Old Warriors of Mars Cover

[Anonymous]

MM,
I found this book when I was about 10 years old somewhere and loved it. After many readings I moved on to ERB's John Carter series (which seemed strangely similar ;-)) and then about 14-15 found this series of books about a gloomy fellow named Elric which changed my views on fantasy entirely. Now in my 30's I have been a fan for many years and was reading your site and thought everyone might like a look at the first Moorcock book I ever saw (although it wasn't until the Kane of Mars omnibus that I realized that you were the long lost Edward P. Bradbury!)
Thanks for all the great stories over the years...and please excuse the blurry picture...

[Michael Moorcock]

Yes, that's not only the first American edition of the book, it's probably one of the first I ever published in America! Elric followed soon afterwards, from the same publisher (the defunct Lancer Books). It was the editor at Lancer, Larry Shaw, who also commissioned the Hawkmoon books. If anyone else has some funky old covers, it might be an idea to post them here. I still like the original UK covers, which were by Jim Cawthorn, who also illustrated the UK edition of the second Elric
omnibus and did the first graphic edition of Stormbringer, among other things.

[VonWeiner]

Ahh, so that was you writing Mars stories!

I am one of those people who won't read something if it isn't written by the original author, in this case E. R. Burroughs. I think, "how can some other author bring Mars to life like Burroughs?" Maybe I have missed some good reading because of it.

I remember all the "Conan" novels written by others. They never seemed to capture Howard's Conan - the one I liked (to me, they were borderline blasphemy - :lol: /picturing Howard spinning in his grave). Hopefully I will never chance upon "The New Adventures of Elric" by "someone who is not Moorcock".

Although I will say that Timothy Zahn breathed new life into the Star Wars universe. I wish Lucas had read them...

[AriochRIP]

For what it's worth, I believe Mike's Mars stories were simply influenced by ERB's stuff, and written as homage to ERB, and not akin to a writer co-opting someone else's universe.

And you did miss some good stuff. The Mars stories are great fun.

Best, Nick.

[Michael Moorcock]

Exactly. They were my homage to an author I'd loved as a boy and whom I still admire in many ways (though his racism is very strong, especially in the Tarzan books). I, of course, began my professional editing career editing TARZAN ADVENTURES, where I introduced many readers to the other books of Burroughs, as well as fantasy books by the likes of Merritt, Howard and so on. I still hear from people whose taste for fantasy came from reading those early articles in TARZAN. My first Burroughs-influenced series, Sojan the Swordsman, also appeared there.
My intention in doing the Kane stories was to take Burroughs's much
vaunted creed of 'gentleman of Virginia/swordsman' and try to make Kane actually live according to the ideals (Carter pretty much never does!). Anyone who has read the second series of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen will see a reference to Kane in a conversation between John Carter and Gullivar of Mars (Burroughs's own influence).
I've recently written an introduction to Richard A. Lupoff's EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS; MASTER OF ADVENTURE which was recently reprinted and which I heartily recommend!