Gloriana : Or the Unfulfill'd Queen

Rating:
Summary: A Reader Unfulfill'd
Review: Gloriana (1979) is Moorcock's homage to Mervyn Peake (author of the Gormenghast saga), and fittingly, is a lush tale of intrigue told in thoroughly British prose. At times brilliant (especially in the descriptions of the seasonal festivities), often captivating and humorous, often sluggish and overly subtle, ultimately unfulfilling, it's a book I recommend borrowing from the library before buying. Not everyone will enjoy such decadence.

Speaking of decadence, the tale takes place in Renaissance-era Albion, the England of another world. Queen Gloriana presides, with the assistance of her counselors, over an empire of remarkable peace and prosperity: a romantic Golden Age in stark contrast to the cynical, iron rule of her father. All is not well, however, for the queen cannot--despite a veritable circus-stable of lovers male, female, both and other--achieve sexual fulfillment. (Whereas our own Queen Elizabeth was the 'virgin queen', in name at least, Gloriana proves quite the opposite.)

This "Queen's Trouble", as it's known, correlates to the delicate balance through which peace and prosperity are preserved. And when one of her counselors makes a personal and political error of judgment, events are set in motion which threaten to topple it all; for the 'underworld' of the past, both figuratively and literally (in the form of the endless, forgotten rooms and passages beneath and within the palace and those who prowl them) begins to rise up and ensnare the present.

Within these mazes of intrigue (and shaping them) is an astonishing array of characters: nobles, ambassadors, spies, magicians, servants, poets and so on. However, one of the book's main weaknesses is that, with so many characters and the story's constantly shifting viewpoint, it's difficult to understand or empathize with any of them. Then again, many of them are so perverse or amoral that you don't even want to try. (E.g., one of the main characters murders at least two relative innocents to further his or her plans; and 'kinky' sexual activity in Albion is, so to speak, rampant.)

In the end, the means by which the Queen's Trouble is solved was somewhat vague, disturbing and, ironically, unsatisfying. If I did understand it all correctly, though, it was also disappointing and, IMHO, had nothing of the ring of truth about it. Although _Gloriana_ has a World Fantasy Award in its crown, I'm sorry to report that, twenty-five years later at least, the queen has no clothes. Come one, come all to the spectacle (if what's been said above intrigues you), but don't come with your (ahem) hopes too high.

2-1/2 stars. A recommendation instead for _A Song for Arbonne_ by Guy Gavriel Kay and _Ombria in Shadow_ by Patricia McKillip.

Rating:
Summary: A Reader Unfulfill'd
Review: Gloriana (1979) is Moorcock's homage to Mervyn Peake (author of the Gormenghast saga), and just as one might expect, it is a lush tale of intrigue told in thoroughly British prose. At times brilliant (especially in the descriptions of the seasonal festivities), often captivating and humorous, often sluggish and overly subtle, ultimately unfulfilling, it's a book I recommend borrowing from the library before buying. Not everyone will enjoy such decadence.

Speaking of decadence, the tale takes place in Renaissance-era Albion, the England of another world. The monarch of the book's title presides, with the assistance of her counselors, over an empire of remarkable peace and prosperity: a romantic Golden Age in stark contrast to the cynical, iron rule of her father. All is not well, however, for the queen cannot--despite a veritable circus-stable of lovers male, female, both and other--achieve sexual fulfillment. (Whereas our own Queen Elizabeth was the 'virgin queen', in name at least, Gloriana proves quite the opposite.)

This "Queen's Trouble", as it's known, correlates to the delicate balance through which peace and prosperity are preserved. And when one of her counselors makes a personal and political error of judgment, events are set in motion which threaten to topple it all; for the 'underworld' of the past, both figuratively and literally (in the form of the endless, forgotten rooms and passages beneath and within the palace and those who prowl them) begins to rise up and ensnare the present.

Within these mazes of intrigue (and shaping them) is an astonishing array of characters: nobles, ambassadors, spies, magicians, servants, poets and so on. However, one of the book's main weaknesses is that, with so many characters and the story's constantly shifting viewpoint, it's difficult to understand or empathize with any of them. Then again, many of them are so perverse or amoral that you don't even want to try. (E.g., one of the main characters murders at least two relative innocents to further his or her plans; and 'kinky' sexual activity in Albion is, so to speak, rampant.)

In the end, the means by which the Queen's Trouble is solved was somewhat vague, disturbing and, ironically, unsatisfying. If I did understand it all correctly, though, it was also disappointing and, IMHO, had nothing of the ring of truth about it. Although _Gloriana_ has a World Fantasy Award in its crown, I am sorry to report that, twenty-five years later at least, the queen has no clothes. Come one, come all to the spectacle (if what's been said above intrigues you), but don't come with your (ahem) hopes too high.

2-1/2 stars. A recommendation instead for _A Song for Arbonne_ by Guy Gavriel Kay and _Ombria in Shadow_ by Patricia McKillip.

Rating:
Summary: This sinister apology for political violence and rape
Review: I apologize for not being interested in the literary subtleties of this clever piece of writing. I regret that my unsophisticated mind does not take all the refined (as a sledgehammer) allusions to Spenser, Gormenghast, the Edda and so on. But you see, I have this bizarre notion that the climax and conclusion of a story are something to do with its point; and the climax of this story has a thief and murderer - oh, yes, sorry, a *romantic* thief and murderer, that makes *so* much difference to his victims - raping a woman who happens to be the Queen of England (again, that makes *so* much difference to the rape!); which she enjoys so much that she makes him king consort, with a certain amount of diplomatic lies to smooth his path. Translation: "being raped did the bitch good, and besides she enjoyed it". Gloriana can easily be defined as a bitch, in case you were wondering, and the fact that the loathsome Quire managed to give her an orgasm is the sure token that he is a suitable sovereign for an empire, which can now look forwards to all the wise subtleties of rule which he learned as a murderous street thief. Sorry, I forgot: a *romantic* murderous street thief. If I ever read a more thorough-going, false-faced, revolting apology for evil in every form, I have, luckily, forgotten it. But then Moorcock never had much time for morality, or what he called "pooh fantasy".

Rating:
Summary: blah blah blah
Review: I enjoy historical fiction books a great deal BUT this one is sooo boring. I will be reading it and realize that I haven't been paying attention to the past 2 or 3 paragraphs because it is such a snoozer. I really hate it when authors feel the need to describe every little detail about someone's clothing after a while it really starts to take away from the story. I find myself skimming through the page just to find something interesting to read. I was really excited when I bought this book but was extremely disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: jen
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A twisted homage to Mervyn Peake.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: I don't know why I'm even giving it 3-- pity?
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and beautiful, tragic and tremendous
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Offensive review
Review: Mr Barbieri is clearly unfamiliar with my work and also with this particular edition in which I discuss the problems I had with including the rape in the penultimate chapter. From the beginning of my career I have been writing some form of moral fable and I am also on record for my support of feminists, many of whom are close personal friends (indeed, I'm married to one). I have written a great deal about sexual and domestic abuse, with particular attention to pornography as justification for rape. It is unsophisticated at best to take one of my fables, which shows how imperial power is maintained by hypocrisy and crime, and fail to understand it for what it is. I can only assume that Mr Barbieri has been offended by the polemic of my critical study Wizardry and Wild Romance which takes issue with the moral attitudes to be discovered in the likes of Tolkien and Lewis. I have no problem with morality, but I believe I have a right to disagree with another writer's moral intentions.

Rating:
Summary: Political Intrigue - Not Fantasy
Review: Poor Queen Gloriana can't have an orgasm. Not for lack of effort, though. She keeps a menagerie of sex slaves hidden in the walls, everything from young girls to albino giants to neanderthals. She's quite the skank. Her lack of sexual fulfillment is repeatedly compared to her empire's illusion of romantic peace and stability. Much of the book dwells on the contrast between this romantic illusion and a colder reality; there is peace in the empire, yet horrible things must be done to maintain it. Each of the three key characters represented either romance, reality, or a combination of both. There was also a King Arthur aspect to the story, but instead of making king of whatever lucky bloke pulled the sword from the stone, it was whoever could bring Queen Gloriana to orgasm. There were very few elements of fantasy in Gloriana, save for that it took place in an alternate history. Instead of fantasy, there is a great deal of court intrigue and scheming. Moorcock spends and undue amount of time talking about costumes. Fans of the Gormenghast novels might potentially find enjoyment in Gloriana; it is much the same, but not as fulfilling.

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