A review by smiorganbaldhead
The Sword and the Stallion by Michael Moorcock
4.0
3.5/5. I really enjoyed the conclusion to Corum’s saga. It’s vividly imaginative as usual from Moorcock. I liked seeing some characters show up later in the book that might seem familiar for readers familiar with Elric’s saga. The ending hit me pretty hard. Having read Elric, it wasn’t entirely unexpected, but I thought we might get a happier or bittersweet ending as in the first Corum trilogy or John Daker’s trilogy. The ending we get is similar to Stormbringer, and in some ways even darker.
I wish though that I understood more clearly why Medhbh acted as she end at the end. She had previously distrusted Corum, but she would have just seen the doppelgänger, confirming his story and removing any reason for lingering doubt she might have had. I find it hard to believe that she was really convinced her world would be better off without Corum. This issue echos a recurring problem I see with the Corum stories: they are very enjoyable and imaginative reads, but sometimes important character motivations are unclear.
I wish though that I understood more clearly why Medhbh acted as she end at the end. She had previously distrusted Corum, but she would have just seen the doppelgänger, confirming his story and removing any reason for lingering doubt she might have had. I find it hard to believe that she was really convinced her world would be better off without Corum. This issue echos a recurring problem I see with the Corum stories: they are very enjoyable and imaginative reads, but sometimes important character motivations are unclear.