‘The Greater Conqueror’ – Michael Moorcock


Well, it took about a week longer than I’d planned but I got there in the end :o) ‘To Rescue Tanelorn’ ended up being the first story read from ‘The Singing Citadel’ but ‘The Greater Conqueror’ was the tale I was really after reading and the main reason I bought the book. My edition of ‘The Singing Citadel’ is pretty old and one of the reasons it took a while to finish ‘The Greater Conqueror’ was that the book actually started to come apart in my hands as I was reading… A touch of superglue took care of that ;o) There were other reasons for the delay though, let me tell you about it.

Simon of Byzantium wants to travel East and as a fighting man, sees an opportunity to do just that as part of the army of Alexander the Great. After meeting the man himself though, Simon finds himself drawn into a much wider struggle with the fate of far more than an empire at stake…

As I get older, I’m becoming more aware of what I bring to my own reading experience; because it’s not just on the book, is it? A book can do everything right but if the reader just doesn’t fancy it… Well…

With that in mind then, I can say that ‘The Greater Conqueror’ was a difficult one to get into but that’s not the fault of the story, more that I predominantly read fantasy and what originally starts out as a historical piece here was a little bit of a step too far for me. If I want history, I’ll read a history book ;o) Looking back at ‘The Greater Conqueror’ now, I’ve actually got a lot of time for how Moorcock sets things up, placing it all in a historical context and then slowly building up the more fantastical element. As these are built up, it also reflects in the spiritual journey that Simon takes, going from full on atheist to what I’d call a ‘believer but very much humanist at the same time’. There are familiar discussions being had here but Simon’s perspective is more than enough to carry them off.

And don’t worry, it’s not all history and philosophizing… Both ‘Sword’ and ‘Sorcery’ get plenty of time to shine and shine they do. ‘The Greater Conqueror’ gets you all thoughtful, about man’s place in the universe, and then before you know it, you’re rushing to stay caught up with a sword fight or chase across the desert. Plenty for everyone then ;o)

Not a bad read then, not a bad read at all. ‘The Greater Conqueror’ is a stirring tale that has definitely got me thinking of rooting around on my shelves and seeing what other Moorcock tales I haven’t read yet. There are probably more there than I realise…

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