Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The saga continues . . ., August 20, 1997
This review is from: Von Bek - omnibus of The War Hound and the World's Pain, The City in the Autumn Stars, The Dragon in the Sword and The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius (Tale of the Eternal Champion, Volume 2) (Hardcover)
Easily the largest of the volumes in the series thus far, Von Bek can scare off readers when compared to the much slimmer Eternal Champion that preceded it. But this hefty volume is a must for Moorcock fans or even fantasy fans in general, for it embellishes the themes and ideas that Moorcock made famous in the first book. Here are my thoughts story by story:
The War Hound and the World's Pain: Like the title. This is the story that all the other Von Bek books refer back to, so it's a welcome addition. Moorcock provides a lot of twists in this one, beginning with Lucifer wanting the Holy Grail to save the world. Hopefully most people are open minded enough to see past this potentially offensive premise and read the exhilerating tale contained within.
The City in the Autumn Stars: More philosophy than the first one and another appearance by the Prince of Darkness. This is easily the longest story in the volume and every word counts. Granted though, it does get weird in the end.
The Dragon in the Sword: I found this one interesting, only because I had assumed that the Von Beks were just further incarnations of the Eternal Champion. Apparently they aren't, as John Daker appears again to complain and eventually take charge. This one is set during World War Two, but because of the fantastic settings, you'd never realize that. Still, it's a good one and a major turning point in the life of John Daker.
The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius: Another good title, long for a short story though. This was a nice, if very odd, way to close out the volume. Hitler makes another appearance (I don't know how), and Moorcock packs a lot of strange stuff into the thirteen or so pages of the story. It is a great way to end, though, as we say goodbye to the Von Bek family, for now at least
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mirenburg is forever!, October 7, 1998
By A Customer
To get the most out of this book, you should read it (especially the section _City in the Autumn Stars_) in conjunction with _The Brothel in Rosenstrasse_. _City_ and _Brothel_ run parallel to each other in certain ways. I didn't really appreciate _City_ until I reread it after reading _Brothel_. _Brothel_ is one of Moorcok's very best, I think. Incidentally, there are also a number of purely coincidental parallels between _City in the Autumn Stars_ and David Lodge's book _Small World_.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed Bag, March 31, 1998
By A Customer
This omnibus edition contains three very different stories. The first, The War Hound and the World's Pain, is possibly the best work of a superlatively accomplished author. Dark and foreboding, filled with scenes of horror and despair, yet still a facinating and captivating work of fantasy. Moorcock's use of Christian mythology as a backdrop for a fantasy story is an inspired stroke of genius, and the character he developed for the fallen angel Lucifer is so believable as to make you question your own ideas as to the nature of evil. The premise of the story is absolutely original, a rare thing in any genre today, but especially rare in fantasy, and Moorcock's masterful writing brings the story to life in your hands. The second book in this omnibus, however, is as bad as the first one is good. The sequel to War Hound, City in the Autumn Stars is a drab, plodding, disappointing piece with all the excitement and suspense of a bad Victorian romance and all the flavor of plain tofu. Moorcock's uncanny flair for descriptive passages becomes a curse here, as he paints image after image of boredom and redundancy. Skip this one, friends. The Dragon in the Sword, although featuring a character named Von Bek and a plot involving the Holy Grail, has very little connection to the other two novels. It is actually the third book of the Eternal Champion Trilogy, following the novels The Eternal Champion and Phoenix in Obsidian. As such, it is more action-oriented than either War Hound or City in the Autumn Stars, as well as being set, for the most part, in strange realms. It is an "average" Moorcock piece, that "average" being about five points higher than your everyday author; not exceptional when compared to Moorcock's work as a whole, but better than a full three-quarters of the fantasy written to date by other authors. The Von Bek omnibus is worth the money, despite the low quality of the middle book (The Pleasure Garden of Filipe Saggitarius is a short story, well written, but little more than a few minutes' diversion). The War Hound and the World's Pain is, itself, worth the price of the whole book, and The Dragon in the Sword is icing on the cake. Recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
