paizo.com - City of the Beast (aka Warriors of Mars) (Trade Paperback)

About the Author

Michael Moorcock (1939– ) has been recognized since the 1960s as one of the most important speculative fiction writers alive. Born in London, Moorcock began editing the magazine Tarzan Adventures at the age of 15, and quickly gained notoriety for his character Elric of Melniboné, an anti-hero written as a deliberate reversal of recurring themes he saw in the writings of authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard. Many of his works, including both the Elric books and those of his popular androgynous secret agent Jerry Cornelius, are tied together around the concept of the Eternal Champion, a warrior whose many incarnations battle to maintain the balance between Law and Chaos in the multiverse, a term popularized by Moorcock referring to many overlapping dimensions or realities. In addition, Moorcock has also been recognized for his non-genre literary work, and his influence today extends into music, film, and popular culture. His writing has won numerous critical accolades, including the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement award, and in 2002 he was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.


Snorter (Pathfinder Charter Subscriber), Thu, Jul 26, 2007, 12:38 AM

The title seems to imply there are two books collected here, but I believe there were three, and they were City of the Beast, Lord of the Spiders and Master of the Pit(?). Were these published under different names in the USA, or condensed into two books instead of three? Or is the Warriors of Mars part of the title a complete red herring? Or an editorial or essay? As I recall, they are very influenced by ER Burroughs, and were written long before the Eternal Champion stories of the 1960s. I believe they were probably written while Moorcock was editing Tarzan Adventures in his late teens/early twenties, which would explain the theme, the style, and even some of the plot devices (LOL!)


Vic Wertz (Technical Director), Thu, Jul 26, 2007, 03:11 PM

Snorter wrote: The title seems to imply there are two books collected here, but I believe there were three, and they were City of the Beast, Lord of the Spiders and Master of the Pit(?). Were these published under different names in the USA, or condensed into two books instead of three? Or is the Warriors of Mars part of the title a complete red herring? Or an editorial or essay? Michael Moorcock's original manuscripts for the trilogy were entitled City of the Beast, Lord of the Spiders, and Master of the Pit. However, they were first published by Compact Books as Warriors of Mars, Blades of Mars, and Barbarians of Mars, all under the pen name Edward P. Bradbury. This publication contains only the first book in the trilogy.


Snorter (Pathfinder Charter Subscriber), Thu, Jul 26, 2007, 04:46 PM

Thanks for that clarification. I am aware that Moorcock wrote under pseudonyms, possibly to deflect criticism that he had a conflict of interest in editing and publishing his own work! (Can anyone confirm if that was indeed the case, or were these published under another editor's tenure?). As for the titles; personally I prefer the UK versions. I think using the initials EPB, and 'xxxx of Mars' as your titles is too likely to confuse the public and lead to accusations of copyright infringement, when placed alongside E R Burroughs own, much earlier work.


Vic Wertz (Technical Director), Fri, Jul 27, 2007, 12:36 PM

Snorter wrote: As for the titles; personally I prefer the UK versions. Compact Books, in the UK, was the original publisher, so Warriors of Mars was the "UK version." (Lancer, the first US publisher, also used their titles, but they originated at Compact.) The titles you like (the ones we're using) are maybe better identified as "the Moorcock titles," not "the UK titles."


Snorter (Pathfinder Charter Subscriber), Fri, Jul 27, 2007, 01:05 PM

Vic Wertz wrote: Warriors of Mars was the "UK version." The titles you like (the ones we're using) are maybe better identified as "the Moorcock titles," not "the UK titles." Thanks for that clarification; I have the first two books, but not the third. It's a long time since I read them (probably 20 years), and since I never had the whole set, I've not been tempted to go back to them until I knew I had the ending. You've got me intrigued, now. I'll have to have a dig round my attic, to find out who published my copies, since I definitely only know them by the 'Moorcock' titles...