Customer Reviews

Hawkmoon (Eternal Champion Series, Vol. 3)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the third volume of Moorcock's Eternal Champion series and they just keep getting better and better. Hawkmoon is one of the key characters in the series, and it's great to finally have all the hard to find novels in one large book, especially since reading them all together gives you the impression of one long sustained work. Here are some quick comments on the individual novels:
The Jewel in the Skull: Almost thought it was a Count Brass novel, since Hawkmoon doesn't really do much in this one. It sets up the characters and their motivations and is a nice, quick read.

The Mad God's Amulet: The Warrior in Jet and Gold shows up more (he's also the Knight in Black and Yellow from the other books), and Hawkmoon continues his quest.

The Sword of the Dawn: It's a good thing Moorcock explains that the Runestaff makes complex patterns to draw people in, because it's seems that the plot twists come out of left field, especially here, where the pirates just happen to have the right sword. Still, it's always fun to see Hawkmoon take on massive hordes of people and win.

The Runestaff: The final novel is also the final battle for a lot of people. This is probably the most costly war I've ever seen in literature, with people dying left and right. Moorcock tells it all with a dispassionate tone similar to Mailer's Naked and the Dead. The truimph is definately earned here, closing the Hawkmoon saga for now.

This is a great continuation of the series, with little mention of the Eternal Champion, which seems to be Hawkmoon. Though, I do miss the ironic commentary of John Daker from the earlier series. Hopefully, he'll return soon. Perhaps the next book . .

Hawkmoon's quest for peace in his world is typical Moorcock fantasy, with bold heroes, evil opponents, hideous fates, weird monsters, and most of all, lots of action. In his preface, Moorcock warns us not to look to deeply for meaning in Hawkmoon, but that's like saying "Don't think of an elephant." There are certainly some themes here that Moorcock returns to in later books, but they are treated perhaps a tad more superficially here than in later years (not really a fault or anything, I just thought I'd mention it). As in Elric and Corum (my personal favorite), the author uses a fable-like semi-mythological style that makes the story move and focuses attention where it needs to be focused. For example, when Hawkmoon travels hundreds of miles to a city in the Middle East, the author devotes about four pages to the journey. Some writers (think Robert Jordan) would make the journey half a book long. This simplicity of style is one of my favorite things about Michael Moorcock. The only real weakness to this novel, as has been mentioned by other reviewers, is Hawkmoon himself. He's not really much of a character. Mostly he is either fighting or saying how he wishes he could return to his wife. He also seems kinda dim-witted at times. Usually one of the other characters is the one who comes up with a solution to a problem, or notices that the bad guys are coming or that Hawkmoon's pants are on fire. Not a big weakness, but in comparison to more interesting characters like Corum or Elric, a noticeable weakness. Still, if you like Elric or Corum, or just sword and sorcery stuff in general, this is highly recommended.

When I was in 10th grade, my friend Joe introduced me to the evil and depressing fantasy Elric. By the second book Corum, Erekose and Hawkmoon showed up to do something of great importance which didn't seem all that important except to forshadow Elric's first inadvertant Black Sword victim in the next book. But from that series I was hooked.

This trilogy didn't impress me when I read the first book, but many years later I picked up the entire series and as with many fantasy serieses I needed to read the entire trilogy. Hawkmoon develops from a pawn to a hero and the people around him change in accidental moods. D'Avarec and Count Brass are two of the most intriguing characters in fantasy. The villains make up a fully realized society of animal masks and freaky customs, while the question of how do you deal with anarchy is up for grabs. While you can see that the heroes will fight against the evil empier of Granbretan, the question as to whether an evil government like Granbretan is preferable to chaos is not one that is often asked in fantasies where the evil empires are only in need of defeat.

Overall, this is an underrated and often overlooked Moorcock masterpiece that reads fast, has some very enjoyable moments and gives you something to chew on for years afterwards. In other words, it's everything fantasy should be.

Hawkmoon is another winning novel by Michael Moorcock, however it is plagued by one fatal flaw, its hero. Hawkmoon is not an uninteresting figure, but he tends to be a bit two dimensional. He constantly bemoans his fate as Champion of the Runestaff and tends to be unimaginative and slightly dim-witted. He sees the world as a black and white construct and this perception occasionally fouls his ability to make enlightend decisions.

His companions Oladahn and D'Averc, are the characters that make this novel interesting. Furthermore, the marriage of magic and technology in a world that resembles our own is an excellent and intriguing touch. The novel also contains a number of references to modern society, thereby hinting at the fact Hawkmoon's Earth is a future incarnation of our own.

Hawkmoon is without a doubt a good read, but it doesn't hold a candle to some of Moorcock's other novels, namely Elric, Von Bek and The Eternal Champion.

This is possibly my favourite of Moorcock's interwoven Eternal Champions - the battle of Londra is heroic fantasy at its best. However you MUST read this as part of Moorcock's whole body of work to fully appreciate the magnificence of his creations.

This book was a very worthwhile addition to the Enternal Champion Cycle. I love the way that technology is mixed with magic. I also like how it takes place on Earth with such strong mentions of Britain and America. The evil empire with the emperor in the bubble and the invention of the steam engine are wonderful touches. The end comes aburptly when it seems like everyone dies in a few pages. This was my first Moorcock book and at the time I knew not how extensive the collection was. I have sense read more and I love it.

I have the Millenium edition of this book, and it was my first taste of the Eternal Champion series. It had a Dune-like feel with the ornithopters, and though it's bleak and dark, it's certainly exciting and fast-paced. After reading this, I realized that I had to see more of Michael Moorcock. I never regretted that.

This book is simply amazing.I could not put it down no matter what my family tried. The characters in HawkMoon are intrestign and detailed, and the story offers a great look into a possible future out of hundreds. HawkMoon as a charcter is at the same level if not higher than elric. If you get a chance to get a copy of this book do it, and you won't regret it.

This book continues the Eternal Champion series in the classic "dark fantasy" style. The lines of magic and technology are an indistinguishable blur, making for an interesting world. However, the plot flows somewhat intermittently, as the hero's efforts shift from one goal to another

This is the first Michael Moorcock book I have ever read. It got me hooked and now I am enjoying the rest of the series. I have never read any other SF books and don't really want to because I do not want to be dissapointed if they are not as good as the Eternal Champion series. I really enjoyed this book and have by now lend out many books to various friends who have now also become Eternal Champion readers. Stoked to find this page and see what other people think about stuff that I dig.