JDlafontaine reviewed Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock (The Elric Saga, #01)
Review of 'Elric of Melniboné' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Great introduction, can't wait to read the sequels
374 pages
English language
Published April 27, 1983
Elric of Melniboné is a 1972 fantasy novel by Michael Moorcock. It is the first original full-length novel to feature Elric, the last emperor of the stagnating island civilisation of Melniboné who wields the cursed, soul-drinking sword Stormbringer.Writing for NPR, Jason Sheehan calls Elric "far and away the coolest, grimmest, moodiest, most elegant, degenerate, drug-addicted, cursed, twisted and emotionally weird mass murderer of them all".
Great introduction, can't wait to read the sequels
I know this is the unpopular opinion, but this book was awful. For such a short book it just seemed to drag on and on. Elric was melodramatic and dismissive of his two closest friends. He was supposed to be the enlightened of the Melnibonéans and yet he could hardly conceive a scenario in which he might be wrong. I spent the majority of this book wondering why I kept reading. I won't be back for the sequels.
No-holds-barred fantasy that reverses most conventions.