Reviews

Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock

hidesawell23's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

2.5

felipeheld's review against another edition

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4.0

Nice short story! I loved the introduction to Elric! I read the Comic already so many things were already known but the ending was unexpected and I'm looking forward to Elrics journey in the young Kingdoms!

geekwayne's review against another edition

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5.0

'Elric of Melnibone' by Michael Moorcock was the December selection for my online book club. I had read this book in high school many years ago (along with Tolkien, Howard, etc.) and loved it then, but would it hold up after so many years?

I think it does!

The prose was what I was most worried about and it still shines with an ancient worldliness. This is a brooding Elric (with albino skin and red eyes), but not all he will be. He makes his missteps here but still shows more mercy than he needs to.

kim_isa's review against another edition

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Unfortunately too old-fashioned and predictable. I don't have any nostalgic associations with this character and the book didn't have much to offer without that.

billymac1962's review against another edition

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4.0

This is the first of the series featuring the brooding albino Norse hero. Probably even more captivating than Elric is his sword, Stormbringer, which swallows the souls of its victims.
I've read the first three novels so far, and it's a series I like to have to fall back on when I feel like good hard fantasy.

ramius1212's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

blueoccult's review against another edition

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3.0

3 out of 5
Story – 5
Style – 2

Moorcock’s Elric is one of the original flawed heroes. In a time when the likes of Conan the Barbarian and Tolkien’s Middle-Earth were the typical, Elric strides through wearing his flaws on his sleeve. Addicted to the life-giving potions due to his birth defects, the albino hero spends most of his time brooding and getting screwed over by his cousin, Yyrkoon. Elric is also known to make a pact or two with Arioch, the Lord of Chaos.
The focal point of the book is the rivalry between Elric and Yyrkoon. Yyrkoon thinks Elric is too weak and un-melnibonéan to sit on the Ruby Throne and rule Melniboné. He feels that he would make a far superior ruler than Elric, so he plots to usurp the throne and rule Melniboné instead. He also wants to rape his own sister. Needless to say, Yyrkoon has some issues.
During Elric’s journeys, he befriends the king of the water Elementals, King Straasha, and borrows his magic boat, the Ship which Sails on Land and Sea, sells his soul to Arioch, fights King Grome of the Earth Elementals, claims a soul-stealing sword, and somehow manages to fuck up Yyrkoon’s plans every step of the way. The story is very metal, and I loved every bit of it. If I had read this fifteen years ago, I do not doubt I would have been as obsessed with Elric as I was with Roland and his Ka-Tet from Stephen King’s Dark Tower novels.
It is unfortunate that I did not discover Moorcock until I had already grown up. The kind of book a fifteen-year-old would fall in love with is not the same kind of book a thirty-year-old would find as compelling. And do not be fooled, Elric is best enjoyed by young adults. Not to say an adult cannot enjoy the books, they just will not be as amazing as they are to someone younger.
Moorcock’s prose is, for lack of a better word, flawed. It’s not bad, once you get used to it, it’s just very “telly.” It’s like he heard the phrase “show, don’t tell” and decided to flip it on its head as he did with the hero archetype and Elric. Here is an example: Valharik shrugged. His expression showed that he had never really believed Yyrkoon’s assurances. But what else had he to do but follow Yyrkoon, when fearful torture awaited him at Elric’s hands? With shoulders bowed, the captain slunk away to do his prince’s work.
Moorcock gets his point across, Valharik is trapped and knows it, but does so by beating you over the head with it. Subtlety is not one of Mr. Moorcock’s fortes, at least when it comes to his prose. Again, this is not particularly a bad thing, it just keeps a really great story from being amazing. Now, don’t get me wrong, I adore this story. Elric is now one of my favorite fantasy characters purely from just how metal his story is.
I wish I could give this book a five out of five, but it is far from perfect. For what it is, it is an amazing, fun read that inspired many a flawed hero and anti-hero after it. If you are a fan of the Fantasy, particularly Dark Fantasy, genre, then I definitely recommend this book to you. Just try and look past the prose.

kerush's review against another edition

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adventurous dark

3.75

kreppen's review against another edition

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adventurous relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

prusche's review against another edition

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1.0

The plot is so thin and the writing is laughably bad. This book is terrible.