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<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cMoorcock is dead.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n A publishing executive said that a few years ago, dismissing Michael Moorcock as an author who could connect with today\u2019s audiences. It was an off-hand apocalyptic remark, the kind of overreach that people make when they\u2019re worried about their jobs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The next night, Mike had heard about it, and he started laughing. \u201cThey\u2019ve said that at least four or five times over the course of my career,\u201d he replied. \u201cThey\u2019ve left me for dead and I\u2019ve always outlasted them. That\u2019s what you do, you know. And in the end, I\u2019m still here \u2014 and they\u2019re out of work. It\u2019s the way of things.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He said it gracefully, like someone who had been there, done that, several times over. No bragging. No malice. No sweat. Just smooth. When times are tough, I replay that moment in my head.\u00a0It was a gentle career lesson delivered in a few killer sentences, wrapped in a smile.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mike was the first author that I ever cover-illustrated, and I\u2019ve been fortunate to illustrate several of his works,\u00a0including major editions of the Elric of Melnibone saga for Random House<\/a>. He\u2019s the one that taught me how to be a pro, usually without even trying, sometimes without saying a word. He owns the career that we all hope to have, the one that has multiple lives and new possibilities for the world, the one that shapes change instead of gravytraining it, the one that celebrates all we can be.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Locus Magazine<\/i>\u2018s December issue celebrates Mike\u2019s 75th birthday<\/a>\u00a0and with it, his prodigious career as one of\u00a0The London Times\u2019<\/i>\u00a0\u201c50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945.\u201d He\u2019s widely regarded as one of the most impactful creators in the history of science fiction and fantasy, and quite frankly, that\u2019s an understatement. If you haven\u2019t bought that issue yet \u2014 grab it. I think you\u2019ll find it well worth your time \u2014 and if you\u2019ve never read a Moorcock book, it\u2019s a welcome compass for navigating his literary landscape in search of the right work for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He\u2019s a must-read for anyone who loves fantasy literature.\u00a0In an age driven by social media and the perception of followers \u2014 Moorcock\u2019s all-time \u2018follower\u2019 list includes legendary careers that were directly spawned by his authored works and editorial tastes: Brian Aldiss, J.G. Ballard, Samuel R. Delany, Thomas M. Disch, Harlan Ellison, Norman Spinrad, Michael Butterworth, John Sladek, and so many more. If you\u2019re a fan of the works of Alan Moore, Jeff Vandermeer, China Mieville, Grant Morrison, Graham Joyce, Chris Roberson, Tad Williams, Paul Cornell or Neil Gaiman (see Neil\u2019s terrific story, \u201cOne Life Furnished in Early Moorcock\u201d), he\u2019s a fundamental wellspring of inspiration for all of them, and legions of creators from around the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n His imagination and influence weave through the history of gaming, fantasy art, rock music, comic books, and filmmaking over the last 50 years to the present \u2014 thanks to concepts, characters, narrative devices, and archetypes he conceived which others expand upon, or imitate, often without knowing he was there first.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I can\u2019t wait until his new book releases in January from Tor. It\u2019s a fantasy novel called\u00a0The Whispering Swarm<\/a>,<\/i>\u00a0and it\u2019s part personal memory, part history of London. I\u2019ll buy it the first day it releases, and start reading that night. Whatever I\u2019m illustrating that day, I suspect reading\u00a0The Whispering Swarm<\/i>\u00a0will challenge me to be better at what I\u2019m doing, and inspire the hell out of me, as all great works and great people do.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\n