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



If there was one thing that I learnt from my holiday it's that Google Maps and I can never be friends. That's a story that you really don't want to hear though as it has nothing to do with books and that's what you're really here for, isn't it? What...? No, I'm still not going to tell you. Lets just keep our focus on the books and random films that serve for content round here ;o)

If there was one other thing that I learnt from my holiday, it's that setting myself reading challenges is only going to leave me all red-faced at the end of the week. There was so much other cool stuff happening that reading didn't really happen at all. I did finish one book though. Well... more like half a book really as I took 'The Queen of the Swords' with me, half read, as an 'easy win' if you know what I mean ;o)
Still, I'm taking little victories wherever I can find them these days so, it counts :o) My 'Corum Re-Read' is staggering slightly but it's staggering forwards so lets move forward as well and get into 'The Queen of the Swords'...

Corum has defeated Arioch, the Knight of the Swords, and Law is once again in the ascendancy on this plane. The barbarian hordes of King Lyr-a-Brode still fight on in the name of their dark gods though and they have secured the aid of Xiombarg, the Queen of the Swords, in that fight. Law may well rule on this plane but rulers can be thrown down and Corum and his friends must now fight to ensure that the forces of Chaos do not rule here once again. They must seek out the fabled City in the Pyramid, whose weaponry is the only thing that might turn back the tide. However, the City lies deep within the realm of Xiombarg herself and she has sworn vengeance on Corum should she ever come across him...

You know that feeling you get when you pick up the next book in a series and start reading, only to realise that you're basically re-reading the last book? Well, that was exactly the feeling I had when I started reading 'The Queen of the Swords'. Corum is essentially retracing the steps that he made in the previous book. Chaos is looming and Corum is the only person who can stop it. With the aid of the same magical objects that he used last time, Corum must go on a quest to find an object of power that can help him defeat the 'Sword Ruler du jour' . Sounds familiar? Well, that's because it borders on being far too familiar but give it a chance, there's more going on here than you think.

It's a risky approach to take, for the reasons I've just said, but what Moorcock is doing here is showing us what it is like to be the Eternal Champion; someone who must fight pretty much the same war over and over again without rest. Moorcock is inviting the reader to experience that feeling of futility that is at the same time tempered with the urge of the hero to do what is right. The question is, does he pull it off? Well, like I said, it's a risky approach to take in such a slim book but I think he manages pretty damn well. Corum is still driven by revenge but we can see him start to move beyond that, fighting for his adopted people as much as a desire to kill Earl Glandyth-a-Krae. Corum also shows a greater understanding of his situation as he starts to question how all the gods manipulate mortals for their own ends, something that each of Moorcock's champions see to do to one degree or another (apart from Erekose who is far too busy being upset from what I can remember, it's been ages though since I read those books). There is a lot of character development going on here, possibly due to the introduction of Jhary-a-Conel who seems to bring out a lot of this in Corum.

For such a short book (my edition is a slip of a thing at only 157 pages...), everything seems to be a lot more epic as well with giant battles seemingly going on all over the place. I'm talking 'Battle of the Five Armies' size, for the really big ones, and it's a real delight to see so much happening in so few words. Certain writers could learn a lesson here (naming no names, but... you know who I mean).
Add in the alien landscapes that Corum, and his friends, must traverse and you've got a book that I'm pretty sure would read itself if a reader wasn't to hand. There's definitely that energy here that you get in the Eternal Champion books, it carries you over any bumps and it's so easy to keep reading as a result.

'The Queen of the Swords' is an odd read to begin with but give it a chance and it really pays dividends if you let it. There's a lot to chew on here as well as things that will chew on you if you're not careful...

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