A magnificent city existing on the ringes of the past, and on the brink of destruction, Viriconium • With a foreword by Neil GaimanAvailable to American readers for the first time, this landmark collection gathers four groundbreaking fantasy classics from the acclaimed author of Light. Set in the imagined city of Viriconium, here are the masterworks that revolutionized a genre and enthralled a … a genre and enthralled a generation of readers: The Pastel City, A Storm of Wings, In Viriconium, and Viriconium Nights. Back in print after a long absence, these singular tales of a timeless realm and its enigmatic inhabitants are now reborn and compiled to captivate a whole new generation.
Praise for M. John Harrison’s Viriconium
“The world that Harrison depicts is intricate and authentic, peopled with a multitude of strange yet lifelike characters—a combination which serves to make his richly imagined empire of Viriconium feel very real indeed. . . . This omnibus collection from the author of Light is canon-reading for those who wish to know the genre’s roots, as well as the heights, to which it can aspire.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Brilliant, beautiful, and absolutely essential reading. The breadth of vision and imagination alone in these books is unparalleled. It is truly one of a kind and will continue to haunt you in the best possible way for years.”—Jonathan Carroll, author of White Apples
“Harrison’s Viriconium sequence is the jewel in the crown of 20th-century fantasy, a work that proves irrefutably that fantastic literature can be Art with a capital A, holding its own alongside the very finest writing of our time, or any other.”—Elizabeth Hand, author of Mortal Love
“M. John Harrison is a true master of English prose. He possesses the eye of a painter, the ear of a bard, and a rigorous and playful intellect. The Viriconium novels and stories are infused with a haunting genius that never falters.”—K.J. Bishop, author of The Etched City
more
I recommend this because its just so different than what I’m used to. I’m 100% sure what think.
The story takes place on Earth – post-post-scarcity. We’ve had our time among the stars and now have declined. The earth is mined out, so any metals and machinery come from scavenging. We are looking in on one of the ‘evening’ cultures – afternoon …
‘Viriconium’ is actually a set of inter-connected stories, all set in a weird future, full of burned out and lost technology and lost souls. There’s a feeling of treasure among the ruins on every page, particularly in the jewel of the crown here: ‘The Pastel City’.
To be honest, I didn’t always completely catch what was happening with the story, …
Honestly my main feeling from this book was disappointment. In the first novella I really enjoyed the world building. The plot and characters were pretty standard sword and sorcery, not all that interesting. But the world building seemed to be setting up an exploration into the history of Viriconium, how it came to be the way it was. I love …