'The Fortress of the Pearl' – Michael Moorcock (Gollancz)

Welcome back to what must already be the longest 'Elric' re-read on record (started with 'Master of Chaos' back in May last year, progress has been... slow...) Basically, we're on 'Graeme Time' here which always means that work or my daughters (or even just a particular book that's difficult to get into) will invariably throw a spanner in the works, just when I think I have a few free moments for reading... Oh well, I'll keep slowly moving forwards and we'll get there when we get there.

So, 'Fortress of the Pearl'... I last read this more than several years ago as part of a read through of the old Orion edition of 'Elric of Melnibone' so once again, I had no idea of what to expect other than the fact that with more stories to follow, it would be a fairly safe bet that Elric made it through in one piece. As we've learned from 'Elric of Melnibone' though, Elric is perhaps a little too naïve and idealistic to be allowed out on his own so maybe there would be some surprises after all. As it turned out, the big surprise was how easy it was to get into 'The Fortress of the Pearl' and stay with the story until it ended...

Elric - melancholy albino prince of Melnibone, wielder of the cursed sword Stormbringer – is tricked into a deadly bargain. He must find the Pearl at the Heart of the World, or he will succumb to the slow acting poison in his veins.

But during his journey he will encounter a more wondrous thing than the Pearl – and his adventures in the Dream Realm will change him for ever.

Elric does have a way of confirming my worst suspicions about him... 'The Fortress of the Pearl' opens with Elric on the edge of death after a disastrous trip across the desert and into the city of Quarzhasaat. Here's a man who knows that there's a long journey ahead of him but neglects to make sure that he has everything he needs for a desert trip... Honestly, if his mother wasn't dead, she'd be wondering what sort of a son she had bought up. And don't forget that Yrkoon is still sat on the Ruby Throne while Elric is away, If Yrkoon has any magic to call on, you can bet that he is spying on Elric and just laughing his evil head off. He never needed to try and kill Elric, all Yrkoon needed to do was to persuade him to go travelling... But anyway, back to Elric.

I'm prepared to give Elric a pass for gulping down poison because to be fair, he was too out of it to know what he was drinking. Also, this act is what kickstarts the whole story and not only is that a good thing in itself, it also gives Elric the opportunity to see a side of himself that I'm wondering if he ever even knew was there. Elric is one nasty bastard if you cross him, more Melnibonean than ever actually. I mean, he is Melnibonean but Elric has always stood out as a little bit odd and different to the rest of his decadent people. Now he's standing out amongst humans and it's good to see him angry, Lord Gho doesn't know what's hit him but it's that anger that's starting to define the kind of hero that Elric will be. He's starting to discover that he hates it when 'big' people start picking on the little people (Anigh) and he'll react accordingly. And it's that anger (and need to set things right) that pushes Elric into taking a trip into the Dream Realms.

The Dream Realms are Moorcock at his imaginative best with fantastic landscapes peopled with the weird and operating to a set of rules that are designed to really get you thinking about Elric's journey and how it changes him. It also reminds me of the 'Planes' that Corum makes his way through, just in the variety of what there is to see. The big change, to Elric, comes from the Dreamthief Ooneand will have ramifications on stories to comes. What I saw though is Elric learning to keep an eye open and not just let life happen to him. Both actions and inactions have consequences and Elric is learning when to choose between the two. For me, the quest for the Pearl is a lot of fun (and thought provoking) but best serves as a frame within which we can see Elric slowly start to develop into someone who I'd want to read more about.

'The Fortress of the Pearl' doesn't like loose ends with all the main plot lines tied up neatly, or not so neatly given what Elric does to Quarzhasaat, and Lord Gho, before he leaves. And this is where we see those first signs of what Elric the anti-hero. He'll do the right thing but seems more than happy to indulge the dark side of his nature while doing it. I'm not sure I'd want to hang out with him but this is someone I'm suddenly keen to read more about; which is why I've got 'Sailor on the Seas of Fate' waiting to be read.

'The Fortress of the Pearl' is a gripping read because of the nature of what Elric must face but also because we get to see Moorcock starting to cut loose, turning Elric into someone worth following. No promises on when 'Sailor on the Seas of Fate' will be read but I can't wait to get started and see What kind of Elric we get next.