The Skrayling Tree

January 27, 2003
In this engrossing sequel to The Dreamthief's Daughter
(2001), Moorcock weaves history, myth and alternate realities into a seamless whole. In 1951, Oona, the Dreamthief's daughter, and her albino husband, Ulrik von Bek, are enjoying a much needed vacation in Nova Scotia when Indian warriors kidnap Ulrik and drag him into the sea. Oona's search for Ulrik leads her through a maelstrom and into an America nearly 1,000 years in the past. At the same time, Oona's father, the albino Elrik of Melniboné, who is soul bonded to Ulrik, faces disaster. In a desperate attempt to save himself, Elrik dreams himself into the same mythic past in search of the beings who forged his black sword. Ulrik, meanwhile, learns that he was not so much kidnapped as recruited to save the multiverse. The tale's power stems largely from the astounding lyricism of the author's prose, the only flaw being the sometimes stilted and overly expository dialogue about the nature of the multiverse. Yet without these explanations, the complexity and mechanics of Moorcock's creation would confuse many readers, particularly those new to the series. An epilogue promises another installment, which should make fans of well-written and highly original fantasy extremely happy. (Feb. 19)FYI:Moorcock has won World Fantasy and Nebula awards.

February 15, 2003
When her husband, the albino Ulric von Bek, is snatched by members of the lost Kakatanawa tribe, Oona, daughter of a union between Elric of Melnibon and the Dreamthief, enters the world of mythic America, where she forms an alliance with a shaman named White Crow to rescue her husband. In a parallel story, Elric journeys to the land of the Vikings and joins an expedition to Vinland in pursuit of a giant named White Crow. Continuing his tales of the Eternal Champion, Moorcock brings together three of his heroes in an adventure of sword and sorcery that spans time and space and adds another chapter to the ongoing struggle to preserve the balance between law and chaos. Most libraries will welcome this addition to a growing body of work by one of England's premier fantasists.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2003
In the sequel to " The Dreamthief's Daughter" (2001), Oona, protagonist of the earlier book, has married Ulrich von Bek, last of his line of Grail Defenders. On vacation in Canada, Ulrich is abducted, allegedly to fight a wind demon leading an army bent on destroying a golden city that possesses the Skrayling Tree, a key support of the Multiverse of Moorcock's Eternal Champion yarns. Meanwhile, Oona is in a Native American universe, enlisted by the shaman White Crow to fight pygmies who threaten a golden city. In another universe, Oona's father, Elric, seeking those who forged his black sword, ends up in Vinland's City of Gold, asked to help pygmies there, whose gold has been stolen by an evil giant named . . .White Crow. Law, chaos, and balance all contend vigorously, aided by Moorcock's knowledge of folklore, poetry, and storytelling. Too embedded in the magnificently convoluted history of the Multiverse to be a good entree for newcomers, this tale will, however, be eagerly embraced by serious followers of Moorcock's fictive cosmos.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)