The Viriconium Sequence (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: M. John Harrison
- First Published: 1971
- Type of Work: Novels
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—New Wave
- Time of Work: The reign of the Evening Cultures, roughly between 20,000 and 80,000
- Setting: The Earth city of Viriconium and outlying lands
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction
- Subjects: Art or artists, Future, Dancing or dancers, Earth, Astronomy or astronomers, Cities or towns, Tarot, Aliens, space
- Locales: Earth, alternate versions of
The Plot
M. John Harrison repeatedly has stated that he did not intend the Viriconium novels to form a trilogy but, rather, a sequence. The books support Harrison’s assertion, as the Viriconium sequence displays little of the cohesion present in most trilogies. The style, structure, and characters, with a few exceptions, change from novel to novel, and the thrust of the works gradually veers away from any semblance of science fiction toward a synthesis more properly described as science fantasy.
If the Viriconium sequence has a main character, that character is the...
[The entire page is 1493 words long]
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