[The Adventures of Una Persson …] is all resonance: like the whole 'Jerry Cornelius' sequence of novels and stories, it is an attempt at portraiture of the twentieth century in its essence. An ambitious project: and all Mr Moorcock's previous attempts have been dreadfully flawed. But in the light of this novel they can be seen as necessary preliminaries: here, he at last succeeds—not, of course, in totalising the twentieth century; but in showing us a great deal that we already know in our bones, but have perhaps not yet articulated, about where and when 'here and now' is.

Mr Moorcock's great gift is for synthesis. He has a strong sense of the cultural moment, the coherence and intelligibility of fashion, music, literature, politics, and every other human activity. Often his representations of such synchronicities have been forced, over-experimental. The effort has been too visible for harmony; and...