bluebirdsongs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It's hard to rate this entry in isolation because I've heard there's much more to the Elric Saga than this origin story piece. I fully intend to read further--I liked this introduction a lot. The only reason I didn't rate it higher is that it didn't feel complete, for a couple reasons. I'll explain what I mean. First though I'll talk about what I did like.
The worldbuilding is excellent. The concept of an isolationist society governed by a 10,000 year old dynasty and its ruler trying to figure out his peoples' place in a rapidly changing world is incredible. With warring seafaring nations and gods from multiple pantheons popping up to meddle in the lives of mortals, the world felt very Greco-Roman inspired, and I am completely here for it. I can't wait to see where else Elric goes in his travels, because there is so much potential. My only challenge with the worldbuilding is, because there is so much of it, it did feel overwhelming at times, with a lot to absorb in a small number of pages.
Elric is a fascinating protagonist. Being the only person in his country grappling with the concepts of morality and empathy, one of his primary struggles was holding fast to his sense of self against the sheer juggernaut of inertial force that was Melniboné's long history. This specific setup for a conflict felt really unique and was really interesting to see play out.
On to the parts that I struggled with.
One reason I feel like this was hard for me to judge is because classic fantasy just hits differently. This is strictly my personal feeling, but imo modern fantasy has expanded and evolved a lot in the last half-century, and there are expectations that exist today in the wake of that evolution that wouldn't have been applied to fantasy stories written back then. The plotline raced frantically along following a formula of "go here then here then here and here, and finally there", which felt like a Dungeons & Dragons module. But the biggest example of what I mean when I say expectations have changed over time is the character of Cymoril. As such a straight-up damsel-in-distress, to me she read kind of like a Bond girl. And to be honest, a lot of the side characters got this kind of treatment--present to fulfill a single purpose. It's hard not to see these story elements as flaws, parts of the work that just weren't fully fleshed out. Between the linear quest plotline and the plot device side characters in my mind's eye the story playing out felt tinged with Technicolor--a relic from another time.
One other reason I found this particularly hard to judge was due to the fact I found Moorcock after having consumed so much by George R. R. Martin. I read this one as a buddy read with my husband, and about a quarter of the way through it I joked, "The Melnibonéans feel like the Targaryens and the Velaryons combined!" And he didn't disagree. I also told him about the similarities to Nightblood from multiple of Sanderson's novels. Of course Moorcock deserves the credit for coming up with the ideas first. But it's hard to extract the works it feels like it influenced from my perception.
Overall my verdict is this story was really good but just missing a few things I've come to expect in reading fantasy. I am excited to see where else Elric goes and how events unfold for him given this very intriguing start.
The worldbuilding is excellent. The concept of an isolationist society governed by a 10,000 year old dynasty and its ruler trying to figure out his peoples' place in a rapidly changing world is incredible. With warring seafaring nations and gods from multiple pantheons popping up to meddle in the lives of mortals, the world felt very Greco-Roman inspired, and I am completely here for it. I can't wait to see where else Elric goes in his travels, because there is so much potential. My only challenge with the worldbuilding is, because there is so much of it, it did feel overwhelming at times, with a lot to absorb in a small number of pages.
Elric is a fascinating protagonist. Being the only person in his country grappling with the concepts of morality and empathy, one of his primary struggles was holding fast to his sense of self against the sheer juggernaut of inertial force that was Melniboné's long history. This specific setup for a conflict felt really unique and was really interesting to see play out.
On to the parts that I struggled with.
One reason I feel like this was hard for me to judge is because classic fantasy just hits differently. This is strictly my personal feeling, but imo modern fantasy has expanded and evolved a lot in the last half-century, and there are expectations that exist today in the wake of that evolution that wouldn't have been applied to fantasy stories written back then. The plotline raced frantically along following a formula of "go here then here then here and here, and finally there", which felt like a Dungeons & Dragons module. But the biggest example of what I mean when I say expectations have changed over time is the character of Cymoril. As such a straight-up damsel-in-distress, to me she read kind of like a Bond girl. And to be honest, a lot of the side characters got this kind of treatment--present to fulfill a single purpose. It's hard not to see these story elements as flaws, parts of the work that just weren't fully fleshed out. Between the linear quest plotline and the plot device side characters in my mind's eye the story playing out felt tinged with Technicolor--a relic from another time.
One other reason I found this particularly hard to judge was due to the fact I found Moorcock after having consumed so much by George R. R. Martin. I read this one as a buddy read with my husband, and about a quarter of the way through it I joked, "The Melnibonéans feel like the Targaryens and the Velaryons combined!" And he didn't disagree. I also told him about the similarities to Nightblood from multiple of Sanderson's novels. Of course Moorcock deserves the credit for coming up with the ideas first. But it's hard to extract the works it feels like it influenced from my perception.
Overall my verdict is this story was really good but just missing a few things I've come to expect in reading fantasy. I am excited to see where else Elric goes and how events unfold for him given this very intriguing start.
jennykeery's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mikepalumbo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ohnoitsnathan's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
jonvarner's review against another edition
2.0
Moorcock set out to be the anti-Tolkien with his Elric novels. The core concept is essentially imagining if Gandalf took the One Ring for himself. But the ring is a sentient sword. And instead of smoking weed, Elric is on SSRIs. Also he's albino but still kinda hot. He's the prototype for all the brooding goth fantasy antiheroes that followed.
Unfortunately the prose is even worse than Tolkien. At least the plot moves at a breakneck pace, with all the magic ships and magic mirrors and elementals and demons you could hope for in a pulp fantasy. But I find Dark Souls or Elden Ring a more entertaining way to spend the evening and you'd be hard pressed to claim Elric has greater literary value.
Unfortunately the prose is even worse than Tolkien. At least the plot moves at a breakneck pace, with all the magic ships and magic mirrors and elementals and demons you could hope for in a pulp fantasy. But I find Dark Souls or Elden Ring a more entertaining way to spend the evening and you'd be hard pressed to claim Elric has greater literary value.
maui__'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really fun read and it sets up elrics character really well for the rest of the series
kylepinion's review against another edition
3.0
Given that this is a 700+ page book that attempts to chronologize (is that a word?) the early days of Moorcock’s Elric, it had a ton of natural stopping points - thus the length of time it took me finish.
I had read the earliest written Elric stories - the cycle from The Dreaming City to Stormbringer - back when the pandemic first kicked off and was pretty smitten and it set into motion by Moorcock fascination. Now finally reading the order in which the author now wants readers to take in his most famous corpus, I have to say, I don’t think it really works as well. Don’t get me wrong, each story taken on their own each have their unique textures, but between Moorcock’s changing writing style and the lack of bridging material between each larger story, it makes for a jagged read at times particularly the jump from Sailor on the Seas of Fate and The Dreaming City (why is Elric so mad all of a sudden?). And to immediately have to tackle the multiversal elements of his bibliography without any background on Corum, Hawkmoon, etc is basically folly, because the story in which they appear does little to differentiate them beyond “bland sword-wielding ally”.
Still, with the Del Rey editions long out of print, this is now the definitive way for US readers to take on the Albino emperor, though I might recommend nabbing both this volume and its immediate sequel and find a list of the publication order of these stories. To my mind, Elric works better when you think of him as a sculpture that Moorcock has been slowly chipping away at for 60 years rather than a straight throughline ala The Witcher or any other major fantasy opus of a similar stripe.
I had read the earliest written Elric stories - the cycle from The Dreaming City to Stormbringer - back when the pandemic first kicked off and was pretty smitten and it set into motion by Moorcock fascination. Now finally reading the order in which the author now wants readers to take in his most famous corpus, I have to say, I don’t think it really works as well. Don’t get me wrong, each story taken on their own each have their unique textures, but between Moorcock’s changing writing style and the lack of bridging material between each larger story, it makes for a jagged read at times particularly the jump from Sailor on the Seas of Fate and The Dreaming City (why is Elric so mad all of a sudden?). And to immediately have to tackle the multiversal elements of his bibliography without any background on Corum, Hawkmoon, etc is basically folly, because the story in which they appear does little to differentiate them beyond “bland sword-wielding ally”.
Still, with the Del Rey editions long out of print, this is now the definitive way for US readers to take on the Albino emperor, though I might recommend nabbing both this volume and its immediate sequel and find a list of the publication order of these stories. To my mind, Elric works better when you think of him as a sculpture that Moorcock has been slowly chipping away at for 60 years rather than a straight throughline ala The Witcher or any other major fantasy opus of a similar stripe.
milozeus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chadkoh's review against another edition
3.0
I had to get the audio version because there was no digital version available. I think the story is pretty interesting with some good twists on high fantasy, but the background music through the ENTIRE SIX HOURS of the book was very distracting. The narrator wasn't the greatest either.
I would like to continue on the series, but I need to find digital or print versions.
I would like to continue on the series, but I need to find digital or print versions.
taeger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75