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5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read, April 1 2003
Moorcock and Fritz Leiber have the same ironic vision which means they use language lightly to suggest rather than belabour their points and they almost never dwell too long on the emotions of their heroes, no matter how bad things get. That said there is a refreshing pace and clarity of writing to this book which, while not being one of Moorcock's finest, still gives more per page than almost anything else out there. Corum was the first of Moorcock's characters I read, so I guess I identify with him more than the gloomier Elric, and I also like this 'science fantasy' quality, which takes Corum through various incarnations of the multiverse in rapid succession as he tries to avoid the genocide planned for him by the Mabden (mankind) interlopers. As usual Moorcock defeats expectations and takes some odd twists to deliver a fine, nicely-flavored wine which is best drunk by the goblet-full and savoured when you're done with it. A soupcon of Paidraic Colum, maybe, a touch of Dunsany, perhaps, with a dash of Yeats echoing in the background, but none the worse for that. A great read for St
Patrick's Day!
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1.0 out of 5 stars
All Pace, No Substance, Feb 14 2003
If you haven't read Moorcock before, you will be suprised by the lack of depth to his writing. 'Corum' is no exception. Moorcock's style is amateurish, but by no means slow.'Corum' is basically set in a Celtic, Bronze Age Europe as man is starting to dominate and destroy two elf-like races, one of which Corum is a member. Corum decides to seek vengeance, but as a result of being sidetracked, ends up going on an Odyssey-like adventure. The pace is fast - too fast, because very rarely does Moorcock describe the setting of a location or develop the characters to any great extent, even the main character, Corum. Exposure to characters lasts only a few pages on occasion, as the odyssey is quickly into full swing again. I don't recommend this book to anyone requiring depth or development of character, or intelligent themes, for there is no attention to detail. This book seems to be written by an inexperienced author for a teenage audience, but I don't think it has been. I think Moorcock is a very average author - even for a "light read" author. If you are looking for a light read, but with decent characters who have real motives than read David Gemmell's Drenai Saga.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Tired of Tolkein clones, sick of Potter copies ?, Dec 2 2001
Moorcock began his fantasy writing career young, in the 1950s, around the same time as Lord of the Rings and Gormenghast were published. His interest in fantasy predated his reading of either sequence. He quotes such writers as Twain and Cabell as influences. It's clear, however, that Moorcock writes more in the Peake tradition than the Tolkien and, if you want a combination of the virtues of both writers, you'll find it here. Moorcock loves language and his books are enriched by it. You don't need 800 pages to get the message across! In Europe he is honored as an important literary writer. These novels are a great writer enjoying himself. Moorcock has said that he only writes fantasy novels if he can enjoy himself. Even now in his new Elric books Moorcock is still keeping them short and fast. Why the books have depth is because of the superior writing, with characteristic ironies and elegaic tone, fresh quality of invention, strong structuring, using 'image as narrative', the underlying philosophy which is never shoved in your face, but makes you think, the characters, who have strong motivations and crises. Moorcock doesn't world-build, any more than he bothers with invented alphabets and other somewhat nerdy occupations. He is a story teller and nothing extraneous is allowed to get in the way of that first priority. (...) These stories are set in Cornwall, easily identified by the use of original Cornish (Celtic) names. This year I visited 'Moidel's Mount' and its
wonderful, impregnable castle, which, apart from the town now on the other shore, is exactly as Moorcock describes it, only it's called St Michael's Mount and is across from Marazion in Cornwall. The Scilly Isles also feature, though in the Moorcock books they are still attached to the mainland. This is real
Arthurian territory, but Moorcock makes no reference to it. He is busy inventing his own mythology. He is steeped in Celtic and Norse mythology, which he also claims as a strong influence on Corum and Elric respectively.
Moorcock says in his introduction that he came up with the Corum stories during a wet vacation in Cornwall. All I can say is, thank goodness it rains in Cornwall (and how it rains!). This is a fine, intelligent, fast read. It won't tax your mind, but it will leave it a little richer when you're done. I'm very choosey
about the kind of fantasy I read and this, believe me, is amongst the very best you'll find.
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