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The History of the Runestaff #2
Le dieu fou
245pages. poche. Poche.
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First published January 1, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
November 7, 2025
So, book 1: The Jewel In The Skull spent about half the book having Hawkmoon ride to Asia for help to deal with the eponymous Jewel in the Skull.
This book is entirely about the return journey.
It's basically a series of random encounters with massive coincidence leading to them being with extremely helpful people, people he knows, or the people he most wants to avoid. All of this explained away by him being a (non-voluntary) "servant of the Runestaff" and since the Runestaff is concerned with fates ... he keeps meeting significant people.
The Warrior-In-Jet-And-Gold, who we saw in book 1 as well, is the very definition of deus ex machina and appears whenever the plot needs moving on or complicating and coincidence just won't swing it.
All of this sounds rather negative - but the encounters are imaginative and fun, and Moorcock kept me entertained in this short read (these books are really short). The only female character is his fiance Yiselda who again demonstrates zero personality beyond "fair" and seems present only to be in danger or to worry for Hawkmoon. Hawkmoon himself is also a personality free-zone. He is, after all, an aspect of the eternal warrior (we discover in other series) and as such is essentially an avatar for warrioring and opposing evil/the unbalancing force.
When Hawkmoon is in dire trouble, Moorcock avoids having to write about feelings, worry, fear etc by having the man retreat into a comfortably numb fugue, leaving his companions to enjoy the terror of anticipated tortures.
Yiselda and Hawkmoon marry when death seems inevitable, but despite having a few hours spare, there's no hint of consumation.
This swords and sorcery yarn is nearly 60 years old (nearly as old as me too) and was written in a couple of weeks, so it's perhaps unfair to expect too much of it. It's a tribute to Moorcock's genius that he can still entertain me a lifetime later with something that took so little effort.
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...
This book is entirely about the return journey.
It's basically a series of random encounters with massive coincidence leading to them being with extremely helpful people, people he knows, or the people he most wants to avoid. All of this explained away by him being a (non-voluntary) "servant of the Runestaff" and since the Runestaff is concerned with fates ... he keeps meeting significant people.
The Warrior-In-Jet-And-Gold, who we saw in book 1 as well, is the very definition of deus ex machina and appears whenever the plot needs moving on or complicating and coincidence just won't swing it.
All of this sounds rather negative - but the encounters are imaginative and fun, and Moorcock kept me entertained in this short read (these books are really short). The only female character is his fiance Yiselda who again demonstrates zero personality beyond "fair" and seems present only to be in danger or to worry for Hawkmoon. Hawkmoon himself is also a personality free-zone. He is, after all, an aspect of the eternal warrior (we discover in other series) and as such is essentially an avatar for warrioring and opposing evil/the unbalancing force.
When Hawkmoon is in dire trouble, Moorcock avoids having to write about feelings, worry, fear etc by having the man retreat into a comfortably numb fugue, leaving his companions to enjoy the terror of anticipated tortures.
Yiselda and Hawkmoon marry when death seems inevitable, but despite having a few hours spare, there's no hint of consumation.
This swords and sorcery yarn is nearly 60 years old (nearly as old as me too) and was written in a couple of weeks, so it's perhaps unfair to expect too much of it. It's a tribute to Moorcock's genius that he can still entertain me a lifetime later with something that took so little effort.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
July 21, 2020
This is the second book in the series that chronicles the history of the Runestaff and the adventures of Dorian Hawkmoon. It's some of the best blend of fantasy and science fiction that Moorcock ever produced, and has elements of Steampunk long before there was such a thing. Hawkmoon, my favorite Eternal Champion character, travels in pursuit of his love Yisselda, who's come under the sway of Mad God by way of the Red Amulet. The last Duke of Koln, Hawkmoon just wants to go home and rest after his battle with the Dark Empire in the first book, but he has to save her and the city of Kamarang and.... Law and Chaos hang quite literally in The Balance. It's a quick read (and something of a side-trip on the overall Multiverse quest, honestly), but I enjoyed it quite a lot.
April 29, 2023
Another fun read in the runestaff series. Hawkmonn continues to search for his betrothed, Yisselda. In his quest he defeats the Mad God and recovers a powerful amulet he is destined to wear. The group, befriended by a former leader in the Evil Empire of Granbretan, uncover a technical device that can transfer entire towns to different dimensions of the multiverse. The Kamarg is under relentless attack, and Count Brass is feared dead. What will happen? Where did the mysterious Warrior in Jet snd Gold take the device? Can Castle Brass be saved? Many other adventures in this volume to intrigue.
June 14, 2021
'Oh, by the Runestaff, ' murmured Hawkmoon thickly, 'the power in me!'
Damn, I couldn't put this one down. And now I have this bitter feeling of need... I need more fantasy books in my life!⠀
⠀
The journey of Dorian Hawkmoon continues. It starts from we left off in the last book, in Hamadan after defeating Baron Meliadus, and then to Soryandum and the wraith-folk, a mechanical (steampunk?) beast, giant mutant jaguars, a cult of mad naked fellows, an amulet that grants superhuman abilities but only to the correct servant (the Runestaff knows no coincidences, you know?), back to the Kamarg and... the multiverse? I didn't see that one coming.⠀
⠀
Overall a great book. Good pacing and worldbuilding. I like Dorian's character, call me a sadist but I enjoy his suffering. Not a masterpiece though entertaining and, escapism-wise, satisfying.⠀
Damn, I couldn't put this one down. And now I have this bitter feeling of need... I need more fantasy books in my life!⠀
⠀
The journey of Dorian Hawkmoon continues. It starts from we left off in the last book, in Hamadan after defeating Baron Meliadus, and then to Soryandum and the wraith-folk, a mechanical (steampunk?) beast, giant mutant jaguars, a cult of mad naked fellows, an amulet that grants superhuman abilities but only to the correct servant (the Runestaff knows no coincidences, you know?), back to the Kamarg and... the multiverse? I didn't see that one coming.⠀
⠀
Overall a great book. Good pacing and worldbuilding. I like Dorian's character, call me a sadist but I enjoy his suffering. Not a masterpiece though entertaining and, escapism-wise, satisfying.⠀
Read
January 29, 2013In the pub on Saturday, there were shelves of books - not just for decoration, like some pubs have, but in the hope that somebody might find something to read, for this was a good pub. And among them, this, in the old paperback edition with the ludicrous prog rock cover whose sheer unapologetic silliness doesn't really come across in this thumbnail. There was some mockery among my friends, about how they'd love to read it, except it was the second volume so they'd missed the beginning!
"Oh, I have the omnibus, so I can lend you that," says I. Slight awkward pause. But it did remind me that it was ages since I'd read Dorian Hawkmoon's first adventure, so it was about time I moved on to the second. And it's more bloody and baroque fantasy, not quite a dying Earth tale, but certainly set somewhere in the distant future, with whole civilisations having risen and fallen between our time and then. Mutated creatures, half-understood technologies, beautiful cities falling into ruin...and all menaced by the Dark Empire of Granbretan, for Moorcock was irked by sixties jingoism, so had a German hero standing against British villains. Which seems crazy when you think that the novel's first publication was closer to the Second World War than to now.
There's a lot here you couldn't get away with in a modern novel - too many of the plot beats have been run into the ground by all the fantasy novels and RPGs that Moorcock influenced - but the original is still a heady little entertainment. And a quick read, too - a day's commute and lunch breaks is enough.
"Oh, I have the omnibus, so I can lend you that," says I. Slight awkward pause. But it did remind me that it was ages since I'd read Dorian Hawkmoon's first adventure, so it was about time I moved on to the second. And it's more bloody and baroque fantasy, not quite a dying Earth tale, but certainly set somewhere in the distant future, with whole civilisations having risen and fallen between our time and then. Mutated creatures, half-understood technologies, beautiful cities falling into ruin...and all menaced by the Dark Empire of Granbretan, for Moorcock was irked by sixties jingoism, so had a German hero standing against British villains. Which seems crazy when you think that the novel's first publication was closer to the Second World War than to now.
There's a lot here you couldn't get away with in a modern novel - too many of the plot beats have been run into the ground by all the fantasy novels and RPGs that Moorcock influenced - but the original is still a heady little entertainment. And a quick read, too - a day's commute and lunch breaks is enough.
July 17, 2021
This second volume of the saga flowed much better than the first: its first and second half were better connected, with a more solid buildup and a greater payoff set up right from the beginning. Some more imaginitive landscapes and adventures, too, as well as a sneaky new ally that I quite liked. D'averc alone is worth half a star extra.
May 19, 2018
THE MAD GOD's AMULET has the feel of a middle-eight, an episodic set of adventures there to move the main story forward to the next adventure. It's the IRON MAN 2 of the series.
It's very short, and all done at Moorcock's trademark breakneck speed of course, so you hardly notice the joins, but for me too much time is spent away from the main conflict in this one, although we do get a lovely set piece fight scene on a pirate vessel, a mad sorceror's castle, a fight with a robot monster, and a big climactic battle scene to get all the main protagonists, more mcguffins, and a new enemy-turned-friend, back into place for what's to come.
Still loads of fun of course, but I'm looking forward more to the main events about to be unleashed in the following sections.
It's very short, and all done at Moorcock's trademark breakneck speed of course, so you hardly notice the joins, but for me too much time is spent away from the main conflict in this one, although we do get a lovely set piece fight scene on a pirate vessel, a mad sorceror's castle, a fight with a robot monster, and a big climactic battle scene to get all the main protagonists, more mcguffins, and a new enemy-turned-friend, back into place for what's to come.
Still loads of fun of course, but I'm looking forward more to the main events about to be unleashed in the following sections.
August 1, 2022
A Dangerous Journey Back
13 July 2022
I was sitting in the pub reading this book and some guy, who by the looks of it was really into fantasy/sci-fi, came up to me to ask me what I was reading. When I showed him he exclaimed that the title of this book was the best title that he had ever seen. Mind you, this is the second in the series, and it is clear that he hadn’t discovered the first book Jewel in the Skull.
This story starts shortly after the conclusion of the previous book. Hawkmoon and his companion, the dwarf giant Olabdan (it seems as if word order matters), have managed to neutralise the said jewel in his skull, and are returning to Europe so that he might get married. However, things sort of takes a turn for the worse when they land up in a ruined city in the middle of Syria and run into a battalion of Dark Empire troops.
It is at this point that the plot twists start happening. Firstly they are forced to go on a detour through Ukraine, firstly because they discover that the Dark Empire is now operating across the Meditteranean, and when they attempt to cross the Black Sea, they encounter a ship full of howling maniacs. They end up having to switch boats, and while they are making their way to Sevastopol, they rescue a couple of shipwreck people clutching to a raft, and it turns out that it is one of Hawkmoon’s enemies. Of course, they create a rather interesting dynamic and these two enemies end up travelling together.
The whole Mad God aspect of the story comes about because Hawkmoon discovers a hand upon which is the ring of his beloved. Moreso, the Warrior in Jet and Black turns up again, and honestly, we have little idea as to who he is, though he does provide some guidance to Hawkmoon. This is because there is an amulet that rightfully belongs to Hawkmoon, even though Hawkmoon has no idea why, and has never heard of this amulet before. It does relate to the fact that Hawkmoon is the Eternal Champion, something that is consistent across many of Moorcock’s books.
Yeah, it’s short, and it’s fun. It might not be the crowning face of literature, however, it does stand out in a way that a lot of other fantasy books don’t. On the other hand, like a lot of Moorcock’s books, this one has an awful lot of battles where a handful of characters are able to defeat a whole army. Then again, it isn’t as if they are invincible because it is indicated in a number of places that if they continue the battle then they will surely be defeated.
I won’t go into further detail because I have probably given away too much already, but it is a rather fun, and enjoyable, high fantasy romp, that while ending on a victory, we know that there is still more to come.
13 July 2022
I was sitting in the pub reading this book and some guy, who by the looks of it was really into fantasy/sci-fi, came up to me to ask me what I was reading. When I showed him he exclaimed that the title of this book was the best title that he had ever seen. Mind you, this is the second in the series, and it is clear that he hadn’t discovered the first book Jewel in the Skull.
This story starts shortly after the conclusion of the previous book. Hawkmoon and his companion, the dwarf giant Olabdan (it seems as if word order matters), have managed to neutralise the said jewel in his skull, and are returning to Europe so that he might get married. However, things sort of takes a turn for the worse when they land up in a ruined city in the middle of Syria and run into a battalion of Dark Empire troops.
It is at this point that the plot twists start happening. Firstly they are forced to go on a detour through Ukraine, firstly because they discover that the Dark Empire is now operating across the Meditteranean, and when they attempt to cross the Black Sea, they encounter a ship full of howling maniacs. They end up having to switch boats, and while they are making their way to Sevastopol, they rescue a couple of shipwreck people clutching to a raft, and it turns out that it is one of Hawkmoon’s enemies. Of course, they create a rather interesting dynamic and these two enemies end up travelling together.
The whole Mad God aspect of the story comes about because Hawkmoon discovers a hand upon which is the ring of his beloved. Moreso, the Warrior in Jet and Black turns up again, and honestly, we have little idea as to who he is, though he does provide some guidance to Hawkmoon. This is because there is an amulet that rightfully belongs to Hawkmoon, even though Hawkmoon has no idea why, and has never heard of this amulet before. It does relate to the fact that Hawkmoon is the Eternal Champion, something that is consistent across many of Moorcock’s books.
Yeah, it’s short, and it’s fun. It might not be the crowning face of literature, however, it does stand out in a way that a lot of other fantasy books don’t. On the other hand, like a lot of Moorcock’s books, this one has an awful lot of battles where a handful of characters are able to defeat a whole army. Then again, it isn’t as if they are invincible because it is indicated in a number of places that if they continue the battle then they will surely be defeated.
I won’t go into further detail because I have probably given away too much already, but it is a rather fun, and enjoyable, high fantasy romp, that while ending on a victory, we know that there is still more to come.
June 29, 2024
Dorian Hawkmoon returns to battle the Dark Empire of Granbretan. Stranded a world away from the woman he loves and the land he calls his home, Dorian Hawkmoon must make his way through an increasingly hostile world as the Dark Empire continues to conquer the free people of Europe.
Accompanied by his faithful friend Oladahn, Hawkmoon must fight and outwit agents of the Dark Empire as they try to make their way to Kamarg and the beautiful Yisselda. . When clues lead Hawkmoon to believe that his love Yisselda has been taken by the Mad God, Hawkmoon risks his life to find Yisselda. But is this all part of a plan of the Warrior of Jet and Gold? What is the mysterious amulet of the Mad God? What does this all have to do with the Runestaff?
The adventures are many for Hawkmoon and Oladahn. Along the way they meet new and unexpected allies. They battle against the overwhelming Dark Empire, the Mad God and his minions, and face betrayal from those they trust. Can Hawkmoon save the Kamarg and Yisselda?
This is a four-star read for me. I enjoy a hero story and Dorian Hawkmoon, as part of Micheal Moorcook’s Eternal Champions, fits the hero mold. He is strong physically and he will fight and give all for the downtrodden people of his world. Dorain Hawkmoon is truly a heroic figure.
Micheal Moorcock weaves another fun and entertaining fast paced fantasy adventure. The author puts the main characters in one dire situation after another, and they always seem to find a way to survive and turn the tide. There is often convenient and unexpected help for the heroes that allow Hawkmoon and his allies to get out of situations, but this should be expected in this type of story.
I would recommend this story for people who enjoy classic fantasy tales. Expect heroes that are larger than life, constant action, and adventure against a truly evil Empire. Go into expecting a fun, action packed adventure and you will not be disappointed.
Accompanied by his faithful friend Oladahn, Hawkmoon must fight and outwit agents of the Dark Empire as they try to make their way to Kamarg and the beautiful Yisselda. . When clues lead Hawkmoon to believe that his love Yisselda has been taken by the Mad God, Hawkmoon risks his life to find Yisselda. But is this all part of a plan of the Warrior of Jet and Gold? What is the mysterious amulet of the Mad God? What does this all have to do with the Runestaff?
The adventures are many for Hawkmoon and Oladahn. Along the way they meet new and unexpected allies. They battle against the overwhelming Dark Empire, the Mad God and his minions, and face betrayal from those they trust. Can Hawkmoon save the Kamarg and Yisselda?
This is a four-star read for me. I enjoy a hero story and Dorian Hawkmoon, as part of Micheal Moorcook’s Eternal Champions, fits the hero mold. He is strong physically and he will fight and give all for the downtrodden people of his world. Dorain Hawkmoon is truly a heroic figure.
Micheal Moorcock weaves another fun and entertaining fast paced fantasy adventure. The author puts the main characters in one dire situation after another, and they always seem to find a way to survive and turn the tide. There is often convenient and unexpected help for the heroes that allow Hawkmoon and his allies to get out of situations, but this should be expected in this type of story.
I would recommend this story for people who enjoy classic fantasy tales. Expect heroes that are larger than life, constant action, and adventure against a truly evil Empire. Go into expecting a fun, action packed adventure and you will not be disappointed.
December 3, 2021
How odd! This novel, the second novel of the series, is amost precisely equally highly rated to the first novel. I don't consider them equal at all. I enjoyed the prior novel much more than this entry.
Here we have the continuing story of Dorian Hawkmoon of Koln. At the end of the earlier volume he was in southeastern Europe or the Middle East. So we pick up with him there trying to get back to the Kamarg (of southern France). He has various adventures and encounters as he tries to get back.
Maybe I didn't care for this book as much because the writing seams were too easy for me to spot. Goal set then along comes an obstacle. That obstacle is overcome, so here comes another. And so on and so on. This is basic plot structure, and I don't fault Moorcock for having that. But does it have to be this transparent?
This novel was also slightly shorter than the first novel, 160 pages instead of 176, making me think Moorcock himself was struggling to find something to write about. It's a good, satisfying story nevertheless, however paint by numbers it might seem at times. I still enjoy the characters, especially the Kamarg cast, as opposed to Hawkmoon and friends. Maybe we get some more originality and see more of the Kamarg crew in the next volume since the second volume ends with everyone there. I really like Count Brass!
Here we have the continuing story of Dorian Hawkmoon of Koln. At the end of the earlier volume he was in southeastern Europe or the Middle East. So we pick up with him there trying to get back to the Kamarg (of southern France). He has various adventures and encounters as he tries to get back.
Maybe I didn't care for this book as much because the writing seams were too easy for me to spot. Goal set then along comes an obstacle. That obstacle is overcome, so here comes another. And so on and so on. This is basic plot structure, and I don't fault Moorcock for having that. But does it have to be this transparent?
This novel was also slightly shorter than the first novel, 160 pages instead of 176, making me think Moorcock himself was struggling to find something to write about. It's a good, satisfying story nevertheless, however paint by numbers it might seem at times. I still enjoy the characters, especially the Kamarg cast, as opposed to Hawkmoon and friends. Maybe we get some more originality and see more of the Kamarg crew in the next volume since the second volume ends with everyone there. I really like Count Brass!
October 6, 2014
While the Hawkmoon books may not be quite so well known as the Elric novels and may not be quite as developed (though I'm not sure I agree with the last myself) they are probably my favorite part of Moorcock's Eternal Champion Cycle. I have the omnibus volumes but my first read of them were the paperback individual books. This one is actually a bit later than the volume I read I believe, but same cover.
I love these books, and I have read them over, and over....over the years.
Through an odd set of circumstances I read the book that precedes this one something like 2 years before I got my hands on this title. The first book (Jewel in the Skull) having ended in something of a "cliff hanger" that was somewhat unpleasant, but I somehow survived. I have a prejudice in favor of this particular part of the Eternal Champion Cycle I suppose, but...they're still good reads. I recommend them to fantasy lovers and adventure lovers...action lovers to, oh heck, I just recommend the books.
Enjoy.
I love these books, and I have read them over, and over....over the years.
Through an odd set of circumstances I read the book that precedes this one something like 2 years before I got my hands on this title. The first book (Jewel in the Skull) having ended in something of a "cliff hanger" that was somewhat unpleasant, but I somehow survived. I have a prejudice in favor of this particular part of the Eternal Champion Cycle I suppose, but...they're still good reads. I recommend them to fantasy lovers and adventure lovers...action lovers to, oh heck, I just recommend the books.
Enjoy.
July 8, 2023
Abracadabrantesque et rocambolesque et d’autre mots en –esque. Voilà ce qui définit le mieux ce court roman. Je n’avais jamais ouvert de livre de Moorcock, je ne pouvais pas mourir idiot.
Je comprends à présent d’où est venue l’inspiration pour les aventures de Donjons et Dragons et des livres dont vous êtes le héros dont j’étais si friand ado.
Il y a des pirates, des amulettes, des sorciers maléfiques, des spectres, des guerriers, des bêtes mystérieuses aux yeux de mouches. Bref un grand méli-mélo qui s’enchaine à un rythme effréné et sans queue ni tête, mais ça se lit très vite.
On ne passe pas non plus un mauvais moment et ça n’a aucune prétention, donc on va donner généreusement trois étoiles. Mais je ne pense pas renouveler l’expérience.
Je comprends à présent d’où est venue l’inspiration pour les aventures de Donjons et Dragons et des livres dont vous êtes le héros dont j’étais si friand ado.
Il y a des pirates, des amulettes, des sorciers maléfiques, des spectres, des guerriers, des bêtes mystérieuses aux yeux de mouches. Bref un grand méli-mélo qui s’enchaine à un rythme effréné et sans queue ni tête, mais ça se lit très vite.
On ne passe pas non plus un mauvais moment et ça n’a aucune prétention, donc on va donner généreusement trois étoiles. Mais je ne pense pas renouveler l’expérience.
August 18, 2023
Buoni spunti, un classico del fantasy, dal quale ritengo molti autori successivi abbiano attinto a piene mani. Certo, letto oggi risulta piuttosto farraginoso e ingessato, "invecchiato" maluccio, ma la qualità assoluta di Michael Moorcook non è in discussione. Scrittore a mio avviso decisamente sottovalutato, e da ringraziare in eterno per aver creato una figura potente e di rottura come quella di Elric di Melniboné.
December 23, 2021
The more I read of the Runestaff series, the more it feels like that ridiculous 1999 take on Beowulf starring Christopher Lambert, mashing together fantasy and used-future science fiction with some clumsy plotting and ideas that are just not explored or explained very well. Moorcock swings this stuff about with apparently little thought of the larger ideas, instead settling for a well-worn plot device fetch and a know-everything character.
April 21, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in May 1999.
The second of the four Runestaff books begins with the hero, Dorian Hawkmoon, in Persia where he has travelled to rid himself of the Black Jewel which betrays his every move to the Dark Empire of Granbretan. He now has to fight his way back to the Kamarg, through a Europe which has fallen to the ever-expanding Empire, hoping that his family are still holding out.
The dangerous return journey is the subject of this book. The Empire is not the only enemy faced by Hawkmoon. Crossing the Black Sea, he is attacked by the fanatical, drug-crazed followers of the Mad God from the Ukrain, finally seeking out the (self-proclaimed) god at his fortress. He has to decide whether Guillaume d'Averc, the Empire general who appears to have abandoned his employers to join Hawkmoon, is sincere. He has to begin to puzzle out the mysterious plans of the Warrior in Jet and Gold, servant of the even more mysterious Runestaff, who appears at intervals to help Hawkmoon.
The Mad God's Amulet - named after the jewel which gave the Mad God his power but also maddened him since he was not the one destined to own it - is really an interlude in the history of the Runestaff. Having journeyed to Persia, Hawkmoon has to return; but almost everything that happens on this return is irrelevant to the main plot of the series. From that point of view, the most important feature of the book is the introduction of the strange character of d'Averc, the affected Frenchman, hypochondriac yet a formidable fighter.
The second of the four Runestaff books begins with the hero, Dorian Hawkmoon, in Persia where he has travelled to rid himself of the Black Jewel which betrays his every move to the Dark Empire of Granbretan. He now has to fight his way back to the Kamarg, through a Europe which has fallen to the ever-expanding Empire, hoping that his family are still holding out.
The dangerous return journey is the subject of this book. The Empire is not the only enemy faced by Hawkmoon. Crossing the Black Sea, he is attacked by the fanatical, drug-crazed followers of the Mad God from the Ukrain, finally seeking out the (self-proclaimed) god at his fortress. He has to decide whether Guillaume d'Averc, the Empire general who appears to have abandoned his employers to join Hawkmoon, is sincere. He has to begin to puzzle out the mysterious plans of the Warrior in Jet and Gold, servant of the even more mysterious Runestaff, who appears at intervals to help Hawkmoon.
The Mad God's Amulet - named after the jewel which gave the Mad God his power but also maddened him since he was not the one destined to own it - is really an interlude in the history of the Runestaff. Having journeyed to Persia, Hawkmoon has to return; but almost everything that happens on this return is irrelevant to the main plot of the series. From that point of view, the most important feature of the book is the introduction of the strange character of d'Averc, the affected Frenchman, hypochondriac yet a formidable fighter.
July 26, 2010
I like the Runestaff books the best of Moorcock's series, if you consider the Count Brass books to be part of that. There's a more brutal turn to the stories here than with Elric.
February 28, 2019
This is the second volume in Moorcock's History of the Runestaff series, which is also part of his Eternal Champion mega-series.
It is difficult for me to be objective about these books, as Moorcock was a large influence on my young adult years (along with many other authors). I was fortunate, reading them some 6 or 7 years after publication, that I never had to wait for the next book to be published, at least with these series - still waiting (nearly 50 years) for the third book in the Hawklords trilogy Michael :)
Moorcock was churning these books out at a very rapid rate, and that does lead to a certain level of sameness about them - the basic plots of the first series of Hawkmoon books are quite similar. However, it didn't worry me as a teenager, and it doesn't really worry me now, he writes flawed heroes as well as anyone else at the time, and much of what he was doing was ground-breaking then, although it's old hat now.
Even though this is a series of 4 books, each of them can be read stand-alone - each book ends in such a manner that the reader can end the series at that point, without undue concern as to what happens next - not quite a "they all lived happily ever after", but they don't end on a cliffhanger either.
It is difficult for me to be objective about these books, as Moorcock was a large influence on my young adult years (along with many other authors). I was fortunate, reading them some 6 or 7 years after publication, that I never had to wait for the next book to be published, at least with these series - still waiting (nearly 50 years) for the third book in the Hawklords trilogy Michael :)
Moorcock was churning these books out at a very rapid rate, and that does lead to a certain level of sameness about them - the basic plots of the first series of Hawkmoon books are quite similar. However, it didn't worry me as a teenager, and it doesn't really worry me now, he writes flawed heroes as well as anyone else at the time, and much of what he was doing was ground-breaking then, although it's old hat now.
Even though this is a series of 4 books, each of them can be read stand-alone - each book ends in such a manner that the reader can end the series at that point, without undue concern as to what happens next - not quite a "they all lived happily ever after", but they don't end on a cliffhanger either.
August 15, 2023
Judging from the top reviews for this book here in Goodreads, I seem to be in the minority who cannot understand what is so exciting and memorable about The Mad God's Amulet. Although I certainly haven't read every book by Michael Moorcock, I love several of them and I can't imagine that any of the ones I haven't read could be more dull and unimaginative than this. And I'm certainly not particularly interested in delving any further into the Runestaff saga. The heroes are one-dimensional, the villains are cartoonish, the one female protagonist is antiquated and decorative (even for epic fantasy standards), and plot twists are utterly predictable (oh, no... another betrayal! oh, it wasn't a betrayal at all... again!). Even the epic fantasy vision of this Earth's Europe and Asia is uninteresting. Perhaps it was my fault to have stumbled on the second volume of the saga and decided to go straight into it without reading the first volume. Or perhaps this is just not a very good book, regardless of its literary genre.
January 24, 2018
This world of runestaff granbretan is awesome, but story can be plodding.
Lots of suprises help, with some sort of hakey enemies.......I wanted this series to have a better plot.....Star wars seems to have stolen most of the ideas.....from this...............brilliant in flashes..................I wonder if he let someone ghost write this....not as densely atmouspheric as elric series...moorcock when he is on is best author in history.....challenged only by robert e howard, jack vance, ae van vogt
Lots of suprises help, with some sort of hakey enemies.......I wanted this series to have a better plot.....Star wars seems to have stolen most of the ideas.....from this...............brilliant in flashes..................I wonder if he let someone ghost write this....not as densely atmouspheric as elric series...moorcock when he is on is best author in history.....challenged only by robert e howard, jack vance, ae van vogt
January 24, 2024
I have a big soft spot for old moorcock and love the aesthetics of sword and sorcery or retro science fantasy but it’s just a shame a lot of the actual storytelling doesn’t hold up at all! This has some fun moments but is mostly style over substance and I’m sure it popped off at the time but things have changed and now this mostly reads as just trashy. “You can’t criticise art outside the context it was made!” They say. Well you can if it’s good.
June 28, 2022
In the second book of the History of the Runestaff Dorian Hawkmoon fights his way back to Kamarg. As he battles his way through a lost city, a mechanical monster, pirates, and a mad god, he begins to get more clues about his connection to the Runestaff. There are battles, captures, rescues, escapes, and betrayals. Once again things move at breakneck speed in a pulpy and exciting way.
December 2, 2022
3.5/5 🙌
March 16, 2023
C'est si drôle
Mon passage préféré c'est toujours Dorian en sandales
Mon passage préféré c'est toujours Dorian en sandales
March 13, 2017
Here's the problem. I want to like Michael Moorcock more than I am so far. Like Gordon Dickson I think he has at least one great concept (here it is what eventually becomes the Eternal Champion). I know Moorcock has previously commented that many of his early works were essentially knocked out over a weekend to pay the rent (and I'm certainly not knocking him for that).
But, this is a four book set, and this second book is suffering from feeling like a placeholder in the story (as a note the start of book 3 is already much better). Not that these books were big on characterization, but there is zero character work done here, and a whole lot of Hero's Journey stuff does take place (arguably necessary to move the entire story along).
Some would likely call this sword and sorcery, and Moorcock's U.S. fame started nearly the same time as REH's resurgence in bookstores (yes, I'm that old). Unlike the stereotype of the genre the characters, especially Hawkmoon, are not just about hacking away with their sword. There is a grander scope in what is actually a post-holocaust Earth.
But, this is a four book set, and this second book is suffering from feeling like a placeholder in the story (as a note the start of book 3 is already much better). Not that these books were big on characterization, but there is zero character work done here, and a whole lot of Hero's Journey stuff does take place (arguably necessary to move the entire story along).
Some would likely call this sword and sorcery, and Moorcock's U.S. fame started nearly the same time as REH's resurgence in bookstores (yes, I'm that old). Unlike the stereotype of the genre the characters, especially Hawkmoon, are not just about hacking away with their sword. There is a grander scope in what is actually a post-holocaust Earth.
February 13, 2025
Robust, weird, galloping.
July 29, 2023
More solid 'dashed off in 24 hours to keep the magazine going' fun
September 22, 2018
Nice plot, decent action, not too long.
February 1, 2015
http://panopticonitalia.blogspot.it/2...
The amulet of the mad god is the second volume of the saga of Rune Magic published on the British market in 1968 by Lancer Books under the title "Sorcerer's Amulet"; while in Italy it was published only in 1978 by the publisher Longanesi.
This novel (like the above) presents the typical elements of sword and sorcery, the science fantasy and clockpunk, while some commentators today do not hesitate to call grimdark fantasy.
Take it with pliers these classifications, since the book in question is difficult to impose a single genre.
As for the story, Dorian Hawkmoon is fresh from a victory over Meladius to Hamadan and is preparing to return from Count Brass (and Ysselda) in Kamarg, along with Oladahn. In the course of this trip will be captured and taken prisoner by Huillam of Averc, a French officer in the service of the army renegade Black Empire.
But the many pitfalls that Hawkmoon will face is not unique to the soldiers and weapons of Great Britain. On the contrary, the hero of Rune Magic will in the presence of monstrous creatures such as ghosts, giant jaguars and even a deity crowds who lives in Ukraine. In addition to the magical elements, a key role is played by some advanced technologies have to both warring factions. Think of the flamethrower, the thopters and machines that allow you to be conveyed in other dimensions.
Obviously Michael Moorcock manages to blend with great skill the supernatural and science, creating a thrilling story that forces the reader to continue the saga of Rune Magic, to learn about the evolution of events.
Among the characters, is given great prominence to Dorian Hawkmoon, the protagonist of this novel, Ysselda, Oladahn, Huillam of Averc and the Warrior in Jet and Gold; while they are left a bit 'in the shade Count Brass and Meladius.
The amulet of the mad god (just under two hundred pages) is a novel
slide that reads quickly and so egregious that continues the saga
Rune Magic, fascinating history, recommended to all lovers of sword and sorcery and grimdark fantasy.
The amulet of the mad god is the second volume of the saga of Rune Magic published on the British market in 1968 by Lancer Books under the title "Sorcerer's Amulet"; while in Italy it was published only in 1978 by the publisher Longanesi.
This novel (like the above) presents the typical elements of sword and sorcery, the science fantasy and clockpunk, while some commentators today do not hesitate to call grimdark fantasy.
Take it with pliers these classifications, since the book in question is difficult to impose a single genre.
As for the story, Dorian Hawkmoon is fresh from a victory over Meladius to Hamadan and is preparing to return from Count Brass (and Ysselda) in Kamarg, along with Oladahn. In the course of this trip will be captured and taken prisoner by Huillam of Averc, a French officer in the service of the army renegade Black Empire.
But the many pitfalls that Hawkmoon will face is not unique to the soldiers and weapons of Great Britain. On the contrary, the hero of Rune Magic will in the presence of monstrous creatures such as ghosts, giant jaguars and even a deity crowds who lives in Ukraine. In addition to the magical elements, a key role is played by some advanced technologies have to both warring factions. Think of the flamethrower, the thopters and machines that allow you to be conveyed in other dimensions.
Obviously Michael Moorcock manages to blend with great skill the supernatural and science, creating a thrilling story that forces the reader to continue the saga of Rune Magic, to learn about the evolution of events.
Among the characters, is given great prominence to Dorian Hawkmoon, the protagonist of this novel, Ysselda, Oladahn, Huillam of Averc and the Warrior in Jet and Gold; while they are left a bit 'in the shade Count Brass and Meladius.
The amulet of the mad god (just under two hundred pages) is a novel
slide that reads quickly and so egregious that continues the saga
Rune Magic, fascinating history, recommended to all lovers of sword and sorcery and grimdark fantasy.
December 8, 2014
The more I read of Moorcock, the more I realize how silly those theories about talent and innate genius really are. Some of Moorcock's works are sublime, subtle, and quite literary; others are real stinkers. This one, coming as early in his career and in the "Eternal Champion" cycle as it did, contains very little of his mature qualities; it's trite, shallow, and ridiculously full of two-page blow-by-blow accounts of sword fights.
It's practically a caricature of all that is distasteful about the fantasy genre. Written in 1968, it has the full complement: cardboard characters, flimsy plots, unnecessary blood and guts, sexism, total reliance on unexplained deus ex machina devices, etc.. The gap in quality between this book and, say, The War Hound and the World's Pain, written in 1981, is so huge as to disprove the old adage, "you either have it or you don't." Apparently, writerly skill can be learned, can improve tremendously with practice. In fact, it might be possible to align the development of Moorcock's career with the evolution of genre fiction itself: what began in naivety, shallowness, and sensationalism has deepened into a medium capable of subtlety and real literary merit.
I have recommended Moorcock to non-genre-fan friends before, but now I feel like I'll need to add a caveat: yes, read Moorcock, but please don't read the "Hawkmoon" books. Egads.
It's practically a caricature of all that is distasteful about the fantasy genre. Written in 1968, it has the full complement: cardboard characters, flimsy plots, unnecessary blood and guts, sexism, total reliance on unexplained deus ex machina devices, etc.. The gap in quality between this book and, say, The War Hound and the World's Pain, written in 1981, is so huge as to disprove the old adage, "you either have it or you don't." Apparently, writerly skill can be learned, can improve tremendously with practice. In fact, it might be possible to align the development of Moorcock's career with the evolution of genre fiction itself: what began in naivety, shallowness, and sensationalism has deepened into a medium capable of subtlety and real literary merit.
I have recommended Moorcock to non-genre-fan friends before, but now I feel like I'll need to add a caveat: yes, read Moorcock, but please don't read the "Hawkmoon" books. Egads.
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