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cookabook's review against another edition
3.0
It's your standard DnD-inflected fantasy novel, but more psychedelic.
The book follows Elric, ruler of the most ancient and problematic empire of Melniboné, as he fends off his cousin Yrkoon's attempted coups and travels the land in search of his kidnapped love Cymoril. Along the way Elric and his companions encounter strange peoples and creatures, enlist the help of demon lords, and duel with magic swords.
I don't have the vocabulary to explain this ideally, but here goes: Elric of Melniboné depicts a world devised by a British man that seems bent on placing itself outside the European imaginary, but nonetheless preserves its author's Eurocentric worldview. The trappings of the Dragon Isle have little in common with classic Euro-fantasy, but is still pretty Orientalist. Maybe fans will feel I'm missing something, or maybe Moorcock started to cool it on the "savage barbarian" stuff in later books, but it's hard to overlook in this volume.
Would I recommend the first Elric book to fantasy fans today? It depends...if the fantasy tradition you prefer is the weird and antiheroic—more Lovecraft and Conan the Barbarian than Lord of the Rings and Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn—and you're okay with some more, eh, colorful reading (torture, slavery, drugs, etc.), then go for it. If not, bag it. The real value of Moorcock's influence can be found in books that themselves are major influences on new works today such as A Song of Ice and Fire and Dragonlance.
The book follows Elric, ruler of the most ancient and problematic empire of Melniboné, as he fends off his cousin Yrkoon's attempted coups and travels the land in search of his kidnapped love Cymoril. Along the way Elric and his companions encounter strange peoples and creatures, enlist the help of demon lords, and duel with magic swords.
I don't have the vocabulary to explain this ideally, but here goes: Elric of Melniboné depicts a world devised by a British man that seems bent on placing itself outside the European imaginary, but nonetheless preserves its author's Eurocentric worldview. The trappings of the Dragon Isle have little in common with classic Euro-fantasy, but is still pretty Orientalist. Maybe fans will feel I'm missing something, or maybe Moorcock started to cool it on the "savage barbarian" stuff in later books, but it's hard to overlook in this volume.
Would I recommend the first Elric book to fantasy fans today? It depends...if the fantasy tradition you prefer is the weird and antiheroic—more Lovecraft and Conan the Barbarian than Lord of the Rings and Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn—and you're okay with some more, eh, colorful reading (torture, slavery, drugs, etc.), then go for it. If not, bag it. The real value of Moorcock's influence can be found in books that themselves are major influences on new works today such as A Song of Ice and Fire and Dragonlance.
benthewriter's review against another edition
3.0
Straight up pulp fantasy with plenty of tropes. But, it has a sense of satirical self awareness and moves along nicely. The quality of the prose is not as good as in "The Eternal Champion."
modkuraika's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a huge fan of the Legacy of Kain games and The Witcher and know that this series was a precursor to both that as well as the Drizzt novels and arguably a lot of grimdark fantasy in general and I can absolutely see the reverbations this would cause, even if it never had the same recognition as Conan, which it was acting as a kind of antithesis too. Even beyond it starting the trend, I found the book super fun and straight to the point. The prose still holds up remarkably in my mind and even by today's standards, it still feels a little outside of the box.
kylie_formosa's review against another edition
3.0
3.75 stars
[thank you to the random person on reddit who recommended this
[thank you to the random person on reddit who recommended this
wispy_reviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Slavery
huma7891's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
unthank's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It's unflinchingly cheesy, but the prose is surprisingly good. Any character who isn't named Elric doesn't feel fully realized, and it definitely has some dated stylistic choices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Cannibalism, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Minor: Sexism
clayjones's review against another edition
5.0
Some old school style, some, new school style, all cool.
stetsonk93's review against another edition
4.0
Great read for fans of fantasy that want something a bit darker than normal. Moorcock also has a distinct writing style that is concise yet descriptive enough to immerse you in the world. Would recommend for anyone.