Elric: The Fortress of the Pearl

In this post I review some the themes (and frustrations) I identified when reading [b:The Fortress of the Pearl 594574 The Fortress of the Pearl (Elric #8) Michael Moorcock https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1265756984s/594574.jpg 1479741] by [a:Michael Moorcock 16939 Michael Moorcock https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1424079041p2/16939.jpg].Firstly, I was (and still am) a great fan of the Elric books having read these extensively as a teenager. This story takes place during a previously ambiguous period between [b:Elric of Melniboné 30036 Elric of Melniboné (Elric, #1) Michael Moorcock https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1388345555s/30036.jpg 388812] and [b:The Sailor on the Seas of Fate 60154 The Sailor on the Seas of Fate (Elric, #2) Michael Moorcock https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1352574936s/60154.jpg 1777516] and has Elric questing (as usual) following on from inadvertently swallowing some slow acting poison. He needs to retrieve the “Pearl at the Heart of the World” to receive the antidote. The journey takes him through a dream world where reality is distorted and warped. In addition to the antidote Elric will also secure the release of a young boy who has been taken hostage.The book is split into three parts: parts I and III are more in line with the previous Elric books, in terms of thrills, composition and construction. In these sections you have the characteristic elements which you've come across before in terms of rich descriptions of cultures and civilizations, plus the usual strange mix of characters all underpinned with ruthless action.The first issue I had concerned the reason for the quest itself. Here we have a mighty warrior, aided by magic and a sword which sucks your soul out of you. Why didn't Elric just beat the living daylights out of the villain and get the antidote immediately after swallowing the poison (in fact he does as much towards the end of the book anyway, practically killing everyone in the entire city)? Also, why is he so bothered about one boy? Like I've just said he practically kills everyone anyway, plus in previous books he slaughters many innocents basically because they just got in his way.As ever the book uses the idea of the multiverse:“There is an infinity of worlds and some are yet unborn, some so old they have grown senile, some born of dreams, some destroyed by nightmares.”This idea is explored further in part II via an exploration of the nature of dreams and reality. Each of the dream worlds Elric passes through tries to entice Elric to attain unreachable desires in different ways but ultimately suggests that spiritual nourishment is an important as physical.So in summary, not one of the best Elric stories as there was too much philosophizing which slowed down the action to a meandering snail's pace at times and although you could read [b:The Fortress of the Pearl 594574 The Fortress of the Pearl (Elric #8) Michael Moorcock https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1265756984s/594574.jpg 1479741] as a stand-alone novel I would suggest that your read the rest of the series first to set this story into context.