When I read all of Michael Moorcock’s Elric novels in the early ‘80s, The Fortress of the Pearl was not part of the story. It wasn’t published in the U.S. until 1989, but I missed it. I only learned about it when I began re-reading the Elric books as part of my recent foray into vintage fantasy.
I had, however, heard of Oona the Dreamthief, who is central to the novel. She was the mother of Elric’s daughter, a major character in The Dreamthief’s Daughter, part of the von Bek stories Moorcock released in the early 2000s. I simply had not known that the tale of Oona and Elric’s love was itself a story called The Fortress of the Pearl.
The novel takes place between the events of Elric of Melniboné and The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, making it the chronologically the second novel in the series.
Elric, the 428th emperor of Melniboné, is in self-exile, leaving his treacherous cousin Yyrkoon to rule from the Ruby Throne. Elric is a man with noble intentions, seeking to bring justice to the ancient and evil empire of Melniboné. Moorcock reveals Elric’s motives in this beautiful passage from the novel:
“This was Elric’s dream, more coherent now than it had ever been. This was his dream and it was why he traveled the world, why he refused the power which was his, why he risked his life, his mind, his love and everything else he valued, for he believed there was no life worth living that was not risked in pursuit of knowledge and justice. And this was why his fellow countrymen feared him. Justice was not obtained, he believed, by administration but by experience. One must know what it was to suffer humiliation and powerlessness; at least to some degree, before one was to achieve true justice. This was not the logic of Empire, but it was the logic of one who truly loved the world and desired to see an age dawn when all people would be free to pursue their ambitions in dignity and self-respect.”
In The Fortress of the Pearl, Elric’s quest takes him to the Sighing Desert and the utterly corrupt city of Quarzhasaat. The story begins after the drugs that sustain Elric had been used up during his journey along the desert’s edge, leaving him at death’s door. He is saved by a boy named Anigh, but unfortunately, both of them soon fall into the hands of a manipulative lord named Gho Fhazzi.
Fhazzi tricks Elric into taking an elixir to restore his strength, but the drug is actually an addictive poison that will eventually kill him. Gho Fhazzi has the antidote, but Elric must retrieve an artifact called the Peal at the Heart of the World to get it. This leaves Elric little choice. If he refuses the quest, the poison will kill him. Even more, if Elric refuses, Fhazzi promises to kill Anigh too.
From Quarzhasaat, Elric ventures to an oasis in search of the pearl. There, he encounters a Bedouin-like tribe of nomads whose Holy Girl holds the key to reaching the fortress where the pearl is hidden.
But the Holy Girl is in a coma, under a spell that keeps her trapped within her dreams. This forces Elric to journey into the Dream Realms with the aid of a beautiful Dreamthief named Oona. The Dream Realms are an otherworldly plane that reminded me of the seven layers of Hell in Dante’s Inferno. And at the center of it all lies the fortress. If only Oona and Elric can survive the realm’s many dangers to reach the fortress’ gates.
One of my favorite elements of the Elric tales is his sentient sword Stormbringer. In fact, some of the most thrilling scenes early in the novel involve Elric wielding the black sword against a band of sorcerers from Quarzhasaat. Elric, however, cannot bring Stormbringer into the Dream Realms, so he’s forced to rely on his wits and Oona, with whom he enjoys a brief love affair.
Oona is an interesting character who plays the role of a wise counselor throughout their journey. For example, when Elric tells her he is dependent on Stormbringer, she says: “You are not. You believe that sword to be part of your identity but it is not. It is your nemesis. It is the part of you which represents your weakness, not your strength.”
While Oona is undoubtedly right, I’ll admit that I enjoyed the story more once Elric could again use the black sword. After all, Lord Gho Fhazzi nearly cost Elric his life and was holding Anigh hostage. And no one does revenge better than Elric of Melniboné!
I have always loved Moorcock’s Elric novels, and I’m glad I discovered this one. Now, it’s on to The Sailor on the Seas of Fate. I recall that was one of my favorites, and I look forward to reading it again.