiss, Brian
Hothouse
Aldiss, Brian
Report on Probability A
Allende, Isabel
The House of the Spirits
Amado, Jorge
Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
Amis, Martin
Time's Arrow
Apuleius
The Golden Ass
Asimov, Isaac
The Foundation Trilogy
Asimov, Isaac
I, Robot
Atwood, Margaret
The Handmaid's Tale
Banks, Iain M.
The State of the Art
Ballard, J.G.
The Atrocity Exhibition
Ballard, J.G.
Crash
Ballard, J.G.
The Crystal World
Ballard, J.G.
The Drowned World
Barth, John
Giles Goat-Boy
Bester, Alfred
The Demolished Man
Blish, James
A Case of Conscience
Borges, Jorge Luis
Ficciones
Bradbury, Ray
Dandelion Wine
Bradbury, Ray
Fahrenheit 451
Bradbury, Ray
The Illustrated Man
Bradbury, Ray
The Martian Chronicles
Bradbury, Ray
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Brockmeier, Kevin
The View from the Seventh Layer
Bulgakov, Mikhail
The Master and Margarita
Bunch, David R.
Moderan
Burgess, Anthony
A Clockwork Orange
Card, Orson Scott
Ender's Game
Carpentier, Alejo
The Kingdom of This World
Carroll, Lewis
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Chabon, Michael
The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Chiang, Ted
Stories of Your Life and Others
Clarke, Arthur C.
Childhood's End
Clarke, Arthur C.
A Fall of Moondust
Clarke, Arthur C.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Clarke, Susanna
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Crowley, John
Little, Big
Danielewski, Mark Z.
The Fifty Year Sword
Danielewski, Mark Z.
House of Leaves
Davies, Robertson
Fifth Business
Delany, Samuel R.
Babel-17
Delany, Samuel R.
Dhalgren
Delany, Samuel R.
The Einstein Intersection
Delany, Samuel R.
Nova
Dick, Philip K.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Dick, Philip K.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said
Dick, Philip K.
The Man in the High Castle
Dick, Philip K.
Ubik
Dick, Philip K.
VALIS
Disch, Thomas M.
Camp Concentration
Disch, Thomas M.
The Genocides
Doctorow, Cory
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Donoso, José
The Obscene Bird of Night
Ellison, Harlan (editor)
Dangerous Visions
Ellison, Harlan
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
Esquivel, Laura
Like Water for Chocolate
Farmer, Philip José
To Your Scattered Bodies Go
Fuentes, Carlos
Aura
Gaiman, Neil
American Gods
Gaiman, Neil
Neverwhere
Gibson, William
Burning Chrome
Gibson, William
Neuromancer
Grass, Günter
The Tin Drum
Greene, Graham
The End of the Affair
Grossman, Lev
The Magicians
Haldeman, Joe
The Forever War
Hall, Steven
The Raw Shark Texts
Harrison, M. John
The Centauri Device
Harrison, M. John
Light
Heinlein, Robert
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Heinlein, Robert:
Stranger in a Strange Land
Heinlein, Robert
Time Enough for Love
Helprin, Mark
Winter's Tale
Herbert, Frank
Dune
Hoffman, Alice
Practical Magic
Huxley, Aldous
Brave New World
Keret, Etgar
Suddenly, A Knock at the Door
Keyes, Daniel
Flowers for Algernon
Kundera, Milan
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
Kunzru, Hari
Gods Without Men
Lafferty, R.A.
Nine Hundred Grandmothers
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Dispossessed
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Lathe of Heaven
Le Guin, Ursula K.
The Left Hand of Darkness
Leiber, Fritz
The Big Time
Leiber, Fritz
Conjure Wife
Leiber, Fritz
Swords & Deviltry
Leiber, Fritz
The Wanderer
Lem, Stanislaw
His Master's Voice
Lem, Stanislaw
Solaris
Lethem, Jonathan
The Fortress of Solitude
Lewis, C. S.
The Chronicles of Narnia
Link, Kelly
Magic for Beginners
Malzberg, Barry N.
Herovit's World
Mandel, Emily St. John
Station Eleven
Mann, Thomas
Doctor Faustus
Márquez, Gabriel García
100 Years of Solitude
Markson, David
Wittgenstein's Mistress
Matheson, Richard
Hell House
Matheson, Richard
What Dreams May Come
McCarthy, Cormac
The Road
Miéville, China
Perdido Street Station
Miller, Jr., Walter M.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Millhauser, Steven
Dangerous Laughter
Mitchell, David
Cloud Atlas
Moorcock, Michael
Behold the Man
Moorcock, Michael
The Final Programme
Morrison, Toni
Beloved
Murakami, Haruki
1Q84
Murakami, Haruki
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the
End of the World
Nabokov, Vladimir
Ada, or Ardor
Niffenegger, Audrey
The Time Traveler's Wife
Niven, Larry
Ringworld
Noon, Jeff
Vurt
Obreht, Téa
The Tiger's Wife
O'Brien, Flann
At Swim-Two-Birds
Okri, Ben
The Famished Road
Percy, Walker
Love in the Ruins
Pohl, Frederik
Gateway
Pratchett, Terry
The Color of Magic
Pynchon, Thomas
Gravity's Rainbow
Rabelais, François
Gargantua and Pantagruel
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Red Mars
Rowling, J.K.
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
Rushdie, Salman
Midnight's Children
Russ, Joanna
The Female Man
Saramago, José
Blindness
Sheckley, Robert
Dimension of Miracles
Sheckley, Robert
Mindswap
Sheckley, Robert
Store of the Worlds
Shelley, Mary
Frankenstein
Silverberg, Robert
Dying Inside
Silverberg, Robert
Nightwings
Silverberg, Robert
The World Inside
Simak, Clifford
City
Simak, Clifford
The Trouble with Tycho
Smith, Cordwainer
Norstrilia
Smith, Cordwainer
The Rediscovery of Man
Stephenson, Neal
Snow Crash
Spinrad, Norman
Bug Jack Barron
Stross, Charles
Glasshouse
Sturgeon, Theodore
More Than Human
Sturgeon, Theodore
Some of Your Blood
Swift, Jonathan
Gulliver's Travels
Thomas, D.M.
The White Hotel
Tiptree, Jr., James
Warm Worlds and Otherwise
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Hobbit
Updike, John
The Witches of Eastwick
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Mixed Men
Van Vogt, A.E.
Slan
Van Vogt, A.E.
The Voyage of the Space Beagle
Van Vogt, A.E.
The World of Null A
Vance, Jack
Emphyrio
Verne, Jules
Around the Moon
Verne, Jules
From the Earth to the Moon
Verne, Jules:
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Vonnegut, Kurt
Cat's Cradle
Vonnegut, Kurt
The Sirens of Titan
Vonnegut, Kurt
Slaughterhouse-Five
Wallace, David Foster
Infinite Jest
Walpole, Horace
Hieroglyphic Tales
Wells, H.G.
The First Men in the Moon
Wells, H.G.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells, H.G.
The Time Machine
Wilson, Robert Anton & Robert Shea
The Illuminatus! Trilogy
Winton, Tim
Cloudstreet
Woolf, Virginia
Orlando
Zabor, Rafi
The Bear Comes Home
Zelazny, Roger
Lord of Light
Zelazny, Roger
This Immortal
Special Features
Notes on Conceptual Fiction
When Science Fiction Grew Up
Ray Bradbury: A Tribute
The Year of Magical Reading
Remembering Fritz Leiber
A Tribute to Richard Matheson
Samuel Delany's 70th birthday
The Sci-Fi of Kurt Vonnegut
Curse You, Neil Armstrong!
Robert Heinlein at 100
A.E, van Vogt Tribute
The Puzzling Case of Robert Sheckley
The Avant-Garde Sci-Fi of Brian Aldiss
Science Fiction 1958-1975: A Reading List
Links to related sites
The New Canon
Great Books Guide
Postmodern Mystery
Fractious Fiction
Ted Gioia's web site
Ted Gioia on Twitter
_____
SF Site
io9
Graeme's Fantasy Book Review
Los Angeles Review of Books
The Millions
Big Dumb Object
SF Novelists
More Words, Deeper Hole
The Misread City
Reviews and Responses
SF Signal
True Science Fiction
Tor blog
Disclosure: Conceptual Fiction
and its sister sites may receive review
copies and promotional materials from
publishers, authors, publicists or other
parties.
All rights reserved.