Gentlemen of the Road (AKA 'Jews With Swords' as the working title had it!) on the other hand, is superb. Great old-fashioned swashbucking stuff with exotic locales, swordfights, daring escapes and suchlike, but also beautifully written and with some loving attention to detail that puts it way beyond parody or knowing postmodern tribute. I am not surprised Chabon dedicated it to Michael Moorcock because there's more than a touch of The Eternal Champion about it, although he does keep it strictly Tenth Century.
Now re-reading David Peace's brilliant Tokyo Year Zero. It's wonderfully sensory fiction, replete with the itchiness of lice, the stink of human sweat and shit, and above all the bitter taste of defeat and degredation. The sequel, Occupied City, is just out and I will get it as soon as I can...