''The War Hound and the World's Pain'' is a 1981

fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. magic (paranormal), Magic, the supernatural and Legendary creature, magical creatures are common i ...

by English writer

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, particularly of science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has wo ...

, the first of the "von Bek" series of novels.

Plot summary

The book is set in Europe ravaged by the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. Its hero Ulrich von Bek is a mercenary and freethinker, who finds himself a damned soul in a castle owned by

Lucifer The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology. He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...

. Much to his surprise, von Bek is charged by Lucifer with doing

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

's work, by finding the

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...

, the "cure for the world's pain", that will also cure Lucifer's pain by reconciling him with God. Only through doing this can von Bek save his soul. After many adventures, von Bek eventually finds the Holy Grail, and discovers that it will set mankind on the path to self-redemption through rationality, without the help of God or the hindrance of Lucifer. The story has a sequel in '' The City in the Autumn Stars'' (1986).

Reception

Dave Pringle reviewed ''The War Hound and the World's Pain'' for '' Imagine'' magazine: "I am pleased to report that it makes a delightful read. It is much superior to the earlier quickies in, say, the 'Dorian Hawkmoon' series, Moorcock has honed his skills over the years, and they now show a fine gleaming edge".

Reviews

*Review by Jeff Frane (1981) in '' Locus'', #250 November 1981 *Review by Charles Platt (1982) in ''The Patchin Review'', Number Three *Review by Darrell Schweitzer (1982) in ''

Science Fiction Review Richard E. Geis (July 19, 1927 – February 4, 2013) was an American science fiction fan and writer, and erotica writer, from Portland, Oregon, who won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1971, 1975, 1976, 1977 (tied with Susan Wood), 1978, ...

'', Spring 1982 *Review by Mary Gentle (1982) in ''

Vector Vector most often refers to: * Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction * Disease vector, an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematics a ...

'' 106 *Review by Joan Gordon (1982) in ''Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review'', #2, March 1982 *Review by Debbie Notkin (1982) in ''Rigel Science Fiction'', #4 Spring 1982 *Review by Baird Searles (1982) in ''

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine edited by Sheila Williams and published by Dell Magazines, which is owned by Penny Press. It was launched as a quarterly by Davis Publications in 1977, after obtaining Isaac ...

'', May 1982 *Review by Thomas A. Easton

s by Tom Easton S, or s, is the nineteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and other latin alphabets worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. ...

(1982) in '' Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact'', June 1982 *Review by Tom Staicar (1982) in ''

Amazing Science Fiction Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...

'', June 1982 *Review by Roger C. Schlobin (1982) in '' Fantasy Newsletter'', #49 July 1982 *Review by Joe Sanders (1982) in ''Starship'', November 1982 *Review

rench The Rench is an eastern tributary of the Rhine in the Ortenau in Central Baden, Germany. It rises on the southern edge of the Northern Black Forest at Kniebis near Bad Griesbach im Schwarzwald. The source farthest from the mouth is that of ...

by Isabelle Barbé (1984) in ''SFère'', #12 *Review

by Stéphane Nicot? (1984) in ''Fiction'', #349 *Review

by Jean-Pierre Andrevon (1984) in ''Fiction'', #349 *Review

by André-François Ruaud? (1985) in ''Proxima'' rance #8 *Review

by Jean-Yves Besnard (1986) in ''Fiction'', #371 *Review by David Pringle (1988) in '' Modern Fantasy: The Hundred Best Novels'' *Review by Bruce Gillespie (1989) in ''SF Commentary'', #67 *Review

by Pascal Godbillon (1994) in ''Yellow Submarine'', #107

References

* * * 1981 British novels English fantasy novels Novels by Michael Moorcock 1981 fantasy novels Fiction about the Devil Novels set during the Thirty Years' War {{1980s-fantasy-novel-stub