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BREAKFAST IN THE RUINS AND OTHER STORIES: THE BEST SHORT FICTION OF MICHAEL MOORCOCK VOLUME 3 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Michael Moorcock | 352 pages | 30 Dec 2014 | Orion Publishing Co | 9780575115538 | English | London, United Kingdom Breakfast in the Ruins by Michael Moorcock Oct 12, Pavlo Tverdokhlib rated it liked it Shelves: fantasy , sci-fi , post-apocalyptic. I reviewed "Behold the Man" previously, but it's important to note that this is the much shorter, original novella and not the expanded, standalone work- 60 pages, as opposed to about of the expanded work. So the focus here is on "Breakfast in Ruins". It's essentially a collection of period vignettes, covering each decade fr The last of the 3 volumes of Moorcock's Best Short Fiction is focused on Karl Glogauer- the main character of both "Behold the Man" and the titular "Breakfast in Ruins". It's essentially a collection of period vignettes, covering each decade from the s to the s. This man introduces Karl to the technique that allows him to experience the lives of his earlier incarnations. As Karl masters the skill, his incarnations gain progressively more agency over the events in their lives- and as they act out in increasibgly selfish ways, so does the "real world" Karl assume a progressively more vampiric role in the strange relationship with his benefactor. However, in terms of individual vignette pieces, Moorcock's writing is top notch as always. While I didn't particularly care for the meta-plot or the philosophical "What would you do? Of the rest of the works in the collection, "London Flesh" I read before in "The Metatemporal Detective" collection, and "Behold the Man" is, as mentioned, a shorter version of the standalone work I reviewed earlier. I didn't really get much out of "The Dead Singer"- a story featuring a ghost? Overall, an interesting compilation to round off the Best of Short Fiction collection, but nothing truly standout, unlike the earlier volumes. Tvermar rated it really liked it Jan 03, Martin rated it it was ok May 29, Papi Elric rated it really liked it Nov 01, Robert rated it liked it Oct 13, Jacob Guy rated it really liked it Oct 16, John Kenny rated it really liked it Mar 05, Fred Kiesche rated it it was amazing Aug 18, David Alexander rated it really liked it Mar 20, Sean rated it really liked it Jul 26, Graeme Talboys added it May 17, Sarah marked it as to-read Jun 14, Taneli Kolppanen marked it as to-read Aug 26, Kurt Rocourt marked it as to-read Jan 02, Matt marked it as to-read Aug 19, Naomi Scott marked it as to-read Nov 26, Chris Jackson marked it as to-read Feb 01, Abhiram Padmanabhan is currently reading it Apr 14, John marked it as to-read Jul 19, Emily Noel marked it as to-read Nov 18, Gordon Wilson marked it as to-read Feb 03, Sebastian Jones marked it as to-read Feb 19, Hayden Brown added it Apr 18, Jeff Hodson marked it as to-read May 27, David Raz added it May 31, Manatees marked it as to-read Aug 31, Kostas added it Sep 04, Yenni marked it as to-read Jan 02, Michael marked it as to-read Feb 23, Seven Negen marked it as to-read Sep 02, There are no discussion topics on this book yet. About Michael Moorcock. Michael Moorcock. Michael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in , Michael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels. Other Editions 9. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Breakfast in the Ruins , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Breakfast in the Ruins. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of Breakfast in the Ruins. Feb 06, Multiple Galerie rated it really liked it Shelves: favorites. I've been starting to read this over and over again since about but get distracted by some or other idea that the text brings up and end up losing my place. If publishers would restore the practice of including a bookmark ribbon this would never have happened. Jan 04, Jen rated it did not like it. I kept waiting for this book to make sense, but it never did. Breakfast in the Ruins is one of Moorcock's least accessible or comprehensible books. It was rather shocking when it appeared for its depiction of an ongoing homosexual relationship and later cannibalism, so the story itself tended to be overlooked as a secondary consideration by the critics of the time. The main character is Karl Glogauer Carl on the cover flap, leading one to wonder how carefully the publisher studied the manuscript , who was previously in Behold the Man, though the time trav Breakfast in the Ruins is one of Moorcock's least accessible or comprehensible books. The main character is Karl Glogauer Carl on the cover flap, leading one to wonder how carefully the publisher studied the manuscript , who was previously in Behold the Man, though the time travel in this one appears to be imaginary Some of the other multiverse characters appear as well, though we can't be sure what version of them appear, or even in what context. Each of the eighteen segments is followed by a "What Would You Do? It does have some interesting parts, particularly for Moorcock enthusiasts for example there's an "introduction" which simply states that Michael Moorcock died last year and we don't know the current whereabouts of Karl Glogauer , but I can't believe it can simply be enjoyed as a normal novel entertainment. This is an odd volume, even for Moorcock. Shelves: sf. This is sort of a sequel to a much more successful novel, Behold the Man, as it has the same protagonist and involves time travel--though here only in the imagination. One gets the impression that Moorcock was fed up with humanity and put these vignettes together to vent his spleen. Mar 26, Emily rated it it was ok. Unfortunately, this story seems only the slightest bit related. Like, maybe that the main character has the same name as that other one. This Karl Glogauer encounters and enters into a sexual escapade with an African visitor to England. During the course of their liaison, Karl imagines himself as many different people living in the midst of important historical events. Each vignette is told in italics between descriptions of the present-day action. I didn't really see a thread or theme running through the stories. The ending was completely mystifying. I'm no prude, but some of the sexual stuff wasn't pleasant to read about. There also seemed to be an unseemly racial undercurrent that also didn't come off as particularly thematic or edifying. This was really disappointing after the total brilliance of Behold the Man. Seriously, read that twice, and skip this entirely. May 29, Jon Padgett rated it it was amazing. I have a new favourite book. I first encountered this novel as a 12 year old. I had just read my first Moorcock novel Elric of Melnibone courtesy of the school library. It had been deemed too adult and was languishing in the 6th Form library, but being a librarian had some advantages. Even today I'm not sure what this is about, but its definitely NOT fantasy. Now, almost 40 years later, I have finally attempted to read it again. This time something clicked and it all fell into place. I've been a fan of Moorcocks ever since I first read Elric. He has his pulp books Corum, Elric. Then there is this study of inhumanity set amongst some of the more dangerous hotspots of the last years. This is his best work. May 09, Clive Wheeler rated it liked it. Less a novel and more a series of short stories or vignettes linked by a one night stand that takes its participants through a range of experiences and emotions. The vignettes place the same character in different locations and times that are all linked by the danger and inhumanity enacted during this time and at this place. I think Michael Moorcock is asking the reader to acknowledge the darker side of humanity and then to challenge it. This thinking is encouraged by the thought experiments unde Less a novel and more a series of short stories or vignettes linked by a one night stand that takes its participants through a range of experiences and emotions. This thinking is encouraged by the thought experiments under the title What Would You Do? May 19, Gareth Farrow rated it really liked it. I found this one of the more obscure stories my Micheal Moorcock. Having read most of his works and enjoyed them all, this is a kind of an exception. I felt like I was reading it just to complete a collection. It wasn't that enjoyable. Thankfully the story was short which is typical of this author. Saying all that I did think it was very well written and it did make me think.

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