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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In response to the "Spotlight Reviews",
This review is from: The Weird of the White Wolf - (Book 3 of the Elric Saga) (Paperback)
In defense of one of the greatest and most original sagas in the annals of heroic fantasy, I would like to address some of the negative comments (and misconceptions) of the Spotlight Reviews.
First and foremost, the Elric Saga is a tragedy. None of the stories have a particularly happy ending, and the final book, "Stormbringer", ends along the same lines; sad, but dramatically fulfilling. One should consider that when Moorcock first started writing these, tragedy was virtually unheard of in Sword and Sorcery Fiction. This is not Tolkien. The hero does not get the girl and ride off into the sunset. If that's what you're looking for, you should avoid Moorcock and seek satisfaction elsewhere. Secondly, the story that everyone has the most problem with, "The Dreaming City", is actually the FIRST Elric story that Moorcock ever wrote. He did not write these chronologically. As it stands, "The Dreaming City" is the most pivotal, and arguably, the most important story in the entire Elric Saga. It's the story that defines the character and his subsequent actions throughout the rest of the series. One person noted that Elric's actions (in leaving S. Baldhead to die in order to save himself) was uncharacteristic. Well, its supposed to be uncharacteristic, BECAUSE THE CHARACTER UNDERGOES A PROFOUND CHANGE IN THIS STORY. The character of Elric at the end of "The Dreaming City" is not the same character at the beginning of the saga. In the first two novels, he is idealistic as well as naive (especially in trusting Yrkoon a second time). But after his actions bring ruin to everyone he cares about, he becomes embittered and vengeful, all the way up until midway through "The Bane of the Black Sword", where the character changes once again. As for the complaints that some of his actions are inexplicable and inconsistent, I must remind the readers that Elric is a drug addict. His sword, Stormbringer, is his addiction. Anyone who has ever dealt with addiction in the real world, either directly or as an observer, can tell you that an addict's actions are often illogical and inconsistent. The idea that Elric never really cared about Cymoril is ludacrous. Anyone who gained that from reading the stories must not have been paying very close attention. While I don't like to give away spoilers (unlike some people, who are content to ruin it for everyone just because they personally didn't like it), I will say that the tragic events of "The Dreaming City" haunt Elric throughout the rest of the saga. In closing, I would suggest not to prejudge the series based on this one book. Reserve your judgement until you've completed the entire saga. Five stars. Highly recommended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
3 of 6: Back to Melnibone,
By
This review is from: The Weird of the White Wolf - (Book 3 of the Elric Saga) (Paperback)
Michael Moorcock, The Weird of the White Wolf (DAW, 1977)The third book in the Elric series introduces the reader to Moonglum, Elric's longtime companion (and, thanks to AD&D's Deities and Demigods book, the companion most readers can't imagine him without). Much of the second novel moved away from the events of the first, and concentrated Elric's character on other adventures. The Weird of the White Wolf brings Elric back to Melnibonë along with Moonglum, their friend Smiorgan Baldhead, and an army of raiders bent on overthrowing Yyrkoon, who stole the throne when Elric left Melnibonë for a year to travel the world. For those wondering, whether you've read the book or not: the "weird" of the title is an archaic definition of the term, given by Merriam Webster as "One's assigned lot or fortune, especially when evil." And when he finds it, he's not all that happy about it. But that's to be expected when one's antihero has a crisis of conscience, I guess. Certainly not a slow book by any means, nor a weak one in the context of the series. And it's definitely a necessity as a prelude to what comes after it. But I still felt there was something missing here; some pieces of description left out, a few places where things could have been filled in better. All of the Elric novels are short, to say the least (Stormbringer, the last and longest of them, clocks in a 217pp.), and feel as if they could use some fleshing out; this one, however, gives that feeling the most. One wonders if the brevity of them was not the insistence of the publisher, and what Moorcock would do with them, given the opportunity (a la King's unexpurgated edition of The Stand). Loads of fun, and highly recommended for fantasy and non-fantasy readers alike, as is the whole series. ****
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
review of Weird of the White Wolf by Michael Moorcock,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Weird of the White Wolf - (Book 3 of the Elric Saga) (Paperback)
I must say that Elric of Melnibone is one of the most tiresome heroes or even antiheroes I have ever come across...his self-pity, fatalism and incessant whining and angst are easy to identify with, but can also be quite heavy-going...this is not to say that this book is bad, it is exceedingly well written, and Elric is an interesting character, i like the emphasis on his demon origins and natural ancestral cruelty especially...I liked this book better than the Sailor on the Seas of Fate, though both that one and Weird of the White Wolf are a bit disjointed since it was originally a number of stories written by Michael Moorcock for fantasy magazines. I think i liked the first book the best, because I loved the vivid portrait he painted of the ancient, decadent Island of Melnibone, with their pre-human inhabitants and elaborate, cruel pleasures...they were evil all right, and you knew they were doomed as a race, but they certainly had style. I was very disappointed that Imrhyrr fell in the Weird of the White Wolf...I felt a great civilisation and era were gone forever. The humans just dont seem as interesting...too clumsy. As for Elric, I believe the tragedy of him is that he is the main source of his misery and undoing...Watching him go down is almost painfully annoying...you want to shout at him or something to stop being such a fool. Its also is a bit boring and monotonous hearing his constant whining, but it somehow makes it even more tragic. He knows he's doomed and yet he doesnt quite have the courage to commit suicide and end it all. His indecision defeats him. He's sort of like Hamlet that way. All in all its a great read...Michael Moorcock is a fantastic writer. I sometimes read him just for the great descriptions
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