Ride the mutant communist jaguar! (41)
Hawkmoon: The Mad God's Amulet by Michael Moorcock.
The Spider Order
all in silk & dressed in black,
masks of glass & iron.
I liked the first one so much I plunged right into the second. More pretty cover art, more pretty interior art, more pretty text. The biggest hurdle this book has to face is the simple fact that Moorcock has already given us the introduction to the societies & characters of the world after the Tragic Millennium. My mind wasn't blown by this book, but how could it be? The worldbuilding was already laid out in the first novel. I think the best bet is to send Dorian Hawkmoon to the fabled lands of Asiacommunista or Amerekh. That being said, the book doesn't drag its feet-- the first third is a "forgotten city" adventure, the second bit is the titular swashbuckling tale of the mad god & the third story returns us to the characters of Brass & Bowgentle. Really it is characters that make the second book interesting, in particular D'Averc. Who knows if he's a "good guy," & maybe he will betray Hawkmoon. Or then again maybe he won't, maybe he'll be a bosom companion for the rest of the saga. I honestly couldn't predict. There were a few times I had to flip to the front of the book to check the copyright page-- there is the sort of casual misogyny you'd expect present, but not in overwhelming doses. Just something worth pointing out, since it is always something within the genre that concerns me. So! Another Hawkmoon story successfully digested! I have a third one here & I might just start it on the train ride home, if nothing else catches my eye.