About book The War Hound And The World's Pain (1982)
Behold the Man… Who else but Michael Moorcock, in all his devious craftiness, could employ Satan, Heaven & Hell, souls, damnation, and a quest for the Holy Grail, as tools for a story whose central premise is a call for humanity to eschew religious belief and embrace scientific discovery and secular self-determination. I mean…damn…regardless of which side of the God debate you place yourself, Moorcock deserves some major kudos for having both the sack and the creativity to use plot elements completely antithetical to his message…and having the ability to make them serve his purpose. Tis genius, no? PLOT SUMMARY: Part of Moorcock’s iconic “Eternal Champion” saga, this novel introduces us to Ulrich von Bek, a character that I understand becomes an important figure in the mythos (I need to read more eternal champion books). Set in 17th century Europe, during the Thirty Years' War, when we first meet von Bek he's commander of a group of mercenaries fighting for the Catholic forces against the Protestants. Disillusioned, faithless and cynical, von Bek travels through a Germany ravaged by war and religious persecution, until he comes across an idyllic, isolated castle whose owner just happens to be Lucifer. The fallen angel is shown as a romanticized, tragic figure, very much in the spirit of Milton, and Moorcock's portrayal reminded me quite a bit of Anne Rice's in Memnoch the Devil. Sad, remorseful and looking to get back into God’s good graces, Lucifer enlists von Bek to help him "cure the world’s pain" by locating the Holy Grail. He hopes that by accomplishing this rather daunting goal, God will speak to him and welcome him back into heaven. THOUGHTS:Moorcock uses no blunt tools in this story, and it was not until very near the end that I really started to grasp what he was trying to accomplish. Most of the story is a pretty standard Moorcock adventure in which we follow von Bek on his quest. During his search for the Holy Grail, von Bek faces a usual cadre of both natural and supernatural adversaries, all leading to a final showdown with the archvillain. What sets this apart is the common thread of religion running through the set pieces. Everywhere you look, Moorcock is highlighting some evil perpetrated in the name of religion. Catholics raze protestant cities, protestants burn catholic villages, Jews are persecuted and killed, pagans are butchered and raped. All manner of atrocity is forgiven because it is in adherence to some doctrine of faith or in service to God. His message is delivered piecemeal, in small doses, throughout the story, but the final picture is a wallop. Whether you ultimately agree or disagree with Moorcock’s conclusion, I thought the journey he created was skillfully handled and raised wonderful topics to ponder over and debate. Rather than arguing from the tired refrain of God exists/God does not exist, Moorcock takes the path less travelled to denote his position. He admits and embraces the existence of God/Satan/Heaven/Hell, and then artfully establishes why humanity must blaze its own trail, without God’s help or the Satan’s interference. I found his approach fascinating...probably more so than I did the execution of that approach.Overall, I was very impressed with Moorcock's originality and the artistry of what he accomplished, though I can’t say my enjoyment ever got beyond “I like it” territory. The beginning was terrific and the end was stellar, but there were chunks in the middle that lost a bit of the momentum and dragged. I think if I were to re-read this now, in light of my full understanding of what Moorcock was doing, my opinion of some of these slower parts may improve. I may just test that hypothesis at some point. For now, a strong 3.5 stars and a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
http://panopticonitalia.blogspot.it/2...The Hound of the war is a novel of sword and sorcery, belonging to Trilogy von Bek (the others remained unpublished in Italy), written by Michael Moorcock and published in our country from the North in 1984.Unlike what happens in the saga of Elric of Melniboné, the English author chooses this time the historical setting, leading us in the middle of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), first religious conflict (between Catholics and Protestants) and then political (between France and Asborgo), which has ravaged the whole of Europe.The author makes a perfect blend of history and fantasy, describing, in addition to the territories of the Old Continent (Germany, Italy, Ireland, etc ...), Hell, the place where all beings are condemned to eternal damnation and have lost always their freedom to act.But not only.Michael Moorcock also depicts, in detail, the Mittelmarch, a middle ground beyond the tangible reality in which fantastic creatures and the supernatural are the masters; without falling into clichés typical of the genre.As usual, the characters sketched by the Author English can not be called good or bad a priori, nor pigeonholed into predetermined categories, as each has complex psychological profiles.Stands out among all the protagonist of the story: Ulrich von Bek, a German mercenary who is appreciated from different points of view. First, it is ruthless and cynical: does not hesitate to make the brutality against the population and, being a mercenary, offers his sword to anyone who can offer a generous compensation. In spite of this, Ulrich is caught; it has received an enviable education since it belongs to a noble German family. The Captain is also an adventurer, as he decided to abandon their vast landholdings to devote their lives to the war. It is also an atheist, which however today may seem unimportant but which at the time would have caused a sensation and even convictions.But these certainties of Ulrich falter when planted himself in front of Lucifer, who asks him to serve him to find the Grail, or the cure for all the suffering in the world, which would allow all men the damned, the demons and the same hell to redeem himself and get divine salvation. Such offer becomes a real obligation since the Captain is aware that his soul is damned and therefore already destined to Hell.Lucifer is presented to us as being a beautiful and terrible, whose charm has a magnetic effect on Ulrich that fails to enforce against any resistance and that it is at once attracted. But the Devil also presents aspects purely human, because Moorcock manages to highlight the sadness of this infernal creature, doomed to eternal damnation and intent on finding a solution that can redeem it.I will not say more because I do not intend to do spoilers, but I can guarantee that the Hound of the war is an extraordinary book, a masterpiece of fantasy with which Michael Moorcock has revitalized the genre.
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Da:http://www.webalice.it/michele.castel...Di Moorcock avevo già parlato presentando le raccolte dei racconti del suo eroe più famoso, Elric di Melniboné. Da quella presentazione appare evidente che io non abbia mai apprezzato molto Moorcock, pur riconoscendogli una certa originalità nel mondo dell'eroic fantasy, ed una qualità di scrittura che lo pone un gradino più sù dei suoi contemporanei e precedenti. Perché allora questo ritorno ad un autore non tanto amato?Perché sul blog Plutonia Experiment di Alessandro Girola, che leggo abbastanza frequentemente, è recentemente apparsa una recensione decisamente positiva di un romanzo di Moorcock, proprio il qui presente Il Mastino della Guerra. Romanzo definito ormai introvabile ma che ha il suo bravo posto nella mia libreria. Ho voluto rileggerlo, dato che non ne era rimasta traccia significativa nei miei ricordi, per vedere quale sarebbe stata invece la mia reazione ad una rilettura fatta oggi, quando sono molto diverso per sensibilità individuale, per esperienza di lettura ma sopratutto per sensibilità alla qualità di scrittura.Dopo questa rilettura devo osservare che condivido solo parzialmente il giudizio positivo di Girola, perché l'innovazione di tema che Moorcock sembra introdurre in questo romanzo a me sembra solo apparente. Il tema principale di tutte le serie meggiori di Moorcock è la lotta del Bene contro il Male, attraverso l'azione di campioni umanamente imperfetti, che lottano per il Bene anche se spesso a loro insaputa ma sono essi stessi un groviglio di contraddizioni, con aspetti che possono facilmente essere ascrivibili al Male.Quindi perché non portare il meccanismo logico al suo estremo e pensare al Male estremo, il nemico di Dio per autonomasia, che ha un conflitto interiore e si pone lui stesso le domande che i vari campioni di Moorcock si sono posti sul significato delle loro azioni? E quindi la possibilità che il Male possa alla fine richiedere il perdono e la riammissione nel Bene?Ovviamente non tutti gli esponenti del Male sarebbero consenzienti a questa richiesta, e ci sarebbe lotta per impedire la richiesta stessa, che se assume la classica espressione di una Quest da parte di un eroe umano dedito al Male, ma anche lui interessato a liberarsi del fardello che ciò comporta, specialmente in vista di poter conquistare una vita in comune con una splendida fanciulla, forma l'argomento dell'intero romanzo.Scritto nel classico stile semi aulico di Moorcock, è indubbiamente una rottura della struttura tipica dei romanzi eroic fantasy, ma fino ad un certo punto, riproducendo sostanzialmente le stesse dinamiche solo trasportate ad un livello superiore, dove il Bene e il Male sono rappresentati dai loro assoluti, anche se con tanti, troppi, aspetti di debolezza umana. Non c'è quindi nessuna tematica veramente innovativa, nessuno stile diverso dal solito, ma semplicemente una trama semplice ma ben sviluppata nel solco delle problematiche tipiche di Moorcock.Tutto sommato, poche ore di lettura piacevole ma senza particolare significato, e anche le trovate della trama non vanno molto oltre la normalità del genere, seppure con qualche piccolo tocco innovativo che è sempre stata la caratteristica di Moorcock.
—Michele (Mikecas)
1st read in the '80s, just re-read it.I think on re-evaluation this is one of my favorite Moorcock books (this and The Brothel in Rosenstrasse: An Extravagant Tale, incidentaly another Von Bek book).Recently been reading a load of Arthurian texts and this is a grail quest too. But unlike a load of the Arthurian stuff it actually has a conclusion and, for Moorcock, a happy ending.It has all the standard Moorcock stuff (apart from the gender bending/time traveling JC stuff): Law vs Chaos; nearly every page has "sardonic" or "ironic" somewhere on it (not "entropy" though); most of the standard archetypes he uses and continualy cross refs in his work (scenery chewing villian; loyal henchman; introspective hero who may not be so heroic). And running though it a commentary on humanity and redemption and the nature of religion.Another reviewer claims Von Bek is an idiot for buying Lucifer's tales and promises...don't get that from the book...after all, it is the Lord Of Lies so you'd kind of expect him to be good at telling giant porkies and folk believing them, but are they actually lies?..also the way these scenes are played leave you in no doubt that Von B is overwhelmed by the "glamour" and he later starts to question all he saw and experienced.Set during the horror show that was the 30 years war in the early 1600s it still drips with fantasy elements: Xiombarg has a walk on part; Arioch lurks in the wings; friendly maggots; giant cats; demonic pacts; chariot drawn by mechanical birds...great stuff.
—Old-Barbarossa
For about 15 years now I've been a huge fan of Moorcock's Elric series. I've read the original series several times, and I'd recently thought about reading the "new" Elric books (hey, '89 and '91 are new compared to the 60s and 70s). But for some reason I decided to give one of his other series a shot, and I'm really glad I did.War Hound is the first book in a series centered on the Von Bek family. Unlike most fantasy I read, this was set in Europe during the 30 Years' War, so I didn't expect much magic. But since the plot behind the book is that Ulrich Von Bek makes a deal with Satan, magic does indeed exist. As usual for Moorcock, he's a little light on standard character development. I find his characters to be deep, introspective individuals, as Moorcock often gives you the inner monologue of the hero, and he often sticks them with moral conundrums. To me, this is great character development, but I've read criticisms of his books in this area. *shrug*Another way this book fit into typical Moorcock style was that it was thick with social commentary. Like his Elric books, the lead is an anti-hero who is so without hope for a world with moral fortitude that he's beyond despair. Both Elric and Ulrich simply accept the fact that the world is this way, but circumstances have forced each of them to enter into a quest to change it, despite the fact that they don't even believe successfully completing their quest will affect the status quo. This futility of the quest (from the hero's perspective) is a twist I haven't read in any other fantasy. I'd imagine that it's very difficult to pull off, but Moorcock's unusual writing is why I enjoy him so much.
—Traummachine
