A review by woahseph
Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Oh boy I just fell in love with this. I WANT to say I loved this book because of the flawed protagonist and the deep, intelligent exploration of morality in extreme social power structures... and that is all so brilliantly done, but I think what I really connected to was the absolutely irresistible setting. This world feels unlike anything I've read before (and I've read a lot of fantasy bollocks). A dangerous fairytale wonderland. At once dark fantasy and bright fantasy. Painted on canvas by a master of impasto with bright, vivid strokes of colour. It just feels otherworldly in all the right ways, but this is grounded by the strong focus on the humanity of these fictional people. I'm never completely comfortable with these characters, I can never bring myself to fully agree with their actions or their points of view... and I love that.