THE WARHOUND AND THE WORLD'S PAIN wasn't part of the Eternal Champion cycle when I first read them back in the '70s, not coming along until 1981, but Von Bek is most definitely a manifestion in the same ranks as Erekose,Elric, Corum and Hawkmoon despite being rooted in a historical rather than fantasy context, at least to begin with.

Von Bek is a typical tortured Moorcock hero, but less tortured than some, a battle hardened veteran, having come to terms with his base nature. After being shown the Hell that awaits his soul, he makes a deal with Lucifer to take on a quest, not in search of enlightenment, but to heal the pain of the World

Ostensibly this is the story of a grail quest, but it's classic Moorcock, so things are never simple. All of his trademark flourishes are in evidence here, with wild rides through shifting reality, musings on the nature of humanity and its place in the many facetted universe, and simpler matters, like the nature of comradeship, and the power of a man to make his own reality through force of will.

Reading this I was transported again to my first Moorcock readings in the very early '70s, and felt the same sense of awe and wonder at the force of his vision that I did back then.

This is sword and sorcery at its finest, and, by Arioch, I love it. ( )

In a list of my favourite books... one of my all time favourites, out of a body of work that's staggering this is IMO the finest book Moorcock has ever written .. its short , fast and yet perfect, not an idea or a concept wasted, not a verb misplaced .
First read on a plain to Yugoslavia a couple of years before the war. I read it in the 4 hour flight , again on the beach , and again on the flight back .
I was 17, impressionable and you would think that in the years since with more cynical eyes it would lose that charm , but it never has. If you read one moorcock in your life this is the one to read
( )

Graf Ulrich von Bek is soldier who finds himself in a bit of a predicament. He's in love with a witch who has sold her soul to the Devil, and his actions in the 30 Years war has consigned in own soul to Hell. So when Lucifer gives him a slim chance to redeem himself and his lady love, he takes it and so engages upon a quest to find the Holy Grail - a tool to ease the World's pain. As his endeavor unfolds, though, the entire wold seems to rise up against him and he wonders (rightfully) whether he will get the reward he was promised even if he does succeed... It's enough to rock even a pious man's faith.

I really, REALLY liked this book. We had a bit of Dante's inferno; a little of the Davinci Code; some Victorian Gothic horror and a little Night of the Living Dead all mashed up into a very good read. I've always been intrigued by the supposition that the Devil was either just a guy (like in the Incarnation of Immortality series by Piers Anthony) or that he was fallible or less than omnipotent. This book plays it as well as any I've ever read. And unlike most of the Eternal Champion stories, in this one, the Devil's bargain was easy to keep as well as easy to read about. ( )

Ulrich Von Bek discovers that Lucifer had claimed his soul. Now the only chance for redemption is to go on a quest for the holy grail to restore lucifer in god's good grace.

Very well written adventure novel. Unique writing style but I enjoyed the plot and development of the characters very much. Highly recommend to anyone who likes the fantasy adventure genre with a little theology mixed in. ( )

Ulrich von Bek, a mercenary captain in the Thirty Years War, finds a mysterious estate in the woods which turns out to be owned by Lucifer. Lucifer tells Ulrich that he is tired of his conflict with God and needs to find the Holy Grail as a way to make peace. If Ulrich can find the Grail, his soul will be saved from going to Hell. Ulrich takes up the quest and searches the world, including an alternate dimension called the Mittelmarch.

This was a good story with plenty of action and a different twist on the idea of the deal with the devil. The story does falter somewhat towards the ending when the pacing totally changes and Ulrich and his companion journey through a year's worth of fantastic adventures in a few pages. It seems like Moorcock just wanted to get the story done, and did not have much more to say, but did not want to make the quest seem too easy. It does come to an interesting conclusion, however, with a unique resolution. ( )