A review by jsilber42
The Vanishing Tower by Michael Moorcock

4.0

After the bleakness of the previous Elric collection, "The Weird of the White Wolf", it was a relief to read this volume, which was mostly straightforward swords and sorcery adventuring. All three sections of the book (originally published separately, I believe) concern the rivalry between Elric and the sorcerer Theleb K'aarna. The third section reveals what has only been alluded to before: that Elric is but one incarnation of a hero, doomed to spend eternity as a pawn in the endless struggle between the forces of Law and Chaos. Elric's outlook is melancholy and mopey most of the time, but his adventures are fast-paced and entertaining.