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Underground > Books, Criticism & Writing >

The Cornelius Quartet

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

15:33 / 07.06.02

I've had a chance to read three out of the four books (The English Assassin, A Cure for Cancer, The Condition of Muzak, and one other whose name escapes me) in this massive collection of Jerry Cornelius novels. The character Gideon Stargrave from volume one of The Invisibles was based on Jerry Cornelius, and by "based on" I mean "almost an exact replica of". To the point that where I Michael Moorcock (the author of these novels and various dark fantasy books), I would have liked to have words with Grant Morrison.

They're not bad. There are some really great lines here and there, none of which I can recall at present, and it's really difficult to imagine what's going to happen on the next page. Is Jerry going to die? Or will he kill his brother Frank? Will he have sex with his sister Catherine or leave London to be destroyed by whomever is threatening the city this time?

As you may have guessed, it's plausible that all four scenario's will take place on the very next page. It's kind of like Through the Looking Glass in the way it makes you think the author must have been tripping his rocks off. I don't think it's the wacky plot so much as the dialogue, and at times it can really try your patience. Especially in the second book, A Cure For Cancer.

Personally, I have so far enjoyed the first story the most. The name I can't remember, but I do recall that it was the most coherent of the three I've read, and that it does a fine job fleshing out the character of Jerry Cornelius and his bizarre family.

So, all in all, it's sort of a Flamming Carrot/Alice in Wonderland kind of deal, if you can imagine. Basically, if you enjoyed the Gideon Stargrave moments in The Invisibles, then you'll get a kick out of these books. The entire collection is selling for $22.00, which isn't bad, if you're judging by sheer size and weight of the book. Once I have $22.00 to blow on books, I am planning on buying it.

15:42 / 07.06.02

A previous Cornelius thread..

..and a more general thread about Moorcock which is nevertheless mostly about the Cornelius books.

For the record, I love them to bits and always consider them worthy of discussion.

23:21 / 07.06.02

...AND I just found 'The Adventures of Catherine Cornelius and Una Perrson" in Maominstoat's Big Pile of Books, so I am very very happy.

Gotta love Michael Moorecock, except that when I go looking for his books, the stores seem to only have parts 3 and 4 of whatever series it is.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

02:33 / 08.06.02

The Final Programme's the first one.

13:10 / 09.06.02

The English Assassin's the best one. That book absolutely rocks my world .. I even read it twice..

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

19:21 / 09.06.02

So what's the deal on the short stories? Have they been collected in a single volume?

22:48 / 09.06.02

I have much respect for Moorcock, and I enjoyed the Elric books a lot, but I've always been ambivalent about the Jerry Cornelius stuff. I liked the Elric books for their subverting of the heroic fantasy stereotype, and for their epic "good yarn" qualities. Jerry Cornelius was very disjointed, restricting the yarn factor, and I couldn't quite get what it was for.

Hey, I'm the guy who hates the Illuminatus Trilogy.

Having said that, I read a Jerry Cornelius short story in a collection, written recently, that was based in a near-future England with warring pro- and anti-Diana groups (Dianistas machinegunning prisoners while shouting "SHE DIED FOR YOU!") and which was fabulous, so maybe I should give them another try. I'd be interested to see what Moorcock thinks of his earlier works now.

18:57 / 10.06.02

You can get the short stories in "The New Nature of the Catastrophe" which, unlike the rest of the JC books, you can actually find new in bookstores. (I have yet to find any of the others outside the second hand shops... not that that's a complaint of course.)

The stories (and the Una and Catherine book) are great because of all the alternate histories they present.. or at least that's what I love the most about them. Fun scenarios where Trotsky is nearly killed by pirates of the Cuban Revolutionary army in 1920 or so.. heehee.

Irony of Ironies

19:43 / 11.06.02

There was a great collection - I forget what it was called - of Cornelius stories by other authors, including M John Harrison (whose "Viriconium" books everyone should read) and Brian Aldiss (whose "Barefoot in the Head" is also a fantastic book, and essential reading).

Moorcock described Cornelius as a kind of template character, something that he wanted other authors to pick up and use. There's a lot of Cornelius in King Mob/Gideon Stargrave, so I think the template has been used again.

01:37 / 24.08.02

See if you can find 'The Lives And Times Of Jerry Cornelius' collection. It's out of print but shouldn't be too hard to find.

10:40 / 04.09.02

I think the whole Cornelius quartet should be read quickly and preferably while drinking. It's a fun fair-ground ride that I think doesn't bear or want close scrutiny.

My own favourite is 'The Adventures of Catherine Cornelius and Una Perrson'. They're way cooler than Jerry.

11:34 / 04.09.02

I've been pursuing Jerry Cornelius in his various incarnations for over fifteen years now - looking for new material and re-reading the original quartet once every two years.

Great great read, and the style has a habit of sticking to you - it percolates into your own writing style.
Weirder still, I find the books insufferable while reading them, and absolutely fabulous by the time I finish them.

"Life and Times of Jerry Cornelius" is indeed an excellent collection, and the plots are tighter than in the novels.

And you can get more Una Persson (and all of the Corneliuses in bit parts) in "The Entropy Tango" and "The Great Rock'nRoll Swindle".
Hard to find but excellent.

And then, of course, there's the Jerry Cornelius movie - "The Final Programme" aka "The Last days of Man on Earth".
Moorcock said somewhere he was unable to put words on paper for months after watching it.
It's so weird you can't actually say if it's good or bad.