Swords Trilogy [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Moorcock, The Swords Trilogy (Berkley, 1971)

Michael Moorcock here introduces us to another aspect of the Eternal Champion, Corum of the Scarlet Robe. Corum fits the Eternal Champion mold well in the first three books of this six-book series-he's a chap who's rather like the rest of his race, normal from that perspective, but whose race is somewhat divorced from (older than, as are Elric's race) the humans who share a planet with them. While devoid of supernatural powers himself, he gains them in the pursuance of a quest. Also like Elric, Corum's destiny, in the first books, is shaped by the Dukes of Hell-Arioch, Xiombarg, and Mabelrode. He also has a trusty sidekick (in this case, Jhary-a-Conel, who does make a brief appearance with Corum at the very end of The Vanishing Tower in the Elric series). In other words, you've got an inkling of what's going on here simply because this is an Eternal Champion series and you've already read the Elric books. (You have, haven't you? If not, go do so.)

Moorcock does throw in a few elements to keep you guessing. Corum serves Law, rather than Chaos (as Elric does), and doesn't have any of the fatal weaknesses at the beginning of the book that other manifestations of the Champion do. The variations lead to great musing from the reader over the true nature of the Eternal Champion and why it's so changeable. While this is an excellent thing, and raises the stakes for the whole extended family of books, these three tales themselves (available separately as The Knight of the Swords, The Queen of the Swords, and the King of the Swords) often follow the same formulae as the Elric novels, and thus become predictable. That doesn't make them any less fun. But one wonders whether there could have been something more to them, that ineffable something that sent the Elric novels to heights unmatched in fantasy since J. R. R. Tolkein. Whatever it is, there's far less of it here. *** ½

These 3 books show the harsh reality of a changing world. Moorcock deftly blends in storylines from several of his other
series and still manages to give a few new wrinkles. As Corums'
life is destroyed he manages to keep his resolve to right the
injustice being imposed. Toss in a multi-talented,multi-dimensional, sidekick and you've got plenty of Moorcock chaos.
Love the ending, stupid mortals...

The Swords Trilogy is an amazing tale that is full of all the necessary elements of an incredible fantasy book. The characters are so varied and different from one another that I was amazed by the creativity and thought of the author. Also, the story is well plotted and is both sensible and logical with twists and turns coming in the later parts of the book. Another strength of this book lies in the premise which focuses on gods controlling the whims of the people and how different races react to the coming of the gods of chaos who have defeated the earlier gods of law and ushered in a new era of chaos and destruction. Getting back to the characters, the main one is named Corum Jhaelen Irsei and he is one of the most diverse and interesting characters ever created in a fantasy novel. The book does a fantastic job of charting the changes in his character as he is exposed to a savage and evil world that has been growing around him for a long time. The supporting characters are also detailed and help our main character in his journey to take vengeance for his people and right the multiverse that has been invaded by the forces of evil. The story ranges from a wide variety of planes or dimensions and are both utterly fantastic and terrifyingly malevolent. Where the book is weak, however, is the length of the story and the detail. With a premise as big as this one (a very long one since the story only takes about millenia before the time the book takes place in a short paragraph), the author, Michael Moorcock, could have spent a couple more hundred pages writing about it. It may have improved the book but as it is right now, it is still somewhat lacking and I would be even happier if there were more to it. Another weakness is the level of detail, which is definately not as good as other fantasy literature. It seems as if Moorcock was in a rush to finish the novel that he forgot to spend more time detailing the lands of the book as well as character history since even Corum's character lacks a bit. However, the villains are really well drawn out and make the villains from other novels look like toddlers in comparison. The most insidious villains who will ever find in any book lie in this trilogy and it is well advised that you, the reader, check them out. Overall, this is a fantastic book that I could not put down for over a month and readers will never forget reading about Corum's incredible and breath-taking adventures. I hope that this review will reach people who have, sorrowfully, never heard of this book and never experienced the magic and wonder it brings with it.