'The Knight of the Swords' – Michael Moorcock (Grafton)

Well, you can tell my 'Elric Re-Read' is going brilliantly, can't you...? Actually, I'm not that far off finishing 'Elric of Melnibone' (just need to find a spare half day somewhere and I'm good) but in the meantime, I want to start actually finishing books again so it was time to pay Corum a visit, it's been a couple of years so I'm slightly overdue another read.

I've always got on better with Corum's adventures than I have with Elric's and I think this is because, for me, Corum has always come across as a hero that makes things happen rather than Elric who (again, from what I've seen) has made a pretty sucessful career of having things happen to him (while he figures out who he is) and just going along with whatever the consequences happen to be. I mean yes, Elric does win through but that's what generally tends to happen when you're carrying the most deadly sword in the Young Kingdoms. Maybe I just have something against Elric, I don't know... If I ever manage to sort my 'Elric' reading out, I'll be in a better position to tell you one way or the other.

But this is meant to be about Corum, isn't it? I'll be working my way through the series over the next, well, however long it takes. And it all starts with 'The Knight of the Swords'...

The Chaos Gods known as the Sword Rulers are in the ascendancy and this means that the time of the Elder Races (created by the Gods of Law) is over, certain of these races just don't realise it yet. The last of the Vadhagh have no idea until the Mabden barbarians are literally killing them and burning their home to the ground. Corum is the last surviving Vadhagh and he is going to do something that no Vadhagh has ever done before; Corum is looking for revenge.

But it's not just the villainous Earl Glandyth-a-Krae that Corum seeks to kill. In order to bring true peace back to his plain of existence, Corum is going up against the Chaos Gods themselves, starting with Arioch, the Knight of Swords...

‘The Knight of the Swords’ looks like a fairly bog standard sword and sorcery tale when you first read it. There’s a hero who’s up against it and the only way that he might beat the odds is by going on a quest. And the book itself weighs in at just under a hundred and fifty pages long, all classic sword and sorcery ingredients if you ask me. If you keep reading though, you’ll find that while ‘The Knight of the Swords’ is very sword and sorcery flavoured, it’s also a lot more all at the same time. Read a bit more and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself marvelling at how Moorcock manages to fit so much into a relatively small space.

Now I like a bit of Sword and Sorcery and Moorcock proves very quickly that he can write it with the best of them. You’ve got an engaging hero, a big quest and loads of magical fights, set against a great background (a transition from Law to Chaos which must be stopped) and written with a great deal of verve and energy. That’s all I ask for, out of my Sword and Sorcery, and Moorcock really delivers, no question about it. I also liked the way that Corum’s world is set up to have these links to the wider Multiverse (for long term fans) but is self-contained enough (well, 15 planes of self-contained but you know what I mean) for the story to stand on its own so that first time readers aren’t left floundering amongst too much information. There is plenty to enjoy here and it’s set up incredibly well to cater to any reader who picks it up.

What really sets ‘The Knight of Swords’ apart from the rest of the pack, and possibly apart from other multiverse novels as well, is Corum himself. Throughout his work, Moorcock has a lot to say on the subject of heroes, especially the ones that are thrown into the thick of it without any warning and left to pretty much fight their way out. Corum is one of these heroes and all the more engaging for it I think.

I think what I like about Corum is that he’s a hero who wears his heart on his sleeve. That’s not to say there’s no introspection here, and more on that in a bit, but you know where you are with Corum because his feelings are so clear to see.  When he’s angry, he’s really angry (and you can’t blame him given what he goes through at the start of the book) and when he’s in love, he falls completely in love. That’s what drives Corum really, anger and love. Those are his motivations and that’s why he’s a hero who makes things happen, he has every reason to. The end result is a hero who is very much finding his way at this point, in terms of what the world wants of him, but striding along with a clear purpose.

Moorcock also takes time to flesh Corum out through his journey at the beginning of the book, taking Corum out of his comfort zone (the castle) and showing him how the world is changing; then he drops Corum right in the middle of that change; forging him into the character that takes the book forwards. It’s a bit of a gamble to take, given how short the book is, but Moorcock pulls it off with plenty of time to spare and we are left to enjoy the ride. And it’s a great ride, with closure at the end tempered with a little forboding of what is to come. Corum has learned to hate and he has also learned that a hero’s work is never complete until Glandyth-a-Krae is dead, all he can do now is make the most of the quiet times until it all kicks off again. And it will, of course it will. There's another two books to come ;o)

My ‘Corum Bias’ will tell you what I think of ‘The Knight of the Swords’ but that to one side, if you haven’t read this book and you come across a copy (my copy cost a penny on Amazon…), you really need to give it a go. A rousing slice of Sword and Sorcery action mixed with an examination of ‘The Hero’ that’s worth considering.