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Corum #4
The Bull and the Spear
Berkley 1974. Mass market paperback. Heroic fantasy novel; Moorcock based this series of novels on Celtic mythology. The series consists of six The Swords Trilogy [The Knight of the Swords, The Queen of the Swords and The King of the Swords (all 1971)], this novel, The Oak and the Ram (1973) and The Sword and the Stallion (1973). The first three books have been collectively published as "The Swords Trilogy," the next three as "The Chronicles of Corum."
159 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1973
34 people are currently reading
727 people want to read
About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,207 books3,745 followersMichael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.
During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.
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October 24, 2025
This book was published in 1973, my copy dates from 1976, and I acquired it from a second-hand book shop in 1979 (for 10 pence - the cover price is 50p).
This is a slim book that makes my own relatively short debut seem positively bulky. I estimate it at 50-60,000 words, and given that Moorcock could write 15,000 words in a day, I can well believe his claim to have written many of these eternal champion books in a couple of weeks.
The Corum books, along with Elric & Hawkmoon, are highlights of my early fantasy reading and I've avoided returning to them for 30+ years partly because I was afraid they wouldn't live up to those early memories.
I failed to bring any of my current reads with me to this stay at the hospice and so I started this one again. I picked it up last night and finished this morning. It's the first book of the second trilogy, with an 80 year gap and change of worlds between them, so it's pretty much a new trilogy for all that it's called #4.
And so, the verdict? It's a mixed bag. Very obviously Moorcock can write. It's clear in many of the lines that he has a great way with words. He has focused prose with a poet's touches. For example 'a grey wind' - of course the wind wasn't grey, but in context you know exactly what this means and it paints the picture with great economy. I suspect my own style owes a lot to early readings of Moorcock's work.
The Bull and The Spear trilogy echo a lot of celtic mythology and are written with a mythic feel to them, that strengthens rapidly toward the end of the book. For example, (spoiler) the bull runs across the land and renews it with its blood, where the blood falls the Fhoi-Myore's winter is reversed. Now this is the sort of thing that's written in Norse sagas or celtic legend. If you think about the mechanics of how long it would take to run _everywhere_ and how much blood it would take etc... it all sounds a bit silly. But the mythic style supports it, though ramping up uncomfortably quickly. The bull's activity contrasting to the start where there's considerable realism with Corum fighting competently but subject to all the limitations of a normal man and running out of steam quickly in any prolonged combat.
The book is short and somewhat crowded, especially toward the end where characters like Hew Argtec and Prince Gaynor are thrown very briefly into the mix.
The relationships (such as they are) are fairly unconvincing and supported by minimal and fairly wooden dialogue - Corum's affair with the king's daughter being the prime example.
However, the imagination and feel and swiftness of the book all carry you through it and at the end it left me not regretting my decision to re-read, but with this icon of my youth very definitely shrunk to human dimensions.
I'll give this book 4* and one of those is for old time's sake.
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...
This is a slim book that makes my own relatively short debut seem positively bulky. I estimate it at 50-60,000 words, and given that Moorcock could write 15,000 words in a day, I can well believe his claim to have written many of these eternal champion books in a couple of weeks.
The Corum books, along with Elric & Hawkmoon, are highlights of my early fantasy reading and I've avoided returning to them for 30+ years partly because I was afraid they wouldn't live up to those early memories.
I failed to bring any of my current reads with me to this stay at the hospice and so I started this one again. I picked it up last night and finished this morning. It's the first book of the second trilogy, with an 80 year gap and change of worlds between them, so it's pretty much a new trilogy for all that it's called #4.
And so, the verdict? It's a mixed bag. Very obviously Moorcock can write. It's clear in many of the lines that he has a great way with words. He has focused prose with a poet's touches. For example 'a grey wind' - of course the wind wasn't grey, but in context you know exactly what this means and it paints the picture with great economy. I suspect my own style owes a lot to early readings of Moorcock's work.
The Bull and The Spear trilogy echo a lot of celtic mythology and are written with a mythic feel to them, that strengthens rapidly toward the end of the book. For example, (spoiler) the bull runs across the land and renews it with its blood, where the blood falls the Fhoi-Myore's winter is reversed. Now this is the sort of thing that's written in Norse sagas or celtic legend. If you think about the mechanics of how long it would take to run _everywhere_ and how much blood it would take etc... it all sounds a bit silly. But the mythic style supports it, though ramping up uncomfortably quickly. The bull's activity contrasting to the start where there's considerable realism with Corum fighting competently but subject to all the limitations of a normal man and running out of steam quickly in any prolonged combat.
The book is short and somewhat crowded, especially toward the end where characters like Hew Argtec and Prince Gaynor are thrown very briefly into the mix.
The relationships (such as they are) are fairly unconvincing and supported by minimal and fairly wooden dialogue - Corum's affair with the king's daughter being the prime example.
However, the imagination and feel and swiftness of the book all carry you through it and at the end it left me not regretting my decision to re-read, but with this icon of my youth very definitely shrunk to human dimensions.
I'll give this book 4* and one of those is for old time's sake.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
August 3, 2019
The second Corum trilogy begins with our aging one-eyed, one-handed hero being summoned into a future world (which looks a lot like ancient Ireland) to battle seven powerful interlopers from another plane.
Echoes of old Gaelic mythology abound, and—as usual—the writing is brisk, the tone is brooding, and the world view pessimistic and complex.
July 5, 2019
Loved everything about this story. The continuation of Corum’s saga is well thought out, consistent, and fitting; Moorcock doing a wonderful job setting up our champion’s emotional state at the beginning of the tale the seamlessly inserting him into a new environment with shadowy villains, who are even more compelling than the Chaos Lords from the first trilogy. Definitely, the book is quite short, yet it is powerful, has its far share of philosophical interludes and is just damn entertaining. This novel proving to still be one of the best sword and sorcery stories out there.
September 13, 2022
Contains some spoilers for the previous books in this series!
Corum is now worshipped as a legendary hero after his successful battle against the sword rulers, the gods of law and the gods of chaos. The influence of crooked higher beings has been completely severed from his realm and everyone in his small kingdom lives in relative peace. Corum being the immortal he is, however, outlives many of his friends and loved ones and comes to find crippling sorrow and restlessness after many decades of watching the world gradually fall apart around him. Consumed by loneliness, a lack of purpose and a grieving heart, he finds himself longing to be summoned into another great battle, just for the chance of feeling alive again. With the aid of his old friend Jhary, Corum is summoned into a new age of twisted gods, bloodthirsty fiends and the return of ancient foes. Searching for purpose in his gloomy life, Corum goes on a journey to claim the aid of the legendary spear Brionac and the spirit of a bull to assist him in his war against a new age of evil and chaos.
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this one. I thought the first two books in the Corum series were good and the final book in the original trilogy wrapped things up nicely. I didn't really see how the story could continue from where things left off, but surprisingly I actually enjoyed this one more then the entire original trilogy.
The tone feels much more bleak and melancholy. Many series have immortal characters, but not many series out there explore what happens after these characters outlive everything they've ever loved and fought for. While it starts off very depressing and grim, it eventually turns into a redemption tale of finding a sense of purpose after losing all meaning in one's life.
The writing in general is also just more mature all around. I felt more emotionally invested in the characters and found the conflict much more dazzling and immersive. It also breaks out of the shell of being a typical revenge story and one of searching for meaning after all vengeance has already been wrought.
Corum is now worshipped as a legendary hero after his successful battle against the sword rulers, the gods of law and the gods of chaos. The influence of crooked higher beings has been completely severed from his realm and everyone in his small kingdom lives in relative peace. Corum being the immortal he is, however, outlives many of his friends and loved ones and comes to find crippling sorrow and restlessness after many decades of watching the world gradually fall apart around him. Consumed by loneliness, a lack of purpose and a grieving heart, he finds himself longing to be summoned into another great battle, just for the chance of feeling alive again. With the aid of his old friend Jhary, Corum is summoned into a new age of twisted gods, bloodthirsty fiends and the return of ancient foes. Searching for purpose in his gloomy life, Corum goes on a journey to claim the aid of the legendary spear Brionac and the spirit of a bull to assist him in his war against a new age of evil and chaos.
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this one. I thought the first two books in the Corum series were good and the final book in the original trilogy wrapped things up nicely. I didn't really see how the story could continue from where things left off, but surprisingly I actually enjoyed this one more then the entire original trilogy.
The tone feels much more bleak and melancholy. Many series have immortal characters, but not many series out there explore what happens after these characters outlive everything they've ever loved and fought for. While it starts off very depressing and grim, it eventually turns into a redemption tale of finding a sense of purpose after losing all meaning in one's life.
The writing in general is also just more mature all around. I felt more emotionally invested in the characters and found the conflict much more dazzling and immersive. It also breaks out of the shell of being a typical revenge story and one of searching for meaning after all vengeance has already been wrought.
September 15, 2021
This trilogy is a much darker trilogy that the first (and that's saying something) In these if you're familiar with Irish folklore I think you'll recognize a retelling of the Nuada or Silver Arm or Silver Hand, (King of the Tuatha Dé Danann) legend.
Corum not being human has had to face the fact that he outlives any mortal he may love. Now again faced with a danger with which he must deal he feels very alone, and is very vulnerable. These are much darker than the first trilogy (as I said) and the fact that I go 4 stars says something. They are well written and will (I believe) draw you in. The Irish flavor and melancholy are very evident here and the word "enjoy" might not apply, but they're well done.
Corum not being human has had to face the fact that he outlives any mortal he may love. Now again faced with a danger with which he must deal he feels very alone, and is very vulnerable. These are much darker than the first trilogy (as I said) and the fact that I go 4 stars says something. They are well written and will (I believe) draw you in. The Irish flavor and melancholy are very evident here and the word "enjoy" might not apply, but they're well done.
April 10, 2018
Much as I love Moorcock, this does seem a little like the tale has been stretched rather thin. A little transparent.
Good, but more of the same when the opportunity existed to develop the character further than this.
Good, but more of the same when the opportunity existed to develop the character further than this.
August 12, 2021
The continuing adventures of Corum. There are a few slow places here and there, but overall this was a fantastic entry into the Eternal Champion canon.
July 10, 2017
αλλη μια πολυ ωραια περιπετεια ηρωικης φαντασιας του κορουμ. απολυτα ψυχαγωγικη λιτη με ωραιες εικονες...λιγο πιο παιδικη απο τις προηγουνενες αλλα διασκεδαστικη...
June 3, 2020
The Bull and the Spear is the fourth book in the Corum series and the first book in the second trilogy. The news of a second trilogy came as a surprise to readers of the first three volumes because The King of the Swords, the concluding book of the trilogy, ended with: "This ends the third and final Book of Corum." The second trilogy is a bit darker and feels a bit rushed in comparison with the first. The plots are fairly similar in structure and theme, and don't really cover any ground that the first ones didn't. It's more firmly grounded in familiar aspects of mythologies such as Norse and particularly Irish. Corum Jhaelen Irsei, the Prince in the Scarlet Robe, is an integral aspect of The Eternal Champion in Moorcock's multiverse tapestry of conflict featuring the Balance and Law and Chaos. The books are quite entertaining and fast, fun reads for heroic fantasy fans, but I wouldn't rank this second set as crucial parts of the puzzle. I preferred the conclusion to The Rulers trilogy to the one reached here.
November 27, 2022
A wonderful continuation of Corum's story. Tightly veiled in the usual Moorcockian metaphor about humanity and highly inspired by Celtic mythology.
April 7, 2021
Corum may well be my favorite Eternal Champion, and these books might be my favorite of Moorcock's; even moreso than the original trilogy.
The story begins a good 80 years after the end of the original Corum trilogy -- Corum's human lady love has long since passed on, and he (one of the last of the nigh-immortal Vadagh race) has spent the intervening decades moping around his ancestral castle; but then his old friend Jhary-a-Conel (Companion to Champions) stops by for a visit and chivvies him out of his mope, and Corum responds to the dream-call to adventure that he'd been ignoring, and finds himself another thousand years or so into the future (and/or pulled to a slightly different plane of existence) where he must help the humans of that time fight the Fhoi Myore -- godlike giants who threaten to overrun the world with cold and mist; and, of course, the Fhoi Myore have more than their share of minions and allies, including at least one familiar face(?) from Corum's earlier adventures.
This is Moorcock at the height of his powers at the end of the first phase of his career, when a fair amount of his writing was still squarely in the heroic fantasy or swords & sorcery mode. The world itself this time isn't as wild and chaos-tainted as Elric's Young Kingdoms or even the Fifteen Planes of Corum's earlier adventures -- this particular world is much more distinctly Celtic in feel, with character & place names straight out of the Mabinogion or the Book of Kells; and Corum's quest to retrieve two of the humans' ancestral treasures wouldn't be out of place in one of those settings. But, because this is Moorcock, there's still more than a hint of wizardry and wild romance when called for.
The story begins a good 80 years after the end of the original Corum trilogy -- Corum's human lady love has long since passed on, and he (one of the last of the nigh-immortal Vadagh race) has spent the intervening decades moping around his ancestral castle; but then his old friend Jhary-a-Conel (Companion to Champions) stops by for a visit and chivvies him out of his mope, and Corum responds to the dream-call to adventure that he'd been ignoring, and finds himself another thousand years or so into the future (and/or pulled to a slightly different plane of existence) where he must help the humans of that time fight the Fhoi Myore -- godlike giants who threaten to overrun the world with cold and mist; and, of course, the Fhoi Myore have more than their share of minions and allies, including at least one familiar face(?) from Corum's earlier adventures.
This is Moorcock at the height of his powers at the end of the first phase of his career, when a fair amount of his writing was still squarely in the heroic fantasy or swords & sorcery mode. The world itself this time isn't as wild and chaos-tainted as Elric's Young Kingdoms or even the Fifteen Planes of Corum's earlier adventures -- this particular world is much more distinctly Celtic in feel, with character & place names straight out of the Mabinogion or the Book of Kells; and Corum's quest to retrieve two of the humans' ancestral treasures wouldn't be out of place in one of those settings. But, because this is Moorcock, there's still more than a hint of wizardry and wild romance when called for.
April 22, 2017
6/10
‘The Bull and the Spear’ continues with the second chronicles of Corum, but his adventures, yet again, are only just beginninig as he will have to travel through a, much, changed world in a quest for the magical Spear.
The story picks up a few decades after ‘The King of the Swords’ with Corum starting his new adventures, but this time it didn’t hold me as much as the previous books in the series. It felt a lot like Moorcock was telling the same and same things again, only with a different enemy and it somewhat left me with mixed feelings in the end.
Also, while I could put aside most of Moorcock’s flaws in the previous books, in this book his writing has, perhaps, a bit more silliness than the others and that was one of the things that bothered me, even though the story passes quite quickly.
Overall, I wouldn’t say it was a bad book, as the previous books had some stuff too, but it is definitely my least favorite so far.
‘The Bull and the Spear’ continues with the second chronicles of Corum, but his adventures, yet again, are only just beginninig as he will have to travel through a, much, changed world in a quest for the magical Spear.
The story picks up a few decades after ‘The King of the Swords’ with Corum starting his new adventures, but this time it didn’t hold me as much as the previous books in the series. It felt a lot like Moorcock was telling the same and same things again, only with a different enemy and it somewhat left me with mixed feelings in the end.
Also, while I could put aside most of Moorcock’s flaws in the previous books, in this book his writing has, perhaps, a bit more silliness than the others and that was one of the things that bothered me, even though the story passes quite quickly.
Overall, I wouldn’t say it was a bad book, as the previous books had some stuff too, but it is definitely my least favorite so far.
March 4, 2015
It's official. I like Corum best of all the Eternal Champions. It's fascinating how he's shed so many of the accoutrements of his identity as he's gone along. I miss Jhary & Whiskers though.
May 30, 2011
I read an interview with Michael Moorcock where he revealed the secrets of his art: deciding that as he could write 15,000 words a day, it would be lazy not to, he set that as a target and proceeded to knock out two new books a week.
For me, this explains the prolific nature of Moorcock's fantasy output, but also something of its tone: the vague sense that the author is on some sort of autopilot (perhaps in a creative trance would be a more flattering way of putting it) and the odd insubstantiality of most of the books. All the Corums, the Hawkmoons, and so on start blurring together quite quickly - the same even happens to some extent to the Elric stories, the Erekose books and the Jerry Cornelius novels.
I hasten to say that if Moorcock's fantasies are hackwork they are hackwork of the highest quality, always well-written, occasionally thought-provoking, and filled with (at least superficially) distinctive imagery and twists.
The Bull and the Spear kicks off the second Corum trilogy; knowledge of the first is not really required and to some extent it stands on its own as a novel. It's more Celtic-inflected than most of Michael Moorcock's work, with various elements of Celtic mythology reworked to suit the story (it turns out Corum is vaguely recalled as the God Crom-Cruach, the antagonists of the story are sea-demons called the Fhoi Myore (= Fomor), and so on).
It's effortlessly readable with a strong atmosphere and an impressive sense of all-pervading doom, and to me was slightly more engaging than the other Corum stories I've read. But, like most Michael Moorcock books from this period, how you react to it may depend on your attitude to the man - if you've already got half a dozen or more Moorcock novels under your belt this will be another one to add to the tally, standing up on its own merits but (perhaps as importantly) adding just a little to your knowledge of the Moorcockian multiverse. If this is your first exposure, on the other hand, you could be forgiven for wondering exactly what all the fuss is about - stripped of its wider context, this is a very competent and slightly unusual old-fashioned heroic fantasy, nothing more or less.
For me, this explains the prolific nature of Moorcock's fantasy output, but also something of its tone: the vague sense that the author is on some sort of autopilot (perhaps in a creative trance would be a more flattering way of putting it) and the odd insubstantiality of most of the books. All the Corums, the Hawkmoons, and so on start blurring together quite quickly - the same even happens to some extent to the Elric stories, the Erekose books and the Jerry Cornelius novels.
I hasten to say that if Moorcock's fantasies are hackwork they are hackwork of the highest quality, always well-written, occasionally thought-provoking, and filled with (at least superficially) distinctive imagery and twists.
The Bull and the Spear kicks off the second Corum trilogy; knowledge of the first is not really required and to some extent it stands on its own as a novel. It's more Celtic-inflected than most of Michael Moorcock's work, with various elements of Celtic mythology reworked to suit the story (it turns out Corum is vaguely recalled as the God Crom-Cruach, the antagonists of the story are sea-demons called the Fhoi Myore (= Fomor), and so on).
It's effortlessly readable with a strong atmosphere and an impressive sense of all-pervading doom, and to me was slightly more engaging than the other Corum stories I've read. But, like most Michael Moorcock books from this period, how you react to it may depend on your attitude to the man - if you've already got half a dozen or more Moorcock novels under your belt this will be another one to add to the tally, standing up on its own merits but (perhaps as importantly) adding just a little to your knowledge of the Moorcockian multiverse. If this is your first exposure, on the other hand, you could be forgiven for wondering exactly what all the fuss is about - stripped of its wider context, this is a very competent and slightly unusual old-fashioned heroic fantasy, nothing more or less.
December 14, 2017
ثلاثية جديدة للبطل كورم أحد تجليات البطل الأبدي لدى مايكل موركوك، تبدأ أحداث هذا الجزء مباشرةً بعد نهاية الثلاثية الأولى، إلا أن كورم يتم استدعاءه إلى المستقبل من البشر، أو "المابدن" في هذا العالم، فبعد بطولة كورم في مواجهة آلهة الفوضى يصبح في أساطير البشر إلهًا بدوره، "كورم الإله ذو اليد الفضية" وتقع أحداث الثلاثية الجديدة في المستقبل البعيد بعد آلاف السنين وربما ملايين السنين بعد دورة جديدة من الزمن حيث يتدمر العوالم المليون ويتشكلون مرةً أخرى، العالم يواجه خطر جديد، وآلهة جدد قادمين من عالم "البرزخ" وهو فراغ تام بين العوالم، أحيانا بالصدفة تتشكل فيه مخلوقات عاقلة، وأثناء بداية دورة الزمن الجديدة يسقط بعض هؤلاء المخلوقات من برزخهم إلى عالم كورم، ولكنهم يجلبون معهم الدمار والموت لهذا العالم، مدفوعين بغرائزهم، فهم لا يستطيعون العيش سوى في البرزخ أو ما يشبه العدم، ولا يصلحون للعيش في أي من العوالم، لذا يسعون بدوافعٍ عمياء إلى دمار العالم، بالنسبة للبشر هؤلاء آلهة جدد كآلهة الفوضى يسعون لدمار العالم، لذا يستتدعون البطل القديم كورم، حيث تقول نبوئاتهم أنه سيحمل بيده الفضية رمح بيروناك الأسطوري الذي سيتخدمه لترويض ثور أسود ضخم يراه الناس في الأفق.
يأتي كورم من زمنه إلى هذا الزمن، والعالم على شفير الموت والفناء، حيث زحف الثلج والموت على اغلب العالم، وغرقت العديد من القارات القديمة، ولم يعد للبشر سوى حصن واحد يتحصنون به، وأعدادهم قليلة للغاية، وأملهم الوحيد هو الإله ذو اليد الفضية لمواجهة هذا الخطر المخيف، ويحمل كورم على عاتقه من جديد عبء إنقاذ البشرية.
أبدع مايكل موركوك في وصف العالم مجددًا، وابدع في خلق خطرٍ جديد لتهديد البشر، المغامرة من بدايتها لنهايتها مثيرة وتحبس الأنفاق، وشقتني لقراءة بقية هذه الثلاثية.
يأتي كورم من زمنه إلى هذا الزمن، والعالم على شفير الموت والفناء، حيث زحف الثلج والموت على اغلب العالم، وغرقت العديد من القارات القديمة، ولم يعد للبشر سوى حصن واحد يتحصنون به، وأعدادهم قليلة للغاية، وأملهم الوحيد هو الإله ذو اليد الفضية لمواجهة هذا الخطر المخيف، ويحمل كورم على عاتقه من جديد عبء إنقاذ البشرية.
أبدع مايكل موركوك في وصف العالم مجددًا، وابدع في خلق خطرٍ جديد لتهديد البشر، المغامرة من بدايتها لنهايتها مثيرة وتحبس الأنفاق، وشقتني لقراءة بقية هذه الثلاثية.
January 28, 2017
Corun has greatly out lived his human mate, Rhalina. He uses his powers as a god to travel though time to aid the descendants of Rhalina who are being persecuted by giant gods. The Black Bull has the powers necessary has the powers to defeat monsters but a epic journey is required to harness those powers.
January 30, 2023
I'm enjoying this series but I do feel rather like I'm being held at arms length from the characters.
November 3, 2023
Started reading this on a cold and grey day, which was fitting. It felt less full throttle than most Moorcock, more atmospheric and melancholic.
August 28, 2020
I was excited to get back into the Corum books after a brief, but thoroughly enjoyable diversion to the Castle Brass trilogy. Much of this is more spoiler-y than critique, so if you want surprises then don’t read any more of what follows. Being the first of three books in the second trilogy of Corum there’s seemingly little doubt about the titular Champion’s survival, even so…
Book#4 commences 80 years after the end of Book#3, with Immortal Corum lamenting his dead mortal wife, Rhalina. Slowly going mad, hearing voices, dreaming strange dreams, nightmares even, the Prince sees nothing of value in his existence. Then a visitor! Ah, Jhary is back! For a time, Corum is enlivened by Jhary’s tales of the Multiverse and the many iterations of the Eternal Champion, some of which are Corum himself, all of which are strange and fascinating and hardly believable. And in their telling, he learns his madness is nothing of the sort, what he thought he heard were the voices of those calling him, as a manifestation of the Eternal Champion, to his destiny. Which is to help the Mabden folk, the race of his late wife, Rhalina. The Tuha-na-Cremm Croich, fighting the Chaos people, the Fhoi Myore, they of in-between planes, Limbo.
Things take on a rather Celtic feel, or maybe older Irish, or even older Germanic tribes. Pretty cool. Druids, Samhain, the Bull (of Crinanass) and the Spear (called Bryionak). Stories are traded, some myth, some real, some in between, and Corum begins to see the Multiverse behind it all…
We drift into part two, where Corum readies for the battle at Caer Mahlod against the Fhoi Myore. First come the Hounds of Kerenos. He witnesses the skill of Medhbh, warrior-daughter of the King of the land. Ally, luckily! A visit to the ruins of Castle Owyn for reflection and other things with Medhbh… Huh. Then Corum leaves to find the spear, Bryionak, to tame the bull, Crinanass...
(Aside: I thought this sounded familiar, until I realized it’s the Táin Bó Cúailnge*. Epic, no, really, it’s an epic poem from Ireland!)
As he traverses the moors, he meets Ieveen the Seeress, who speaks of great death, then, entranced, keens of things akin to the Multiverse and Corum’s place in it. He is told to fear three things: his brother, the harp, and beauty. More foreshadowing… Through the Forest of Laahr - more hounds, and the Ghoolegh! - to the Wizard Calatin, and with him to his home, then onward to Hy-Breasail for the spear. He is tasked by Calatin to bring back the spittle of a Sidhi Blacksmith - Goffanon - and is given a horn that can ward off the Hounds. Deal made! Goffanon is met and a sad trade is made.
As part three begins Corum returns to the Wizard, and more unwelcome trades are made. Meanwhile, the Fhoi Myore march, the spear saves Corum, and he meets the Tuha-na-Ana, and the Ice Phantoms. Finally at Caer Mahlod, Corum must go with Medhbh to call the Bull and hopefully defeat those from the in-between planes. To save the Mabden, again, from a Chaos force led by none other than Prince Gaynor the Doomed!!!
This book, short as it was, took some time to accelerate into something interesting and fun. Just a bit heavy on dialogue for me, but a wondrous variety of characters made things move apace once the initial literary lethargy waned. And the final (OK, “final”, it is the Multiverse) battle was gory and gruesome and lovely. All in all, a wonderful addition to the Corum books, and now I have just the final two...
*The Táin Bó Cúailnge is a powerful Irish epic known as the Irish Iliad. Amazing how Moorcock utilizes that here, another testament to his ability to graft fact, myth, and literature into his works.
Book#4 commences 80 years after the end of Book#3, with Immortal Corum lamenting his dead mortal wife, Rhalina. Slowly going mad, hearing voices, dreaming strange dreams, nightmares even, the Prince sees nothing of value in his existence. Then a visitor! Ah, Jhary is back! For a time, Corum is enlivened by Jhary’s tales of the Multiverse and the many iterations of the Eternal Champion, some of which are Corum himself, all of which are strange and fascinating and hardly believable. And in their telling, he learns his madness is nothing of the sort, what he thought he heard were the voices of those calling him, as a manifestation of the Eternal Champion, to his destiny. Which is to help the Mabden folk, the race of his late wife, Rhalina. The Tuha-na-Cremm Croich, fighting the Chaos people, the Fhoi Myore, they of in-between planes, Limbo.
Things take on a rather Celtic feel, or maybe older Irish, or even older Germanic tribes. Pretty cool. Druids, Samhain, the Bull (of Crinanass) and the Spear (called Bryionak). Stories are traded, some myth, some real, some in between, and Corum begins to see the Multiverse behind it all…
We drift into part two, where Corum readies for the battle at Caer Mahlod against the Fhoi Myore. First come the Hounds of Kerenos. He witnesses the skill of Medhbh, warrior-daughter of the King of the land. Ally, luckily! A visit to the ruins of Castle Owyn for reflection and other things with Medhbh… Huh. Then Corum leaves to find the spear, Bryionak, to tame the bull, Crinanass...
(Aside: I thought this sounded familiar, until I realized it’s the Táin Bó Cúailnge*. Epic, no, really, it’s an epic poem from Ireland!)
As he traverses the moors, he meets Ieveen the Seeress, who speaks of great death, then, entranced, keens of things akin to the Multiverse and Corum’s place in it. He is told to fear three things: his brother, the harp, and beauty. More foreshadowing… Through the Forest of Laahr - more hounds, and the Ghoolegh! - to the Wizard Calatin, and with him to his home, then onward to Hy-Breasail for the spear. He is tasked by Calatin to bring back the spittle of a Sidhi Blacksmith - Goffanon - and is given a horn that can ward off the Hounds. Deal made! Goffanon is met and a sad trade is made.
As part three begins Corum returns to the Wizard, and more unwelcome trades are made. Meanwhile, the Fhoi Myore march, the spear saves Corum, and he meets the Tuha-na-Ana, and the Ice Phantoms. Finally at Caer Mahlod, Corum must go with Medhbh to call the Bull and hopefully defeat those from the in-between planes. To save the Mabden, again, from a Chaos force led by none other than Prince Gaynor the Doomed!!!
This book, short as it was, took some time to accelerate into something interesting and fun. Just a bit heavy on dialogue for me, but a wondrous variety of characters made things move apace once the initial literary lethargy waned. And the final (OK, “final”, it is the Multiverse) battle was gory and gruesome and lovely. All in all, a wonderful addition to the Corum books, and now I have just the final two...
*The Táin Bó Cúailnge is a powerful Irish epic known as the Irish Iliad. Amazing how Moorcock utilizes that here, another testament to his ability to graft fact, myth, and literature into his works.
August 15, 2021
Excellent tale of Corum. Great heroic stuff in the Eternal Champion series. But there's more to come in the Oak and the Ram.
November 25, 2020
The Bull and the Spear - 3/5
Ah fine wee swurd and sucery tale fae a master of 'em. Corum, Prince of the Silver Hand, sets oot tae fight sum Celtic flavoured enemies in a land ah never endin winter. The Fhoi Myore, based an the Irish legends of the Fomóire, come tae spreed cald an deeth tae the lands a the Mabden sae as tae mak their land lik tha of the Limbo they came fae. Corum, summoned be the few remainin folken of tis dying wurld, does his best tae defeat'em.
Tis is ah fine adventure yarn, but his ah little stretched, despite is short page count. The threat ah the Fhoi Myore, whilst considerable, is no so much felt directly be Corum who mainly comes across their handywork in the form of the desalet wasteland his wanderins tak him through. He fights their minions sure but the presence ah the Fhoi Myore is only really felt in the wings during tis beuk.
The atmosphere of the storie is ah high point. The description of ah cald n lifeless land, frozen under the march ah the gods ah Limbo is a powerful yin. Yeh kin feel the freezin wind as Corum does. Corum does a fair bita agnsty introspection at the beginnin ah the storie as well, which ah alwaes lik.
Character-wise is pretty stock. Ah've nae read any oh the other Corum beuks n sae far he seems lik a stock honourable hero (though fae wit a've gleaned tis is different in the previous trilogy). Medhbh, Corum's love interest, is maistly unnerdeveloped n whilst hers and Corum's relationship taks slightly mair tim than Elric and Zarozinia's romance to appear it still feels oot a left field, specially since Corum was in mourning for maist ah the beginning ah've the novel.
O'eraw, the beuk is a fine adventure wae ah loada action and sum well crafted atmosphere.
Ah fine wee swurd and sucery tale fae a master of 'em. Corum, Prince of the Silver Hand, sets oot tae fight sum Celtic flavoured enemies in a land ah never endin winter. The Fhoi Myore, based an the Irish legends of the Fomóire, come tae spreed cald an deeth tae the lands a the Mabden sae as tae mak their land lik tha of the Limbo they came fae. Corum, summoned be the few remainin folken of tis dying wurld, does his best tae defeat'em.
Tis is ah fine adventure yarn, but his ah little stretched, despite is short page count. The threat ah the Fhoi Myore, whilst considerable, is no so much felt directly be Corum who mainly comes across their handywork in the form of the desalet wasteland his wanderins tak him through. He fights their minions sure but the presence ah the Fhoi Myore is only really felt in the wings during tis beuk.
The atmosphere of the storie is ah high point. The description of ah cald n lifeless land, frozen under the march ah the gods ah Limbo is a powerful yin. Yeh kin feel the freezin wind as Corum does. Corum does a fair bita agnsty introspection at the beginnin ah the storie as well, which ah alwaes lik.
Character-wise is pretty stock. Ah've nae read any oh the other Corum beuks n sae far he seems lik a stock honourable hero (though fae wit a've gleaned tis is different in the previous trilogy). Medhbh, Corum's love interest, is maistly unnerdeveloped n whilst hers and Corum's relationship taks slightly mair tim than Elric and Zarozinia's romance to appear it still feels oot a left field, specially since Corum was in mourning for maist ah the beginning ah've the novel.
O'eraw, the beuk is a fine adventure wae ah loada action and sum well crafted atmosphere.
July 26, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in July 2000.
The start of this novel is very melancholy. Several decades after the end of the Swords trilogy, the immortal Corum has sunk into lethargy after the death of his beloved human wife, Rhalina. He starts experiencing strange dreams, and finally allows himself to be taken far into the future by a mystical incantation. The people who have called him, half-believing, are driven by desperation. The world is under attack by mysterious non-sentient beings of great power, who desire to turn the land around them into a counterpart of the inter-dimensional limbo from which they came. The principal weapon which has almost defeated their human foes is a part of this transformation, as it brings extreme cold and permanent winter to the world.
In this novel, influences from Celtic mythology are more apparent than is usual in Moorcock, whose references to external mythological systems are rare. Moorcock is usually more interested in making links with popular culture, most extensively in the Jerry Cornelius novels. The story itself follows a form common in fantasy, a heroic quest for some talismanic object to counter a major threat.
The start of this novel is very melancholy. Several decades after the end of the Swords trilogy, the immortal Corum has sunk into lethargy after the death of his beloved human wife, Rhalina. He starts experiencing strange dreams, and finally allows himself to be taken far into the future by a mystical incantation. The people who have called him, half-believing, are driven by desperation. The world is under attack by mysterious non-sentient beings of great power, who desire to turn the land around them into a counterpart of the inter-dimensional limbo from which they came. The principal weapon which has almost defeated their human foes is a part of this transformation, as it brings extreme cold and permanent winter to the world.
In this novel, influences from Celtic mythology are more apparent than is usual in Moorcock, whose references to external mythological systems are rare. Moorcock is usually more interested in making links with popular culture, most extensively in the Jerry Cornelius novels. The story itself follows a form common in fantasy, a heroic quest for some talismanic object to counter a major threat.
March 24, 2018
This was my favorite so far of the Corum books, partly because it's so thoroughly grounded in Irish mythology, and partly because structurally it felt a little more unified, a little less of a whatever-came-to-mind-at-the-moment pastiche than some of the previous books.
Moorcock did emo before emo was emo, before emo was cool, and he does it well by keeping it under control--an undertone of hopelessness, a hero who's resigned to the callousness of fate and at some points wants (literally) to just lie down and die, but still goes on to fight the fight, not even necessarily because it's the right thing to do, but because that's just what he does. The Black Bull here, though its part is limited, is one of my favorite characters in the entire series--pure awesomeness.
I still confess myself to be more Team Elric than Team Corum, though--the sea-maze, dragon-riding, and black sword with its own evil agenda, all in the possession of a tortured albino, are pretty much an impossible combination to beat. It's a good effort, so far, though, Corum. Keep at it, and I'll stick it out with you for a couple more books and see how you measure up.
Moorcock did emo before emo was emo, before emo was cool, and he does it well by keeping it under control--an undertone of hopelessness, a hero who's resigned to the callousness of fate and at some points wants (literally) to just lie down and die, but still goes on to fight the fight, not even necessarily because it's the right thing to do, but because that's just what he does. The Black Bull here, though its part is limited, is one of my favorite characters in the entire series--pure awesomeness.
I still confess myself to be more Team Elric than Team Corum, though--the sea-maze, dragon-riding, and black sword with its own evil agenda, all in the possession of a tortured albino, are pretty much an impossible combination to beat. It's a good effort, so far, though, Corum. Keep at it, and I'll stick it out with you for a couple more books and see how you measure up.
June 11, 2020
The first of the second sequence of Moorcock's 'Corum' books is heavily based on Irish legends and none the worse for that. The story opens with Prince Corum, a prince of the Vadhagh race, mourning the death of his human wife, Rhalina. Years earlier he had been responsible for the destruction of no less then three Gods before settling down to a well earned retirement. Now, bereaved and with no great destiny to pursue he is conjured into a time, thousands of years in the future, by the descendants of his wife's people to save them from strange enemies and new gods. I suppose it's fairly standard fantasy fayre - a troubled hero, a quest, an evil enemy - but it's better written than most and rattles along at a pace that makes you wonder why it took Frodo the best part of six chapters to get out of the Shire. The downside of this pace is that there is not a great deal of world building. That said Corum, the hero, is new to the world so we learn about it as he does.
The Bull and the Spear is a short book - 146 pages in my edition -and is followed by two more books to complete the story.
The Bull and the Spear is a short book - 146 pages in my edition -and is followed by two more books to complete the story.
August 20, 2016
4 stars from Brad, read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE
This review contains spoilers for the first three books in the Corum series.
Michael Moorcock’s CORUM series is comprised of two trilogies. In the first trilogy, Corum defeated the three Chaos rulers of the fifteen planes, giving Law back much of its lost power and thereby restoring the Balance. Starting eighty years later, the second trilogy starts with The Bull and the Spear (1973). As the book starts, we find that Corum has lived in peace with his great love, Rhalina; however, since he is one of the Vadhagh race, Corum lives much longer than humans do. As a result, he must watch Rhalina grow old and die along with all the people of her generation, all Corum’s friends and extended community. As time passes he grows more and more isolated instead of forging new friendships. Corum’s days of happiness and adventure seem over. ...read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE
This review contains spoilers for the first three books in the Corum series.
Michael Moorcock’s CORUM series is comprised of two trilogies. In the first trilogy, Corum defeated the three Chaos rulers of the fifteen planes, giving Law back much of its lost power and thereby restoring the Balance. Starting eighty years later, the second trilogy starts with The Bull and the Spear (1973). As the book starts, we find that Corum has lived in peace with his great love, Rhalina; however, since he is one of the Vadhagh race, Corum lives much longer than humans do. As a result, he must watch Rhalina grow old and die along with all the people of her generation, all Corum’s friends and extended community. As time passes he grows more and more isolated instead of forging new friendships. Corum’s days of happiness and adventure seem over. ...read the full review at FANTASY LITERATURE
April 8, 2016
Book Four of the Chronicles of Corum doesn't exactly pick up where Book Three left off. In fact, a great deal of time has past. A duration that has left Prince Corum as melancholy as, perhaps, a certain Danish prince of Shakespearean renown. Thus begins a new cycle of tragedy and triumph for this Celtic myth inspired incarnation of Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion. This first stage of the cycle sets Corum on a quest to find a legendary spear that will control a giant bull that will, or so legend foretells, defeat a great monstrous evil which blankets the world in ice, snow and death. Can Corum find the spear in time to save the world? Well, he's not called an Incarnation of the Eternal Champion for nothing. Moorcock delivers another wonderful chapter in his sprawling epic of endless conflict between order and chaos.
August 3, 2021
The Bull and the Spear is a great start to a new Corum series. Corum is lost and lonely. He is isolated and ready for death. Then he gets pulled into the future to fight a battle that seems hopeless. Fighting against Frost Giants that are pulled from the world of Celtic Mythology.
Corum is an interesting character that really makes the series for me, in addition to Moorcock's writing style that reads like something lifted from the pages of King Arthur.
Give it a read as well as the first trilogy or you would be missing out.
The initial trilogy was an amazing read, someday I might go back and review them.
Corum is an interesting character that really makes the series for me, in addition to Moorcock's writing style that reads like something lifted from the pages of King Arthur.
Give it a read as well as the first trilogy or you would be missing out.
The initial trilogy was an amazing read, someday I might go back and review them.
October 23, 2019
As I've stated before in previous reviews, I don't consider myself a fantasy guy, but this is great. From what I understand this is heavily rooted in Irish folklore, but it's not a story I'm familiar with so this retelling is all new to me. Just a great continuation of the Corum saga as we find him 1,000 years in the future battling another evil and powerful race in order to save the world. Some of the best fantasy I've ever read.
March 15, 2015
This is perhaps my favorite of the Corum novels. It takes the slight Celtic theming of the original trilogy and cranks it up to 11, really drenching the stories in the Matter of Ireland, while still creating an original story that feels like it's a party of the Eternal Champion mythos. Besides that, the story itself is a typical quest, well told, with a very mythic ending that I love.
June 13, 2022
It was ok. 2,8 stars.
Is it just me or the character of Corum feels flat?
Every Corum book so far is basic sword and sorcery. We have a hero that has a quest. Quest is fulfilled with many adventures and meeting strange characters along the way. Exactly what you expect.
But the character of Corum... nothing.
Well... On to the book 5. Fingers crossed.
Is it just me or the character of Corum feels flat?
Every Corum book so far is basic sword and sorcery. We have a hero that has a quest. Quest is fulfilled with many adventures and meeting strange characters along the way. Exactly what you expect.
But the character of Corum... nothing.
Well... On to the book 5. Fingers crossed.
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