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.