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mikepalumbo's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scottjp's review against another edition
2.0
I was a huge fan of this author in my youth and I still recall the original Elric saga and the other books I read at the time fondly, but this return to his work after so many years was a disappointment.
I actually enjoyed the first third or so of this story quite a bit. There is no fantastical aspect yet, and it depicts Count Ulric of Bek's view of the rise of Nazism in his beloved Germany. Ulric's ambitious cousin Gaynor has joined up with Hitler, though he sees him only as a stepping stone to something greater. He demands Ulric turn over a family heirloom, the sword Ravenbrand, but Ulric, seeing the Nazis for what they are, refuses, and is thrown into prison and then a concentration camp for his trouble.
It's once Elric shows up and teams with Ulric (initially occupying the same body) that I began to become bored. The main reason is that Elric, last prince of Melniboné, has ties to many patron gods, and can call on them any time he gets into a fix and needs a hand. And so he does. This recurring deus ex machina sucks any drama or tension out of the story. There's also a lot of smaller scale mystical hand-waving stuff that had the same effect. After the first act, I felt no weight to any of the action. Even the ending doesn't require much on Elric's or Ulric's part.
I guess I would have preferred this as a pure historical novel, or at least something a bit more down to earth.
I actually enjoyed the first third or so of this story quite a bit. There is no fantastical aspect yet, and it depicts Count Ulric of Bek's view of the rise of Nazism in his beloved Germany. Ulric's ambitious cousin Gaynor has joined up with Hitler, though he sees him only as a stepping stone to something greater. He demands Ulric turn over a family heirloom, the sword Ravenbrand, but Ulric, seeing the Nazis for what they are, refuses, and is thrown into prison and then a concentration camp for his trouble.
It's once Elric shows up and teams with Ulric (initially occupying the same body) that I began to become bored. The main reason is that Elric, last prince of Melniboné, has ties to many patron gods, and can call on them any time he gets into a fix and needs a hand. And so he does. This recurring deus ex machina sucks any drama or tension out of the story. There's also a lot of smaller scale mystical hand-waving stuff that had the same effect. After the first act, I felt no weight to any of the action. Even the ending doesn't require much on Elric's or Ulric's part.
I guess I would have preferred this as a pure historical novel, or at least something a bit more down to earth.
rhoelle's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't care for the mixing of fantasy with the real events of World War II, which sort of trivializes what actually happened.
The book uses the term "vegan" in a Germany of 1940 setting, but the word was only invented in 1944, and in England. Probably should have used "strict vegetarian".
The book uses the term "vegan" in a Germany of 1940 setting, but the word was only invented in 1944, and in England. Probably should have used "strict vegetarian".
shane's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful example of what fantasy can be. Set in an alternative Europe during the 2nd World War, we're treated to a gritty, semi-realistic kind of historical fantasy. The world is almost(but not quite) recognizable as our own interlaced with sorcery and mythical beasts and strange cities and lands that still manage to feel real and with characters that seem alive and real, drawing emotion from the reader and persuading us to care about them.
I picked this up from a charity shop as an accidental find but vaguely remember reading some of the Von Bek novels when I was younger. I've picked up the first Von Bek now in kindle format and hope for good things from it if it's anything like as good as this.
Very enjoyable alternate historical fantasy. Recommended.
I picked this up from a charity shop as an accidental find but vaguely remember reading some of the Von Bek novels when I was younger. I've picked up the first Von Bek now in kindle format and hope for good things from it if it's anything like as good as this.
Very enjoyable alternate historical fantasy. Recommended.
tbr_tyrant's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
smiorganbaldhead's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed how this book crossed over my two favorite parts of the Eternal Champion saga, Elric and Von Bek. Though it is marketed as an Elric book, Ulric Von Bek is the more prominent character. However, it is clearly connected to the Fortess of the Pearl, and shares the villain of Revenge of the Rose, Gaynor. For readers familiar with Gaynor from other Eternal Champion stories, this book shows how and why he became “the Damned.” The book is also very reminiscent of the Dragon in the Sword, as again a Von Bek joins forces with another Champion to take on the Third Reich and save the Multiverse. The plot can be a bit confusing, and I suppose it could be especially so if you have only read Elric and not Von Bek. Nonetheless, it’s another very enjoyable adventure in the Multiverse with Moorcock’s usual imagination.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
2.0
Once again Moorcock churns out a novel in which further embellishment on the cosmology of his fictional multiverse is largely the point of the exercise, with the resulting story being fairly empty. Anything Moorcock tacked onto the Elric saga after writing Stormbringer is pretty weak in comparison to the original run of stories up to and including that novel, and this new entry is no exception. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/elric-a-von-bek-fantasy/
nico_asteri's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely brilliant! Micheal Moorcock writes fantasy, but it's so beyond most others in the genre, it's incredibly refreshing. Elric is a great anti-hero, and it was interesting to see him compared with the more human Ulric. Very well written, I couldn't put it down!