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eleven_hummingbird 's review for:
Elric of Melniboné
by Michael Moorcock
Oh such a story of adventure, romance, and tragedy, but not without its humor! I so love this. A wonderful, self-contained story that yet opens a whole world of possibilities and teetering disasters! An excellent start to a series.
The characters are great, the prose is often beautiful, and the places are so fantastical. The locations evoked images from some of my favorite fantasy films and books… Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Alice in Wonderland, Princess Bride.
The prose and dialogue within these scenes are often so enchanting to read. I reread a few passages repeatedly just for the joy of it.
The characters themselves have such magnetism. At least with some of the major characters, I could really feel their love, joy, wrath, and terror. The cast is small, but every named character is memorable and each has clear purpose within the narrative. Elric is so noble and daring, and has such gravity. I love his imperfect self-assuredness. There’s Dyvim Tvar the loyal, lovely Cymoril, Yrkoon the treacherous and wrathful, and a few others. I would complain that Cymoril falls too heavily into damsel-in-distress and I wish she, or another female character, had greater presence in the narrative.
The influences this book has had on some of my other favorite characters, Malus Darkblade and Drizzt Do’Urden, are apparent. While Melniboneans closely resemble the dark elves that follow them in later literature, the major distinction is that rather than being natively sadistic, they simply lack a moral sense, Elric being the tentative exception. This facet is not necessarily explored meaningfully here, but is portrayed wonderfully. I would not consider this text to contain any meaningful philosophical or moral discussion, though the premise is itself both interesting and engaging.
I would recommend this book on its own without hesitation. This is easily one of my favorite sword & sorcery novels I have read yet. I would also recommend Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, simply as I was reminded of it here. I am very excited to continue this series!
The characters are great, the prose is often beautiful, and the places are so fantastical. The locations evoked images from some of my favorite fantasy films and books… Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Alice in Wonderland, Princess Bride.
The prose and dialogue within these scenes are often so enchanting to read. I reread a few passages repeatedly just for the joy of it.
The characters themselves have such magnetism. At least with some of the major characters, I could really feel their love, joy, wrath, and terror. The cast is small, but every named character is memorable and each has clear purpose within the narrative. Elric is so noble and daring, and has such gravity. I love his imperfect self-assuredness. There’s Dyvim Tvar the loyal, lovely Cymoril, Yrkoon the treacherous and wrathful, and a few others. I would complain that Cymoril falls too heavily into damsel-in-distress and I wish she, or another female character, had greater presence in the narrative.
The influences this book has had on some of my other favorite characters, Malus Darkblade and Drizzt Do’Urden, are apparent. While Melniboneans closely resemble the dark elves that follow them in later literature, the major distinction is that rather than being natively sadistic, they simply lack a moral sense, Elric being the tentative exception. This facet is not necessarily explored meaningfully here, but is portrayed wonderfully. I would not consider this text to contain any meaningful philosophical or moral discussion, though the premise is itself both interesting and engaging.
I would recommend this book on its own without hesitation. This is easily one of my favorite sword & sorcery novels I have read yet. I would also recommend Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, simply as I was reminded of it here. I am very excited to continue this series!