Elric of Melnibone

April 30, 2007
With skin the color of a bleached-skull and milk-white hair, Elric of Melnibone is the reluctant ruler of his dying nation. His cousin Yrkoon, meanwhile, believes he rightfully belongs on the throne, which eventually leads to an epic battle between the two, with each wielding one of the demonic runeblades Stormbringer and Mournblade. The audio begins with a 10-minute long “dramatic introduction” read by the author setting the stage well for the book to follow. Moorcock is engaging, with an interesting voice, and is so good that his opening narration somewhat overshadows West’s. While Moorcock’s narration is ornate and stylized, West’s is pleasant, plain and workmanlike. Atmospheric music plays in the background throughout, helping transport the listener to the land of Melnibone; it evokes the appropriate mood and complements the narration nicely.

February 1, 2022

This handsome omnibus edition collects four novels (Elric of Melnibon�; Fortress of the Pearl; Sailors on the Seas of Fate; and The Weird of the White Wolf) comprising the early adventures of beloved sword-and-sorcery antihero Elric, whose brooding, bone-white goth persona stood in striking contrast to the doughty, muscle-bound jocks of the Conan tradition. Rendered in spellbinding elevated prose, the saga begins as the 428th sorcerer-emperor of Melnibon� and embattled ruler of the decadent Dreaming City of Imrryr finds--or is found by--his demonic sword Stormbringer while fending off the treachery of his ambitious cousin Yyrkoon. In episodic adventures that range from bloody, action-packed battles to dreamlike metaphysical vision quests, readers follow Elric's fateful transformation: from frail and reluctant young leader, to the kind of haunted nihilist latterly so fashionable in postmodern superhero narratives. VERDICT The first of three hardcover volumes assembling over five decades of Elric stories according to internal chronology and in the author's preferred versions, this promises to be the definitive edition of a cornerstone of high fantasy, and an essential purchase.

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