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Corum #1
The Knight of the Swords
THE HAND OF KWLL AND THE EYE OF RHYNN IN EXCHANGE FOR THE HEART OF AIRIOCH
There were Gods abroad in those days. It was their whim to wipe clean the slate of history, to destroy the old races, the Vadhagh, the Nhadragh, the remnants of still more ancient peoples. Mankind, the contemptible Mabden, was ther instrument, washcloth of the Gods. But the Gods themselves fell out, and Chaos gained the advantage over Law.
The stage was set for heroes.
One such was the Vadhagh Prince Corum. Driven mad for revenge by the callous slaughter of his family and race, and by his own grotesque multilation at the hands of the Mabden, he agreed to accept from the treacherous sorcerer Shool the Eye of Rhynn and the Hand of Kwll in exchange for a lien on his soul.
Thus armed he set out upon a personal crusade against the Sword Rulers, Lords of Chaos, puppetmasters to Man. And first of these was the loathsome Arioch, Knight of the Swords, master of five of the fifteen planes of reality. From Arioch, Prince Corum required his heart.
There were Gods abroad in those days. It was their whim to wipe clean the slate of history, to destroy the old races, the Vadhagh, the Nhadragh, the remnants of still more ancient peoples. Mankind, the contemptible Mabden, was ther instrument, washcloth of the Gods. But the Gods themselves fell out, and Chaos gained the advantage over Law.
The stage was set for heroes.
One such was the Vadhagh Prince Corum. Driven mad for revenge by the callous slaughter of his family and race, and by his own grotesque multilation at the hands of the Mabden, he agreed to accept from the treacherous sorcerer Shool the Eye of Rhynn and the Hand of Kwll in exchange for a lien on his soul.
Thus armed he set out upon a personal crusade against the Sword Rulers, Lords of Chaos, puppetmasters to Man. And first of these was the loathsome Arioch, Knight of the Swords, master of five of the fifteen planes of reality. From Arioch, Prince Corum required his heart.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,018 books3,373 followersMichael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
September 30, 2019
This first volume in the Corum series is entertaining, in its own bleak Moorcockian way. I can tell already that this is my kind of fantasy, where the world is not necessarily benign and the heroes have something alien and superior in their very souls instead of being just regular guys with magical powers, furry bodies or funny-shaped ears.
Moorcock is in the tradition of fantasy established by E.R. Eddison in The Worm Ouroboros where the Witches and Demons are arrogant and poetic characters, resembling the Italianate figures of Jacobean tragedy more than they do Frodo or even prince Aragorn. As you may have guessed, I am not a great fan of Tolkien, whose fantasy is far too comforting for my taste, resembling--at its best--a Hollywood-style Sherwood forest chockful of magic and elves or--at its worst--early Dickens with miniature Wookies. I like my fantasy world to be entrancing and involving, but I would prefer it didn't wink at me and chuck me under the chin.
It may be too early to tell, but I suspect Corum won't quite match the stark beauties of the Elric series, but then again not much does.
May 19, 2023
I started reading about Corum in the second trilogy The Bull and the Spear / The Oak and the Ram / The Sword and the Stallion. So, this trilogy felt like a prequel / origin story.
The start of Corum's story is really brutal. People talk about grimdark fantasy and the level of gore on show, but Moorcock was 'outdoing' most of what I've seen back in 1971. These books are short and written in a handful of weeks, or even - according to Moorcock - 3 to 10 days. They're the very definition of pulp fiction, but the imagination pulsing through them is so impressive that we're still talking about those (possibly 3) days of frenetic effort more than 50 years later.
In The Bull And The Ram (Corum #4) we meet Prince Corum sporting a silver hand and an eyepatch. He's a fine warrior but very human (actually he's not human) in terms of his stamina and vulnerabilities. In The Knight Of The Swords we see a naive, untested prince heading out into the world of men and promptly (gruesomely) losing a hand and an eye. The 'loaner' replacements are what make him into something considerably more superpowered than the later Corum.
The struggle between law and chaos is, along with the eternal champion, an underlying (sometimes overlying) theme in Moorcock's fantasy. Corum is an aspect of that eternal champion, and the eponymous Knight of the Swords is a chaos god, Arioch IIRC, the same one invoked so often by Elric, another aspect in another series.
I've not read this for a VERY long time, so I can't claim to have much hold on the plot. I've re-read a small number of Moorcock's books in the last decade and been far less impressed with them than I was as a teenager hunting them out in used book stores in the late 70s/early 80s. The writing has felt rather dated, the characterisation (women in particular) rather shallow, and the claim that they were written in just a few weeks seem entirely believable. Even the brilliance of the imagination has faded, though not through any fault of its own - it has just spawned generations of imitators that make it feel less original and more overused - which of course is just an illusion.
These books are part of my fantasy foundation and well worth reading for the sprawling vision and imagination that Moorcock brings to the page in grandiose epic style, all packed within a word count that barely escapes the novella category.
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..
The start of Corum's story is really brutal. People talk about grimdark fantasy and the level of gore on show, but Moorcock was 'outdoing' most of what I've seen back in 1971. These books are short and written in a handful of weeks, or even - according to Moorcock - 3 to 10 days. They're the very definition of pulp fiction, but the imagination pulsing through them is so impressive that we're still talking about those (possibly 3) days of frenetic effort more than 50 years later.
In The Bull And The Ram (Corum #4) we meet Prince Corum sporting a silver hand and an eyepatch. He's a fine warrior but very human (actually he's not human) in terms of his stamina and vulnerabilities. In The Knight Of The Swords we see a naive, untested prince heading out into the world of men and promptly (gruesomely) losing a hand and an eye. The 'loaner' replacements are what make him into something considerably more superpowered than the later Corum.
The struggle between law and chaos is, along with the eternal champion, an underlying (sometimes overlying) theme in Moorcock's fantasy. Corum is an aspect of that eternal champion, and the eponymous Knight of the Swords is a chaos god, Arioch IIRC, the same one invoked so often by Elric, another aspect in another series.
I've not read this for a VERY long time, so I can't claim to have much hold on the plot. I've re-read a small number of Moorcock's books in the last decade and been far less impressed with them than I was as a teenager hunting them out in used book stores in the late 70s/early 80s. The writing has felt rather dated, the characterisation (women in particular) rather shallow, and the claim that they were written in just a few weeks seem entirely believable. Even the brilliance of the imagination has faded, though not through any fault of its own - it has just spawned generations of imitators that make it feel less original and more overused - which of course is just an illusion.
These books are part of my fantasy foundation and well worth reading for the sprawling vision and imagination that Moorcock brings to the page in grandiose epic style, all packed within a word count that barely escapes the novella category.
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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
November 9, 2016
Well played, Mr. Moorcock that is how you write a heroic fantasy.
First published in 1971, Michael Moorcock provides a textbook lesson in what is right in a sword and sorcery fantasy novel with enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. And in a novella sized package (176 pages), The Knight of Swords packs a lot into a tightly wound story.
His world building is also very well done. Though this novel does not feature his more well known character Elric, this does include the larger Melnibonean mythos with a prominent mention of the Duke of Chaos Arioch. Fans of Elric and of much of Moorcock’s writing will notice Moorcock’s continuing theme of Law versus Chaos.
The Knight of Swords (followed by the The Queen of the Swords and The King of the Swords – I think I see a trend) follows the tragi-epic tale of Prince Corum, the last of his race in a world that is being transformed and taken over by human hordes. Moorcock writes Corum’s race, the Vadhagh, to seem like elves as their description and long-lived culture seem to indicate. I thought of the elvish Prince Nuada character in Guillermo Del Toro’s 2008 film Hellboy II: The Golden Army. (Prince Nuada could be a conglomerate of Corum and Elric)
Interestingly I think the producers of the Pirates of the Caribbean films may have been influenced as there are elements of this story that relate closely with scenes from those films.
First published in 1971, Michael Moorcock provides a textbook lesson in what is right in a sword and sorcery fantasy novel with enough twists and turns to keep things interesting. And in a novella sized package (176 pages), The Knight of Swords packs a lot into a tightly wound story.
His world building is also very well done. Though this novel does not feature his more well known character Elric, this does include the larger Melnibonean mythos with a prominent mention of the Duke of Chaos Arioch. Fans of Elric and of much of Moorcock’s writing will notice Moorcock’s continuing theme of Law versus Chaos.
The Knight of Swords (followed by the The Queen of the Swords and The King of the Swords – I think I see a trend) follows the tragi-epic tale of Prince Corum, the last of his race in a world that is being transformed and taken over by human hordes. Moorcock writes Corum’s race, the Vadhagh, to seem like elves as their description and long-lived culture seem to indicate. I thought of the elvish Prince Nuada character in Guillermo Del Toro’s 2008 film Hellboy II: The Golden Army. (Prince Nuada could be a conglomerate of Corum and Elric)
Interestingly I think the producers of the Pirates of the Caribbean films may have been influenced as there are elements of this story that relate closely with scenes from those films.
July 20, 2023
This is my first Mookcock's book, but I hope it is not the last one.
This was a time when there were living Goods and big changes in the world.
Vadhagh and Nhadragh are ancient people that are under extinction. Mabden new mankind that takes over the world. And in this unstable situation, Vadhagh Prince Corum sees his race coming to an end. Vadhagh were a very peaceful nation, but in these circumstances, Corum learns new feelings: hate, rage, and love for a Mabden woman. He was mutilated by barbaric Mabdens and in exchange for a new eye and a hand, he accepts the quest given by a demigod and goes to steal the heart of a Knight of the Swords.
The book is very enjoyable and Moorcock's Universe is full of different creatures and events.
If you like a good fantasy book, you should choose this one.
This was a time when there were living Goods and big changes in the world.
Vadhagh and Nhadragh are ancient people that are under extinction. Mabden new mankind that takes over the world. And in this unstable situation, Vadhagh Prince Corum sees his race coming to an end. Vadhagh were a very peaceful nation, but in these circumstances, Corum learns new feelings: hate, rage, and love for a Mabden woman. He was mutilated by barbaric Mabdens and in exchange for a new eye and a hand, he accepts the quest given by a demigod and goes to steal the heart of a Knight of the Swords.
The book is very enjoyable and Moorcock's Universe is full of different creatures and events.
If you like a good fantasy book, you should choose this one.
June 23, 2021
Every Elric/Corum book I've ever read is cool as shit. I know Moorcock is pretty famous, but I still feel he's one of the most underrated fantasy writers out there.
April 6, 2018
Another reading: when I feel the need, I return to Moorcock, it’s like coming home. This re-read reminded me of my impressionable teen years when I believed I was going to be a rock star; that will now have to wait until I retire. I can wait.
Meanwhile I am going to enjoy this series once again and so on to The Queen... I just love this stuff!
Original review: Many ..... many... MANY years ago, a friend introduced me to Moorcock with this book and I hated him for it. I was young, impressionable and skint.
The Corum series grabbed me by the throat and ensured that I spent all available cash on it, then Elric, then Count Brass... and the Eternal Champion... and on and on and on.
I love them all and have read them many times. It is pure escapism and needs only to be untangled from each other as the series intertwines.
Read with Zeppelin, or for a little more authenticity, Hawkwind.
Meanwhile I am going to enjoy this series once again and so on to The Queen... I just love this stuff!
Original review: Many ..... many... MANY years ago, a friend introduced me to Moorcock with this book and I hated him for it. I was young, impressionable and skint.
The Corum series grabbed me by the throat and ensured that I spent all available cash on it, then Elric, then Count Brass... and the Eternal Champion... and on and on and on.
I love them all and have read them many times. It is pure escapism and needs only to be untangled from each other as the series intertwines.
Read with Zeppelin, or for a little more authenticity, Hawkwind.
January 5, 2022
Michael Moorcock is a great writer who doesn't get the credit he deserves. Firstly, look closely and you will find that the Witcher series borrows heavily from Elric of the White Wolf. In "Knight of the Swords", we are introduced to Corum.
Corum, in many ways, resembles Elric. Both are the last of their respective races, both belong to an elder race (compared to humans) and both are intertwined with the machinations of Arioch, A Duke of Hell, though in this case, he is the Knight of Swords.
Corum must seek revenge on those who destroyed his people and his family. But, along the way towards his revenge, he runs into a myriad of interesting people. He gains some gifts, that come with a catch, and must face Airoch himself.
Well written and interesting, this is an excellent fantasy tale. While it has much in common with Elric, Corum is an interesting character on his own. I shall certainly look up the rest of this series.
Corum, in many ways, resembles Elric. Both are the last of their respective races, both belong to an elder race (compared to humans) and both are intertwined with the machinations of Arioch, A Duke of Hell, though in this case, he is the Knight of Swords.
Corum must seek revenge on those who destroyed his people and his family. But, along the way towards his revenge, he runs into a myriad of interesting people. He gains some gifts, that come with a catch, and must face Airoch himself.
Well written and interesting, this is an excellent fantasy tale. While it has much in common with Elric, Corum is an interesting character on his own. I shall certainly look up the rest of this series.
June 30, 2019
I always worry about reading one of my favorite books from my teenage years. Naturally, my concern revolves around the different person with adult perspectives I’ve unfortunately become, the corresponding changes in my reading tastes, and the fact that beloved book I adored in the 1980s has remained static, unmoved by the endless march of time. So when I decided to reread Moorcock’s Corum stories on my family beach vacation I was concerned I’d ruin my pristine teenage memories of this sword and sorcery classic. What happened was that while I certainly saw flaws I didn’t remember I still found wonder in this magical, gloomy tale of Corum and his struggle against the forces of Chaos.
September 13, 2022
The feuds between the old races known as the Vadhagh and the Nadragh are dying as each of their races are close to extinction. With the deaths of the old age at hand, the new era of humans known as the Mabden are quick to take over the world by aiding in the slaughter and destruction of the world's old life. Prince Corum was a loving and honorable Vadragh who sought nothing more than to spend his time in the company of his dear family, writing symphonies and appreciating the arts. That changes after the Mabden invade his land and he's driven mad with a lust for revenge. The old races are dying, but the last of them will not die standing down. Corum's vendetta against the Mabden draws him into a reality-warping battle that defies time, space and the gods of chaos.
Another fantastical, acid trip adventure by Moorcock. This is the third iteration of the Eternal Champion that I've read so far and I'm really catching on to the formula and themes that keep every series tied together. It offers more of the same and that's not such a bad thing. There are some things I don't like here such as insta-romance and some wooden dialogue devoid of emotion, but the joy of reading comes from the fascinating lore and immersion of the multiverse itself.
There are rich and imaginative landscapes, epic magical battles and dangerous adventures across gloomy, apocalyptic landscapes. The mind twisting moments of metaphysical wackiness are a joy to experience. Not quite as intriguing as the Elric series so far, but a very close second in my opinion. It was also nice to see more of Arioch who was featured quite a bit in the Elric series. The sassy Duke of Hell who creates world-destroying phenomena for the sake of appeasing his own boredom is always pleasant. The final battle in this book was also pretty damn awesome and I'm excited to see where things go from here.
Another fantastical, acid trip adventure by Moorcock. This is the third iteration of the Eternal Champion that I've read so far and I'm really catching on to the formula and themes that keep every series tied together. It offers more of the same and that's not such a bad thing. There are some things I don't like here such as insta-romance and some wooden dialogue devoid of emotion, but the joy of reading comes from the fascinating lore and immersion of the multiverse itself.
There are rich and imaginative landscapes, epic magical battles and dangerous adventures across gloomy, apocalyptic landscapes. The mind twisting moments of metaphysical wackiness are a joy to experience. Not quite as intriguing as the Elric series so far, but a very close second in my opinion. It was also nice to see more of Arioch who was featured quite a bit in the Elric series. The sassy Duke of Hell who creates world-destroying phenomena for the sake of appeasing his own boredom is always pleasant. The final battle in this book was also pretty damn awesome and I'm excited to see where things go from here.
February 4, 2024
Not for me. DNF @ 24%.
A pampered, sheltered prince's father sends him on a quest to ascertain whatever became of their very distant relatives. Prince Corum takes a horse and sets out. Everything he encounters is met with equal parts awe and fright.
This dude needs Xanax and a contingent of guards who can show him some cool.
A pampered, sheltered prince's father sends him on a quest to ascertain whatever became of their very distant relatives. Prince Corum takes a horse and sets out. Everything he encounters is met with equal parts awe and fright.
This dude needs Xanax and a contingent of guards who can show him some cool.
October 6, 2014
I read these(the series) back in the 70s. I rate this book a 5. I do so based on my own enjoyment as well as Moorcock's writing. The second trilogy wasn't (in my opinion) quite as well written as the first, and it was a bit more fatalistic (and that's saying something considering Corum's situation).
I had at the time discovered the Eternal Champion novels by Moorcock and was snapping up about anything he wrote. This led to my discovering that while I like some of Moorcock's books immensely there are others...well, not so much. For me Moorcock's work runs the gamut from 5 star to 1 star (or at least in 1 case less if I could give less). In this case however I really like it.
Some rate this book a bit lower because there is a bit of repetitiveness in the story, still it's told well, absorbing and (for it's time) quite original. If (like me) you find the Eternal Champion Cycle of interest you not only get a good story here but a few details that carry through and add to the overall story. The concept of Law Vs. Chaos (rather than good vs. evil) is introduced here. This and the concept of The Balance or The Great or Cosmic Balance are tied into the larger story of The Eternal Champion...which in this novel Corum is unaware of.
Good story, good first volume in the trilogy of the Sword Rulers...recommended.
I had at the time discovered the Eternal Champion novels by Moorcock and was snapping up about anything he wrote. This led to my discovering that while I like some of Moorcock's books immensely there are others...well, not so much. For me Moorcock's work runs the gamut from 5 star to 1 star (or at least in 1 case less if I could give less). In this case however I really like it.
Some rate this book a bit lower because there is a bit of repetitiveness in the story, still it's told well, absorbing and (for it's time) quite original. If (like me) you find the Eternal Champion Cycle of interest you not only get a good story here but a few details that carry through and add to the overall story. The concept of Law Vs. Chaos (rather than good vs. evil) is introduced here. This and the concept of The Balance or The Great or Cosmic Balance are tied into the larger story of The Eternal Champion...which in this novel Corum is unaware of.
Good story, good first volume in the trilogy of the Sword Rulers...recommended.
April 2, 2018
The opening is gorgeous, filled with the pleasant senescence of the Vadhagh people, who enjoy their decline and for whom nothing is worth real bother--not their eternal war with the Nhadragh people, and not even their own contemplative pursuits. They are fey in the olden Tolkien sense, drawing from the same sources and traditions. But they are rational, scientific creatures, with no sorcerous tradition.
This gets knocked down quickly. Corum is dragged into Mabden--human--affairs and takes on some human characteristics. From there the story falls into Moorcock's well-grooved paths of a fetch quest for a dangerous and alien sorcerer and weird Chaos stuff happening that all, frankly, sort of runs together after several book series that borrow too much from one another.
But still, that first half. Deliberate and detailed writing that I did not know Moorcock could do, and ideas that evoke Tolkien but go in weirder and more striking directions.
This gets knocked down quickly. Corum is dragged into Mabden--human--affairs and takes on some human characteristics. From there the story falls into Moorcock's well-grooved paths of a fetch quest for a dangerous and alien sorcerer and weird Chaos stuff happening that all, frankly, sort of runs together after several book series that borrow too much from one another.
But still, that first half. Deliberate and detailed writing that I did not know Moorcock could do, and ideas that evoke Tolkien but go in weirder and more striking directions.
January 21, 2019
This resembles Moorcock's Elric in many ways: it has an ivory-skinned, mentally tortured protagonist who causes terrible things to happen to the souls of the dead, the main character is pretty much a push over until they get their hands on some badass magical artifacts, it has a once great civilization brought low, and it deals with the powers of law and chaos.
Where it differs, however, is in the fact that you can't help but feel a little sorrier for Corum than Elric. Elric gets into trouble largely because he is a moron, while Corum's only real sin is his innocence and ignorance.
Besides that, I feel that the start of the Corum saga is a bit more fantastical than the start of the Elric saga. It's been a bit since I read the first Elric book, but there just seem to be more wonderous places, weird creatures, and just overall strangeness here.
Where it differs, however, is in the fact that you can't help but feel a little sorrier for Corum than Elric. Elric gets into trouble largely because he is a moron, while Corum's only real sin is his innocence and ignorance.
Besides that, I feel that the start of the Corum saga is a bit more fantastical than the start of the Elric saga. It's been a bit since I read the first Elric book, but there just seem to be more wonderous places, weird creatures, and just overall strangeness here.
February 22, 2010
4.5 Stars. Part one of the Chronicles of Corum. Great world-building that reminds me of a cross between the Conan stories by Robert Howard and the Amber series by Zelazny. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Winner: British Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1972)
Winner: British Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1972)
March 11, 2015
I heard a lot of good things about Moorcock. Well my opinion is not that positive.
I would call this book something like the first writing attempt of a talented amateur.
Of course I'm aware of that this is not his first novel, but still... it has so many faults and mistakes, I wish it was his first novel.
One of the biggest faults:
The writer mentions the main character as someone who doesn't know how to fight, because his species forgot the art of fighting for hundreds of years, since their last battles. They never fight, they are a peaceful "artist" type of nation. The main character himself is a music composer.
BUT when he needs to fight... he just grabs HIS sword, helmet, bow etc... and starts his journey. WTF??! Why does someone who don't even know how to fight, have a full range of weapons?
Also... later when he meets the bad guys he immediately knows how to use his weapons. He even kills many of them! How??
He never learned to fight. The writer never mentions the time when he learned to or practiced fighting.
The dialogs are god-awful and childish! A 10 years old, talented kid could maybe write a more decent dialog!
This book is full of totally pointless questions and answers, which are brought up at the worst possible moment.
An example from the book:
-----------------------
"Who weeps, there?"
The woman was old. Her face was handsome and grim and white and lined.
"I am Corum Jhaelen Irsei, Lady. Why are you blind?"
"I am blind through choice.
-----------------------
Why are you blind? WTF?! What kind of stupid question is that?
Why would anyone ask anybody that why is she blind?
It's like:
(this isn't from the book, this is my example only)
When the hero is standing on a hill... and then a dwarf appears in the nearby, the hero asks:
- Why are you small?
(I think) the dwarf would reply:
- Because I'm a freakin' dwarf, you moron! That's why! Are you insane or what?
What kind of a stupid question is "why are you blind?"
Another example:
-----------------------
"Now we live—lived—in caves below the ground where water runs and it is a little cooler."
Corum stared at the enormous lion's head and he looked at Queen Oorese. "How old are you, Queen?"
"I do not know."
------------------------
What's the point here? (again)
The writer already stated that the woman was very old.
Why would the hero ask his exact age? And why in that very moment?
It's totally pointless. Nobody's interested in the age of the old hag.
And the answer "I do not know." is even more phenomenal than the question itself!
This is a shame! This book contains maybe the worst conversations I've ever read... and I've read hundreds of books!
While I was reading the book, sometimes I was thinking about:
Is this main character a retarded person who was invented by a smart writer, and this is why the book should be funny?
Or...
This is a clever character who was invented by a slightly retarded writer?
I think the second choice will be the winner here.
On the other hand the book contains many ideas, many adventures.
Some people could still find it enjoyable. For me it had too may faults and too many irritating, amateur things that made this book for me so hard to enjoy that I won't even read the second part of this trilogy.
Why are you blind? Oh, for f**ks sake!
I would call this book something like the first writing attempt of a talented amateur.
Of course I'm aware of that this is not his first novel, but still... it has so many faults and mistakes, I wish it was his first novel.
One of the biggest faults:
The writer mentions the main character as someone who doesn't know how to fight, because his species forgot the art of fighting for hundreds of years, since their last battles. They never fight, they are a peaceful "artist" type of nation. The main character himself is a music composer.
BUT when he needs to fight... he just grabs HIS sword, helmet, bow etc... and starts his journey. WTF??! Why does someone who don't even know how to fight, have a full range of weapons?
Also... later when he meets the bad guys he immediately knows how to use his weapons. He even kills many of them! How??
He never learned to fight. The writer never mentions the time when he learned to or practiced fighting.
The dialogs are god-awful and childish! A 10 years old, talented kid could maybe write a more decent dialog!
This book is full of totally pointless questions and answers, which are brought up at the worst possible moment.
An example from the book:
-----------------------
"Who weeps, there?"
The woman was old. Her face was handsome and grim and white and lined.
"I am Corum Jhaelen Irsei, Lady. Why are you blind?"
"I am blind through choice.
-----------------------
Why are you blind? WTF?! What kind of stupid question is that?
Why would anyone ask anybody that why is she blind?
It's like:
(this isn't from the book, this is my example only)
When the hero is standing on a hill... and then a dwarf appears in the nearby, the hero asks:
- Why are you small?
(I think) the dwarf would reply:
- Because I'm a freakin' dwarf, you moron! That's why! Are you insane or what?
What kind of a stupid question is "why are you blind?"
Another example:
-----------------------
"Now we live—lived—in caves below the ground where water runs and it is a little cooler."
Corum stared at the enormous lion's head and he looked at Queen Oorese. "How old are you, Queen?"
"I do not know."
------------------------
What's the point here? (again)
The writer already stated that the woman was very old.
Why would the hero ask his exact age? And why in that very moment?
It's totally pointless. Nobody's interested in the age of the old hag.
And the answer "I do not know." is even more phenomenal than the question itself!
This is a shame! This book contains maybe the worst conversations I've ever read... and I've read hundreds of books!
While I was reading the book, sometimes I was thinking about:
Is this main character a retarded person who was invented by a smart writer, and this is why the book should be funny?
Or...
This is a clever character who was invented by a slightly retarded writer?
I think the second choice will be the winner here.
On the other hand the book contains many ideas, many adventures.
Some people could still find it enjoyable. For me it had too may faults and too many irritating, amateur things that made this book for me so hard to enjoy that I won't even read the second part of this trilogy.
Why are you blind? Oh, for f**ks sake!
September 8, 2016
Oh good lord, am I really reading fantasy novels now? As part of a recent infatuation with fantastic 60s/70s book cover design, I stumbled on a whole pile of 70s Bob Haberfield covers for Michael Moorcock fantasies, and I couldn't resist grabbing at least one (this one). I'm still not convinced that the experimental social critique and psychological disintegration of the 1969 The Black Corridor doesn't constitute Moorcock's sole essential novel, but part of my program of acquiring these covers is that I actually have to read them (though most only take a day or two), so, yeah, now this tale of swords and sorcery. With, granted, an amazing cover:
Beyond the normal mythic trappings, this is a book about frame of reference. Our hero finds himself last of a species superseded by history, or perhaps superseded by a narrowing of perspective, his people becoming complacent and eventually unable to look beyond their immediate world and into the other planes that touch their own. Until disaster, in the form of those narrowest of perspectives, humans, sweeps in and strikes them down (obvious commentary). The natural progression would be for the hero to regain a broader perspective and put it to good use, but the execution here is rather supra-normal, rapidly jumping frames each time they're established and mirroring its themes across time and space. Loss of the protagonist's "old race" to those new upstarts, Humans? Oh that's been happening endlessly throughout time. Even the gods dictating the rules of this world and many others grow complacent and are overthrown, even their perspectives turn out to be killingly narrow in the scope of the universe.
This kind of thought on the place of any one moment in the face of all existence is the best Moorcock has to offer here; the worst are those various essentially throwaway genre moments of swordfights and monsters. Fortunately, a surprising amount of this action unfolds in obliquely poetic moments that remain obscure and unusually memorable -- a giant glimpsed in fog, sweeping its huge net through the sea, for instance, or a cave of flickering phantasms, or the purring garden that greets its visitors with gentle caresses of fronds and flowers, unless it devours them.
Beyond the normal mythic trappings, this is a book about frame of reference. Our hero finds himself last of a species superseded by history, or perhaps superseded by a narrowing of perspective, his people becoming complacent and eventually unable to look beyond their immediate world and into the other planes that touch their own. Until disaster, in the form of those narrowest of perspectives, humans, sweeps in and strikes them down (obvious commentary). The natural progression would be for the hero to regain a broader perspective and put it to good use, but the execution here is rather supra-normal, rapidly jumping frames each time they're established and mirroring its themes across time and space. Loss of the protagonist's "old race" to those new upstarts, Humans? Oh that's been happening endlessly throughout time. Even the gods dictating the rules of this world and many others grow complacent and are overthrown, even their perspectives turn out to be killingly narrow in the scope of the universe.
This kind of thought on the place of any one moment in the face of all existence is the best Moorcock has to offer here; the worst are those various essentially throwaway genre moments of swordfights and monsters. Fortunately, a surprising amount of this action unfolds in obliquely poetic moments that remain obscure and unusually memorable -- a giant glimpsed in fog, sweeping its huge net through the sea, for instance, or a cave of flickering phantasms, or the purring garden that greets its visitors with gentle caresses of fronds and flowers, unless it devours them.
August 5, 2015
Първата новела от трилогия и поредната развиваща се в мултивселената на Муркок. Типично героично фентъзи, съсредоточено върху един герой и неговите приключения.
Принцът на Аления плащ е последният оцелял от своята раса. Той става свидетел на унищожението и, като едва не загива сам. Осакатен и опустошен се заклева да отмъсти. Сред редица перипети и помощ от неочаквани съюзници той е принуден да се отправи на мисия, твърде различна от отмъщението. Дотук стандартна работа, но в тази вселена, управлявана от един от боговете на хаоса, нещата никога не се развиват така както си мислим.
140 страници на мечове, магии, богове на реда и хаоса, множество раси, гротески животни, чудовища, полубогове и преплитащи се вселени.
Лекият стил на писане на Майкъл Муркок е далече от модерните днес тухларни поредици. Въпреки че има написани около 20 новели в света на мултивселената и различните прераждания на Вечния Шампион из нея, всяка една се развива всобствен свят(или светове) със собствени закони, богове и правила.
Започнах и следващата от поредицата.
Принцът на Аления плащ е последният оцелял от своята раса. Той става свидетел на унищожението и, като едва не загива сам. Осакатен и опустошен се заклева да отмъсти. Сред редица перипети и помощ от неочаквани съюзници той е принуден да се отправи на мисия, твърде различна от отмъщението. Дотук стандартна работа, но в тази вселена, управлявана от един от боговете на хаоса, нещата никога не се развиват така както си мислим.
140 страници на мечове, магии, богове на реда и хаоса, множество раси, гротески животни, чудовища, полубогове и преплитащи се вселени.
Лекият стил на писане на Майкъл Муркок е далече от модерните днес тухларни поредици. Въпреки че има написани около 20 новели в света на мултивселената и различните прераждания на Вечния Шампион из нея, всяка една се развива всобствен свят(или светове) със собствени закони, богове и правила.
Започнах и следващата от поредицата.
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February 23, 2023What even is this book?
It exemplifies some of the best qualities of fantasy, with truly imaginative settings, exotic magic, and a haunting telling of the struggles between law and chaos. Unfortunately, this book also flaunts an outrageous level of sexism that is so blind unto itself as to be almost comical if it weren't so horrifying. There are seven women in the entire book; four of those women are raped and killed, one is hacked to pieces, one kills herself out of grief, and another (the main characters love interest who inexplicably devotes herself entirely to this man she just met because, uh, he's the main character and needs a damsel to save?) is nearly raped by a horde of zombies. Yep. And it seems like the love interest's main role is to try and prevent the hero from going on adventures (damn feminine domesticity! My high levels of testosterone are for killing monsters, not folding laundry!).
On top of that, the book occasionally hits you with beautiful prose that makes you want to slay dragons and take anthropology classes or go larping if you're so inclined.
"It was a time of gods, manifesting themselves upon our world in all her aspects; a time of giants who walked on water; of mindless sprites and misshapen creatures who could be summoned by an ill-considered thought but driven away only on pain of some fearful sacrifice; of magics, phantasms, unstable nature, impossible events, insane paradoxes, dreams come true, dreams gone awry, of nightmares assuming reality."
Other times you get this:
"'What do you see there?'
Corum peered through the rippling smoke. 'It looks like a great rock...'
'We will ride closer,' she said.
And as they rode closer, Corum began to see what it was. It was, indeed, a gigantic rock."
While this book was interesting and often well written, I can't give it more than one star because I'd never recommend it to anyone. The only people I could see really enjoying this are fantasy literature buffs and straight white teenage boys.
It exemplifies some of the best qualities of fantasy, with truly imaginative settings, exotic magic, and a haunting telling of the struggles between law and chaos. Unfortunately, this book also flaunts an outrageous level of sexism that is so blind unto itself as to be almost comical if it weren't so horrifying. There are seven women in the entire book; four of those women are raped and killed, one is hacked to pieces, one kills herself out of grief, and another (the main characters love interest who inexplicably devotes herself entirely to this man she just met because, uh, he's the main character and needs a damsel to save?) is nearly raped by a horde of zombies. Yep. And it seems like the love interest's main role is to try and prevent the hero from going on adventures (damn feminine domesticity! My high levels of testosterone are for killing monsters, not folding laundry!).
On top of that, the book occasionally hits you with beautiful prose that makes you want to slay dragons and take anthropology classes or go larping if you're so inclined.
"It was a time of gods, manifesting themselves upon our world in all her aspects; a time of giants who walked on water; of mindless sprites and misshapen creatures who could be summoned by an ill-considered thought but driven away only on pain of some fearful sacrifice; of magics, phantasms, unstable nature, impossible events, insane paradoxes, dreams come true, dreams gone awry, of nightmares assuming reality."
Other times you get this:
"'What do you see there?'
Corum peered through the rippling smoke. 'It looks like a great rock...'
'We will ride closer,' she said.
And as they rode closer, Corum began to see what it was. It was, indeed, a gigantic rock."
While this book was interesting and often well written, I can't give it more than one star because I'd never recommend it to anyone. The only people I could see really enjoying this are fantasy literature buffs and straight white teenage boys.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2018
This is one of those instances where you can say that it's a great fantasy book, but bad literature. And it doesn't mean that I have different standards for fantastic and mundane fiction (yeah, let's just call it mundane instead of literary or something and be over it), no, a well written book is a well written book.
So this one isn't very well written and I was either mad or hysterically laughing through some really awkward (or maybe intentionally hilarious? Intentionally or not, still hilarious) dialogue, the fact that this elf (ok, not technically an elf, but close enough) Corum has never ever fought in his lifetime BUT once he gets mad (like, properly mad), he just instantly knows how to wield a sword and fight like a hero, and the fact that WHAT?
So, like I said, it might be not very well written, but it isn't that important, because the book is really interesting, fast paced, has a great story and a great backstory, and the world is built with immense amounts of imagination, and oh, Moorcock's imagination is otherworldly. Corum is a great tortured hero, and the book explores a lot of deeper themes (who are gods? are our lives, destinies and world's history just a subject of their whimsy? what is destiny and can you fight against it? what even matters in the big scale of things? are humans cruel by design, just because we are chaos creatures? what does it mean to be the last of your kind or to know that your time as a species/race has already passed? Is ignorance a bliss?) really well and in a really interesting way.
To sum up: I enjoyed it, I really enjoyed it, but dear Kwll, the book can be cringy at times.
So this one isn't very well written and I was either mad or hysterically laughing through some really awkward (or maybe intentionally hilarious? Intentionally or not, still hilarious) dialogue, the fact that this elf (ok, not technically an elf, but close enough) Corum has never ever fought in his lifetime BUT once he gets mad (like, properly mad), he just instantly knows how to wield a sword and fight like a hero, and the fact that WHAT?
So, like I said, it might be not very well written, but it isn't that important, because the book is really interesting, fast paced, has a great story and a great backstory, and the world is built with immense amounts of imagination, and oh, Moorcock's imagination is otherworldly. Corum is a great tortured hero, and the book explores a lot of deeper themes (who are gods? are our lives, destinies and world's history just a subject of their whimsy? what is destiny and can you fight against it? what even matters in the big scale of things? are humans cruel by design, just because we are chaos creatures? what does it mean to be the last of your kind or to know that your time as a species/race has already passed? Is ignorance a bliss?) really well and in a really interesting way.
To sum up: I enjoyed it, I really enjoyed it, but dear Kwll, the book can be cringy at times.
August 8, 2016
5 stars from Brad, read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE
I started reading Michael Moorcock only a few years ago, and already he is one of my favorite authors. And the six-book CORUM series, for me, is second only to the ELRIC saga. In some ways I like better that Corum’s story is complete within these six volumes, unlike Elric’s, which never ends as Moorcock continues to add new stories (though he has, at least, written the story that tells of Elric’s end as a character). The basic story is that Corum, a being of an older race in its decline, is confronted by the upstart creatures Man, who attack Corum’s people, systematically destroying them all, leaving Corum the last of his race. Corum’s story is, at first, his simply seeking revenge, but what makes the story great is that his revenge eventually is channeled to a higher, greater purpose.
In The Knight of the Swords (1971), we are introduced to the world of Corum, including its cosmology, which is similar to Elric’s since they are both Eternal Champions who serve to right the Balance between the Lords of Chaos and the Lords of Order. Corum, of course, has no idea that he is working for the Lords of Order in this larger game played across the fifteen planes of existence. But by the end of the book, he understands this larger cosmology (with which readers of Moorcock would already be familiar). His confrontation with The Knight of the Swords is his first meeting with a Lord of Chaos (one known well by Elric fans), and we know that Corum’s journey will get much worse in future volumes as he faces the wrath of the more powerful Queen and King of Swords. ... read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE
I started reading Michael Moorcock only a few years ago, and already he is one of my favorite authors. And the six-book CORUM series, for me, is second only to the ELRIC saga. In some ways I like better that Corum’s story is complete within these six volumes, unlike Elric’s, which never ends as Moorcock continues to add new stories (though he has, at least, written the story that tells of Elric’s end as a character). The basic story is that Corum, a being of an older race in its decline, is confronted by the upstart creatures Man, who attack Corum’s people, systematically destroying them all, leaving Corum the last of his race. Corum’s story is, at first, his simply seeking revenge, but what makes the story great is that his revenge eventually is channeled to a higher, greater purpose.
In The Knight of the Swords (1971), we are introduced to the world of Corum, including its cosmology, which is similar to Elric’s since they are both Eternal Champions who serve to right the Balance between the Lords of Chaos and the Lords of Order. Corum, of course, has no idea that he is working for the Lords of Order in this larger game played across the fifteen planes of existence. But by the end of the book, he understands this larger cosmology (with which readers of Moorcock would already be familiar). His confrontation with The Knight of the Swords is his first meeting with a Lord of Chaos (one known well by Elric fans), and we know that Corum’s journey will get much worse in future volumes as he faces the wrath of the more powerful Queen and King of Swords. ... read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE
October 4, 2016
I read it in one sitting: it entertained me enough that I wanted to keep going, but it was trashy enough that I thought I wouldn't return to it if I didn't finish it that night.
Corum is a prince of the Vadhagh (basically Tolkienesque elves), who lives with his immediate family in the isolated Castle Erorn. His father asks him to visit the other Vadhagh castles because they haven't heard from them for a long time. Corum finds the castles destroyed, and learns that a new species, humans, are exterminating the Vadhagh. He rushes home to warn his family, but is too late: Corum is the last of the Vadhagh, and he vows revenge against the evil human race.
Cue revenge-driven odyssey featuring magic, sword fights, flying mounts, a sinister sorcerer, demons, ancient artifacts, a castle siege, a damsel in distress, etc, and a confrontation with Duke Arioch, Lord of Hell, Noble of the Realm of Chaos, the Knight of the Swords.
This is Moorcock playing around with fantasy tropes: humans are the genocidal orcish baddies destroying the peaceful elven world; the hero learns that Not All Humans Are Bad, unlike the heroes of older fantasy novels, who never even consider that maybe Not All Goblins/Orcs/Trolls/Uruk-Hai/etc Are Bad. It's fun. It's silly. It's trashy. It's entertaining. It's a quick read. It's a bit different. It's not Moorcock's best, and it's not Moorcock's worst. I might read the sequels.
Corum is a prince of the Vadhagh (basically Tolkienesque elves), who lives with his immediate family in the isolated Castle Erorn. His father asks him to visit the other Vadhagh castles because they haven't heard from them for a long time. Corum finds the castles destroyed, and learns that a new species, humans, are exterminating the Vadhagh. He rushes home to warn his family, but is too late: Corum is the last of the Vadhagh, and he vows revenge against the evil human race.
Cue revenge-driven odyssey featuring magic, sword fights, flying mounts, a sinister sorcerer, demons, ancient artifacts, a castle siege, a damsel in distress, etc, and a confrontation with Duke Arioch, Lord of Hell, Noble of the Realm of Chaos, the Knight of the Swords.
This is Moorcock playing around with fantasy tropes: humans are the genocidal orcish baddies destroying the peaceful elven world; the hero learns that Not All Humans Are Bad, unlike the heroes of older fantasy novels, who never even consider that maybe Not All Goblins/Orcs/Trolls/Uruk-Hai/etc Are Bad. It's fun. It's silly. It's trashy. It's entertaining. It's a quick read. It's a bit different. It's not Moorcock's best, and it's not Moorcock's worst. I might read the sequels.
May 27, 2020
The Knight of the Swords is the first book in the first of two Corum trilogies; I read it a long time ago, but remember it fondly. Corum is overshadowed by Dorian Hawkmoon and Elric (and Jerry Cornelius, of course) among Moorcock's characters, and the six books featuring him are frequently overlooked in discussions of the Eternal Champion multiverse tapestry. The first trilogy, particularly, establishes and explains a lot of the infrastructure of Moorcock's interlocked work, and the section where the four aspects of champion, echoed and mirrored in the books featuring the others' viewpoints, is especially evocative. The Knight, Queen, and King of the Swords tell the story of Prince Corum Jhaelen Irsei of the Vadhagh Folk, the Prince in thee Scarlet Robe, who accepts the Eye of Rhynn and the Hand of Kwll from the evil sorcerer Shool in order to seek vengeance for the horrors visited upon him by the Lords of Chaos. It's more elegant and poetic than much of Moorcock's heroic fantasy, with what feels to me to be something of a Welsh flavor, and features some of the best and most thoughtful conflict between Law and Chaos and Balance for which Moorcock is best known. The trilogies were combined in a pair of single volumes in later years.
October 1, 2019
Let me start off by saying I'm not a hardcore fantasy guy. I like Conan and Robert E. Howard style fantasy, I liked Lord of the Rings, and I can deal with some D&D type material but overall I'm not a fantasy guy.
This was a little too into the far out fantasy realm for me, but not enough that I didn't enjoy it. Moorcock has always been right on the line for me, just enough on the "Conan" side to interest me. His Elric stuff was always interesting, but this was a little more on the fantasy side. At least, I think so, I haven't read all of the Elric material yet.
In this one, humans are basically killing off all of the "old races" at the behest of the gods of chaos. Our hero, Corum, is maimed and ends up the last of his race. He goes on a quest for revenge and then things get complicated.
Anyway, this is a good fantasy read that should also interest the sword and sorcery crowd. I realize the genres are similar but there are some differences. I will be finishing out the Corum saga and I hope the next volumes are as interesting as this one.
This was a little too into the far out fantasy realm for me, but not enough that I didn't enjoy it. Moorcock has always been right on the line for me, just enough on the "Conan" side to interest me. His Elric stuff was always interesting, but this was a little more on the fantasy side. At least, I think so, I haven't read all of the Elric material yet.
In this one, humans are basically killing off all of the "old races" at the behest of the gods of chaos. Our hero, Corum, is maimed and ends up the last of his race. He goes on a quest for revenge and then things get complicated.
Anyway, this is a good fantasy read that should also interest the sword and sorcery crowd. I realize the genres are similar but there are some differences. I will be finishing out the Corum saga and I hope the next volumes are as interesting as this one.
July 28, 2010
The first in the Corum series. A good set of books. I believe there were six total in the series, and a couple of omnibus editions were published containing three volumes each. They are short books.
April 22, 2017
7.5/10
‘The Knight of the Swords’ is the first book that features Corum, the last prince of the Vadhagh, and follows his first adventures in the world of the five planes. It is also my first book from Michael Moorcock and, as I am a long time fan of heroic fantasy, I can say that this was more than I, really, expected, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, from start to end.
The story is a classic sword-and-sorcery and, although it’s short, it is quick, easy to follow, full of action and with great ideas. Of course, for such a short book Moorcock has put a lot of stuff in it, more than it actually needed and if it came nowadays it could fill perhaps an entire trilogy; and the writing is certainly far from perfect but the story moves quickly enough without tiring in any part, as he manages to keep it interesting and, most of all, entertaining.
Last but not least, GraphicAudio has done an exceptional job at bringing this classic book into a beautiful theatrical version that, I have to say, enjoyed it very much and I highly recommended to anyone who wants to see something different in an audio book format.
Overall, this was a short but great ride and it is definitely worth looking for anyone that loves classic sword-and-sorcery.
‘The Knight of the Swords’ is the first book that features Corum, the last prince of the Vadhagh, and follows his first adventures in the world of the five planes. It is also my first book from Michael Moorcock and, as I am a long time fan of heroic fantasy, I can say that this was more than I, really, expected, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, from start to end.
The story is a classic sword-and-sorcery and, although it’s short, it is quick, easy to follow, full of action and with great ideas. Of course, for such a short book Moorcock has put a lot of stuff in it, more than it actually needed and if it came nowadays it could fill perhaps an entire trilogy; and the writing is certainly far from perfect but the story moves quickly enough without tiring in any part, as he manages to keep it interesting and, most of all, entertaining.
Last but not least, GraphicAudio has done an exceptional job at bringing this classic book into a beautiful theatrical version that, I have to say, enjoyed it very much and I highly recommended to anyone who wants to see something different in an audio book format.
Overall, this was a short but great ride and it is definitely worth looking for anyone that loves classic sword-and-sorcery.
August 26, 2014
-Las primeras aventuras de una de las encarnaciones del Campeón Eterno.-
Género. Narrativa Fantástica.
Lo que nos cuenta. Corum Jhaelen Irsei es el hijo del príncipe Khlonskey, un noble vadhagh con más de mil años de vida pero que sabe que se acerca su final. El príncipe y su familia llevan siglos sin salir del castillo Erorn, por lo que pide a su hijo Corum que cumpla su último deseo, saber qué ha pasado con su raza y con otros familiares que viven en castillos alejados de Erorn. Corum cumplirá el deseo de su padre y descubrirá que tanto los vadhagh como sus rivales nhadragh son razas al borde de la extinción por la labor de los mabden, los humanos, violentos, fieros e inmisericordes, algo que sufrirá en carnes propias. Primer libro de la Trilogía de las Espadas.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Narrativa Fantástica.
Lo que nos cuenta. Corum Jhaelen Irsei es el hijo del príncipe Khlonskey, un noble vadhagh con más de mil años de vida pero que sabe que se acerca su final. El príncipe y su familia llevan siglos sin salir del castillo Erorn, por lo que pide a su hijo Corum que cumpla su último deseo, saber qué ha pasado con su raza y con otros familiares que viven en castillos alejados de Erorn. Corum cumplirá el deseo de su padre y descubrirá que tanto los vadhagh como sus rivales nhadragh son razas al borde de la extinción por la labor de los mabden, los humanos, violentos, fieros e inmisericordes, algo que sufrirá en carnes propias. Primer libro de la Trilogía de las Espadas.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
July 18, 2015
Evocative 1970's sci-fi / fantasy, in roughly the same vein as Andre Norton. The hero gets magically transported from land to land, or is otherwise magically assisted, from chapter to chapter. Some of the lines are downright ridiculous, and others repetitive or overly emphatic-- but overall this is pretty good. A promising start to the trilogy.
January 27, 2015
I find that, 30 or so years later, I like Corum better than Elric. Less emo 8)
January 25, 2016
The first set of the Eternal Champion books I read. Very interesting, very tortured main character. Great fantasy set. Highly recommended.
December 5, 2017
Il libro è di una semplicità unica...si legge da solo, tranne la traduzione che a volte è da decifrare. Semplice e autentico, diverso dal fantasy odierno, ma ripeto godibilissimo...
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