It’s weird to think that this is over thirty years old, though not published in book form until some time later. It’s also a bit embarrassing that I hadn’t read it before, given its seminal importance to the comics genre in the UK. I liked a lot of things about it very much: the interplay between Royalist rebels and Cromwellian puritans, the latter still ruling Britain in the 1970s; the role of Arkwright, agent of order, but not necessarily of good; the fantastic detail in the art, and the intricacy of the plotting. Arkwright is clearly based on Jerry Cornelius, and Michael Moorcock returns the favour with a warm but also very political introduction to this edition. I am, however, a little relieved that the fan consensus is that the sequel, Heart of Empire, is easier to digest, to the point that some recommend starting with it instead. I shall try to get hold of it.