Customer Reviews

Elric of Melnibone

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

You're in for a treat. WOW! I can't believe this thing exists! I envy you who haven't read it before. It's so lush and dark, while at the same time stark and harsh. It's a grandly epic tragedy. For anyone who likes the first page, you will not be able to put it down without great difficulty. It's so fresh and original, which is a true feat for a series written mostly in the 60's (this was a little later, but not much). There's so much in here worth reading:the best example of the order-chaos struggle that Moorcock's ever done, one of the most fascinating characters in all of fiction(such cynical brooding and angst balanced against learning to have a conscience in a completely amoral society is truly rare, especially in fantasy, and Moorcock actually pulls off the miracle of making you care about Elric despite, or because of, his deep flaws), the atmosphere of Melnibone, Elric's contact with humans as he finds them both better and worse than he hoped, and the complete disregard for keeping all of the original characters alive(this is in one sense one big tragedy, complete with the death of most of the secondary characters, struggles against fate, and the constant pain that always results from Elric's actions) all make the Elric Saga truly worth reading and much more.

1 hint: if you don't want to spend more money than you have to, but this series sounds really good to you, get the first half of the series in the trade paperback "Elric:Song of the Black Sword" for a lot cheaper than 3 of these little books, and if it turns out you like it, there's a collection of the second half:"Elric:The Stealer of Souls", which is much cheaper(even though it's still only hardcover) than 5 little paperbacks.

After grimacing as I picked this title up from my College's book store, I ventured into the land of Elric of Melnibone. It wasn't half bad. While I am not a "typical" fan of this fantasy genre, it was a novel that I could not put down. The characters are complicated, and multi-dimensional, easy to sypmathize and easier to hate. This is a tale of love and love lost in a magical land full of sorcery and magic. Prince Elric is forced to make decisions for his land and his people, discarding his "morality". Although the plot takes a lot of unexpected turns, Elric shows his true strengths and superiority on his quest to save his lover. This is definately a good novel for those who have never read any fantasy novels, and are looking to expand their knowledge of literature, or just for an interesting read. Michael Moorcock has also left me on the edge of my seat, looking to pick up the next book in the series.

Michael Moorcock created the character of Elric, a doomed albino prince of a dying race who carries a cursed sword called Stormbringer in his wanderings throughout the Young Kingdoms of the humans, in the mid-sixties for "Science Fantasy Magazine." Elric starred in a series of novellas which brought his saga to its apocalyptic conclusion in the novel "Stormbringer." However, the popularity of the character made Moorcock write many prequel novels detailing other adventures of the albino prince, and he shows no sign of stopping. This novel, written in 1972, the chronologically the very first episode in the Elric Saga. If you are new to Elric, this is the place to start.

The fast-moving, always creative story passes through three "acts" that take Elric from the weakened Emperor of dying Melniboné, a kingdom of inhuman, cruel people, to the start of his lonely sojourn in the Young Kingdoms (which will occupy the rest of his adventures). The tragic arc of the saga is established here: Elric pledges his service to the God of Chaos, Arioch, and takes possession of the treacherous sword Stormbringer. Moorcock's writing is breathlessly beautiful and intense, especially when he describes the decadent magnificence of the casually cruel Kingdom of Melniboné and the splendor of its capital city. The action is also brilliant and constantly inventive, especially the sequences involving ships trying to navigate the maze that protects the harbor of the capital of Melniboné. And through it all is the wonderful, brooding hero of Elric, one of the greatest creations in all of fantasy.

This is the place to start to experience one of the great, unusual, and philosophical fantasy series ever written.

"Elric of Melnibone," by Michael Moorcock, is a sword-and-sorcery tale whose hero, Elric, is the albino king of an ancient island nation. Elric lives in a world of magic and warfare; it's a place where humans have dealings with powerful supernatural beings.

This is a decidedly adult fantasy story; Elric's is a world of drugs and slavery, and this story is dark, violent, and full of political intrigue. Moorcock succeeds in giving the story an evocative, mythic feel. The author has created, in addition to Elric, some really memorable characters (such as Doctor Jest, the master torturer). The book is full of wonderfully cinematic scenes and skillfully realized fantasy concepts. And the melancholy Elric makes for an interestingly offbeat hero.

Ultimately, "Elric" is about such resonant issues as love, ambition, responsibilty, and the seeming pull of destiny. For a compelling companion text, try Ursula K. LeGuin's "A Wizard of Earthsea."

This series starts off in a rather subdued, moody tone and gathers momentum as it goes. Very little in Moorcock is unexplained and apparent loose ends often get tied up in a different series altogether! His trick is always to leave you with a new set of mysteries, rather like the best detective story writers. It's one of the reasons you keep turning the pages and, indeed, keep reading the series! Exploration with Moorcock promises a great journey, some interesting discoveries and some mighty mysteries, just like space exploration, really, or 19th century exploration. This is what maintains the sense of wonder, even through his non-fantasy books like the great MOTHER LONDON or the Pyat series. As Angela Carter says in her introduction to Moorcock's book on writing technique DEATH IS NO OBSTACLE, he is a writer driven by a generous talent and an enormous curiosity. It is that curiosity which constantly drives him to explore new ideas, new ways of story telling and new ways of looking at the world! His influence has been immeasurable on the science fiction field alone. His ideas infuse the field. I read this first when I was a teenager. It led me to some of America and France's greatest modern writers, several of whom have already acknowledged Moorcock as a contemporary master! In England and France he is known as an important literary talent. This is a great introduction to the Eternal Champion series, but it is only a fraction of the mighty multiverse that is Michael Moorcock (as one of his own music hall characters might proclaim)! If you want wit and farce and Elric, try Elric at the End of Time. If you want dark melodrama and moody characters, Elric of Melnibone is the guy for you!

While it was interesting enough to hold my attention, I was disappointed in this book [and indeed, in the whole series]. I find Moorcock's style to be overly vague. He skims over incidents which, in my mind, deserve further exploration [either in terms of the action itself, or the reasons for the incidents] with genre "cheats". Too often I read about Elric "just knowing" that it was "the only way" to accomplish a task. Those kinds of literary shortcuts [all too well known in fantasy and sci-fi genres] annoy me greatly, and the entire Elric series is filled with them, often to the point of leading to inconsistencies in Elric's character, or incongruities of plot [how, for example, does the Ship Which Sails Over Land And Sea make in back to Melniborne when it was landlocked in a faraway land, it's power to sail over land taken from it?].

An interesting read, but I fail to see how it achieved such canonical status.

This saga is a bad heroin trip from the first page to the end: and it is just as addictive. I had heard of the stories long before I ever read them, my friends going on and on with their references. You'd think this was written by Tolkien for all of the references and homage paid to it among those who have read it. Well it is all true. The doomed world our anti-hero lives in is dying (from the first few pages this is obvious - so no spoiler here) and we are taken along the path to see the death of this enchanted world of giants and dragons and magical swords coming to an end. Elric is pathetic. He is barely alive and none too pleasant when he is coherent, existing on a cocktail of potions to prop up his sickly albino body. To his benefit[?] he finds Stormbringer, which feeds him... let's say "life."

Sotrmbringer is in a class by itself (well along with its twin) and the less said about it the better, unless you really want to know th ending of this lengthy epic without reading every painful page. In the school of 'comedie' and 'tragdie' this is absolutely NOT the former.

While this story may "lack" certain elements that some critics feel necessary to make it worthy of their time, what it really comes down to is that this book will stick with you for decades. Read the entire saga. If you are anything like me, throw it across the room when you read the last few pages, angered and disgusted, and feeling that you wasted months of your life casually reading it. Then come back to it a few months after that and give it to your friends insisting that they 'enjoy it' as much as you did. That s the truest beauty of this book - that you can share the same pain on others as Mr. Moorcock and his insidious characters inflict on you.

My decision to read Elric of Melnibone was based solely on the reviews I read right here on Amazon.com. I must say that I was not disappointed! This book now ranks as one of my all time favorite fantasy novels.

THE GOOD: 1) It is easy to read. The book is short (180 pages) and divided into chapters of about 10 pages each. The author's style of writing also makes for quick reading as he gives only the important details. Thus, a few pages might be devoted to intense action that is taking place over a few minutes, or they might cover a half-year of searching for a missing person. I like this style, but if you are into super detailed accounts of everything then you may not like it. 2) It is a good story. I really liked the blend of story elements. It seems to be part adventure story, part love story, part hi fantasy and part ruler-fighting-against-all-the-treacherous-relatives. It keeps the book interesting, and makes it move at a fast pace - not many dull moments here! 3) There are a lot of familiar fantasy elements that we all know and have come to love. There is the wise and talented king, dragons, powerful sorcerers, and all kinds of good and evil gods. 4) There are a lot of unique elements of hi fantasy. One of the reasons that I read fantasy books to come in contact with new ideas that really stretch the imagination - this book did not disappoint me in that regard! There is a ship with a unique way to travel, a mirror with a capacity for more than looks, a nice pantheon of elemental gods and a twist on the Greek Labyrinth maze!

THE BAD: While I liked the brevity implored by the author, there are a few times that his brief writing style fails to fully capture the feelings of the characters. So while we believe that there is a lot of love between Elric and Cymoril, the author doesn't make a great effort to convince us. Personally, I don't mind this style of writing (being brief), but if you are more into nice, long, enriched accounts of great detail then you may not like the book as much.

OVERALL: If you like classic fantasy, then you should give this book a try. It is a good read and a great story with lots of ideas that make people like me read and totally enjoy fantasy novels!

This has got to be one the best novels I have ever read... maybe the best fantasy novel I've ever read, up there with book one the Belgariad and book one of Chronicles. It's wholly different from anything I've ever read, with a bizarre, dark anti-hero who is trapped in his own moral systems venturing through an even darker land. The description is very atmospheric and Moorcock offers vivid imagery. The brevity of words and short length of the novel only add to its excitement. This first book is very well constructed and tightly plotted. One minor spot it may lack in is characterization of some of the main characters, and it could have been longer. It's a real page turner and a true gem in the fantasy genre.

If you've read the clasic book series The Elric Saga...you'll love this audio CD. The audio effects and voice characterizations of Jeffery West are incredible. I only hope they plan to continue this audio series with books II throu VII. Definitely a must buy!