Customer Reviews

The Knight of the Swords

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

 

 

This book is the first of the Swords Trilogy, part of the Chronicles of Corum, which in turn is part of the Eternal Champions cycle (Michael Moorcock is very prolific!).
The book follows the adventures of Prince Corum, who seeks vengance on those who murdered his family, and destroyed his race, the Vadagh. He finds that his quest is part of a greater struggle; between Law and Chaos, and that mortals are just the pawns of the gods. Along the way, he makes a bargain with a sorcerer, finds true love and confronts the ruler of the first five plane: The Knight of Swords.
Not bad as swords and sorceries go, but the pace is very rushed. Better than Moorcock's Sci-fi stuff though...

This book is what good fantasy is all about. Moorcock's imagination is unlimited, and he has created a huge world in which to set his characters. The depth of his writing is quite admirable.

'The Knight of the Swords' tells of Prince Corum, who is the last living member of his race. He suffers from a burning desire for vengeance on those who killed his family, and his adventures are fraught with danger and more importantly, meaning.

Moorcock is an exceptionally intelligent author, and he juggles the concepts of good and evil with ease, weaving them into a dazzling and complex tapestry. His style of writing might be seen as slightly archaic, but the story is ever-changing, and dynamic enough to capture the reader's interest and hold it.

Don't fret that this book is out of print. It is currently available, along with the other two books of The Swords Trilogy (The Queen of the Swords and The King of the Swords), in an omnibus edition published by White Wolf entitled Corum: The Coming of Chaos. This book kicks off one of the best swords-and-sorcery series ever written, with all of the imagination and literary quality fans of Michael Moorcock have come to expect. The premise is provocative, the action is exhilirating, and the descriptive excellence is unmatched anywhere. Absolutely astounding. Recommended.

Moorcock notes that this is one of the only times he used a historical type of setting for a series, because he was stuck with a not so good Cornish-English dictionary, partly.

Corum Jhaelen Irsei, the Prince in the Scarlet Robe, is one of the last of the Vhadhagh, a race that is a precursor to the Mabden, or man.

The Lords of Chaos are not too pleased with Corum, as he is siding with the men, which could do bad things to their power base. You would not expect any less from The Eternal Champion, though.

The Knight of Swords is a good book. This series is dark, but not as dark as the ELric books. Unlike the albino, Corum is able to find some peace with Rhalina. Of course, knowing Moorcock this will probably be shattered as the series goes on.

This is the first in the corum series, it introduces the characters, and sets up the plot for the series of six books. highly recommende