A review by bums
The Bull and the Spear by Michael Moorcock
3.0
The Bull and the Spear - 3/5
Ah fine wee swurd and sucery tale fae a master of 'em. Corum, Prince of the Silver Hand, sets oot tae fight sum Celtic flavoured enemies in a land ah never endin winter. The Fhoi Myore, based an the Irish legends of the Fomóire, come tae spreed cald an deeth tae the lands a the Mabden sae as tae mak their land lik tha of the Limbo they came fae. Corum, summoned be the few remainin folken of tis dying wurld, does his best tae defeat'em.
Tis is ah fine adventure yarn, but his ah little stretched, despite is short page count. The threat ah the Fhoi Myore, whilst considerable, is no so much felt directly be Corum who mainly comes across their handywork in the form of the desalet wasteland his wanderins tak him through. He fights their minions sure but the presence ah the Fhoi Myore is only really felt in the wings during tis beuk.
The atmosphere of the storie is ah high point. The description of ah cald n lifeless land, frozen under the march ah the gods ah Limbo is a powerful yin. Yeh kin feel the freezin wind as Corum does. Corum does a fair bita agnsty introspection at the beginnin ah the storie as well, which ah alwaes lik.
Character-wise is pretty stock. Ah've nae read any oh the other Corum beuks n sae far he seems lik a stock honourable hero (though fae wit a've gleaned tis is different in the previous trilogy). Medhbh, Corum's love interest, is maistly unnerdeveloped n whilst hers and Corum's relationship taks slightly mair tim than Elric and Zarozinia's romance to appear it still feels oot a left field, specially since Corum was in mourning for maist ah the beginning ah've the novel.
O'eraw, the beuk is a fine adventure wae ah loada action and sum well crafted atmosphere.
Ah fine wee swurd and sucery tale fae a master of 'em. Corum, Prince of the Silver Hand, sets oot tae fight sum Celtic flavoured enemies in a land ah never endin winter. The Fhoi Myore, based an the Irish legends of the Fomóire, come tae spreed cald an deeth tae the lands a the Mabden sae as tae mak their land lik tha of the Limbo they came fae. Corum, summoned be the few remainin folken of tis dying wurld, does his best tae defeat'em.
Tis is ah fine adventure yarn, but his ah little stretched, despite is short page count. The threat ah the Fhoi Myore, whilst considerable, is no so much felt directly be Corum who mainly comes across their handywork in the form of the desalet wasteland his wanderins tak him through. He fights their minions sure but the presence ah the Fhoi Myore is only really felt in the wings during tis beuk.
The atmosphere of the storie is ah high point. The description of ah cald n lifeless land, frozen under the march ah the gods ah Limbo is a powerful yin. Yeh kin feel the freezin wind as Corum does. Corum does a fair bita agnsty introspection at the beginnin ah the storie as well, which ah alwaes lik.
Character-wise is pretty stock. Ah've nae read any oh the other Corum beuks n sae far he seems lik a stock honourable hero (though fae wit a've gleaned tis is different in the previous trilogy). Medhbh, Corum's love interest, is maistly unnerdeveloped n whilst hers and Corum's relationship taks slightly mair tim than Elric and Zarozinia's romance to appear it still feels oot a left field, specially since Corum was in mourning for maist ah the beginning ah've the novel.
O'eraw, the beuk is a fine adventure wae ah loada action and sum well crafted atmosphere.