Modem Times 2.0 (Outspoken Authors)
Starred Review. In the fifth of PM's Outspoken Authors series, chronospy Jerry Cornelius takes a swirling run through the multiverse with stops to run guns to the Navaho in the contemporary American Southwest, sample the waters of post-spill New Orleans, and assist Queen Jennifer as a future England surrenders to the airships of Hannover, finally heading home for Christmas 1962. SFWA Grand Master Moorcock (Mother London) mixes in rock 'n' roll dialogue ("Hi, hi, American pie chart"); quotes from periodicals, advertisements, travelogues, and interviews; and short, sharp jabs at politics and literature, some quite obscure. The nonlinear narrative skips along like a scratched DVD, but never loses sight of the central concern: how does the tension between remembering and forgetting sustain us through the stress of unending disasters? Also included are "My Londons," a short reminiscence of Moorcock's life from the '40s to the '90s, and a wonderfully insightful interview ("Get the Music Right") conducted by editor Terry Bisson. (June)