Customer Reviews

Tales of the White Wolf (Michael Moorcock's Elric)

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I have read every Elric novel. I own 500 kilos of fantasy paperbacks. This book brought me as much joy, inspiration and satisfaction as any book I have ever read. Elric was the first "evil" hero. Every fantasy writer has taken a peice of elric to produce their characters. Drizt Do'urden is a shadow of Elric. Raistlen is almost an exact copy of Elric. Darth vader's sinister life, dependence on technology/sorcery and eventual noble self sacrifice are in mimicry of Elric. In this book so many authors who wanted to write Elric stories, some who had made great fame and fortune copying Moorcock, were given licence to write as they pleased. Every short story in the book is its authors best work because as they write about their own dark heros in their own novels they are thinking about Elric. My highest praise: I want a sequel.. or two... or ten... a series published monthly untill I am old and grey.

Elbino, red eyed, and wicked by heritage Elric of Melibone is a character that you fear to love. A dark prince and king of pain, you will want to read the series again and again.

I highly enjoyed this book, the dark and gothic theme created a great anti-hero in my opinion. It took a bit of time to get into the "setting" of the book, but once I did I was able to immerse myself in the story and thoroughly enjoy it.

Elric, last Prince of Melnibone. Elric makes you feel that your right there with him and drawing the from the dreaded runsword Stormbringer, all his pain,sorrow,grief you feel it all. This pale,weak being could be any of us, and yet it`s his weakness that gives him the strainth to weld such enormus power and to control the uncontrolable. Elric will make you cry, make you feel that you could defeat the Lords of Chaos your self and forever will you bare some of his burden. Your life will never be the same, the way you look at things such as the ocean will change and you`ll catch yourself try to summon the water element himself. For such a being to exist in your mind alone is enough.

Elric of Melnibone' represents a departure from the era of Tarzan and Conan, giving people a dark prince for a protagonist. This book helps put together a group of stories written for the first time by other authors and show how dynamic Michael Moorcock's Elric really is.

Elric of Melnibone', Michael Moorcock's doomed antihero, is a seminal character in sword and sorcery fiction. The six original books in the Elric saga were replete with manipulative gods, cosmic jests, dire creatures, intricate spells, genetic alliances, mighty artifacts, and cataclysmic battles. The last inhuman emperor of the island nation of Melnibone', Elric must rely upon his unholy sword Stormbringer to feed his deficient albino veins with the souls of those he kills. He finds himself a pawn of both the blade and his god, Lord Arioch of Chaos, though he is in truth a Champion of the Cosmic Balance. The Gods of Chaos and the Lords of Law constantly war to tip the Balance in their favor and gain supremacy over the multiverse, and Elric inevitably finds himself in one adventure after another as his shifting loyalties and tragic luck toss him upon the seas of fate.

The tone of the six books (and novels since) describe a decaying world of malevolent magic and calamitous destiny, and though hope is found in scant, brief flashes, it is invariably overshadowed by evil. In this new anthology, however, Moorcock has allowed 24 other writers to craft stories of Elric and his times, as well as stories that span the realms of Arthurian legend, 15th century Milan, Nazi Germany, and even our modern, contemporary present. Into these tales hope shines with greater intensity, humor, relief and release appear with refreshing peaks. But blackest treacheries are uncovered as well, sorrows which should never have been...

The Elric novels had an incredible impact on art, music, comics and fantasy RPGs. Now even the symbols of the Gods of Chaos (created by Moorcock as "eight arrows radiating from a circle") has infiltrated the punk, crust and metal scenes as the "chaos" sign. The series is a mandatory read for any fantasy or adventure enthusiast, and this book is a fine addition to the mythos.

I'm not one for anthologies, but this one was an exception. If you bought it just to read the first tale you would have spent your money well. Elric is one of the most fascinating characters out there. Add up all of Shakespeare's tragic characters and you get an idea of what Elric has in store for you. Fantasy readers can not claim to be such if they know not of the Prince of Melnibone.

This is the first of the Elric saga Ive read. I found it most exhilirating. The dark antihero and his struggle for his humanity is almost sorrowful. His sword is legendary amonst who has lived to tell about it. Not many have though. Elric is an outcast among his people.It is one of the best books I have read in a long time.