The Dancers at the End of Time (S.F. MASTERWORKS)

Product Information

Jherek Carnelian, a man living in an amoral, decadent society in the far future, falls in love with Amelia Underwood, a conventional, moralistic Englishwoman from the 19th century who has been transported to his age through an accident in time travel. Upon realizing this, Jagged understood that time is circular, not linear as was previously assumed, and devised a new plan. The machine appears to malfunction; instead of delivering them to the End of Time, it maroons them in what appears to be the Lower Devonian period. While she struggles with her conscience and her newfound atheism, her husband travels back to the 19th century and she decides to marry Jherek.

Mrs Underwood, at first repulsed by the debauchery of the End of Time, finally comes to believe that Jherek is sincere in his affections and starts teaching him about moral values. The albums were produced by Spirits Burning leader Don Falcone, and included contributions from Albert Bouchard and other members of Blue Öyster Cult, as well as former members of Hawkwind. The novel begins with a discussion between Jherek Carnelian and his mother, the Iron Orchid, about the meaning of the word virtuous. He proceeds to explain that energy can be drawn from any existing reality within the multiverse; this, combined with the technology that "recycled" time in the underground school, can be used to sustain the Earth forever. Now reassured that the Earth is safe in a time loop and provided with a new source of energy, the End of Timers resurrect their friends who died in the aborted apocalypse, and rebuild their world.However, there is something unique about Jherek - unlike everyone else, including the Iron Orchid, all of whom came into this world as adults, as remarkable, odd and farfetched as it might seem, Jherek was actually born.

Heady stuff indeed, but with a better than average plot I would suggest it to hardcore SF readers only. We're hundreds of thousands of years into the future where the remaining humans (only a handful, it appears) are in complete control of their surroundings. The ending originally involved a scene where the main character, Mavis Ming, was whipped into submission by Bloom. Amelia Underwood/Carry my heart in your hands/Jesus will shine on you brightly/Into the hollow lands".

Spasavanje svijeta sa Novim Suncem mi je eto odmah bila asocijacija na Wolfeovog Severiana i njegove avanture. Jherek's entire existence is later revealed to be part of a complicated scheme of Lord Jagged's to survive the End of Time by selectively breeding a race of humans whose DNA renders them immune to the tendency for time to heal itself by rejecting time travellers who journey to the past, and flinging them forward to their point of origin, or beyond. For, as we eventually learn, this lady was abducted from her home in 19th century England and forced to travel through time landing her at this decadent party. In the short story " Elric at the End of Time" the inhabitants of the end of time attempt to entertain Elric of Melniboné (and amuse themselves) by creating an adventure to keep Elric occupied. At first, her sense of duty makes her tolerate Jherek, despite his vexing romantic blandishments; she tells herself that, as a good Christian, she must indoctrinate him into the mysteries of Virtue.

The time in the school is constantly recycled by a robot nanny so old she has started to break down, and as a result is recycling the same week repeatedly. In terms of averaged enjoyment per page, this should be more like two stars, but I'm giving it three because the first book really is worth reading, and because it includes a character named "Sweet Orb Mace.

She wore a tight-fitting grey jacket and a voluminous grey skirt which covered all but the toes of her black boots. I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of those classic authors since I read them begrudgingly in highschool, and I can't say that I very much loved them but I do appreciate what they did. When Lord Jagged offers to send both her and Jherek into the future, out of the time loop and after the end of the world to start a new civilization, they accept. She has a small role in Moorcock's spy novel parody The Chinese Agent (1970), where she describes herself as a one-quarter Chinese former exotic dancer who used to perform a striptease under the name "Dawn Flower Ming, the Geisha Gusher".