The Adventures of Una Persson and Catherine Cornelius in the Twentieth Century

This is one of my favorite Michael Moorcock books. Extending the themes and characters established in the Jerry Cornelius quartet, this follows the adventures (erotic and otherwise) of Jerry's sister Catherine and her sometime lover, the temporal adventuress Una Persson (first seen in Moorcock's Oswald Bastable books --- "Warlord of the Air", "Land Leviathan", "The Steel Tsar"). Like the Jerry Cornelius books, this one is freely structured, as our heroines jump back and forth in time, exploring the highs and lows of the 20th century. Jerry's formidable mother, Mrs. Cornelius, also emerges here as a major character. (Jerry puts in a cameo or two.) Moorcock's writing here is several levels above his style in the Elric and Corum fantasies. The author has often stated his preference for his comedies over his SF and fantasy; this novel is a successful hybrid that fuses the best elements of Moorcock's dramatic and antic work. I will concede that this is perhaps best appreciated by readers familiar with the Jerry Cornelius stories and may be more enjoyable if read in context. Still, this is one of the author's most sophisticated works, one that paves the way for his later, more serious literary work such as "Byzantium Endures" and "Mother London." An amusing and exciting read; highly recommended.

The erotic and exotic adventures of Una Persson and Catherine Cornelius. Friends, lovers, revolutionaries...Through the years and across the continents of real and imagined pasts, presents and futures...Enjoy this trip - it's a white knuckle ride...