Elric of Melnibone: Elric of Melnibone

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!

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.