A fable satirizing Spenser's "The Fairie Queen" and reflecting the real life of Elizabeth I, tells of a woman who ascends to the throne upon the death of her debauched and corrupted father, King Hern. Gloriana's reign brings the Empire of Albion into a Golden Age, but her oppressive responsibilities choke her, prohibiting any form of sexual satisfaction, no matter what fetish she tries. Her problem is in fact symbolic of the hypocrisy of her entire court. While her life is meant to mirror that of her nation - an image of purity, virtue, enlightenment and prosperity - the truth is that her peaceful empire is kept secure by her wicked chancellor Monfallcon and his corrupt network of spies and murderers, the most sinister of whom is Captain Quire, who is commissioned to seduce Gloriana and thus bring down Albion and the entire empire.
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About the Author:
Born in London in 1939, Michael Moorcock now lives in Texas. A prolific and award-winning writer with more than eighty works of fiction and non-fiction to his name, he is the creator of Elric, Jerry Cornelius and Colonel Pyat, amongst many other memorable characters.
Review:
"Moorcock is one of the most exciting discoveries in the contemporary English novel." -- Washington Post Book World
"The intrigues, the lords and maidens ... are woven into a tapestry that is as wonderful as it is funny." -- Newsday
"Vastly entertaining...a labor of love, and a triumphant one." -- William Gibson
"[Moorcock is] the greatest writer of post-Tolkien British fantasy." -- Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherAspect
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 0446691402
- ISBN 13 9780446691406
- BindingPaperback
- Edition number1
- Number of pages496
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Rating