The Whispering Swarm: Book One of the Sanctuary of the White Friars: 1 - Softcover

"An absorbing look at the history of a genre legend. Fantasy fans will enjoy the book on its well-polished merits, but those interested in the history of the fantasy genre will get the most out of it." --Publishers Weekly

"There's a complex and beautiful book in here, with an unusually adult perspective on fantasy as nostalgia for what never was and cannot be again." --Kirkus Reviews

"Moorcock interweaves his two strands into a cat's cradle of wonder, with each narrative illuminating and heightening its counterpart.... The result is an organic work that shows the whole man, and his dreams." --Paul Di Filippo, Locus Magazine

"This first book in The Sanctuary of the White Friars provides a fascinating Moorcock-esque romp." --SF Signal

"There is absolutely no doubt that The Whispering Swarm is technically brilliant. The complex interplay of autobiography, real-life history, invented mythology, and pulp adventure is, really, quite stunning to behold. Never before have I seen so many genres and themes at play within the same text, all of them having a significant role within the overall story." --Beauty In Ruins

"Michael Moorcock has managed to blur reality, biography (well, autobiography) and fantasy extremely well (gaining a convert, I might add, in me) and in a way I can't remember reading before....I recommend this book quite highly." --Steve Fahnestalk, Amazing Stories Magazine

A celebrated fantasist returns with a unique excursion to a time-twisted realm hidden in the byways of London, city of his birth and his heart

Almost anyone who has read or written SF or fantasy has been inspired by the work of Michael Moorcock. His literary flair and grand sense of adventure have been evident since his controversial first novel Behold the Man, through the stories and novels featuring his most famous character, Elric of Melniboné, to his fantasy masterpiece, Gloriana, winner of both the Campbell Memorial and World Fantasy awards for best novel. Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, and Michael Chabon all cite Moorcock as a major influence; as editor of New Worlds magazine, he helped launch the careers of many of his contemporaries, including Harlan Ellison, Philip K. Dick, and J. G. Ballard.

Tor Books now proudly presents Moorcock's first independent novel in nine years, a tale both fantastical and autobiographical, a celebration of London and what it meant to be young there in the years after World War II. The Whispering Swarm is the first in a trilogy that will follow a young man named Michael as he simultaneously discovers himself and a secret realm hidden deep in the heart of London.