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zoey222's review against another edition
1.0
I read this book because it is mentioned as a direct inspiration for Attack on Titan. As such, I was expecting a grim story concerned with a besieged and desperate human race. While this book eventually got around to being somewhat grim, it lacks any resemblance to AoT. The creator for AoT seems to have been inspired by the vague concept of this story, and little more.
Funny enough, The Stormlight Archives uses the entirety of this story as its premise. As such, this book is essentially a Stormlight Spoiler. Sanderson did a direct rip of the world building, I kid you not. I wont go into detail about that here, because Moorcock did it first and I am not critiquing Sanderson here. It is the plot that makes this novel bad.
Massive plot holes are the ultimate undoing to this tale. The core motivations of the characters do not match the realities portrayed by the author. Major characters with literally a million years of history make decisions that go against that established set of values. For example, the human race is apparently desperate to defeat the demons. They are so desperate that they call upon the myth of a champion. And yet, throughout the entire story, humans do nothing but win, and the eternal champion has no direct influence on these "decisive" battles. If you were to remove the eternal champion from the story, humanity would have brutally stomped the Eldren, no question. The champion is along for the ride and kills basically no one for the first three battles. Thus, the stakes do not exist. Why do we care whether the humans win or not if they are steamrolling on easy mode?
It gets stupider. The Eldren are a pacifist race who possess nuclear sci-fi weapons that would destroy humanity in an instant. They owned these for a million years, and chose not to use them, even during this book when 90% of their race is decimated. Then, at the end, the eternal champion switches sides to the Eldren, and THE ELDREN JUST GIVE THIS RANDOM WHITE DUDE WHO IS THE FIGURE HEAD OF THEIR ENTIRE RACE'S DECIMATION CONTROL OF THE NUCLEAR WEAPONRY. AND HE MURDERS THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE. AND THE ELDREN DONT FEEL REMORSE OR ANGER ABOUT IT. THEY WANT THE RANDOM WHITE DUDE TO BANG THEIR QUEEN AFTERWARDS.
It just makes no sense. This story is supported by complete logical falsity. What a waste of time.
Along the way the author makes the tired sexist remarks that are common in pre 2000's media, and he has no understanding of love. He interprets infatuation and lust as love, and the main character falls in love with literally every cute girl he sees. I am not kidding. Any girl the main character interacts with, he explicitly states that he both loves her as a daughter and as a lover. Its just the cherry on top of this stupid sundae.
Funny enough, The Stormlight Archives uses the entirety of this story as its premise. As such, this book is essentially a Stormlight Spoiler. Sanderson did a direct rip of the world building, I kid you not. I wont go into detail about that here, because Moorcock did it first and I am not critiquing Sanderson here. It is the plot that makes this novel bad.
Massive plot holes are the ultimate undoing to this tale. The core motivations of the characters do not match the realities portrayed by the author. Major characters with literally a million years of history make decisions that go against that established set of values. For example, the human race is apparently desperate to defeat the demons. They are so desperate that they call upon the myth of a champion. And yet, throughout the entire story, humans do nothing but win, and the eternal champion has no direct influence on these "decisive" battles. If you were to remove the eternal champion from the story, humanity would have brutally stomped the Eldren, no question. The champion is along for the ride and kills basically no one for the first three battles. Thus, the stakes do not exist. Why do we care whether the humans win or not if they are steamrolling on easy mode?
It gets stupider. The Eldren are a pacifist race who possess nuclear sci-fi weapons that would destroy humanity in an instant. They owned these for a million years, and chose not to use them, even during this book when 90% of their race is decimated. Then, at the end, the eternal champion switches sides to the Eldren, and THE ELDREN JUST GIVE THIS RANDOM WHITE DUDE WHO IS THE FIGURE HEAD OF THEIR ENTIRE RACE'S DECIMATION CONTROL OF THE NUCLEAR WEAPONRY. AND HE MURDERS THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE. AND THE ELDREN DONT FEEL REMORSE OR ANGER ABOUT IT. THEY WANT THE RANDOM WHITE DUDE TO BANG THEIR QUEEN AFTERWARDS.
It just makes no sense. This story is supported by complete logical falsity. What a waste of time.
Along the way the author makes the tired sexist remarks that are common in pre 2000's media, and he has no understanding of love. He interprets infatuation and lust as love, and the main character falls in love with literally every cute girl he sees. I am not kidding. Any girl the main character interacts with, he explicitly states that he both loves her as a daughter and as a lover. Its just the cherry on top of this stupid sundae.
mdpenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this because BOC's "Veterans of the Psychic Wars" popped into my head and I was curious about the source material for the lyrics, also by Moorcock. Normally a war-oriented, sword and sorcery novel doesn't really appeal to me, but I liked this one enough that I'm going to read the next one in the series. I liked that the humans were kind of horrible and it constantly questioned whether supporting their cause against the Elderen even made sense. It was kind of anti-Tolkien in that sense. I also found the way the focus was put on the existential concerns of the protagonist really interesting. Although about a warrior engaged in a war, the actual battles are mostly glossed over and where there is detail, it's focused on Erekosë's emotional response to what's going on. Also interesting was that there wasn't much of a discussion of what Daker's life was like before being summoned back to live as Erekosë. It just kind of happened and he more or less accepted it and, though we are told that Daker was an intellectual (and possibly a professor?) from the 20th century and a lot of Erekosë's responses to what's going on around him are influenced by that perspective, there's really isn't any ink spilled on living life as Daker at all. I'd expect a story like this to be broken up into a trilogy with a lot more exposition and battle scenes, but the author really kept it tightly focused on the protagonist's response to what was happening and didn't give much exposition that didn't feed that perspective. Overall it was a fast and enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and War
eduardo___vk's review against another edition
4.0
Increible historia sobre como los blancos ingleses arruinan todo
belovedsnail's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A revisit/reread for me. I was fascinated by Moorcock as a kid and I keep trying to get that feeling back.
ketutar's review against another edition
1.0
Moorcock and his eternal champion... it is funny... I think of all those people who believe in reincarnation and that they were some princess or priestess or another important grand person in their previous lives. I'm sure there are dozens of Cleopatras incarnated today :-D
So Moorcock did basically the same thing. His Eternal Champion is Roland, Ulysses, even Doctor Who :-D
Now, his Eternal Champion, his garystu, is an a-hole. He is supposed to be a socialist and humanitaria, who appreciates peace and beauty and all that, but... I just finished Keith Richards' Life and when Keith Richards is more noble than your garystu who is supposed the be a champion of nobleness and manliness, there's something seriously wrong with your garystu.
SPOILERS
Moorcock's garystu is prejudiced, pompous, stupid and fickle. After 1/3 of the book he had given his word, he had sworn, he had made an oath, to protect and defend the mankind, to the king who summoned him, to the king's daughter he said he loved, purely and true, to the king's general who suspected him being fake, and then he turns around and slaughters the whole humankind because he fell in love with another woman. Who was prettier than the first one. *sigh*
"The back of the horse jogged beneath me."
What?
And the "best" part:
This is supposed to be this honorable, noble, manly man, eternal champion.
So, he's an oath breaker because he throws his oaths right and left. *sigh*
I really dislike Erekosë, and considering that Michael Moorcock said that "when a writer writes a lot he realizes that all his heroes are the same person"... so all his heroes are this overemotional, whiny, childish, stupid, pretentious little shit.
This reading challenge just got a lot more challenging :-D (The only reason I read this book is because part of Anorak's Almanac reading challenge is to read five books by Michael Moorcock. Ve, o ve! Woe be me. :-D)
So Moorcock did basically the same thing. His Eternal Champion is Roland, Ulysses, even Doctor Who :-D
Now, his Eternal Champion, his garystu, is an a-hole. He is supposed to be a socialist and humanitaria, who appreciates peace and beauty and all that, but... I just finished Keith Richards' Life and when Keith Richards is more noble than your garystu who is supposed the be a champion of nobleness and manliness, there's something seriously wrong with your garystu.
SPOILERS
Moorcock's garystu is prejudiced, pompous, stupid and fickle. After 1/3 of the book he had given his word, he had sworn, he had made an oath, to protect and defend the mankind, to the king who summoned him, to the king's daughter he said he loved, purely and true, to the king's general who suspected him being fake, and then he turns around and slaughters the whole humankind because he fell in love with another woman. Who was prettier than the first one. *sigh*
"The back of the horse jogged beneath me."
What?
And the "best" part:
'But, lolinda, I love you. You alone.'
'I do not believe you, Erekosë.'
What is it in me that I became what I became then. It was the moment that I gave an oath that was to affect all our destinies. Why, as my love for her began to fade and I saw her as a selfish, grasping fool, did I protest a greater love for her?
I do not know. I only know that that is what I did.
'I love you more than life, lolinda!' I said. 'I would do anything for you!'
'I do not believe you!'
'I do. I will prove it!' I cried in agony.
She turned. There was pain and reproach in her eyes. There was a bitterness that went so deep it had no bottom. There was anger and there was revenge.
'How will you prove it, Erekosë?' she said softly.
'I swear I shall kill all the Eldren.'
'All?'
'Every single Eldren life. You will spare none?'
'None! None! I want it to be over. And the only way I can finish it is to kill them all. Then it will be over-only then!'
'Including Prince Arjavh and his sister?'
'Including them!'
'You swear this? You swear it?'
'I swear it. And when the last Eldren dies. When the whole world is ours, then I will bring it to you and we shall be married.'
She nodded. 'Very well, Erekosë. I will see you later.' She glided swiftly from the room.
This is supposed to be this honorable, noble, manly man, eternal champion.
So, he's an oath breaker because he throws his oaths right and left. *sigh*
I really dislike Erekosë, and considering that Michael Moorcock said that "when a writer writes a lot he realizes that all his heroes are the same person"... so all his heroes are this overemotional, whiny, childish, stupid, pretentious little shit.
This reading challenge just got a lot more challenging :-D (The only reason I read this book is because part of Anorak's Almanac reading challenge is to read five books by Michael Moorcock. Ve, o ve! Woe be me. :-D)
mickbordet's review against another edition
4.0
Brutal & thoughtful, this brings the Eternal Champion cycle together with an anti-hero who has some catastrophic choices to make. Other series in the cycle mention the concept of the champion, but this book really adds flesh to the idea in an effective manner. The story is full of action and mystery, but the questions it asks are as valid as ever.
idonthavebroadband's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
halfpastsix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
It has everything you despise about heroic fantasy! False moral dilemmas! (Should the protagonist commit genocide or no? A dubious idea that's not executed well either.) Female characters that resemble cardboard cut-outs more than they do actual people! No stylistic creativity beyond the first five pages! If the eternal champion concept appeals to you, maybe read another book in the cycle than this one (I know I will, because this can't be all there is to it).
phd20's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A quick, thought-provoking read.
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