What do you think?
Rate this book
Erekosë #3
Le Dragon de l'épée
348pages. poche. Poche.
347 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1986
45 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,206 books3,741 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
August 17, 2016
Michael Moorcock is one of my favorite authors; reading his novels and their heady stew of existentialist angst & anarchism & multiple dimensions at a young age caused his world view to seriously impact my own. thanks a lot, Moorcock - I blame you for my general inability to give a straight answer to most questions. a year or so ago I decided to revisit his various hero-cycles. my mistake was starting with the hero I've seen as the fulcrum of Moorcock's various eternal champions: John Daker - better known as Erekosë. unlike protagonists such as Jerry Cornelius, Elric, Corum, Dorian Hawkmoon, etc et al, Erekosë is fitfully aware of all of his incarnations and the basically cyclical nature of his existence. unfortunately what this means is that the reader has to deal with a shitload of mopey, whiny bouts of infuriating self-pity. it gets incredibly wearying.
I felt ready to give up after just the first section. happily, for a good 100 pages or so, right in the middle, it is almost as if Moorcock forgot he was writing a John Daker "adventure" and began writing a genuine adventure. his wonderfully baroque, pulpy, and often ironically self-aware imagination took flight. 6 dimensions that exist in a wheel formation, all with strangely long Germanic names. gigantic steamboats that are slowly moving cities! one of them powered by human corpses! swordfights! crazy costumes! giant bear-men! flying islands! warriors with skins of flowing blood! Hitler! an evil princess! good grief, this novel has Cannibal Ghost Women. what more could I ask for? even better, the obnoxiously petulant John Daker/Erekosë is joined by the witty and urbane Von Bek, star of his very own hero-cycle. I was a bit confused at first because I thought Von Bek and Daker are both incarnations of the eternal champion, and so the two of them being comrades-in-arms made my brain hurt. but mainly I was happy - Von Bek's presence seemed to inject a large, very necessary amount of fun and madcap creativity into the dreary un-adventures of Erekosë.
alas, it didn't last much more than the lengthy middle section. eventually it gets back to the exceedingly drippy and mawkish annoyances that I had to struggle through during the prior two novels. sorry, Erekosë, but after your genocide of all of humanity (in one dimension) in your first adventure, I sort of lost interest in listening to you whine endlessly about your fucked-up life and how much you want to be with your lady love. have some perspective dude. do you even deserve the slightest bit of happiness? and sorry, Moorcock, but if you think the lines "We are the lost, we are the last, we are the unkind. We are the Warriors at the Edge of Time. And we're tired. We're tired. We're tired of making love..." sound like a timeless mythic chant, rather than just sounding painfully stilted, embarrassing - well, I don't even know what to say. I think someone was smoking hella weed the day he wrote this novel. which makes for some entertainment, but mainly a lot of eye-rolling.
reviews for the prior two novels in this sequence:
The Eternal Champion
Phoenix in Obsidion
I felt ready to give up after just the first section. happily, for a good 100 pages or so, right in the middle, it is almost as if Moorcock forgot he was writing a John Daker "adventure" and began writing a genuine adventure. his wonderfully baroque, pulpy, and often ironically self-aware imagination took flight. 6 dimensions that exist in a wheel formation, all with strangely long Germanic names. gigantic steamboats that are slowly moving cities! one of them powered by human corpses! swordfights! crazy costumes! giant bear-men! flying islands! warriors with skins of flowing blood! Hitler! an evil princess! good grief, this novel has Cannibal Ghost Women. what more could I ask for? even better, the obnoxiously petulant John Daker/Erekosë is joined by the witty and urbane Von Bek, star of his very own hero-cycle. I was a bit confused at first because I thought Von Bek and Daker are both incarnations of the eternal champion, and so the two of them being comrades-in-arms made my brain hurt. but mainly I was happy - Von Bek's presence seemed to inject a large, very necessary amount of fun and madcap creativity into the dreary un-adventures of Erekosë.
alas, it didn't last much more than the lengthy middle section. eventually it gets back to the exceedingly drippy and mawkish annoyances that I had to struggle through during the prior two novels. sorry, Erekosë, but after your genocide of all of humanity (in one dimension) in your first adventure, I sort of lost interest in listening to you whine endlessly about your fucked-up life and how much you want to be with your lady love. have some perspective dude. do you even deserve the slightest bit of happiness? and sorry, Moorcock, but if you think the lines "We are the lost, we are the last, we are the unkind. We are the Warriors at the Edge of Time. And we're tired. We're tired. We're tired of making love..." sound like a timeless mythic chant, rather than just sounding painfully stilted, embarrassing - well, I don't even know what to say. I think someone was smoking hella weed the day he wrote this novel. which makes for some entertainment, but mainly a lot of eye-rolling.
reviews for the prior two novels in this sequence:
The Eternal Champion
Phoenix in Obsidion
August 18, 2021
Michael Moorcock's series sometimes get ... complicated in their interrelationships. Case in point: Although this is presented as the third book in the Eternal Champion/Erekosë trilogy, and is narrated by Erekosë himself, in spirit it's really more of an entry in the von Bek series (beginning with The War Hound and the World's Pain) and when White Wolf did their massive set of Eternal Champion hardcover omnibi, they put this book into the von Bek volume, not the Eternal Champion volume.
So. When last we left our Champion, he had been summoned to incarnate as Ulrik Skarskol on a frozen, dying, decadent world. This book begins some unspecified time (if, in fact, there is such a thing as "time" in the first place) later, during which Erekosë (whom I'll henceforth be referring to as John Daker, the name he bore before he was summoned way back in the first book, both because it's the name he comes to prefer, and because it doesn't have any umlauts or other off-putting diacritical marks) had adventures of an unspecified kind, including, apparently, the two great Eternal Champion crossovers that were first told in the Elric, Corum and Hawkmoon series back in the day.
This time, he finds himself in the Six Realms of the Wheel, a rather cosmologically complex place that has more of an 18th century European feel to it than that of a more typical sword & sorcery world; he meets & joins forces with one Ulrich von Bek (who fled from Nazi Germany and found himself ... here?). Naturally, he [John Daker] is taken for a returning hero; naturally, he and his various companions get caught up in intrigues of mortals and of Lords of various higher realms; and, naturally, there is a Black Sword that must be sought ...
And in the end, this book is, in fact, the close of the Eternal Champion's long, long story.
This is definitely 1980s Moorcock -- it doesn't quite have the wizardry and wild romance of some of his earlier work, but the actual writing is, in fact, considerably better than what had come before.
So. When last we left our Champion, he had been summoned to incarnate as Ulrik Skarskol on a frozen, dying, decadent world. This book begins some unspecified time (if, in fact, there is such a thing as "time" in the first place) later, during which Erekosë (whom I'll henceforth be referring to as John Daker, the name he bore before he was summoned way back in the first book, both because it's the name he comes to prefer, and because it doesn't have any umlauts or other off-putting diacritical marks) had adventures of an unspecified kind, including, apparently, the two great Eternal Champion crossovers that were first told in the Elric, Corum and Hawkmoon series back in the day.
This time, he finds himself in the Six Realms of the Wheel, a rather cosmologically complex place that has more of an 18th century European feel to it than that of a more typical sword & sorcery world; he meets & joins forces with one Ulrich von Bek (who fled from Nazi Germany and found himself ... here?). Naturally, he [John Daker] is taken for a returning hero; naturally, he and his various companions get caught up in intrigues of mortals and of Lords of various higher realms; and, naturally, there is a Black Sword that must be sought ...
And in the end, this book is, in fact, the close of the Eternal Champion's long, long story.
This is definitely 1980s Moorcock -- it doesn't quite have the wizardry and wild romance of some of his earlier work, but the actual writing is, in fact, considerably better than what had come before.
November 4, 2016
Erekose has been a great starting point in the cycles of the Eternal Champion, as his perspective gives a great view of the champion and how he functions within the multiverse. He sees beyond his current aspect, but being that his memories are limited he's forced to seek answers, which in turn provides the reader with more information on how the champion fits into the bigger scheme of things.
In this incarnation, John Daker becomes Prince Flamadin, fated to find the Black Sword and prevent Chaos from taking control of the Six Realms. As he begins his journey he meets a fellow traveler within the multiverse, Urlich Von Bek. (A name that will probably mean more to me once I've read more of the multiverse books.) Von Bek has recently escaped persecution under Nazi Germany, bringing with him first hand experience of life under a tyrannical government. This plays out in the story, as Chaos's minions manipulate and abuse their people in their quest for greater power.
What I've found most interesting about reading Michael Moorcock's stories is the obvious influence he's had on shows and authors I'm familiar with - a few that I love. There's something exciting about seeing the origins of an idea, how that idea has morphed, then became it's own animal. I'm curious what other treasures Moorcock's stories contain, so naturally I'll be reading more of his books.
On a side note - I've just discovered a band that has written some fantasy inspired songs - Blind Guardian - and one just so happens to be about the Eternal Champion, but they've also written some inspired by The Lord of Rings, Wheel of Time, Games of Thrones. Can't help feeling appreciation for a band that writes fantasy inspired music.
In this incarnation, John Daker becomes Prince Flamadin, fated to find the Black Sword and prevent Chaos from taking control of the Six Realms. As he begins his journey he meets a fellow traveler within the multiverse, Urlich Von Bek. (A name that will probably mean more to me once I've read more of the multiverse books.) Von Bek has recently escaped persecution under Nazi Germany, bringing with him first hand experience of life under a tyrannical government. This plays out in the story, as Chaos's minions manipulate and abuse their people in their quest for greater power.
What I've found most interesting about reading Michael Moorcock's stories is the obvious influence he's had on shows and authors I'm familiar with - a few that I love. There's something exciting about seeing the origins of an idea, how that idea has morphed, then became it's own animal. I'm curious what other treasures Moorcock's stories contain, so naturally I'll be reading more of his books.
On a side note - I've just discovered a band that has written some fantasy inspired songs - Blind Guardian - and one just so happens to be about the Eternal Champion, but they've also written some inspired by The Lord of Rings, Wheel of Time, Games of Thrones. Can't help feeling appreciation for a band that writes fantasy inspired music.
August 18, 2021
The second volume was in a bit of a slump - but only comparatively speaking - and now we're right back to the great heights of melodrama... perhaps not quite as high as with the first book, not quite the same stakes and tension and emotiton, but it does come close enough at times, and it more than compensates with some better characters and great setting.
June 16, 2018
Unfortunately, this seemed like a weak ending to the Erekose series. I liked the first two quite a bit but very little happened here and it seemed much longer than it needed to be, probably because nothing important was happening. John Daker, Erekose, doesn't even find the sword until near the end and there's only one battle of consequence. The ending battle was good, but then the end itself is rather dragged out.
I also thought that it was interesting that, despite the fact that Moorcock doesn't care for the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, that he uses a Tolkien trope near the end by having the "Eldren" (Elves) sail off to another world. Certainly not my favorite book of Moorcock's.
I also thought that it was interesting that, despite the fact that Moorcock doesn't care for the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, that he uses a Tolkien trope near the end by having the "Eldren" (Elves) sail off to another world. Certainly not my favorite book of Moorcock's.
August 23, 2016
In my opinion,Moorcock was a much bettet writer before roughly 1981.
November 12, 2017
Sweet Arioch's Tears this one is quite the slog.
A lot of "we need to quest across X to find the Amulet of Y so we can discover the route to the Dragon Sword." By the time we've cross multiverse's and join Hitler and the Nazis in a secret chamber summoning the Holy Grail, I was soooooooo bored. But it does pick up a bit, even if that just means, there is a battle a few pages later. Not with the Nazis, sadly.
John Draker. You've had better adventures.
Things to look out for :
Bearlike Creatures straight out of CS Lewis
Inter-reality travel very much like Amber Chronicles.
Beautiful women who look just like your beloved but AREN'T.
Not Moorcock's best, sadly.
Still, like my favorite band THE FALL. Moorcock is always different, always the same and therefore exactly what you need!
A lot of "we need to quest across X to find the Amulet of Y so we can discover the route to the Dragon Sword." By the time we've cross multiverse's and join Hitler and the Nazis in a secret chamber summoning the Holy Grail, I was soooooooo bored. But it does pick up a bit, even if that just means, there is a battle a few pages later. Not with the Nazis, sadly.
John Draker. You've had better adventures.
Things to look out for :
Bearlike Creatures straight out of CS Lewis
Inter-reality travel very much like Amber Chronicles.
Beautiful women who look just like your beloved but AREN'T.
Not Moorcock's best, sadly.
Still, like my favorite band THE FALL. Moorcock is always different, always the same and therefore exactly what you need!
May 4, 2025
Παρά πολύ καλές εντυπώσεις από την τριλογία
Ο Μουρκοκ έχει συνθέσει ένα πολύ πολύπλοκο κόσμο με ιδιαίτερες ιδέες, παράλληλα σύμπαντα και μετενσαρκώσεις
Τα προηγούμενα 2 ήταν καθαρά 5* εδώ κάποτε
Ένιωσα πως έγινε φλύαρο και αχρείαστα τόσο μπερδεμένο
Αλλά δεν παύει να είναι ένα εξαιρετικό έργο
Το μόνο που μου έλειψε ήταν η επανένωση με την αγαπημένη του
Ο Μουρκοκ έχει συνθέσει ένα πολύ πολύπλοκο κόσμο με ιδιαίτερες ιδέες, παράλληλα σύμπαντα και μετενσαρκώσεις
Τα προηγούμενα 2 ήταν καθαρά 5* εδώ κάποτε
Ένιωσα πως έγινε φλύαρο και αχρείαστα τόσο μπερδεμένο
Αλλά δεν παύει να είναι ένα εξαιρετικό έργο
Το μόνο που μου έλειψε ήταν η επανένωση με την αγαπημένη του
May 1, 2021
He was once John Daker, a mortal man living an unfulfilling life on Earth. Then he was Erekose, a doomed hero summoned out of time to slay the Eldren but chose another path. Then he was Count Urlik Skarsol of the Frozen Keep summoned to slay the strange race of Silver Warriors who hatched from the moon. Now, John Daker takes on the mantle of one final warrior to put an end to the cycle of chaos once and for all. He is reborn once more as Prince Flamadin in the Six Realms of the Wheel, where he befriends concentration camp escapee Count Ulric von Bek and an Eldren woman named Alisaard who bears a striking resemblance to Erekose's lost love Ermizhad.
The odd crew of three band together in a grand mission to save the multiverse from three faces of great evil. They must obtain the Dragon Sword before the insane Princess Sharadim gets her hands on it. They must secure the Holy Grail before Adolf Hitler and his loyal supporters are granted godlike power. And finally, they must challenge the Dukes of Hell to restore balance and order to the multiverse so they may return to where they rightfully belong.
After finding the first two Erekose books decent, I wasn't expecting to enjoy the last one so much more than any other I've read in the Eternal Champion universe so far. I thought Erekose was the least interesting of the protagonists I've read about, but this final entry in his trilogy is off the walls madness. What really did it for me is the surprisingly good-humored Von Bek. He brought out Erekose's personality and just added a lot of flair to the overall story that was lacking in the others. Then there's the way so many different timelines and dimensions converge to form a massive crazy battle. An evil princess, Hitler and cosmic entities from Hell and the cosmos mixing up in a single explosive plot was extremely chaotic but also a ton of fun to watch unfold.
The tale of Erekose comes to a bittersweet end. While the series was a bit weak in some ways, it added a lot of depth to the multiverse and made me further appreciate all of the other entries in the Eternal Champion chronicles. It explained how the Eternal Champion and the Black Sword function in every realm, how times flows, the balance of chaos and order and so on. Even when the story wasn't that great, it had some truly fascinating world building and philosophical exposition. I understand why the final book may have been unappealing to a lot of people because of how absurd and overwhelming it was at times, but funny enough, that's precisely why I enjoyed it as much as I did.
The odd crew of three band together in a grand mission to save the multiverse from three faces of great evil. They must obtain the Dragon Sword before the insane Princess Sharadim gets her hands on it. They must secure the Holy Grail before Adolf Hitler and his loyal supporters are granted godlike power. And finally, they must challenge the Dukes of Hell to restore balance and order to the multiverse so they may return to where they rightfully belong.
After finding the first two Erekose books decent, I wasn't expecting to enjoy the last one so much more than any other I've read in the Eternal Champion universe so far. I thought Erekose was the least interesting of the protagonists I've read about, but this final entry in his trilogy is off the walls madness. What really did it for me is the surprisingly good-humored Von Bek. He brought out Erekose's personality and just added a lot of flair to the overall story that was lacking in the others. Then there's the way so many different timelines and dimensions converge to form a massive crazy battle. An evil princess, Hitler and cosmic entities from Hell and the cosmos mixing up in a single explosive plot was extremely chaotic but also a ton of fun to watch unfold.
The tale of Erekose comes to a bittersweet end. While the series was a bit weak in some ways, it added a lot of depth to the multiverse and made me further appreciate all of the other entries in the Eternal Champion chronicles. It explained how the Eternal Champion and the Black Sword function in every realm, how times flows, the balance of chaos and order and so on. Even when the story wasn't that great, it had some truly fascinating world building and philosophical exposition. I understand why the final book may have been unappealing to a lot of people because of how absurd and overwhelming it was at times, but funny enough, that's precisely why I enjoyed it as much as I did.
July 5, 2010
A belated conclusion to the Eternal Champion trilogy that previously merged with the Chronicles of Castle Brass trilogy. A conclusion, of sorts, is reached for John Daker/Erekose.
Once again, Moorcock explores the theme of the eternal struggle between chaos and order, of the necessity for a balance between the two. Tyranny and the lust for power also features heavily in this story. John Daker teams up with von Bek, both of whom have been brought to a strange realm that is on the cusp of succumbing to a tyranical regime and poised to fall under the dominion of chaos. A strange world of mostly water and a few islands, with floating steam powered city/ships that traverse the planet surviving as best they can.
It is an engaging story although the plot feels a little contrived. More generally a vehicle for exploring Moorcock's philisophical ideas which is what the dialogue frequently dwells on during pauses in the action. Again the Eternal Champion resists the draw of fate and destiny, hates being a pawn in the cosmic struggle between law and chaos. He dreams that mankind might be free to pursue it's own destiny, decide it's own fate.
I admire Moorcock's bare bones approach. He constructs fabulous and interesting words with minimal exposition. He develops characters only so far as is necessary to convey what he wants to convey. His imagination is given free reign to run rife but some may find his writing style a little on the bare side. Suits me perfectly though.
Once again, Moorcock explores the theme of the eternal struggle between chaos and order, of the necessity for a balance between the two. Tyranny and the lust for power also features heavily in this story. John Daker teams up with von Bek, both of whom have been brought to a strange realm that is on the cusp of succumbing to a tyranical regime and poised to fall under the dominion of chaos. A strange world of mostly water and a few islands, with floating steam powered city/ships that traverse the planet surviving as best they can.
It is an engaging story although the plot feels a little contrived. More generally a vehicle for exploring Moorcock's philisophical ideas which is what the dialogue frequently dwells on during pauses in the action. Again the Eternal Champion resists the draw of fate and destiny, hates being a pawn in the cosmic struggle between law and chaos. He dreams that mankind might be free to pursue it's own destiny, decide it's own fate.
I admire Moorcock's bare bones approach. He constructs fabulous and interesting words with minimal exposition. He develops characters only so far as is necessary to convey what he wants to convey. His imagination is given free reign to run rife but some may find his writing style a little on the bare side. Suits me perfectly though.
May 14, 2018
THE DRAGON IN THE SWORD wraps up one part of Erekose's place in the Eternal Champion cycle in fine style.
It's another slightly later addition to the whole great dance, and brings on several well loved characters along the way as signposts to Erekose's quest for the Dragon Sword, a McGuffin that drives this plot along.
There some of Moorcock's proto-steampunkery in the great city-vessels that steam across the marshes, there's much high weirdness travelling through space, time and melting reality and there's even an appearance by my favorite undead warrior army in the climactic battle scene.
As ever, Erekose is a bit of a moody old bugger at times, but the supporting cast keep him honest, there's some magnificent set pieces, and all in all, it's another fine example of sword and sorcery from the master.
And now that the Lords of Chaos are introduced, and the swords are in play, we can get on to the really strange stuff. Next up for me, more marshes, and another doomed hero, as Dorian Hawkmoon pays a call at Castle Brass, and the history of the Runestaff unfolds.
It's another slightly later addition to the whole great dance, and brings on several well loved characters along the way as signposts to Erekose's quest for the Dragon Sword, a McGuffin that drives this plot along.
There some of Moorcock's proto-steampunkery in the great city-vessels that steam across the marshes, there's much high weirdness travelling through space, time and melting reality and there's even an appearance by my favorite undead warrior army in the climactic battle scene.
As ever, Erekose is a bit of a moody old bugger at times, but the supporting cast keep him honest, there's some magnificent set pieces, and all in all, it's another fine example of sword and sorcery from the master.
And now that the Lords of Chaos are introduced, and the swords are in play, we can get on to the really strange stuff. Next up for me, more marshes, and another doomed hero, as Dorian Hawkmoon pays a call at Castle Brass, and the history of the Runestaff unfolds.
May 12, 2013
This is part of the core of the Eternal Champion cycle. The champion here knows who he is, so this book deals with a lot of what's going on in the background, while still telling a good story. It was written in 1987, but still holds up today as an exciting story. There are a lot of thought provoking ideas about the nature of reality.
December 14, 2012
Dull, slow, and not particularly colorful. Some neat background on the world of the multiverse is about all that saves it.
September 3, 2022
Poslední kniha ze série Věčný válečník. A asi i nejtlustší a z hlediska fantasy nejklasičtější. Skupinka různorodých bojovník musí putovat světem, aby našla magický meč. Klasika. Navíc je tam souboj s Chaosem o zachování rovnováhy, nějaké ty zrady, elfové, inteligentní lední medvědi (každý má rád lední medvědy), spousta obřích lodí, které se pohybují po vodě i po souši, dokonce i nějaká ta zombie, a samozřejmě Adolf Hitler. Žádná dobrá fantasy nemůže být bez Adolfa. Na konci jsou obrovské bitvy armád, které jsou ovšem soustředěné na hlavního hrdinu, to kolem je čistě kulisa. Funguje to, ale jak je to rozkecanější (taky to vzniklo až dlouho po předchozím dílu, až někdy v osmdesátých letech), tak mě to z celé trilogie bavilo nejméně. Pořád jsou tu pěkné obrazy a atmosférické scény, ale dostat se k nim je tak trochu pochodové cvičení. Jako by se Moorcock chtěl vymanit z pulpu a pokusil se o high fantasy (možná se o to snažil furt, jen jsem si toho nevšiml).
Plus se tady snaží budovat svůj vesmír, respektive slepit veškerou svou tvorbu do jednoho smysluplného celku. Což je sice ambiciózní snaha, ale obvykle také marná (že bych také vytvořil své Pavloversum?) a většinou to obnáší to, že se všichni v knize baví o věcech, kterým nerozumíte a o postavách, které neznáte, a které v příběhu nebudou hrát žádnou roli.
Plus se tady snaží budovat svůj vesmír, respektive slepit veškerou svou tvorbu do jednoho smysluplného celku. Což je sice ambiciózní snaha, ale obvykle také marná (že bych také vytvořil své Pavloversum?) a většinou to obnáší to, že se všichni v knize baví o věcech, kterým nerozumíte a o postavách, které neznáte, a které v příběhu nebudou hrát žádnou roli.
November 17, 2024
The Dragon in the Sword by Michael Moorcock is the third book in the Eternal Champion series, it ties together Moorcock’s multiverse in fascinating ways, with his trademark blend of high adventure and existential musings.
The story follows John Daker, who once again takes up the mantle of the Eternal Champion. This time, he’s tasked with finding the legendary Dragon Sword while navigating a world teetering on chaos. I loved the way Moorcock weaves together action, moral dilemmas, and the idea of eternal struggle.
It was a book that just about kept me engaged. The pacing was uneven at times, with stretches of exposition slowing things down. Moorcock’s vivid imagination and the sheer scope of his universe made up for it. This is fantasy with a philosophical edge, this is worth a read. It left me pondering the nature of heroism and fate long after I closed the book.
The story follows John Daker, who once again takes up the mantle of the Eternal Champion. This time, he’s tasked with finding the legendary Dragon Sword while navigating a world teetering on chaos. I loved the way Moorcock weaves together action, moral dilemmas, and the idea of eternal struggle.
It was a book that just about kept me engaged. The pacing was uneven at times, with stretches of exposition slowing things down. Moorcock’s vivid imagination and the sheer scope of his universe made up for it. This is fantasy with a philosophical edge, this is worth a read. It left me pondering the nature of heroism and fate long after I closed the book.
July 21, 2022
This was probably my favourite story of the whole series. The worlds created seem somehow fuller and more believable, and the whole tale hangs together a lot better. Although, I have to say, the cameo with Hitler and his cronies was a little on the odd, surreal side! I'm not sure the ending was a happy or sad one - it definitely finished off the tale, but nothing is really decided for our poor Champion - he must await his next calling and just hope that he is one day reunited with his love.
An enjoyable series.
An enjoyable series.
August 9, 2023
This one was the best of the series I think. Michael Moorcock’s most imaginative world(s) yet and also a good, traditional fantasy plot. The main character’s whininess also becomes slightly plot relevant and the conclusion is somewhat satisfying. Still a lot of loose threads though and nothing too thrilling happens, but you gotta love von Bek.
May 10, 2025
Fine ending but not a strong entry.
November 14, 2024
Es absurdo lo que se me ha atragantado este libro cuando me parece que tiene el mejor mundo y secundarios de los tres libros de Erekosë. En fin, campeón terminado y el caos y el orden vuelven a estar en equilibrio. Muy divertido el capítulo de Goebbels y Hitler.
September 1, 2020
So I end my Eternal Champion tales with Erekosë, who often gets the worst ratings from reviewers. And after reading “The Eternal Champion” and “The Silver Warriors” and “The Dragon in the Sword” I understand why.
This probably has spoilery stuff in it, and since there are three books and this IS the third that stuff could, um, spoil something dire and portentous and grandiose, but being Erekosë probably not, huh? And it is the Multiverse, so what does “end” even mean?!?
Regardless, you are/were/will be forewarned.
Written a full decade, at least, after “The Silver Warriors” I was not sure what to expect of “The Dragon in the Sword”. A fuller realization of the Multiverse and Eternal Champion? A mild rewrite of the previous two books with more explaining and background? How about simply a better book? Too much to ask? We shall find out. It’s 50% longer so the chances of any of these are higher, if my math-ing is right… Hah!
“For Minerva, the noblest Roman”. Seriously, Moorcock? Trying to undo your sexist past? Ooh, Yeats this time! Such a well-read writer you are!
Enter Daker/Erekosë/Ulrik/Elric/Gumby/Snorlax/Morpheus/Ate/Erato/Peter Stormare/Wonder Woman/Iago… Yeah, you get it. Seems Daker+ knows all his iterations and accepts his fate, as it is unchangeable. But ⅔ into the (trilogy) game, it feels a tad forced. In this lengthy Prologue we go through lots of Multiverse stuff for no apparent reason but Moorcock wanting to write it, he is now 2+ decades into the Eternal Champion idiom after all, and possibly paid by the word-count?
Beginning the actual tale, we meet Ulrik von Bek (yep, THAT other one, not to be confused with the Eternal Champion version...) and then it is just boring-ass boring until the second part. Then Moorcock lets his wonderfully baroque, pulpy, and often ironically self-aware imagination go wild. The obnoxiously petulant, whingeing Daker/Erekosë/Flamadin is joined by the witty and urbane Von Bek, star of his very own hero-cycle of books (read them, if you have not, they may help you forget this snivelling Erekosë drivel). Initially, the two of them being comrades-in-arms was brain-twisting (would the real Ulrik von Bek please stand up???). but mainly I was happier, (plain jane) von Bek's presence seemed to inject some needed (and chaotic) fun and madcap creativity into the dreary, soul-sapping moodiness of Daker/Erekosë/Flamadin. Six dimensions in a wheel formation (with strange Germanic names), gigantic steamboats that are moving cities! (one of them powered by human corpses!), sword fights!, crazy costumes!, giant bear-men!, flying islands!, warriors with skins of flowing blood!, Hitler!, an evil princess!, cannibal ghost women!. What more could I ask for? Sadly, things get back to their morosely self-pitying state soon enough, and we remember why we hate Erekosë. So much for accepting one’s fate, huh? A fitting close to Daker’s tales, ending as they began, dreamily enigmatic with a tinge of melancholy fatefulness.
So Daker/Erekosë/Ulrik is still the worst Eternal Champion iteration for me. At the finish, I am quite unsure if Moorcock even wrote the Erekosë trilogy. It pales in comparison to the Elric Canon, the Corum books, and even the Hawkmoon tales. Erekosë never stabilizes as a character (regardless of his iterations/names, he is well aware of the totality of things halfway through the trilogy, so no excuses there) and oscillates from hero to pawn, back and forth and back, endlessly. Just weakly written for me. The Erekosë trilogy feels like someone tore up all the other Eternal Champion books, threw the pages in the air, and then grabbed a Moorcockian amount (15,000 words? 165 pages?), three times, and sold each amount as a book, and the three books as a set. The elements are all there, just so disorganized and scattershot that it takes foreknowledge and Job’s patience to wade through successfully. Not a fun reading experience, just something I finished because I saw “Eternal Champion” in the title-thing. Color me done with Moorcock. I’ll always have Elric :)
This probably has spoilery stuff in it, and since there are three books and this IS the third that stuff could, um, spoil something dire and portentous and grandiose, but being Erekosë probably not, huh? And it is the Multiverse, so what does “end” even mean?!?
Regardless, you are/were/will be forewarned.
Written a full decade, at least, after “The Silver Warriors” I was not sure what to expect of “The Dragon in the Sword”. A fuller realization of the Multiverse and Eternal Champion? A mild rewrite of the previous two books with more explaining and background? How about simply a better book? Too much to ask? We shall find out. It’s 50% longer so the chances of any of these are higher, if my math-ing is right… Hah!
“For Minerva, the noblest Roman”. Seriously, Moorcock? Trying to undo your sexist past? Ooh, Yeats this time! Such a well-read writer you are!
Enter Daker/Erekosë/Ulrik/Elric/Gumby/Snorlax/Morpheus/Ate/Erato/Peter Stormare/Wonder Woman/Iago… Yeah, you get it. Seems Daker+ knows all his iterations and accepts his fate, as it is unchangeable. But ⅔ into the (trilogy) game, it feels a tad forced. In this lengthy Prologue we go through lots of Multiverse stuff for no apparent reason but Moorcock wanting to write it, he is now 2+ decades into the Eternal Champion idiom after all, and possibly paid by the word-count?
Beginning the actual tale, we meet Ulrik von Bek (yep, THAT other one, not to be confused with the Eternal Champion version...) and then it is just boring-ass boring until the second part. Then Moorcock lets his wonderfully baroque, pulpy, and often ironically self-aware imagination go wild. The obnoxiously petulant, whingeing Daker/Erekosë/Flamadin is joined by the witty and urbane Von Bek, star of his very own hero-cycle of books (read them, if you have not, they may help you forget this snivelling Erekosë drivel). Initially, the two of them being comrades-in-arms was brain-twisting (would the real Ulrik von Bek please stand up???). but mainly I was happier, (plain jane) von Bek's presence seemed to inject some needed (and chaotic) fun and madcap creativity into the dreary, soul-sapping moodiness of Daker/Erekosë/Flamadin. Six dimensions in a wheel formation (with strange Germanic names), gigantic steamboats that are moving cities! (one of them powered by human corpses!), sword fights!, crazy costumes!, giant bear-men!, flying islands!, warriors with skins of flowing blood!, Hitler!, an evil princess!, cannibal ghost women!. What more could I ask for? Sadly, things get back to their morosely self-pitying state soon enough, and we remember why we hate Erekosë. So much for accepting one’s fate, huh? A fitting close to Daker’s tales, ending as they began, dreamily enigmatic with a tinge of melancholy fatefulness.
So Daker/Erekosë/Ulrik is still the worst Eternal Champion iteration for me. At the finish, I am quite unsure if Moorcock even wrote the Erekosë trilogy. It pales in comparison to the Elric Canon, the Corum books, and even the Hawkmoon tales. Erekosë never stabilizes as a character (regardless of his iterations/names, he is well aware of the totality of things halfway through the trilogy, so no excuses there) and oscillates from hero to pawn, back and forth and back, endlessly. Just weakly written for me. The Erekosë trilogy feels like someone tore up all the other Eternal Champion books, threw the pages in the air, and then grabbed a Moorcockian amount (15,000 words? 165 pages?), three times, and sold each amount as a book, and the three books as a set. The elements are all there, just so disorganized and scattershot that it takes foreknowledge and Job’s patience to wade through successfully. Not a fun reading experience, just something I finished because I saw “Eternal Champion” in the title-thing. Color me done with Moorcock. I’ll always have Elric :)
January 26, 2013
Originally published on my blog here in December 2002.
The third John Daker novel appeared after an even longer interval than that between the first two, and seems to represent at least some of Moorcock's final thoughts on the Eternal Champion as the novel of that name had done the first. Both heroics and traditional fantasy appear much less frequently in Moorcock's work after this novel; Pyat may consider himself a heroic figure in Byzantium Endures, for example, but there is little if anything about him to bring admiration from the reader.
The Dragon in the Swoord is also related to the von Bek stories, and follows on directly from the short story The Pleasure Gardens of Felipe Saggitarius, about a failed attempt by a member of the family to assassinate Hitler. This von Bek escapes by travel to another universe, to the one where Daker also arrives after attempting suicide in despair at continuing to be parted from his beloved Ermizhad.
The form Daker takes on this new world is interesting. He is now in the body of a prince with a twin sister; their relationship is not what it is generally seen to be. She wanted to cement her power by marrying him, but then tried to kill him when he refused. Now the rumours she has spread mean that his status among those he first meets changes rapidly from honoured guest to someone tolerated only because of the laws governing hospitality, making his task as Champion yet more difficult.
As a literary idea, the Eternal Champion relies strongly on Moorcock's ability to create multiple variations on the character. In The Dragon in the Sword, he brings two incarnations of the Champion together. This is not the only time he does this (The Quest for Tanelorn is another example), but in this case Daker and von Bek are made more nearly equal in importance. Despite their similar origins (both coming from twentieth century Europe), the two are strongly contrasted, particularly in comparison to other novels involving multiple Champions, which tend to be aiming to highlight the similarities between them.
The Dragon in the Sword also stands out as one of the longest Eternal Champion (in the more general sense, rather than just this particular trilogy) novels, the complexity of the plot being a major reason for this. It wraps up a long chapter in Moorcock's literary life (and does this additionally by including a lot of the lyrics from the album he co-wrote with Hawkwind, Warrior on the Edge of Time, and looks forward to some of his pre-occupations of the next few years as well as backwards.
The third John Daker novel appeared after an even longer interval than that between the first two, and seems to represent at least some of Moorcock's final thoughts on the Eternal Champion as the novel of that name had done the first. Both heroics and traditional fantasy appear much less frequently in Moorcock's work after this novel; Pyat may consider himself a heroic figure in Byzantium Endures, for example, but there is little if anything about him to bring admiration from the reader.
The Dragon in the Swoord is also related to the von Bek stories, and follows on directly from the short story The Pleasure Gardens of Felipe Saggitarius, about a failed attempt by a member of the family to assassinate Hitler. This von Bek escapes by travel to another universe, to the one where Daker also arrives after attempting suicide in despair at continuing to be parted from his beloved Ermizhad.
The form Daker takes on this new world is interesting. He is now in the body of a prince with a twin sister; their relationship is not what it is generally seen to be. She wanted to cement her power by marrying him, but then tried to kill him when he refused. Now the rumours she has spread mean that his status among those he first meets changes rapidly from honoured guest to someone tolerated only because of the laws governing hospitality, making his task as Champion yet more difficult.
As a literary idea, the Eternal Champion relies strongly on Moorcock's ability to create multiple variations on the character. In The Dragon in the Sword, he brings two incarnations of the Champion together. This is not the only time he does this (The Quest for Tanelorn is another example), but in this case Daker and von Bek are made more nearly equal in importance. Despite their similar origins (both coming from twentieth century Europe), the two are strongly contrasted, particularly in comparison to other novels involving multiple Champions, which tend to be aiming to highlight the similarities between them.
The Dragon in the Sword also stands out as one of the longest Eternal Champion (in the more general sense, rather than just this particular trilogy) novels, the complexity of the plot being a major reason for this. It wraps up a long chapter in Moorcock's literary life (and does this additionally by including a lot of the lyrics from the album he co-wrote with Hawkwind, Warrior on the Edge of Time, and looks forward to some of his pre-occupations of the next few years as well as backwards.
April 3, 2014
Definitely the best of the Jon Daker novels, and probably my favourite by Michael Moorcock so far. Actually contains a fairly strong female character, an unusual thing for Moorcock; I mean, come on, he outright has a group of characters sharing the same soul that exist across the multiverse, collectively known as the Eternal Consort, all of whom exist more or less entirely as love interests to the Eternal Champion.
On a related note, it could be argued here that Sharadim is an aspect of the Eternal Consort; I'm all for this as it passively strengthens other aspects elsewhere in the multiverse.
On a related note, it could be argued here that Sharadim is an aspect of the Eternal Consort; I'm all for this as it passively strengthens other aspects elsewhere in the multiverse.
July 26, 2019
I loved Michael Moorecock and I am a huge fan of his Elric series. The first two books in this series were short and had enough variety. This book was a long long trudge. It was twice as long as it should have been. The quality of the written word is great, but the repetitive nature of the overall concept is boring and grows tiresome. Sometimes it’s interesting that he linked all of his books together into one story much like Stephen King did with his Dark Tower series, but at other times it’s depressing because he wasted so much of his talent working in a circle and writing the same concept over and over again. I have to say that I am curious why Moorecock’s work never made it to screen and realize that he told the same story over and over again like an obsessive compulsive person. The initial concepts are all fantastic but told over and over and over again it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth and eventually becomes easily forgettable. I saw an interview where he was called the anti Tolkien or the heavy metal Tolkien, but Tolkien just wrote his story once and it had an impact that we were able to remember and feel a deep connection with, I wish that Michael Moorecock stopped while he was ahead and left us wanting more. He should have used his talents to tell a diverse range of stories rather than one single story over and over again.
January 4, 2013
This was the culmination of the Erekosë series, and it co-starred Ulrich von Bek, who met up with Erekosë as a result of a deal with Satan to help remove Hitler from power. This blurring of lines between the twentieth century and fantasy isn't a new thing, but it felt fresh the way Moorcock handled it. The modern world was just treated as one of many worlds where the battle between Law and Chaos was fought, nothing more.
This was written in the late 80s, and Moorock's use of dialogue to flesh out his characters remains one of his strong points. He doesn't present long expositions to explain the back story, he presents it in little snippets that are often interrupted by some event. He also avoids falling into the trap of reusing the same character over and over (I'm talking to YOU, Palahniuk and Kuntz!!).
I'm sad that this is the end of both of these series. I'm even more sad that I'm stepping away from the Moorcock for a while, as I look over at the 4 unread omnibuses on my bookshelf...but I have other fantasy series to read first. But it won't be long until the cycle of the Eternal Champion will continue...
This was written in the late 80s, and Moorock's use of dialogue to flesh out his characters remains one of his strong points. He doesn't present long expositions to explain the back story, he presents it in little snippets that are often interrupted by some event. He also avoids falling into the trap of reusing the same character over and over (I'm talking to YOU, Palahniuk and Kuntz!!).
I'm sad that this is the end of both of these series. I'm even more sad that I'm stepping away from the Moorcock for a while, as I look over at the 4 unread omnibuses on my bookshelf...but I have other fantasy series to read first. But it won't be long until the cycle of the Eternal Champion will continue...
December 8, 2014
I really messed all up because I read the 7th book of Dorian Hawkmoon before starting with Erekosë, but anyways I have enjoyed this series, and the third book does not regret anything else of the Eternal Champion stories.
Erekosë, the incarnation of the Eternal Champion which is damned to remember all his incarnations, is still loging for her love, Ermizhad, the Eldren Princess that he lost when he was called to be Urlik Skarsol. He suffers so badly, and again he is called to be another person: this time, the name he hears is not his, but Sharadim's, his new incarnation's twin sister. As Prince Flamadin, he has to discover again what his duty in this new world is, but this time he's got also some help: Ulrich Von Bek, a traveller came from the Nazi times and Alisaard, an Eldren woman who is phisically almost like his loved Ermizhad but loves the German man, will help him in his quest for the Dragon Sword. In thsi way he will disarrange all the plans with Chaos made by her evil sister and give the Eldren women a new chance of surviving.
Erekosë, the incarnation of the Eternal Champion which is damned to remember all his incarnations, is still loging for her love, Ermizhad, the Eldren Princess that he lost when he was called to be Urlik Skarsol. He suffers so badly, and again he is called to be another person: this time, the name he hears is not his, but Sharadim's, his new incarnation's twin sister. As Prince Flamadin, he has to discover again what his duty in this new world is, but this time he's got also some help: Ulrich Von Bek, a traveller came from the Nazi times and Alisaard, an Eldren woman who is phisically almost like his loved Ermizhad but loves the German man, will help him in his quest for the Dragon Sword. In thsi way he will disarrange all the plans with Chaos made by her evil sister and give the Eldren women a new chance of surviving.
June 12, 2020
There is a lot to say about this book. It's style of writing is a bit aged, but the overall story and characters hold up really well. Being the final installment in the Erekose/John Daker Eternal Champion trilogy, this book goes on a plane jumping and time whirling adventure to save the multiverse.
With new companions like Ulrik Von Bek, an officer pulled from the 1940s fighting against the Nazis in World War 2. Along with new worlds and planes of existence that flesh out Moorcock's already interesting fantasy universe. The overarching plot not only delivers a consistent story throughout, but the third act near the end of the novel has you on your toes until you get to the very last page.
This book pays off nearly every story thread in it's trilogy, but also teases events in nearly four to five other stories in Moorcock's library of fantasy novels. If this is the first series you read in your dive into Moorcock's literature, I do believe you might just enjoy yourself.
"I was the Eternal Champion."
With new companions like Ulrik Von Bek, an officer pulled from the 1940s fighting against the Nazis in World War 2. Along with new worlds and planes of existence that flesh out Moorcock's already interesting fantasy universe. The overarching plot not only delivers a consistent story throughout, but the third act near the end of the novel has you on your toes until you get to the very last page.
This book pays off nearly every story thread in it's trilogy, but also teases events in nearly four to five other stories in Moorcock's library of fantasy novels. If this is the first series you read in your dive into Moorcock's literature, I do believe you might just enjoy yourself.
"I was the Eternal Champion."
December 20, 2019
Final 3 Books from the Erekosë saga.
BOOK ONE: With a firm purpose in mind, Erekosë (now Flamadin) joins Urlik von Bek, from World-War Germany, in a strange world of steampunk literature. Is he going to find Erminzhad among these exotic peoples?
BOOK TWO: In a Realm of perishing Eldren women, the duo will have another mission throughout the Six Realms (but not in Tanelorn), and that involves a certain sword...
BOOK THREE: A journey in the Realm of Chaos; a hot pursuit from a supposed kin of Flamadin/Erekosë. Can he be free from his destiny?
Although a story of the Eternal Champion, this was not that exciting, especially as regards John Daker/ Erekosë.
"Does it matter what name you choose, Sir Champion?"
BOOK ONE: With a firm purpose in mind, Erekosë (now Flamadin) joins Urlik von Bek, from World-War Germany, in a strange world of steampunk literature. Is he going to find Erminzhad among these exotic peoples?
BOOK TWO: In a Realm of perishing Eldren women, the duo will have another mission throughout the Six Realms (but not in Tanelorn), and that involves a certain sword...
BOOK THREE: A journey in the Realm of Chaos; a hot pursuit from a supposed kin of Flamadin/Erekosë. Can he be free from his destiny?
Although a story of the Eternal Champion, this was not that exciting, especially as regards John Daker/ Erekosë.
"Does it matter what name you choose, Sir Champion?"
September 12, 2020
This is way better than I'd recalled, but as a teen I lived in a world under much less threat of tyranny and demagoguery (or so we all thought) than I do now. I still roll my eyes at John Daker but this is the best of his books and one of the better champion books overall. Moorcock really cut loose with the crazy imagery, for one, and the tie in of Von Bek's Hitlerian troubles with Daker's fantastic ones is exceptionally effective.
November 4, 2020
I've been on a big Moorcock kick this year and this was the third and final book in the Eternal Champion series. While the other two were straightforward Fantasy with a somewhat pulp-like writing style, The Dragon in the Sword delved into historical fiction with a Nazi subplot that was clever but always felt tacked on and disjointed. Moorcock does admittedly do historical fiction to much better effect in The Pyat Quartet, which I can't recommend highly enough.
November 20, 2015
The Erekosë story concludes (as much as an eternal champion story concludes). I found the resume and quick description better than the actual reading of the novel. I could stomach it in the earlier novels but can't stand the eternal teenager and shoddy world building with the accumulated reading experience. I'll stick to wikipedia resumes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews