Rating: 
Summary: Excellent representation of the Eternal Champion
Review: Each incarnation of the Eternal Champion has an affinity
for a certain object of power. The Von Beks' are mystically
linked to the Holy Grail. A source of hope, and inspiration
to all in a myriad world, where the Von Beks must keep it
safe from the likes of Adolf Hitler, and the devil. At times,
the Von Beks will not know which side is which, giving such
a provocative analysis of life in an old age question.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Bag
Review: Easily the largest of the volumes in the series thus far, Von Bek can scare off readers when compared to the much slimmer Eternal Champion that preceded it. But this hefty volume is a must for Moorcock fans or even fantasy fans in general, for it embellishes the themes and ideas that Moorcock made famous in the first book. Here are my thoughts story by story:
The War Hound and the World's Pain: Like the title. This is the story that all the other Von Bek books refer back to, so it's a welcome addition. Moorcock provides a lot of twists in this one, beginning with Lucifer wanting the Holy Grail to save the world. Hopefully most people are open minded enough to see past this potentially offensive premise and read the exhilerating tale contained within.
The City in the Autumn Stars: More philosophy than the first one and another appearance by the Prince of Darkness. This is easily the longest story in the volume and every word counts. Granted though, it does get weird in the end.
The Dragon in the Sword: I found this one interesting, only because I had assumed that the Von Beks were just further incarnations of the Eternal Champion. Apparently they aren't, as John Daker appears again to complain and eventually take charge. This one is set during World War Two, but because of the fantastic settings, you'd never realize that. Still, it's a good one and a major turning point in the life of John Daker.
The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius: Another good title, long for a short story though. This was a nice, if very odd, way to close out the volume. Hitler makes another appearance (I don't know how), and Moorcock packs a lot of strange stuff into the thirteen or so pages of the story. It is a great way to end, though, as we say goodbye to the Von Bek family, for now at least
Rating:
Summary: The saga continues . . .
Review: Easily the largest of the volumes in the series thus far, Von Bek can scare off readers when compared to the much slimmer Eternal Champion that preceded it. But this hefty volume is a must for Moorcock fans or even fantasy fans in general, for it embellishes the themes and ideas that Moorcock made famous in the first book. Here are my thoughts story by story:
The War Hound and the World's Pain: Like the title. This is the story that all the other Von Bek books refer back to, so it's a welcome addition. Moorcock provides a lot of twists in this one, beginning with Lucifer wanting the Holy Grail to save the world. Hopefully most people are open minded enough to see past this potentially offensive premise and read the exhilerating tale contained within. The City in the Autumn Stars: More philosophy than the first one and another appearance by the Prince of Darkness. This is easily the longest story in the volume and every word counts. Granted though, it does get weird in the end. The Dragon in the Sword: I found this one interesting, only because I had assumed that the Von Beks were just further incarnations of the Eternal Champion. Apparently they aren't, as John Daker appears again to complain and eventually take charge. This one is set during World War Two, but because of the fantastic settings, you'd never realize that. Still, it's a good one and a major turning point in the life of John Daker. The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius: Another good title, long for a short story though. This was a nice, if very odd, way to close out the volume. Hitler makes another appearance (I don't know how), and Moorcock packs a lot of strange stuff into the thirteen or so pages of the story. It is a great way to end, though, as we say goodbye to the Von Bek family, for now at least
Rating: 
Summary: A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!
Review: I thought this book was extremley boring. The first part was fairly good but there was hardly any action. The only reason why I kept on reading was because I hoped it would get better, but I was disappointed. The second part was absoulutely horrible. I fell asleep twice while trying to read this section. I greatly enjoy reading Moorcock's books, especially the Elric saga, but this book was a complete let down. I think Moorcock is one of the best authors of his time and I was expecting something more entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: The War Hound and the World's Pain, book 1 of this omnibus.
Review: I would rank War Hound and the World's Pain among Moorcock's top 5 (along with The Quest for Tanelorn, Stormbringer, The King of Swords, etc.). The book was, alone, worth the price of the omnibus. The atmosphere of the book, though, shows it's authorship in the 60's, and it's style of writing is also of that era. And while this is not in any way bad to me, I have run into a few who dislike all non-modern styles. For me, this was good, because it evoked feelings of my first reads of Elric and Corum, taking me back to faraway days.
Rating: 
Summary: A very different Moorcock
Review: If you only know (as most people do) Michael Moorcock through his Elric series, this will be quite a different take on the Eternal Champion. gone are the massive oddities of most of his volumes, gone are the gods and slimey monsters on every page. Instead this is as close as Moorcock comes to writing Historical fiction, which he does to mixed effect. It is not until the third section that we find Moorcock consciously tying the series into his Eternal Champion run. Moorcock is a passable, but far from stellar, writer. His Elric series has some intriguing ideas, but he wastes a lot of space on pointless battles. This book has fewer battles, but still you feel as if there is a lot of empty space to it. While it is definitely a cut above most fantasy, it is far from Tolkein, Kay, LeGuin or any of the other talents of the genre. Hidden within this volume are many fascinating nuggets, but it still feels like a roleplaying game written down with a bit of filler.
Rating:
Summary: A very different Moorcock
Review: If you only know (as most people do) Michael Moorcock through his Elric series, this will be quite a different take on the Eternal Champion. gone are the massive oddities of most of his volumes, gone are the gods and slimey monsters on every page. Instead this is as close as Moorcock comes to writing Historical fiction, which he does to mixed effect. It is not until the third section that we find Moorcock consciously tying the series into his Eternal Champion run. Moorcock is a passable, but far from stellar, writer. His Elric series has some intriguing ideas, but he wastes a lot of space on pointless battles. This book has fewer battles, but still you feel as if there is a lot of empty space to it. While it is definitely a cut above most fantasy, it is far from Tolkein, Kay, LeGuin or any of the other talents of the genre. Hidden within this volume are many fascinating nuggets, but it still feels like a roleplaying game written down with a bit of filler.
Rating:
Summary: Moorcock continues to amaze
Review: The three full-length novels contained within this volume are each so different, one from the other, that the reader cannot help but be amazed that the same author wrote all three! In "The Warhound and the World's Pain," Moorcock's usual themes of "chaos" vs. "law" are put in more the familiar terms (at least for us earthlings) of the Devil vs. God. Like his more popular Elric character, Moorcock has his "hero" Ulrich von Bek allied with chaos--the devil. The reader is treated to watching a master of fantasy play with common themes (the hero descends into Hell, and comes out with a quest that he must fulfill in order to save all humanity) that he rearranges in order to ask some penetrating questions about the nature of God, the Devil, faith, and religion in our lives. The second novel, "The City in the Autumn Stars," is written in a completely different style from the first. Set in Germany (mostly) in the late 1700's, the book makes many references to actual historical happenings, in particular the French and American revolutions and the Industrial Revolution. The motivating factors behind these and other events are examined in extensive dialogs between characters as well as through internal monologues of the protagonist, Manfred von Bek. Someone a little better versed in English literature than I am could place the exact style Moorcock takes up with this novel, but it reminds me of Jules Verne. The chapter headings are long ("Chapter Sixteen: In which house rules are broken. An infestation and a visitation. Vermin destroyed. The Red O'Dowd's fish. Some useful attributes of a magic sword.") And the author manages quite capably to maintain this tone throughout the entire novel. Until the end, that is, when the multiverses start to conjoin, devil worshippers take center stage, and the feeling that one is reading a conventional historical novel rapidly disappears. The ending was not quite satisfactory, but nevertheless a tour de force by Moorcock. The third novel, "The Dragon in the Sword," is one of my favorites, and I have reviewed it separately on the Amazon site. The volume is capped off with a very short story, "The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Saggitarius." Although the main character is nominally a von Bek, and Hitler the Holy Grail, and some other toss-away references to familiar Moorcock characters are mentioned, there is no clear reason why this story was ever written, or indeed, why it was included in this volume.
Rating:
Summary: Moorcock continues to amaze
Review: The three full-length novels contained within this volume are each so different, one from the other, that the reader cannot help but be amazed that the same author wrote all three! In "The Warhound and the World's Pain," Moorcock's usual themes of "chaos" vs. "law" are put in more the familiar terms (at least for us earthlings) of the Devil vs. God. Like his more popular Elric character, Moorcock has his "hero" Ulrich von Bek allied with chaos--the devil. The reader is treated to watching a master of fantasy play with common themes (the hero descends into Hell, and comes out with a quest that he must fulfill in order to save all humanity) that he rearranges in order to ask some penetrating questions about the nature of God, the Devil, faith, and religion in our lives. The second novel, "The City in the Autumn Stars," is written in a completely different style from the first. Set in Germany (mostly) in the late 1700's, the book makes many references to actual historical happenings, in particular the French and American revolutions and the Industrial Revolution. The motivating factors behind these and other events are examined in extensive dialogs between characters as well as through internal monologues of the protagonist, Manfred von Bek. Someone a little better versed in English literature than I am could place the exact style Moorcock takes up with this novel, but it reminds me of Jules Verne. The chapter headings are long ("Chapter Sixteen: In which house rules are broken. An infestation and a visitation. Vermin destroyed. The Red O'Dowd's fish. Some useful attributes of a magic sword.") And the author manages quite capably to maintain this tone throughout the entire novel. Until the end, that is, when the multiverses start to conjoin, devil worshippers take center stage, and the feeling that one is reading a conventional historical novel rapidly disappears. The ending was not quite satisfactory, but nevertheless a tour de force by Moorcock. The third novel, "The Dragon in the Sword," is one of my favorites, and I have reviewed it separately on the Amazon site. The volume is capped off with a very short story, "The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Saggitarius." Although the main character is nominally a von Bek, and Hitler the Holy Grail, and some other toss-away references to familiar Moorcock characters are mentioned, there is no clear reason why this story was ever written, or indeed, why it was included in this volume.
Rating:
Summary: Moorcock continues to amaze
Review: The three full-length novels contained within this volume are each so different, one from the other, that the reader cannot help but be amazed that the same author wrote all three! In "The Warhound and the World's Pain," Moorcock's usual themes of "chaos" vs. "law" are put in more the familiar terms (at least for us earthlings) of the Devil vs. God. Like his more popular Elric character, Moorcock has his "hero" Ulrich von Bek allied with chaos--the devil. The reader is treated to watching a master of fantasy play with common themes (the hero descends into Hell, and comes out with a quest that he must fulfill in order to save all humanity) that he rearranges in order to ask some penetrating questions about the nature of God, the Devil, faith, and religion in our lives. The second novel, "The City in the Autumn Stars," is written in a completely different style from the first. Set in Germany (mostly) in the late 1700's, the book makes many references to actual historical happenings, in particular the French and American revolutions and the Industrial Revolution. The motivating factors behind these and other events are examined in extensive dialogs between characters as well as through internal monologues of the protagonist, Manfred von Bek. Someone a little better versed in English literature than I am could place the exact style Moorcock takes up with this novel, but it reminds me of Jules Verne. The chapter headings are long ("Chapter Sixteen: In which house rules are broken. An infestation and a visitation. Vermin destroyed. The Red O'Dowd's fish. Some useful attributes of a magic sword.") And the author manages quite capably to maintain this tone throughout the entire novel. Until the end, that is, when the multiverses start to conjoin, devil worshippers take center stage, and the feeling that one is reading a conventional historical novel rapidly disappears. The ending was not quite satisfactory, but nevertheless a tour de force by Moorcock. The third novel, "The Dragon in the Sword," is one of my favorites, and I have reviewed it separately on the Amazon site. The volume is capped off with a very short story, "The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Saggitarius." Although the main character is nominally a von Bek, and Hitler the Holy Grail, and some other toss-away references to familiar Moorcock characters are mentioned, there is no clear reason why this story was ever written, or indeed, why it was included in this volume.
|
