This was surprisingly delightful. I was unsure if Moorcock still had that eerie, not-quite-human perspective to write in the voice he used for Elric stories, yet he still has. This is one of multiple full-circle stories he wrote for his champion, alongside The Dragon in the Sword, or The Quest for Tanelorn, etc. In this one, we see the children of Elric and the Dreamthief, Oona- Una and her twin brother, John D'Acre, an albino artist from the 20th century.

There's a kind of thematic continuum to Moorcock that can't be explained. This, alongside the Revenge of the Rose, is one of the better Elric contributions to same. ( )

Elric meets Elric meets Elric meets Hiawatha.

Whereas the previous installation of the Elric saga involved Elric and Ulric von Bek fighting Nazis, Klosterheim and Gaynor the Damned, this installation has Elric and Ulric and Elric and Hiawatha fighting Vikings, Indians, Klosterheim and Gaynor.

The story starts with Ulric and Oona in 1951 vacationing in Canada. Ulric is taken captive by some light skinned American Indians. Oona then takes over the narrative and we meet Hiawatha (aka Ayanawatta) and the mysterious White Crow. The three encounter Klosterheim who still seeks the grail. Klosterheim has enlisted the aid of the Pukawatchi who have a grudge against Ayanawatta and White Crow. White Crow stole some artifacts from the Pukawatchi which the Pukawatchi had rightfully stolen from others.

The story then shifts to Elric and we learn how he joins forces with Klosterheim and Gaynor (now calling himself Gunnar) and his Viking crew. Gunnar and Elric are searching for the lost city of the Kakatanawa although for different purposes.

The story ends from Ulric's perspective as he joins with Ayanawatta and White Crow to protect the multiverse which exists in the form of a giant tree. As in some of the earlier Elric adventures, the final resolution can only occur when multiple avatars of the Eternal Champion combine into a single entity in order to combat a power than none of them can defeat alone.

I thought the integration of the Native American mythology was interesting. We've got Hiawatha, White Crow, the Pale Man and White Buffalo Woman all playing a part. The Vikings are present, but mostly ancillary. Probably the most interesting theme is that Moorcock makes plain the idea that in his multiverse, the mere belief in a thing makes it real. Humanity requires symbols as a way to focus belief. And that belief and the use of the symbols actually forces a change in the nature of the multiverse, making the symbol no longer simply a symbol, but the actual manifestation of the idea the symbol previously symbolized. An interesting concept, and one that fits in perfectly in Elric's multiverse. ( )

I've read other Michael Moorcock novel, and thought I would like this one, but I found The Skrayling Tree impossible to get into. I like a little complexity in my novels, but this one became convoluted and so hard to understand that I just gave up after a while. There was so much theoretical discussion about multiverses and balance and chaos, but not much emphasis on plot, and as a result this story suffered immensely. I didn't find any of the characters interesting. The one part that piqued my interest is when the characters went into Niffleheim, since I am a big fan of Norse mythology, but my interest quickly faded. Mostly I just wanted the book to end and I surprised myself by trudging through the finish line. Not an enjoyable read.
Carl Alves - author of Two For Eternity ( )

i've always been fond of Moorcock. and this is such a grand concept, sewing up the threads of the multiverse, i wanted to like it more. but Moorcock's writing doesn't seem to take flight any more and it takes no chances. the voices and the authorial perspective don't even really change when the narrator changes. what would Una Persson make of Oona van Bek, i kept wondering? and the answer came back: she might well recall a previous engagement, and decamp. plus there's no sense of building towards a climactic moment when the worlds collide, and then redistribute. it just kinda... fizzles. some really neat ideas i'm sure Alan Moore will be weaving into his League of Xtraordinary Gentlemen cumulative Literary History, but i'm thinking the outline probably looked better on paper than in the execution.

I couldn't quite get in the right mood for this until the second part. Not sure if it was because I found the first part less interesting or if I just needed to get myself into Moorcock mode. (It was probably at least six years since I read The Dreamthief's Daughter.) But towards the end I just couldn't put it down! ( )