THE SKRAYLING TREE - Michael Moorcok

 Elric in America?  Heck yeah!  This should be good!

We learned in the previous book in this trilogy (The Dreamquest Trilogy) that Elric has become a non-corporeal being and can inhabit other planes of the Multiverse (if this sentence is already too strange for you, then this book is definitely not for you).  Let's see if I can possibly sum this up.

The book starts with the narrative from Oona's point of view. Oona (Elric's daughter) and her husband Ulric von Bek are vacationing in Canada after saving the world(s) from the Nazis and World War II when Ulric is kidnapped. His captors are First Nation warriors from a different plane in the multiverse.

Because Oona has the power to walk on the moonbeam roads between universes, she goes in search of er husband and encounters Ayanawatta - a First Nations women who claims to have been the model/inspiration for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 'Hiawatha.' Ayanawatta and Longfellow (who is also a moonbeam traveler) will help Oona search for Ulric.

Elric ... how do I say this ... Elric's body is tied to a mast of a sailing vessel while his non-physical body is searching for his sword Stormbringer.  He's currently wielding Stormbringer's twin, Ravenbrand, which, while powerful, doesn't provide what Elric needs.  His search brings him to a crew of Viking reavers (berserkers?), their leader the new incarnation of an old foe and Elric knows he's up to no good and must be defeated.

Ulric, it turns out, was taken away by an old friend of Elric's and told about an up-coming battle to end all battles.  A Ragnarok of Melnibonean proportions. If Ulric wants to save his dear Oona, he needs to arrive at the Skrayling Tree, where the battle will take place, ahead of Oona and Elric in order to fulfil his role in this pre-destined (?) battle, and so Ulric heads out with a faithful friend at his side.

And there is a farting mastodon.

Ooof.  This was tough.

I like Elric and the Elric books.  I really do.  I like his brooding and over-thinking things.  I like the strange physics of his worlds. But this was one of the most rambling, strange, and disjointed on all the Elric books I've read. And that's saying something.

It was odd not to see Elric make an appearance until so late in this book, and odder, perhaps to have the first section of the book told from Oona's point of view.  Has there ever been a woman's POV in the Elric stories before this?  I don't think so.

The combination of Longfellow, the Vikings, and an old, faithful, farting mastodon was just extraordinarily odd, with separating our three main characters so that they could each have their own adventure which would bring them together again.

I really struggled with this book, and if it didn't feature Elric and wasn't part of a series I was trying to go through, I suspect I would have DNF'd this

I don't recommend this unless you are truly a massive Elric or Moorcock fan.  Read the reviews, read a summary, but jump ahead to the next book. Please.

Looking for a good book? The Skrayling Tree by Michael Moorcock doesn't fit with the style and substance of the other 10 (?) Elric books. Read it if you feel you have to read the complete series, but you'll save yourself a headache if you just jump to the next book.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

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The Skrayling Tree

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga #11, The Dreamquest Trilogy #2

publisher: Aspect

ISBN: 9780446613408

paperback, 480 pages