Scan barcode
jayisthebird's review
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Despite fun melodrama and far-out conflicts, repetitions of previous plots and the extensive exposition required in a multiverse narrative make this a weak conclusion to the trilogy. Ultimately, not worth reading because the historical importance, setting, and characterization are better executed in the first two books of the trilogy.
Even if this is the weakest entry of his trilogy, Moorcock lays the foundation of future science-fantasy to come. Law, Chaos and disfigured hands and eyes of a god are the foundation of Dungeons and Dragons lore. So too, The Witcher series iterates on Moorcock's multiverse layout as the conjunction of the spheres is the pivotal idea of the Witcher universe.
Unlike the earlier book, this one gets drowned in almost literally stating its ideas of balance between law and order and humankind's liberation from the gods / fate. Whereas, the first book grounds these in the unknown and adventure, and the second uses excellent settings; this one falls flat in character conversations about the events themselves. The awkward interactions prefigures the mire of mostly clunky fan-service in current marvel movies.
Even if this is the weakest entry of his trilogy, Moorcock lays the foundation of future science-fantasy to come. Law, Chaos and disfigured hands and eyes of a god are the foundation of Dungeons and Dragons lore. So too, The Witcher series iterates on Moorcock's multiverse layout as the conjunction of the spheres is the pivotal idea of the Witcher universe.
Unlike the earlier book, this one gets drowned in almost literally stating its ideas of balance between law and order and humankind's liberation from the gods / fate. Whereas, the first book grounds these in the unknown and adventure, and the second uses excellent settings; this one falls flat in character conversations about the events themselves. The awkward interactions prefigures the mire of mostly clunky fan-service in current marvel movies.
natbed93's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nonb_horror_fan's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
isauldur's review against another edition
3.0
Note: Below, my review is split into two parts. The first is an overview of the novel and, seeing how this is part of a series, the series itself. The second is a spoiler, in-depth review of the entire work.
Part One: Overview
This series got progressively stranger and stranger with every book, nay, chapter. While the first book was fairly dark and serious, difficult to read at times, even, the other two are far more pulpy in their delivery. This isn't exactly a bad thing. Far from it. I had a blast reading this series, which is actually my fist dive into Moorcock's multiverse. This whole Corum trilogy reminded me very much of Burroughs's Tarzan and John Carter books, with strange, outlandish settings and super-powerful, larger-than-life heroes. Of course, Corum is far more tragic than these other two...at least until the second book. I'll discuss that in detail below.
As far as this one book is concerned, I enjoyed it. I liked Corum's travels. The Hand of Kwll and the Eye of Rhynn are still entertaining, almost as if they were some sort of magical artifact straight out of a videogame. The plot is more or less the same as the previous two books: find the title character and kill it in the name of Law or Balance (it varies slightly between books 1 and 2). But what really had me hooked was the setting. This series is considered to be a sword and sorcery story, and in many respects, it is. It's all about the action, the adventure, the crazy plots, etc. But I would go so far as to call it a science-fantasy work. During some points of the novel, there were almost steampunk-like elements. The plane-jumping sounds more like something Frank Herbert would write. But none of this is a bad thing. I bring it up solely to say that this is a very original piece of work. To some extent.
In all, if you're a fan of Michael Moorcock, you have to read this Corum series. If not, I felt that this trilogy is a good introduction to his multiverse. From what I've heard, Elric and Hawkmoon are far more involved in the Eternal Champion sequence. Corum had tie-ins, certainly, and references, because the multiverse is supposed to be happening simultaneously. But there's enough explanation to keep you engaged.
Part Two: Spoiler In-Depth Discussion
Alright. I gave this book a lower rating than the previous two because, in my opinion, it's the weakest in the trilogy. I felt that the first one was good, with Corum's final confrontation with Arioch handled very well. The final showdown was epic and grand, with imagery that I could definitely associate with Chaos. The second book was in a similar vein, though the shock-factor of the setting was a little lowered. The first felt like a strange, surreal type of Odyssey, and the second was a decent follow-up which, personally, I enjoyed reading a bit more. But the third, while it has the highest stakes, was fairly unexciting.
The settings are nothing particularly special, and the villain is hardy even seen. There are more references to the Eternal Champion and Corum himself is revealed to be the Eternal Champion of his universe. Erekose and Elric make appearances as well, and all three do battle in order to save Corum's love interest...yet again.
While I liked this book, it felt like another iteration of the previous two. There were few changes, and even the final battle falls flat though it's clearly trying to be on a scale to match the multiple dimensions in which it takes place. Most of the book is, it saddens me to say, forgettable. There were very few scenes or sequences in this that I still remember, some were good, others not so much.
I'll begin with what I really did like, which is the fact that we finally get to see Kwll, the owner of Corum's hand. He, or it, appears to be trapped inside Tanelorn. Because his body is incomplete, so is his power and he cannot escape. Corum forces him into an agreement that if he releases Kwll, the Lost God will help Corum and his cause. But the insectoid creature seemingly betrays Corum and simply states that he, or it, is far too powerful to be concerned with even the grand battle between Order and Chaos. But, on to the bad, he proceeds to pull a literal deus ex machina as he faces off against all the forces of Chaos and wins. Yes, just like that. Corum had little to do with anything. He was pivotal in releasing the first five planes from Arioch, and he helped trick Xiombarg into leaving her own planes, resulting in her destruction. But while he does make a decision, Corum is ultimately useless in the final fight. Kwll, a god, comes in and makes everything alright. The end.
While I did enjoy meeting this super-god who can take on Chaos itself one-handed (or rather, missing one hand) and finding out that Rhynn is the Wading God who, this whole time, has been looking for his eye, it all seemed too convenient. Yes, Rhynn, the Wading God, was one of my favorite parts of the first book. He was intriguing and mysterious, kept in shadows and it mere size was enough to pique the interest of my inner child. I dare say that I found Rhynn (and his brother Kwll to a lesser degree) nearly as interesting as Cthulu and all those other Lovecraftian hellspawn.
My biggest problem was the repetitiveness of it all. It feels more like three levels of the same vidogame than the progression of a story. Level One: kill the Knight of the Swords. Level Two: kill the Queen. Level Three: the King. But it all is erased and rendered meaningless when Kwll comes out of nowhere and eliminates the conflict in the blink of an eye. And he not only destroys Chaos, but Arkyn and all the other "good" or at least Lawful characters.
A decent book, but a weak conclusion to the series. I know there is another trilogy with Corum as the main character that, from what I've researched ties in more strongly with the Eternal Champion story, and I just might read that as well. After all, Moorcock is certainly not bad, he just lacks the proper delivery some of the time. It's fun to read, but in the end, The King of the Swords was just, in one word, okay.
Part One: Overview
This series got progressively stranger and stranger with every book, nay, chapter. While the first book was fairly dark and serious, difficult to read at times, even, the other two are far more pulpy in their delivery. This isn't exactly a bad thing. Far from it. I had a blast reading this series, which is actually my fist dive into Moorcock's multiverse. This whole Corum trilogy reminded me very much of Burroughs's Tarzan and John Carter books, with strange, outlandish settings and super-powerful, larger-than-life heroes. Of course, Corum is far more tragic than these other two...at least until the second book. I'll discuss that in detail below.
As far as this one book is concerned, I enjoyed it. I liked Corum's travels. The Hand of Kwll and the Eye of Rhynn are still entertaining, almost as if they were some sort of magical artifact straight out of a videogame. The plot is more or less the same as the previous two books: find the title character and kill it in the name of Law or Balance (it varies slightly between books 1 and 2). But what really had me hooked was the setting. This series is considered to be a sword and sorcery story, and in many respects, it is. It's all about the action, the adventure, the crazy plots, etc. But I would go so far as to call it a science-fantasy work. During some points of the novel, there were almost steampunk-like elements. The plane-jumping sounds more like something Frank Herbert would write. But none of this is a bad thing. I bring it up solely to say that this is a very original piece of work. To some extent.
In all, if you're a fan of Michael Moorcock, you have to read this Corum series. If not, I felt that this trilogy is a good introduction to his multiverse. From what I've heard, Elric and Hawkmoon are far more involved in the Eternal Champion sequence. Corum had tie-ins, certainly, and references, because the multiverse is supposed to be happening simultaneously. But there's enough explanation to keep you engaged.
Part Two: Spoiler In-Depth Discussion
Alright. I gave this book a lower rating than the previous two because, in my opinion, it's the weakest in the trilogy. I felt that the first one was good, with Corum's final confrontation with Arioch handled very well. The final showdown was epic and grand, with imagery that I could definitely associate with Chaos. The second book was in a similar vein, though the shock-factor of the setting was a little lowered. The first felt like a strange, surreal type of Odyssey, and the second was a decent follow-up which, personally, I enjoyed reading a bit more. But the third, while it has the highest stakes, was fairly unexciting.
The settings are nothing particularly special, and the villain is hardy even seen. There are more references to the Eternal Champion and Corum himself is revealed to be the Eternal Champion of his universe. Erekose and Elric make appearances as well, and all three do battle in order to save Corum's love interest...yet again.
While I liked this book, it felt like another iteration of the previous two. There were few changes, and even the final battle falls flat though it's clearly trying to be on a scale to match the multiple dimensions in which it takes place. Most of the book is, it saddens me to say, forgettable. There were very few scenes or sequences in this that I still remember, some were good, others not so much.
I'll begin with what I really did like, which is the fact that we finally get to see Kwll, the owner of Corum's hand. He, or it, appears to be trapped inside Tanelorn. Because his body is incomplete, so is his power and he cannot escape. Corum forces him into an agreement that if he releases Kwll, the Lost God will help Corum and his cause. But the insectoid creature seemingly betrays Corum and simply states that he, or it, is far too powerful to be concerned with even the grand battle between Order and Chaos. But, on to the bad, he proceeds to pull a literal deus ex machina as he faces off against all the forces of Chaos and wins. Yes, just like that. Corum had little to do with anything. He was pivotal in releasing the first five planes from Arioch, and he helped trick Xiombarg into leaving her own planes, resulting in her destruction. But while he does make a decision, Corum is ultimately useless in the final fight. Kwll, a god, comes in and makes everything alright. The end.
While I did enjoy meeting this super-god who can take on Chaos itself one-handed (or rather, missing one hand) and finding out that Rhynn is the Wading God who, this whole time, has been looking for his eye, it all seemed too convenient. Yes, Rhynn, the Wading God, was one of my favorite parts of the first book. He was intriguing and mysterious, kept in shadows and it mere size was enough to pique the interest of my inner child. I dare say that I found Rhynn (and his brother Kwll to a lesser degree) nearly as interesting as Cthulu and all those other Lovecraftian hellspawn.
My biggest problem was the repetitiveness of it all. It feels more like three levels of the same vidogame than the progression of a story. Level One: kill the Knight of the Swords. Level Two: kill the Queen. Level Three: the King. But it all is erased and rendered meaningless when Kwll comes out of nowhere and eliminates the conflict in the blink of an eye. And he not only destroys Chaos, but Arkyn and all the other "good" or at least Lawful characters.
A decent book, but a weak conclusion to the series. I know there is another trilogy with Corum as the main character that, from what I've researched ties in more strongly with the Eternal Champion story, and I just might read that as well. After all, Moorcock is certainly not bad, he just lacks the proper delivery some of the time. It's fun to read, but in the end, The King of the Swords was just, in one word, okay.
smiorganbaldhead's review against another edition
3.0
(Vague spoilers.) A fun adventure with Moorcock's usual imagination and an interesting twist ending. Unfortunately, one of my favorite elements of the previous books, Corum’s magical hand and eye, are mysteriously out of commission in this book. They do become important later, but to me their magic is a key part of what makes the Corum stories fun. Removing that is like Elric without Stormbringer. Also, one key plot point bothered me, where Jhary immediately rebukes Corum for a choice he made after Jhary refused to give advice beforehand when Corum directly asked him what he should do. It seems this point could have been written in a more logical way, but perhaps this is a consequence of how quickly Moorcock is said to have written the first Corum trilogy. Despite these issues, an enjoyable read.
nlord's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
georgeklts's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
wdomingue's review against another edition
4.0
A fitting end to the Corum trilogy (I understand that 3 more books were written later, but this feels like a end). Loved the tie-in with Elric and it was nice to see the events of the Vanishing Tower from another prospective. I don't know how Moorcock is able to tell so much of a grand story while using so few pages.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
2.0
End of the trilogy, weighed down by a totally needless side-story retelling a story from the Elric series from Corum's point of view, with the result that Corum gets upstaged in his own book. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/the-vengeance-of-cornwall/