Silverheart

A Novel of the Multiverse by Michael Moorcock & Storm Constantine

Oct 3, 2007 Colin Harvey

A city at the heart of the Multiverse is familiar territory to Michael Moorcock's readers, but is now the setting to a novel by the creators of Elric and Wraeththu.

Silverheart opens in the city of Karadur-Shriltasi at the heart of the Multiverse, where Max Silverskin a thief is caught, convicted, and then mysteriously allowed to walk free from prison. Branded in the process with the strange sigil of the Silverheart, Max’s escape makes him a symbol to the oppressed masses of Karadur, but it is a role he is unwilling to assume.

The city is split into quarters ruled over by the noble houses of Gold, Silver, Iron, Lead and Copper, as well as a free zone. Karadur is a city of steam-driven dogs, mechanical militia, and only occasional glimpses of magic. It is a city ruled over by a static oligarchy who have not changed their attitudes for centuries, even as the world is covered by glaciers which creep inexorably, day by day, toward the city.

To regular readers of Michael Moorcock’s work, this will sound strangely familiar, as in Silverheart he re-visits one of his most enduring themes, the struggle between Order and Chaos, aided by Storm Constantine of Wraeththu fame.

The opening section of the book, in which Order holds sway in the shape of the repressive Lord Iron, ruler of Karadur,and his henchman Captain Coffin, is the one most familiar to long-time Moorcock readers, revisiting themes that have obsessed him since he started writing about Elric over forty years ago, and the reader may feel a strong sense of déjà vu. The descriptions are laboured and initially overdrawn; everything is symbolic, even to the extent where one of the characters, the son of Lord Silver and Lady Tin, is called Pewter. However, as the book progresses, it opens out into unexpected directions, the characters are well drawn, and the ending is genuinely moving, and a natural progression from what has gone before.

For a year Max lives as normal until a series of mysterious encounters convinces him that the Silverheart is eating him like a cancer; he is told he has just six days to live.

Escaping Captain Coffin’s forces, he is led by a mysterious stranger into the underworld kingdom of Shriltasi, which has been separated from Karadur – as a result, both kingdoms are dying. Aided by Lord Iron’s daughter, Rose, Max reluctantly assumes the role that destiny has chosen, a role that brings both him and Rose into conflict with her father, and with Coffin, who loves her, but who is viewed as having ideas above his station by both Rose and the other noble houses.

There are times when the plotting seems a little laboured, and the protagonists to act solely to motivate the plot, perhaps reflecting the recurring themes of actors, acting out a part in a play over which they have little control.

There is also a mysterious force working against Max and Rose, a sinister cult led by ‘Lady Sekmet’ (whose real identity sadly, was fairly obvious, and whose motivation was a little facile, perhaps the one slight weakness of an otherwise fine ending). Overall the book is a fine mixture of steampunk and sword and sorcery, while the description of the Thorn Hive is one of the more original and enjoyable descriptions in a fantasy novel.

While not without its flaws, Silverheart is an enjoyable way for fantasy devotees to pass a day or two.

The copyright of the article Silverheart in American Fiction is owned by Colin Harvey. Permission to republish Silverheart in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.