The Swords Trilogy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Swords Trilogy is a series of fantasy novels by Michael Moorcock about Corum Jhaelen Irsei, an aspect of the Eternal Champion. It consists of three books published in 1971: The Knight of the Swords, The Queen of the Swords, and The King of the Swords. In the UK the trilogy has been collected in one volume entitled Corum. In the US, the series has been collected in one volume with the title The Swords Trilogy, and more recently as Corum: The Coming of Chaos. It is followed by a second trilogy about Corum, The Prince with the Silver Hand (US title: The Chronicles of Corum).
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
[edit] The Knight of the Swords
The Knight of the Swords is the first appearance of Corum, last survivor of the Vadhagh race. After his family is butchered by a group of Mabden (men) led by the savage Earl Glandyth-a-Krae, Corum tries to take revenge, but is captured instead. His hand is cut off and his eye put out before he escapes. He goes to Moidel's Castle where he is taken in by a very different sort of Mabden, the Margravine Rhaline. Corum and Rhalina fall in love, but their romance is interrupted when Glandyth leads an assault on the castle. Rhalina uses sorcery (which Corum had never believed in) to summon a ship of the dead which drives off the barbarians. However the bargain required means that she must go with the ships captain. Corum joins them and the ship takes them to the island of Shool, a near immortal and mad sorcerer who takes Rhalina hostage.
Shool trades Corum two artifacts to replace his lost hand and eye, the Hand of Kwll and the Eye of Rhynn. He explains that Corum's ill fortune has been caused by a Greater God, Arioch, one of the Sword Rulers. When Arioch and his fellow Chaos Lords conquered the Fifteen Planes, the balance between the forces of Law and Chaos tipped in favor of Chaos. Corum is sent to steal the Heart of Arioch, which will give the sorcerer power to become a great god. After an adventurous journey which teaches him more about the metaphysics of Chaos, Corum reaches Arioch's palace. There he finds the Heart at which point Shools unknowing role as an agent of Arioch is revealed. The Hand of Kwll crushes the heart, killing Arioch. Corum returns to the island to rescue Rhalina. As it turns out, Shool powers were entirely of Arioch's gift, so he can no longer threaten Rhalina or Corum. The couple return to their home on Moidel's Mount.
[edit] The Queen of the Swords
In the planes over which she rules Xiombarg is winning the battle against the humanoid inhabitants. She continues the fight in Corum's plane - sending Gaynor the Damned to direct the barbarian armies.
Corum with Jhary a Conel and Rhalina cross the planes and find a world claimed by Chaos with plains of dried blood and other outlandish geography. They meet the King without a country, the last of his people who is seeking the City in the Pyramid. They find the city which turns out to be a floating one that originated in Corums own world - and the inhabitants are his kin. The city is under intermittent attack and for the moment its superior technology defends it. It could return to Corum's world but needs special minerals to provide sufficient energy. They are able to send Corum and his companions back to seek the minerals in his own world. There he finds the last human city under threat from a monstrous army of barbarians and chaos allies. He seeks out Gaynor and defeats him in single combat. With Gaynor banished the barbarian armies are largely leaderless but still a terrible threat. Arkyn supplies the materials needed and they are sent back to Xiombarg's worlds. At the same time the barbarian armies crash against the last city standing. At the last moment the Sky city comes between the planes to help the defenders. Driven by anger Xiombarg follows the Floating city through the rift between the planes. However this is in violation of the Cosmic Balance and the balance sends her back and restores Donblas. The sky ships of the City destroy the barbarian armies with their wondrous weapons.
[edit] The King of the Swords
Corum's peace is destroyed by great spell - the cloud of contention - that sets everyone against each other. The inhabitants of the Sky city turn on each other. The forces of Law are broken again. Corum and his companions travel in a sky boat across the planes. Rhalina is taken by the King of Swords. In trying to get back to his own planes and time he meets two other aspects of the eternal Champion Elric and Erekose all three seeking Tanelorn. Corum and Jhary arrive at their version of Tanelorn and find one of the "Lost Gods", Kwll, imprisoned there. Corum offers Kwll back his hand, which will free him, in return for help against Mabelode. Freed, Kwll disowns any bargain - he and his brother are above all including the law of the balance - but is persuaded to help. Taking them directly to Mabelode, Kwll destroys the King of Swords and his Dukes. In the end, Kwll is reunited with Rhyn, who was the wading god all this time. Together, they have also destroyed the Lords of Law, leaving humanity to shape its own destinies.
