Customer Reviews
Dorian Hawkmoon, a less dark champion than Elric, still fascinating - By: Ventura Angelo, 08 Jul 2008 
The coruscating, decadent world of the runestaff & of Dorian Hawkmoon is a triumph of the imagination. More positive than Elric, less haunted than Corum, Dorian Hawkmoon is a very convincing & sympathetic Eternal Champion. The alternate reality Moorcock depicts is also original & intriguing, as are the martian fantasies of Leigh brackett & c.l. moore.
An incredible work of fiction - By: S. Crowder, 17 Jun 2007 In a collection of books that put Lord of the Rings & many other fantasy writers to shame, Moorcock weaves a story of fantasy & chaos, of hope & desperation.
The four books project you into a very dark & bloody past, through which tales of pure excitement, adventure, & moments of nail-biting fear, will force you to turn pages frantically, to discover the plight of the characters. There are no moments of boredom, & the writing style & plots are both of the highest calibre. They culminate into a ending of spectacular genius, of which the four books are worth readingin order just to see.
The world feels extremely real, & the author writesin a way that makes it feel three-dimensional; that it extends far & wide, & beyond the scope of where the story leads you. The charactersin it are superbly handled, as befitting of a fantasy story, without unbearable clichés but with descriptive vigour that defines them clearly & attaches their well-being (orin the case of the wickedly evil characters, their misfortune) to your emotions, making each page turn more exciting.
These books are old, & have been republished so many times it should quell any doubt as to whether they are worthy of reading. If you love fantasy, you will love these books.
A major influence - By: , 24 Apr 2003 A major influence on writers like M.John Harrison, China Mieville, David Gemmell & dozens of others, this book is made up of four more or less independent novels, each following on from the other. This is a future world dominated by the Dark Empire of Granbretan whose neurotic warrior castes wear heavy masks to which they are deeply attached. They are slowly conquering Europe & those who resist them are ruthlessly extinguished. Dorian Hawkmoon, Prince of Koln (Cologne) is dragged back to Granbretanin chains & there they plan to use him to betray Count Brass of the Kamarg, one of the few independent kingdoms holding out against them. They imbet a black jewelin his skull by which they will be able to trace his movements & see what he sees. Unfortunately they don't allow for the power of love. Hawkmoon fallsin love with Ysselda of Brass, the Count's daughter, & then begins a series of action-packed tales which don't slacken until the very last page, full of colour, brooding Gothic landscapes,
battles & blood. It's easy to see how this book was a seminal work, as Moorcock's Elric stories were, on the generations which came after it. It's also very easy to enjoy wholeheartedly for what it is & what it was always intended to be. It's a rattling good tale of demons, heroes, magic & corrupted science which makes it the forerunner of all the 'new wave' science fantasy (magic & science mixed, frequently against the background of almost Dickensian London) being published today. And it's still better than everything which
came after it!
