Elric of Melniboné

Book One of The Elric Saga , #01

Mass Market Paperback, 192 pages

English language

Published Sept. 13, 1996 by ACE Charter.

ISBN:
978-0-441-20398-7
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OCLC Number:
17985685

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4 stars (7 reviews)

Elric of Melniboné is a requisite title in the hard fantasy canon, a book no fantasy fan should leave unread. Author Michael Moorcock, already a major player in science fiction, cemented his position in the fantasy pantheon with the five-book Elric saga, of which Elric of Melniboné is the first installment. The book's namesake, the brooding albino emperor of the dying nation of Melniboné, is a sort of Superman for Goths, truly an archetype of the genre.

The youthful Elric is a cynical and melancholy king, heir to a nation whose 100,000-year rule of the world ended less than 500 years hence. More interested in brooding contemplation than holding the throne, Elric is a reluctant ruler, but he also realizes that no other worthy successor exists and the survival of his once-powerful, decadent nation depends on him alone. Elric's nefarious, brutish cousin Yrkoon has no patience for his physically weak …

9 editions

Review of 'Elric of Melniboné' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is the first book in a project to read as much of the Eternal Champion saga as I can. Some is a reread but much of it I have never read.

This is really my kind of sword and sorcerery. Brooding, tragic anti-hero; weird landscapes and artifacts; escalating deals with devils. I dig it all and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book I hadn't touched in 40 years.

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