The Jewel in the Skull

This one, even more so than last year’s re-reading of Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series, was a real trip down Memory Lane for me. I think I must have been about 13-14 years old when I read my first work by Michael Moorcock (an Elric novella in an anthology edited by Lin Carter). I suppose I must have been very susceptible for tragic anti-heroes as a teenager because I was very enthusiastic about the story and immediately began to get and read (it’s hard to imagine for me today, but back in those days I didn’t have a TBR shelf) everything by Michael Moorcock I could get my hands on. As I didn’t read English at the time, and the selection of available SFF books was rather slim at the time, rather than starting with show more the Elric books, my first Moorcock novels were his History of the Runestaff tetralogy, of which this is the first volume.

Returning to a book one has loved as a kid or a teenager always bears the risk of ending up shattering some fond memories when it turns that the characters once dear to one’s hear are insufferably clichéd, the plot one used to follow with bated breath ludicrously unlikely and the writing once admired unbearingly wooden. So I started this re-read with some trepidation, but soon could lay my fears to rest and let myself be carried along by a novel which turned out to be pretty good even beyond the rose-coloured haze of nostalgic recollection.

Although I have to say that I enjoyed different things this time round – when I read this and the suceeding novels as a teenager, it was mainly the mystery of the Runestaff and the tragic fate of the melancholy hero that held my interest. These days, I am finding the plot rather predictable and not quite as keen on emo characters (not that we had that term back then) as I used to be. But what I enjoy and even admire is the sheer fertility of Moorcock’s imagination, the bizarre world he imagines and the even bizarrer creatures he populates it with.

The History of the Runestaff for the most part takes place in what is either a far future or a very weird alternate version of Europe (it’s never really clear which) where in a nice inversion Great Britain (called Granbretan here) is a Nazi-like aggressor that is set to conquer the world while the resistance against them is led by the German Duke Hawkmoon of Köln. The Jewel in the Skull, like all novels in the series, is quite slim by today’s standards (it was first published in 1967), probably as long as the prologue in Brandon Sanderson’s most recent Stormlight Archive novel. This means that the novel is moving at a very brisk pace, there is no dallying for lengthy descriptions of scenery, architecture or clothing here – and it is not at all necessary either, as Moorcock does an excellent job of evoking atmosphere with just a few strokes of his literary brush. There is no lack in action either, the plot moves fast but never breathlessly so, sending our hero from London to France to Persia on a quest to get rid of the title-giving jewel implanted in his skull by the evil forces of Granbretan. The only thing that seems to get somewhat short shrift is character – it has to be said that everyone here is pretty flat and there’s not really any development either. But that might very well have been Moorcock’s intention – The History of the Runestaff is part of the larger Eternal Champion series, and that concerns itself by definition with archetypes rather than characters. But the novel really does very well without them – there is not much depth to it (unlike some of Moorcock’s other works), but The Jewel in the Skull is a highly entertaining adventure novel that I do not regret re-reading and whose sequels I’m undoubtedly going to tackle very soon. show less

A young knight, having lost everyone and everything he holds dear, travels to a strange land, falls in with an older man and a beautiful woman in a battle against an evil empire, one that is ruled by a mystical ancient emperor and his most trusted evil, general, a vile battle-hardened brute who always wears a mask. There's a mystical force controlling our hero's destiny although he knows little about it at first, oh, and there's also a trusted companion covered totally in long ginger hair.

Stop me if you've heard this before :-)

Moorcock's tale came a few years before Star Wars, but a fairy tale is a fairy tale, however it's told, and this one follows the same great themes. It takes place in the far future on earth rather than in a show more galaxy long ago and far away, and being Moorcock, reality is never all that stable, but it's another great romp.

Dorian Hawkmoon is the latest incarnation of the Eternal Champion in this one, book one of the four-book history of the Runestaff. And again there's epic battles -- even more of them than in previous volumes -- some truly vicious bad guys, and heroic defenders standing against them.

The evil empire of the future Great Britain, with its beast-masks, vast military, flying machines, time palaces and crystal bridges is more of Moorcock's early proto-steampunk, and comes alive wonderfully in the mind's eye, as does the castle in the Camarg that stands against them.

As book 1 of 4 it's a wonderful introduction to all the main players, and the big battle is a joyous romp of old-school sword and sorcery. These four books as a whole are among my favorites of all of Moorcock's work, and I'm looking forward to spending most of the weekend lost in his world with them. show less

Of all of the Eternal Champion books, this may be my favorite. Dorian Hawkmoon and his friends, fighting the empire in their strange alternate earth. The human and no so human allies of the Empire are creepy, and there's just something extra heroic about Dorian, as opposed to the weird evilness of Elric.

There are just some authors that you know what you're going to get. Tom Clancy. John Grisham (in his mystery days). The author of "If You Give a Moose a Muffin." Michael Moorcock is one of those authors. You know what to expect. A good, pulp fantasy novel, often times layered with abstractions in the form of the "multiverse" - multiple universes layered on top of each other.

Jewel in the Skull is the story of Hawkmoon (no, not like the U2 song), one of Moorcock's Eternal Champion characters. Act 1 of a 4 part series, Jewel in the Skull is a fast-moving piece that introduces us to the characters in this section of the multiverse and sets the stage for the major battles to come.

As with any good pulp fiction book, the heroes are good and show more the villains are exceptionally bad. Hawkmoon must take on an empire that is, in many respects, a perverted clone of the Nazis and defend a little corner of Europe (this time in southern France) that is holding on for dear life.

In lining up this story, Moorcock knows where to put the emphasis - and it ain't in character development. He is 100% focused on plot. He has crafted a tight plot that keep the action moving forward - much faster than other of his more famous works such as the Elric series. Stripped down to the bare essentials, this is like the Tarzan or John Carter novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

A fun, quick read. show less

First of a series, this fantasy story is about Count Brass, a man who runs the small kingdom of Kamarg, in what we know as southern France. He wants to spend his remaining years in peace and serenity, so he has no interest in allying with anyone, against anyone. Kamarg is also the last holdout against the forces of Granbretan, the Dark Empire, who have been uniting the many warring factions in Europe.

Baron Meliadus, the right-hand man to the Granbretan king, pays a visit to talk alliance between Kamarg and Granbretan. Count Brass is not interested. Meliadus is infatuated with Brass's daughter, Yisselda, and attempts to kidnap her. It doesn't work, and Meliadus is thrown out of the castle.

Back in Granbretan, Meliadus decides to send show more someone else to kidnap Yisselda. Dorian Hawkmoon, Duke of Koln, is a recent loser against Granbretan, and has been held prisoner for a while. Promised his lands and title if he succeeds, his loyalty is assured by a black jewel implanted in his forehead. It will let Granbretan see everything Hawkmoon sees, and it can be used to destroy Hawkmoon's mind, if necessary.

The people of Castle Brass are able to temporarily neutralize the black jewel, rendering it useless to Granbretan. A large force is sent from Granbretan, to take care of Hawkmoon and Castle Brass, once and for all. Even with a 20 to 1 advantage, a combination of Hawkmoon's military knowledge and several high-tech weapons stationed around the castle leads to a huge defeat for Granbretan.

The neutralizing of the black jewel will not last forever, so Hawkmoon undertakes a journey far to the southwest (approximately present-day Iran) to find Malagigi, the only person with enough sorcery to permanently neutralize the jewel. When he arrives, Hawkmoon finds himself in the middle of a civil war brought about by an attack from Granbretan and Meliadus.

This one is really good. It has plenty of action. Moorcock is a veteran in the fantasy field, so he very much knows what he is doing. For Conan fans looking for something else to read, look here. It is well worth reading. show less

Dorian Hawkmoon tried and failed. He tried to rally his people against the tyranny of the Dark Empire of Granbretan and failed. He was captured and sent into the heart of the empire, changed into a tool to be used to further the Dark Empire's goals - goals that included the humbling of the defiant Count Brass and the salting of the earth of his home in Kamarg. The wise Count, however, sees through Hawkmoon's ruse and through the Dark Empire's plans, giving Hawkmoon a new chance at a free life. Unfortunately, there's something of a time limit on that life, so if he's going to make it a life worth living, he'd better hurry.

A solid tale of the Eternal Champion. Not quite so fantastic as some others. While I enjoyed the book, I'm not yet show more sold (as some are) that Hawkmoon is the best of the Champion's incarnations. But time will tell, I imagine... show less

it feels more like a script for comics; somewhat enjoyable, but unoriginal and plain.