A review by will_cherico
The Runestaff by Michael Moorcock

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the best entry in the Runestaff series by far. It's incredibly emotional and it's so lean - the plot stays super interesting and never lets up. All the major characters, good and evil, get time to shine in a super fun way. There are what I understand to be references to other works in Moorcock's multiverse that made me really interested to read his other stuff. I really like Moorcock's depiction of "balance" not as perfect order, because I agree with him - that's a bit of a fascist idea. The Runestaff as an instrument of balance between that order and "chaos," which doesn't necessarily need to be a bad thing. It's a beautiful story that doesn't shy away from the death and destruction that comes with imperialism, and it's a series like nothing I've read before.