'The Knight of the Swords' by Michael Moorcock

Last night I read The Knight of the Swords (1971), the first book in the Corum series, and the first winner of the British Fantasy Award. I read it in one sitting (my edition is only 143 pages): it entertained me enough that I wanted to keep going, but it was trashy enough that I thought I wouldn't return to it if I didn't finish it that night.

They don't make 'em like they used to.

Corum is a prince of the Vadhagh (basically Tolkienesque elves), who lives with his immediate family in the isolated Castle Erorn. His father asks him to visit the other Vadhagh castles because they haven't heard from them for a long time. Corum finds the castles destroyed, and learns that a new species, humans, are exterminating the Vadhagh. He rushes home to warn his family, but is too late: Corum is the last of the Vadhagh, and he vows revenge against the evil human race.

Cue revenge-driven odyssey featuring magic, sword fights, flying mounts, a sinister sorcerer, demons, ancient artifacts, a castle siege, a damsel in distress, etc, and a confrontation with Duke Arioch, Lord of Hell, Noble of the Realm of Chaos, the Knight of the Swords.

This is Moorcock playing around with fantasy tropes: humans are the genocidal orcish baddies destroying the peaceful elven world; the hero learns that Not All Humans Are Bad, unlike the heroes of older fantasy novels, who never even consider that maybe Not All Goblins/Orcs/Trolls/Uruk-Hai/etc Are Bad. It's fun. It's silly. It's trashy. It's entertaining. It's a quick read. It's a bit different. It's not Moorcock's best, and it's not Moorcock's worst. I might read the sequels.