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The Warlord of the Air
(Oswald Bastable #1)
by
Suppose that a few of our present inventions had been made earlier, and others not discovered at all? How would the last century have evolved differently?
This is the story of Oswald Bastable, a Victorian captain who found himself in such alternate worlds. It is based on notes handed down to Michael Moorcock from his great-grandfather. It's a story of a world of empires sec ...more
This is the story of Oswald Bastable, a Victorian captain who found himself in such alternate worlds. It is based on notes handed down to Michael Moorcock from his great-grandfather. It's a story of a world of empires sec ...more
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Mass Market Paperback, 192 pages
Published
January 1st 1971
by Ace Books
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Start your review of The Warlord of the Air (Oswald Bastable, #1)
As ever, Moorcock is a wry, clever author full of ideas and insights, but he ends up rushing from one moment to another when I wish that he would let his stories play out. The characters and their relationships were intriguing and promising, but Moorcock tends to fall back on exposition instead of showing the development of his characters and plot through interaction and carefully-constructed scenes. The scope of his tales rarely seem to match the length of his books.
I have great appreciation fo ...more
I have great appreciation fo ...more
Very good, if your into steampunk, which i very much am. It was so neat to read some that was written in the 70's and compare it with the steampunk genre today. This is the first book in a 3-novel volume i'm reading about Oscar Bastable called The Nomad of Time, if you have a more recently published copy, it is now called The Nomad of the Time Streams.
Moorcock's story, if it wasn't for the fantastical aspects, very much reminded me of George Orwell actually, in the way it covered British coloni ...more
Moorcock's story, if it wasn't for the fantastical aspects, very much reminded me of George Orwell actually, in the way it covered British coloni ...more
This book is certainly well-written and interesting. It starts rather slow, with Moorcock explaining how he found a manuscript left by his grandfather, with the grandfather explaining how he met the main protagonist who dictated said manuscript, and then the main protagonist, Oswald Bastable, describing how he managed to get from a punitive expedition in the 1902 Himalaya to the 1973 British Empire build on giant airships. But the speed of the action increases, and Bastable goes through what app
...more
This first Oswald Bastable novel was steampunk before there was a name for such a thing.... before there was anything-punk, come to dwell on it. It's an alternate-history political novel very much in the tradition of Wells, told with the found-manuscript framing made so popular by Burroughs. Set in a 1973 world in which World War II never happened, it shares some common themes and characters with other multiverse tapestry pieces, but isn't an integral part. It's more slowly paced than his sword-
...more
I didn't even know this book existed until a friend on Goodreads mentioned it to me, and I'm so glad he did. Thanks for the recommend Jorge.
I love the steampunk idea but it often falls short for me. Retribution Falls is by far the best I've read to date. But I think Moorcock's The Warlord of the Air is something a little different, maybe that's because it was written quite a while back, it may have even been one of the first steampunk novels, I'm not sure. But it is something a little special.
Th ...more
I love the steampunk idea but it often falls short for me. Retribution Falls is by far the best I've read to date. But I think Moorcock's The Warlord of the Air is something a little different, maybe that's because it was written quite a while back, it may have even been one of the first steampunk novels, I'm not sure. But it is something a little special.
Th ...more
3.5 Stars
Intentionally written in the style of H.G. Wells as well as the pulp science fiction of the early 20th Century (seePhilip Francis Nowlan), but with modern (late sixties and early seventies) sensibilities. Having been a fan of this type of science fiction since my childhood I found "The Warlord of the Air" to be great fun. Mr. Moorcock combines Victorian and mid-twentieth century attitudes and throws the story at us with a wink since the inside joke is that we (the readers) already know ...more
Intentionally written in the style of H.G. Wells as well as the pulp science fiction of the early 20th Century (seePhilip Francis Nowlan), but with modern (late sixties and early seventies) sensibilities. Having been a fan of this type of science fiction since my childhood I found "The Warlord of the Air" to be great fun. Mr. Moorcock combines Victorian and mid-twentieth century attitudes and throws the story at us with a wink since the inside joke is that we (the readers) already know ...more
Oswald Bastable IS steampunk. There may have been earlier examples of the genre, and perhaps there are later examples that more solidly explore the ideas behind steampunk, but the Nomad of the Timestreams trilogy is the definition of steampunk to me.
While a dimension hopping, time traveling Oswald Bastable might seem to be a hard pill to swallow, it is written with such an honest face that not only could I suspend my disbelief, I could almost turn full circle and believe that I was reading a his ...more
While a dimension hopping, time traveling Oswald Bastable might seem to be a hard pill to swallow, it is written with such an honest face that not only could I suspend my disbelief, I could almost turn full circle and believe that I was reading a his ...more
The steampunk adventures of Oswald Bastable, a Victorian soldier lost in time.
Lauded as one of the stories which established the steampunk genre, Warlord of the Air sees Oswald Bastable, a well intentioned Victorian soldier, catapulted into a future in which the British Empire never fell, the world wars never happened, the streets are crowded with electric cars and the skies with airships. Moorcock takes the adventurous principles of HG Wells and Jules Verne, and injects into them his own politi ...more
Lauded as one of the stories which established the steampunk genre, Warlord of the Air sees Oswald Bastable, a well intentioned Victorian soldier, catapulted into a future in which the British Empire never fell, the world wars never happened, the streets are crowded with electric cars and the skies with airships. Moorcock takes the adventurous principles of HG Wells and Jules Verne, and injects into them his own politi ...more
Very much an entertainment, to coin Greene’s use of the term. Steampunk with a wide net of allusion from Conrad, Lenin and TE Lawrence to the fumbling bigot Reagan, I enjoyed this, I’m not sure it engendered a great deal of thought. There in that silence, that pause, remains the other books in the series. I’m not adept at finishing cycles.
In 1971, Michael Moorcock receives from his father a box of his grandfather's, and namesake's, papers. In the box is a typewritten manuscript prepared by the first Michael Moorcock in the year 1903. It is the transcript of a narrative related to the elder Moorcock by Oswald Bastable, an opium-addicted stowaway he encounters while taking a kind of rest cure on Rowe Island in the Indian Ocean. (Rowe Island is Moorcock's -- our Moorcock's -- invention.)
Bastable was a British officer serving in the ...more
Bastable was a British officer serving in the ...more
Long on politics, short on action and adventure. OK, so it takes all sorts, but this is my review and I felt like I was reading a pamphlet (which is not to say I do or don't disagree with the sentiments, just this is fiction and I prefer fiction to be fun). I'd also quibble with the status of this book as a steampunk classic. Not much 'steam' and pretty easy on the 'punk', too. It's dieselpunk, if anything. The presence of a few airships in a book does not a steampunk classic make, so look elsew
...more
In general the book was more successful in its ideas than in its story: the author gets carried away with the description of life in alternate 1973 and the exploration of the results of unchecked imperialism, and then skimps on the story aspects of plot and character. Much of it felt cramped, with the Warlord of the title only appearing some two-thirds through, and then Bastable experiencing a relatively fast change of heart to join him. This conversion is shown in a compressed time scale withou
...more
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"Notable as an Early Steampunk/Jules Verne homage….
The Warlord of the Air is the first of a trilogy of steampunk novels (Land Leviathan, The Steel Tsar) by Moorcock collected in the omnibus edition The Nomad of Time and later as The Nomad of the Time Streams.
The story follows Oswald Bastable [...]" ...more
"Notable as an Early Steampunk/Jules Verne homage….
The Warlord of the Air is the first of a trilogy of steampunk novels (Land Leviathan, The Steel Tsar) by Moorcock collected in the omnibus edition The Nomad of Time and later as The Nomad of the Time Streams.
The story follows Oswald Bastable [...]" ...more
I have read Warlord of the Air by Michael Moorcock once before, many years ago. I saw it in a used book store on one of my visits a few years back and decided it would be worth trying again. So there you go, a bit of back history before my review.
The book was originally published in 1971. It purport to be a story written by Michael Moorcock's grandfather, from events he recorded back in 1903. It's a neat tale, told to Moorcock Senior by Oswald Bastable, a Victorian Captain who is thrust into the ...more
The book was originally published in 1971. It purport to be a story written by Michael Moorcock's grandfather, from events he recorded back in 1903. It's a neat tale, told to Moorcock Senior by Oswald Bastable, a Victorian Captain who is thrust into the ...more
Jun 30, 2021
Josefine
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
scifi-favorites,
kindle
I don’t even know anymore how I found this book, but I’m glad I did.
Before I start my review, a quick note: this book was written in the early 70’s. The story is rather political and uses certain phrases that you wouldn’t find in today’s books. No glorification or anything, but if you’re sensitive, don’t read it. Also, mixes up some political philosophies (although, that also happens today…).
From page one I loved the writing! It reads like a classic fiction novel, but from a different timeline. ...more
Before I start my review, a quick note: this book was written in the early 70’s. The story is rather political and uses certain phrases that you wouldn’t find in today’s books. No glorification or anything, but if you’re sensitive, don’t read it. Also, mixes up some political philosophies (although, that also happens today…).
From page one I loved the writing! It reads like a classic fiction novel, but from a different timeline. ...more
I understand why this is considered a steampunk classic. Although, I will admit that it started a bit slow for me, it did pick up and get me sucked in, which is good because there are two more books in the series.
The best thing about this book is that Moorcock wrote it in a way that was reminiscent of writers from the early 1900’s, keeping the feel of it realistic. The airships and inventions are great but don’t have the intricate details of the newer steampunk genre. Remember, Moorcock and Jet ...more
The best thing about this book is that Moorcock wrote it in a way that was reminiscent of writers from the early 1900’s, keeping the feel of it realistic. The airships and inventions are great but don’t have the intricate details of the newer steampunk genre. Remember, Moorcock and Jet ...more
A solid three out of five. The setup is fine, and we are treated to an interesting alternate timeline, but then the author's message rears up and the book becomes pretty much a political tract. Oswald Bastable is the most fully realized character in the book, and he's admirable but bland. The rest of the characters are cardboard in varying degrees of flexibility. The most interesting ones end up getting killed.
This novel is usually categorized as Steampunk but it really isn't- it's an alternate ...more
This novel is usually categorized as Steampunk but it really isn't- it's an alternate ...more
Nov 21, 2009
Michael
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
1970s,
fiction-that-speculates
The Warlord of the Air is an early example of steampunkery, written in the early seventies. I've never read Michael Moorcock before, nor have I read much SF from the seventies. In fact, I haven't read much steampunk, either. So, that combination of factors may color my response to the book.
The story: guy goes to temple in India in 1902, gets transported to the same temple in the seventies. Gets picked up by an airship, and starts to realize where he is--well, WHEN he is, I guess. He discovers t ...more
The story: guy goes to temple in India in 1902, gets transported to the same temple in the seventies. Gets picked up by an airship, and starts to realize where he is--well, WHEN he is, I guess. He discovers t ...more
Sent out to deal with a troublesome warlord on the imperial frontier, Lieutenant Oswald Bastable, an army officer in 1902 India, unexpectedly finds himself in a 1973 where airships ply the skies and the British Empire continues to thrive. Feigning amnesia, he adapts quickly to life in a world which seems nothing less than idyllic. Yet Bastable’s path soon leads to a series of adventures that cause him to reexamine his initial assumptions and lead him to embrace a cause very different from the on
...more
I feel somewhat unkind offering only two stars for this book, but frankly it just turned out to be so far from my own interests. As it states itself in "feigned" publisher rejections, maybe it needs more adventure. Though the lack of a love story I'm frankly quite satisfied with.
This book may be more interesting for its time, being from the 70's, but again, I'm always after something stimulating, not necessarily only "as seen in context". It's only real theme is political anti imperialism, and t ...more
This book may be more interesting for its time, being from the 70's, but again, I'm always after something stimulating, not necessarily only "as seen in context". It's only real theme is political anti imperialism, and t ...more
Moorcock doing what I think he does best. Taking characters from his giant toybox of “Eternal Champion” archetypes and throwing them into Hx, then shaking them about into alternate realities and times.
Bastable meets some old favourites (Una and I think Jerry have cameos), and some real characters (Joseph Conrad as airship captain, Mick Jagger as soldier) as he travels through time and gets caught up in revolution.
Presented as a found manuscript, by his grandfather, this may be the opium addled r ...more
Bastable meets some old favourites (Una and I think Jerry have cameos), and some real characters (Joseph Conrad as airship captain, Mick Jagger as soldier) as he travels through time and gets caught up in revolution.
Presented as a found manuscript, by his grandfather, this may be the opium addled r ...more
Moorcock tells this story in an alternative future, by the eyes of a typical soldier of the British Empire who is sent to an alternative future where the British Empire seems to have created an utopia. At least in the main character's eyes. The British Empire after years without going to war ( the technology is not as advanced as it was back in our actual 1973) which leads to apparent economical and social advances. We will know later that the Empire is in fact lying in fragile foundations. Alth
...more
Is Oswald Bastable sane? Dreaming? Time traveling? Dimension hopping?
Whichever, it's a fun read. Not what you might call meticulously constructed with a plot of jewel-like precision. More of a story reeled out across several drunken and/or dope-crazed evenings. But there's some social satire in there, and some buckles get swashed, and there are airships.
I won't hunt for the next volume but if it crosses my path I'll read it. ...more
Whichever, it's a fun read. Not what you might call meticulously constructed with a plot of jewel-like precision. More of a story reeled out across several drunken and/or dope-crazed evenings. But there's some social satire in there, and some buckles get swashed, and there are airships.
I won't hunt for the next volume but if it crosses my path I'll read it. ...more
An odd sort of anachronistic alternate world that fits peripherally into Moorcock's Eternal Champion "multiverse". Wasn't as impressed with it, but it's readable and if your really into the Eternal Champion Cycle you may want to hit every point.
...more
I enjoyed this book better the second time than I did the first time. Moorcock's historical imagination knows no peer.
...more
SOME SPOILERS BELOW: This series, written from the early 1970s to the dawn of the 1980s, is about a British man, Oswald Bastable, serving in the army in India around the turn of the century (I believe it was 1902-03). Something strange happens, and he awakes in another time, in an apparently alternate timeline of 1973, rescued by an airship (there are no airplanes, but airships are common). This alternate 1973 (the future to Bastable, of course) has not known major war in the last 70 years (they
...more
This short novel is dieselpunk with a steampunk sensibility, envisioning an alternate twentieth century in which the Great Powers of the fin del siecle continue to rule over oppressed peoples around the world. Despite the very awesome premise it's a pretty thin and rushed book, light on character development and heavy on politics, and my main annoyance with it was its crashing lack of subtlety. I personally choose not to define myself as right wing or left wing, I consider both equally deplorabl
...more
An interesting read
I first read a Michael Moorcock book in Guyana when I was 14. My family was there on vacation and I needed a new book. I enjoyed it, an Elric story. Hadn't read another Moorcock story since. 43 years later and I realize why I liked his writing. Warlord of the Air is a basic, no nonsense sci-fi story that, while now a bit dated in the premises, still makes for a good tale. Time travel, airships, good guys, bad guys, revolutionaries and the inimitable Brits makes for the basis o ...more
I first read a Michael Moorcock book in Guyana when I was 14. My family was there on vacation and I needed a new book. I enjoyed it, an Elric story. Hadn't read another Moorcock story since. 43 years later and I realize why I liked his writing. Warlord of the Air is a basic, no nonsense sci-fi story that, while now a bit dated in the premises, still makes for a good tale. Time travel, airships, good guys, bad guys, revolutionaries and the inimitable Brits makes for the basis o ...more
Apr 03, 2019
David
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
autographed
Been a long time since I have read one of Michael's books and supposedly I had read this one before but it didn't spark any memories and felt new even if I had. I've always enjoyed the multiverse, the eternal champion and all the others who populate it and all of its different variations. This one was a nice splash of alternate history/dimensions, steampunkish world, and much of the feel of H.G. Wells. A good read and I look forward to the other two in the series which I know I haven't read at a
...more
British officer, Oswald, gets into trouble with a mysterious bad guy in 1903 and ends up in the future (1970s); a future that we won't recognize because dirigibles are the main form of air travel.
He has a problem because his story makes him sound like a lunatic, but he manages to pass it off as amnesia and shock. Then his airborne adventures get going as he signs on with a military airship. After that ... Well, you'll have to read it yourself. I won't spoil it for you.
I liked the story, but I'm ...more
He has a problem because his story makes him sound like a lunatic, but he manages to pass it off as amnesia and shock. Then his airborne adventures get going as he signs on with a military airship. After that ... Well, you'll have to read it yourself. I won't spoil it for you.
I liked the story, but I'm ...more
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Michael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, ...more
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, ...more
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Oswald Bastable
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