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bennought's review against another edition
1.0
To be honest, I just couldn't finish the book. The writing was almost amateurish, the plot was silly, the characters were caricatures, and it wasn't very entertaining. I can see how it could have been an inspiration for a genre, but like many books/authors that do so, it in and of itself isn't that good of a read this far down the road. Granted, the book has some great ideas, but beyond that it doesn't have much going for it.
beefmaster's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Bit of a rushed ending and I have some qualms with the politics. But Moorcock always packs more cool shit in 175 pages than other fantasy writers can manage in 1,700 pages.
corvinaq's review
2.0
I read this book because it’s supposed to be a steampunk classic, and it did have some cool steampunky bits. I also liked the possibilities of the book’s multiverses. However, I wanted more steampunk and less political discourse. This book is pretty short, yet a disproportionate amount of it is filled with characters lengthy soliloquies on politics. In case you were wondering, colonization is definitely Bad. The characters in the book were also all cartoonish and rather shallow. Overall, a disappointment.
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
1.0
Meh - I know that Michael Moorcock is a classic and an Icon, but I hate this type of story.
The main character is relating what happened to a writer (and to you, dear reader) in the aftermath of the situations, making this hold no suspense. Written in the style of Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs, which are all again classics, but it is the writing STYLE that I do not like, not the tales themselves. But, I can suffer no more, and these will be deleted from my eBook.
The main character is relating what happened to a writer (and to you, dear reader) in the aftermath of the situations, making this hold no suspense. Written in the style of Jules Verne and Edgar Rice Burroughs, which are all again classics, but it is the writing STYLE that I do not like, not the tales themselves. But, I can suffer no more, and these will be deleted from my eBook.
voeggroll's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
There's some strong use of racial and ethnic slurs I was not prepared for in here. They appear in service of the plot, and to illustrate the author's opposition to imperialism.
I understand why they're used, but I still don't like it.
I understand why they're used, but I still don't like it.
johnwillson's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my favourite books of all time. A soldier in British India falls into an alternate future, a 20th century in which the world wars hadn't happened. The conflict of the century is both colder and, if possible, more threatening. The military man, through action and misadventure, walks miles in the shoes of the leaders on both sides of the mid-century cold war. Does humankind's nature doom it to eternal war, no matter the circumstances? Are good and evil just the shadows cast by nationalism and the lust for power?
Short and packed with ideas and action, this book will stick with you long after you put it down.
Its two sequels are also great.
Short and packed with ideas and action, this book will stick with you long after you put it down.
Its two sequels are also great.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
4.0
Simultaneously a tribute to the imaginative adventure fiction of the Victorian period and a satire of its values, this first volume in the Oswald Bastable series is the best in the sequence. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/the-warrior-of-the-timestreams/
djinn_n_juice's review against another edition
2.0
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 that England, Japan and some other places are 'utopia'-esque, and he thinks it's frickin AWESOME, and he becomes an airship pilot! No wars since a long long time ago? No real violence other than the occasional revolutionary? AWESOME!
But are things really as ideal as they seem? Or are things NOT so ideal for someone, somewhere...perhaps all those colonized countries following the rule of the more powerful nations....
You bet. Things suck in those nations. And, slowly but surely, our hero converts from a soldier of England to a rebel himself!
Well, actually, it's not so slowly; nor is it so surely. This book moves FAAST, and it moves so fast that it seems a bit superficial. Our hero buys into the utopia too quickly, and then converts to a radical too quickly, and doesn't end up with any interesting personality, really. It all feels just a bit Nancy Drew. You know...this happens, which causes this to happen, which knocks over the next domino, and then the DAY IS SAVED! YAAAY!
Clearly, I didn't like the pacing, or the characters. But, Warlord of the Air is partially redeemed by the fact that it was still a fun read, and it at least ATTEMPTED to wrestle with some important social issues. Some of the passages toward the ending were a little philosophical even. I really wish this book had only been elaborated upon, and made into a 250-page book instead of a mediocre 170-pager. Then, it could've been a very good read.
But I also have the feeling that, this far after the book's writing, a lot of the ideas that were creative in the seventies just feel 'ho-hum' now.
Regardless, I enjoyed it enough to continue the trilogy, and hope I enjoy the later volumes more. This book is followed by The Land Leviathan and The Steel Tsar.
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 that England, Japan and some other places are 'utopia'-esque, and he thinks it's frickin AWESOME, and he becomes an airship pilot! No wars since a long long time ago? No real violence other than the occasional revolutionary? AWESOME!
But are things really as ideal as they seem? Or are things NOT so ideal for someone, somewhere...perhaps all those colonized countries following the rule of the more powerful nations....
You bet. Things suck in those nations. And, slowly but surely, our hero converts from a soldier of England to a rebel himself!
Well, actually, it's not so slowly; nor is it so surely. This book moves FAAST, and it moves so fast that it seems a bit superficial. Our hero buys into the utopia too quickly, and then converts to a radical too quickly, and doesn't end up with any interesting personality, really. It all feels just a bit Nancy Drew. You know...this happens, which causes this to happen, which knocks over the next domino, and then the DAY IS SAVED! YAAAY!
Clearly, I didn't like the pacing, or the characters. But, Warlord of the Air is partially redeemed by the fact that it was still a fun read, and it at least ATTEMPTED to wrestle with some important social issues. Some of the passages toward the ending were a little philosophical even. I really wish this book had only been elaborated upon, and made into a 250-page book instead of a mediocre 170-pager. Then, it could've been a very good read.
But I also have the feeling that, this far after the book's writing, a lot of the ideas that were creative in the seventies just feel 'ho-hum' now.
Regardless, I enjoyed it enough to continue the trilogy, and hope I enjoy the later volumes more. This book is followed by The Land Leviathan and The Steel Tsar.
slkropp's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5