'The White Wolf's Song' – Michael Moorcock

Well, it has been one of those weeks this week; what with work kicking things up a gear and having to field Twitter messages from someone whom I suspect is trying to scam me. Don't get me wrong, he's very polite but he's also persistent (I have a feeling that a blocking may well be imminent)... It hasn't been the best week for reading then which is a real shame as 'Brothers of the Wind' is just amazing, hopefully I'll be able to get back into it over the weekend.

Short stories always come in handy at times like these as they're basically nice bite sized chunks of story that you can fit into that one hour you have free where you just want to clear your head a bit before jumping back into it. That's why I have short story collections placed strategically round my flat; so that when I need one of those bite sized chunks, there's always one close to hand ;o) I needed some of that last night and 'Tales of the White Wolf' was the collection that I settled on, especially when I realised that there was a Moorcock 'Elric' tale that I hadn't read yet. As you all know, I've been working my way through the 'Elric' books and I'm now almost at the end. Before we go there, lets take a few steps back down the timeline, to a time where Cymoril was still alive and Yrkoon was keeping the throne warm for Elric (who was still on his travels)...

We join our hero as he looks to escape the attentions of a tribe of Alofian hermaphrodites whilst also looking to reach ‘fabled Xanardwys’ before snow blocks the mountain passes. Elric does reach Xanardwys but is it the Xanardwys that he was looking for in the first place? And why is the ground littered with dead and dying gods…? And who is Count Renark Von Bek and why is he so interested in Elric…?

I seem to be in a place, this week, where whatever story I think I’m reading inevitably turns out to be something entirely different. I thought that ‘The White Wolf’s Song’ was going to be a straightforward tale about Elric finding himself in a new land or world (something that has a habit of happening to him) but while it was straightforward enough, it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Yes, we’re dealing with the aftermath of the Fall and a duty laid on Elric to look after the children he finds in the temple. This is dealt with very smoothly but you’re never really in any doubt as to the outcome, this strand is fun but lightweight and that’s ok because that’s not what we’re here for (even though we don’t know it yet). What this story is really about is opening Elric’s eyes, albeit briefly, to the Moonbeam Roads and the multiverse that they connect (even hold together, I wonder what would happen if those roads were cut…) Elric is not quite the naïve wanderer that we first met, all those books ago, so it’s even more impactful to see his mind blown by this multiverse of endless possibility that has suddenly opened up in front of him. Moorcock really goes all out to make every single word show us what this means and it blew my mind a little so I can only imagine how Elric felt. And there lies the tragedy of the story. Once again, Elric starts to gain understanding only to have it taken away from him, something that will keep happening to him throughout his life. While he does choose that path, this time, you can’t help but feel sorry for a man who wants to do the right thing but really is at the mercy of, well… everything. That’s the life of an Eternal Champion I guess.

There is a vein of commentary, running through ‘The White Wolf’s Song’,  that has a few interesting points to make on the similarities that both Chaos and Law share in their attempts to exert control over the multiverse. What tickled me, this time round, is that while both are relentless in their approach, both are ultimately doomed to failure (no matter what they promise to their mortal followers) as they remain at the mercy of the Balance. Doesn’t stop them trying though and you have to respect that, no matter which side of the Balance you fall on.

‘The White Wolf’s Song’ promises adventure but ends up delivering a lot more with that tantalising glimpse of the multiverse in its entirety (there’s still a lot of Moorcock that I haven’t read so this was a first glimpse for me). I’m not sure if this tale is collected anywhere else but definitely worth the read if you get a chance.