The Skrayling Tree: The Albino in America (Aspect Fantasy) [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Moorcock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004 | Series: Aspect Fantasy

Nine by Nine and Three by Three In search of her kidnapped husband, Oona von Bek and the mammoth-riding shaman White Crow must cross Hiawatha's lands of legend to a fabled golden city... We all Seek Looking for the creators of the black sword Stormbringer, Elric of Melnibone journeys to Vinland, where he encounters fierce pygmies in need of an ally... The Skrayling Tree Faced with the task of saving all existence, Count Ulric von Bek must protect a golden city from demons and berserkers. Now three heroes must follow their own fateful paths through space and time-only to meet in a moment of terrible tragedy that may destroy them...and the Multiverse itself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this engrossing sequel to The Dreamthief's Daughter (2001), Moorcock weaves history, myth and alternate realities into a seamless whole. In 1951, Oona, the Dreamthief's daughter, and her albino husband, Ulrik von Bek, are enjoying a much needed vacation in Nova Scotia when Indian warriors kidnap Ulrik and drag him into the sea. Oona's search for Ulrik leads her through a maelstrom and into an America nearly 1,000 years in the past. At the same time, Oona's father, the albino Elrik of Melnibon‚, who is soul bonded to Ulrik, faces disaster. In a desperate attempt to save himself, Elrik dreams himself into the same mythic past in search of the beings who forged his black sword. Ulrik, meanwhile, learns that he was not so much kidnapped as recruited to save the multiverse. The tale's power stems largely from the astounding lyricism of the author's prose, the only flaw being the sometimes stilted and overly expository dialogue about the nature of the multiverse. Yet without these explanations, the complexity and mechanics of Moorcock's creation would confuse many readers, particularly those new to the series. An epilogue promises another installment, which should make fans of well-written and highly original fantasy extremely happy.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In the sequel to The Dreamthief's Daughter (2001), Oona, protagonist of the earlier book, has married Ulrich von Bek, last of his line of Grail Defenders. On vacation in Canada, Ulrich is abducted, allegedly to fight a wind demon leading an army bent on destroying a golden city that possesses the Skrayling Tree, a key support of the Multiverse of Moorcock's Eternal Champion yarns. Meanwhile, Oona is in a Native American universe, enlisted by the shaman White Crow to fight pygmies who threaten a golden city. In another universe, Oona's father, Elric, seeking those who forged his black sword, ends up in Vinland's City of Gold, asked to help pygmies there, whose gold has been stolen by an evil giant named . . .White Crow. Law, chaos, and balance all contend vigorously, aided by Moorcock's knowledge of folklore, poetry, and storytelling. Too embedded in the magnificently convoluted history of the Multiverse to be a good entree for newcomers, this tale will, however, be eagerly embraced by serious followers of Moorcock's fictive cosmos. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Aspect (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446613401
• ISBN-13: 978-0446613408
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in London in 1939, Michael Moorcock now lives in Texas. A prolific and award-winning writer with more than eighty works of fiction and non-fiction to his name, he is the creator of Elric, Jerry Cornelius and Colonel Pyat, amongst many other memorable characters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moorcock only gets better, May 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Skrayling Tree (Hardcover)

This is Michael Moorcock coming to grips with what he calls The Matter of America. He is using his Elric character and his gift for fantasy to deal with some fundamental ideas in American mythology. In this book he continues the saga begun in The Dreamthief's Daughter and the same main characters appear here, but now they are on the American continent, meeting the likes of Hiawatha, the legendary native American first written about by Longfellow. He starts from three different geographical points, slowly bring his characters together as they seek either to destroy or save the legendary 'Skrayling Tree':- the native American Tree of Life, the Viking World Tree, which also represents Moorcock's own vast Multiverse. Moorcock's theories based on Mandelbrot's Chaos theories give us characters of physically different sizes as they merge from different parts of the multiverse. There is history here, both European and American, and as usual a moral and symbolic dimension to the book, which is the mark of a Moorcock fantasy novel. Highly recommended!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Eternal Champion rides again!, March 5, 2003

By 

Kort "Art, Music, Book & Movie Enthusiast" (Boca Raton, FL, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Skrayling Tree (Hardcover)

I won't repeat what the other reviewers have stated, they've got it right so far. This is classic Moorcock, with a more mature viewpoint. The enthralling characters and theories are still here, but the charaterizations seem to have grown up.

This is a great follow-up to The Dreamthief's Daughter and a wonderful addition to Moorcock's fascinating multiverse of eternal champions. If I had to find fault, I might say that this book lacks the focus of the previous one, due to it's narration being spread out over the characters of Count Ulric von Bek, Elric and Oona. Dreamthief was more focused on Ulric and thus more unified. However, this is a minor thing and only detracts a little for me. For others it might not at all.

If you are a fan of Moorcock's eternal champion series, I don't see how you can fail to enjoy this most recent addition.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Moorcock STILL the master of the fantastic (4.5 stars), April 8, 2003

By 

Robert H. Bedford "Rob H. Bedford" (Branchburg, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Skrayling Tree (Hardcover)

The Melnibonéan, the Multiverse and Native American myth are three themes Michael Moorcock explores to great effect and delight in his latest novel, THE SKRAYLING TREE. This novel follows on the heels of THE DREAMTHIEF'S DAUGHTER, continuing the intertwined saga of Elric his daughter Oona her husband and Elric's son-in-law Ulric von Bek. Moorcock brings his Eternal Champion mythos to early North America, as seen through the eyes of both the native tribes and the immigrant Vikings. The Vikings call the native peoples skraelings or skraylings-which gives the title of the novel, The Skrayling Tree. The Tree itself may well be the essence or objectification of Moorcock's all encompassing Multiverse. The three plot strands follow Oona daughter of Elric and the dreamthief; her husband Ulric von Bek, himself bearing strong ties to the Eternal Champion; and the most recognized of all the Champions incarnations, Elric of Melniboné.

At the outset of the novel, we find Ulric von Bek and his wife, Oona, settling down at their North American cottage after the end of the Second World War. Early on, Ulric is abducted by members of the native tribe Kakatanawa for reasons to be explored later. Oona simply wants to find her husband, regardless of the impact her presence and actions may have. As Oona attempts to find and bring back her husband she proceeds through a portal that brings them to a past that might have been, as Native American Tribesmen and Vikings are encountering each other. This era is not often touched upon in fantasy literature, but Moorcock skillfully explores this rich era incorporating it into his Eternal Champion and Multiverse mythos.

The second part of the book brings Elric into the story, as a member of a party of Vikings and native Pukawatchi tribe. The Pukawatchi's are in search of White Crow, the trickster who they claim has stolen some of their sacred treasures. As a part of the group, Elric hopes to find the source and creators of his soul-sword, Stormbringer. As with most of Elric's adventures, the internal dialogue and thoughts of Elric prove to be some of the most intriguing parts of the novel. Through Elric, Moorcock explores further depths and powers behind the Multiverse and the nature of his relationship to the Multiverse.

Our last plot strand centers on Ulric von Bek as his captors bring him ever closer to the titular Skrayling Tree, a central life-force of the Multiverse. The demon Sepiriz and Ulric talk at great length of the nature of the Cosmic Balance between Chaos and Order. Though Moorcock has explored this in great detail in many of his previous works, the dialogue here is as thought provoking and stimulating as in any of the previous novels. As Ulric journeys with Lord Sepiriz to find his wife, echoes of Elric's past experiences leak through, helping, grounding and dooming Ulric in his current situation.

Moocock's handling of the relationship between Elric and Ulric was one of the strong points in the novel. As both men are branches of the Eternal Champion, their relationship is even further blurred and set at odds due to their connection to Oona. This triad of characters is quite possibly, more deeply connected than any husband-wife-father can possibly be. Their relationship to the line of Champions as well to the Multiverse itself may bear out to be one of the more defining aspects of the Multiverse. Following Moorcock's exploration of these ties is proving to be one of the more provocative journeys in fantasy literature.

All told, Moorcock has once again brought his Eternal Champion mythos to the forefront of Fantastic Literature, engaging the reader to consider the nature of reality, our place in this supposed reality while telling an entertaining and satisfying story.