London Bone

Those who expect vast landscapes and epic storytelling from Michael Moorcock will be surprised by this collection, which shows him in a quieter, more contemplative mood, rooted in the here and now of everyday life. Set primarily in London, with excursions to Cairo and New York, Moorcock's tales are those of ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. These are stories of London's past, present and future. They are stories about brave old ladies, beatific unfrocked vicars, Irish-Americans, and the seedy side of the London tourist trade. You'll meet Ray Gold, heritage broker, Mrs Corren, with her faith in good furniture, Edwin Begg, the Clapham Antichrist, and Kate Doyle who shares an old, bad secret with Father McQueeny and a very fine secret with Mr Terry McLear. Moorcock, like Dickens, paints his characters larger than life and his similar affection for the weak and the marginalised, and his faith in their powers of self-renewal, make this collection worthy of the comparison. 'He is,' said Angela Carter in the Guardian, 'the master storyteller of our time'.