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5.0 out of 5 stars
It begins here, one of the great dark fantasies., Mar 10 2004
Michael Moorcock created the character of Elric, a doomed albino prince of a dying race who carries a cursed sword called Stormbringer in his wanderings throughout the Young Kingdoms of the humans, in the mid-sixties for "Science Fantasy Magazine." Elric starred in a series of novellas which brought his saga to its apocalyptic conclusion in the novel "Stormbringer." However, the popularity of the character made Moorcock write many prequel novels detailing other adventures of the albino prince, and he shows no sign of stopping. This novel, written in 1972, the chronologically the very first episode in the Elric Saga. If you are new to Elric, this is the place to start.The fast-moving, always creative story passes through three "acts" that take Elric from the weakened Emperor of dying Melniboné, a kingdom of inhuman, cruel people, to the start of his lonely sojourn in the Young Kingdoms (which will occupy the rest of his adventures). The tragic arc of the saga is established here: Elric pledges his service to the God of Chaos, Arioch, and takes possession of the treacherous sword Stormbringer. Moorcock's writing is breathlessly beautiful and intense, especially when he describes the decadent magnificence of the casually cruel Kingdom of Melniboné and the splendor of its capital city. The action is also brilliant and constantly inventive, especially the sequences involving ships trying to navigate the maze that protects the harbor of the capital of Melniboné. And through it all is the wonderful, brooding hero of Elric, one of the greatest creations in all of fantasy. This is the place to start to experience one of the great, unusual, and philosophical fantasy series ever written.
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by Michael Moorcock
by Michael Moorcock
by Wizards RPG Team
