Loading...
61st out of 80 books
—
132 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Elric: The Stealer of Souls (Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné #1)
“The stories here are the raw heart of Michael Moorcock. They are the spells that first drew me and all the numerous admirers of his work with whom I am acquainted into Moorcock’s luminous and captivating web.”
–from the Foreword by Alan Moore, creator of V for Vendetta
When Michael Moorcock began chronicling the adventures of the albino sorcerer Elric, last king of decadent...more
–from the Foreword by Alan Moore, creator of V for Vendetta
When Michael Moorcock began chronicling the adventures of the albino sorcerer Elric, last king of decadent...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
February 19th 2008
by Del Rey Books
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
617)
Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress"
rated it
Recommends it for:
Sword and sorcery fans who haven't read this already
I took a journey into the world of darkness, and I am surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Being me, I tend to embark on new adventures in an atypical fashion. Such is my introduction to sword and sorcery fantasy. I read one Conan story prior to reading Elric: The Stealer of Souls (written by L. Sprague de Camp in an anthology). And I started reading The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane as my first official story written by Robert E. Howard, who is probably one of the founding fathers of this gen...more
view all 12 comments
Elric: Stealer of Souls is a chronological collection of Elric stories starting with the first, "The Dreaming City". Elric is a sword & sorcery hero, or more precisely an anti-hero, unlike any other. He is an albino not exactly up there in the strength department. He is aided by his vampiric sword named Stormbringer that not only kills with gusto but eats the souls of his victims. It is Elric's torturous relationship with his parasitic and apparently sentient weapon, often to the point...more
My only real complaint about this book is that I didn't read it sooner. I suspect that the originality of it was severely lessened by reading other books that followed and to some extent imitated Elric. yes, it's pulp, and 60's pulp, so it's got some of the problems that come along with that position... the editing could have been better, it's overly dramatic, and sometimes tries to be so serious that it comes out the other side into silly. And yes, a lot of the genre conventions that were eit...more
Initially, I wasn't quite sure what to make of the tone of the first book in Elric's saga, it seemed to be heavily 'told' and I usually like a good balance of 'showing' and 'telling'. However, the anti-hero character of Elric intrigued me, drawing me into the story and I realised that the style was almost like a homage to ancient myths and the way that they are passed down orally through generation after generation, until they are eventually written down.
Elric's world, with it's multi...more
Elric's world, with it's multi...more
It's been a long time since I read the original Elric series, and I'm pleased to find that they still hold up. The writing is sometimes a bit clumsy (unsurprising given that Moorcock was in his early twenties when these were written), but the stories are fast-moving and the Doomed Albino Prince still has a sinister mesmeric effect.
Having said that, I'm a bit conflicted about this edition, at least as an introduction for someone who hasn't read Elric before. It's interesting to approa...more
Having said that, I'm a bit conflicted about this edition, at least as an introduction for someone who hasn't read Elric before. It's interesting to approa...more
Brian
added it
Strictly speaking, I'm not finished with this book. However, it's a collection of a bunch of novellas- three of which I've read- and some assorted letters and other background material. The fact is, I'm not going to get around to the rest of them for a while, but in the meantime, I'm sick of it sitting in my "currently reading" list.
Was a bit disappointed, but that's mostly because it didn't live up to the hype. I had been expecting a more literate Robert E. Howard and what I got wa...more
Was a bit disappointed, but that's mostly because it didn't live up to the hype. I had been expecting a more literate Robert E. Howard and what I got wa...more
Prior to this, I read a single Elric book, oh, maybe 30 years ago. It was good fantasy, but I don't really remember much about it. This book is the first volume of a reprint of the Elric stories. I liked it and it has stood up to the winds of time. Elric is a much deeper character than I remembered, and this book deals with much more than merely hack-n-slashing, monsters, and Stormbringer. There were events in the final two stories that surprised me -- no, shocked me. (No details because t...more
Elric: The Stealer of Souls is the story of Elric, the last of his noble line, and his travels. Elric has left his kingdom behind and is exploring the outlying lands with Stormbringer, his sentient sword. Being a dark fantasy, Elric's adventures are filled with horrendous creatures, evil beings and violent encounters. Moorcock does a fabulous job developing the characters and setting his scenes. The world he creates is well thought out and planned. There were occasional scenes that didn't quite ...more
Premise: This volume collects the first stories written about Moorcock's angtsy albino anti-hero: Elric, Last Prince of Melniboné. He was hugely influential for many modern fantasy writers, and a lot of darker anti-heroes have their genesis in these tales. In this book, we follow Elric through several loosely connected adventures, then the second half of the book is four novellas that fit together into a full story that expands the sweep of the character and the world.
First off, ...more
First off, ...more
I have been reading Michael Moorcock since I was fourteen but I have never been a fan of his Elric books. They are historically important - especially the two books collected in this volume, which were themselves originally assembled from stories Moorcock wrote for Science Fantasy magazine in the early 60s. Elric, brooding, conflicted, was a significant distortion of the heroic fantasy protagonist template, and Moorcock's anarchistic, existential worldview gave the stories a contemporary edge.
...more
...more
Elric is one of those characters who has been in the outer periphery of my swords and sorcery knowledge for decades now. My favorite book cover illustrator, Michael Whelan, has painted several Elric covers since the '70s, and more than a few of my friends have told me how Elric is central to their love of the fantasy genre. But aside from Asimov's Foundation series I'm not generally a fan of pulp fiction, which is what the Elric stories are (or at least that's what the earlier ones started out a...more
I have wanted to read this for a long time, but I must admit, it didn't grab me. The writing is really dated - I have some of the same problems with Asimov and Lovecraft. The bones of the story are there, but there is no flesh. It's like the difference between the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarilion - although Moorcock has better pacing. I get why the Elric anti-hero thing was so big in the 60's - and i was surprised with all the references to the "multiverse" - but unfortunately t...more
This is a collection of fantasy writer Moorcock's earliest stories, focusing on a four-part serialized novel released in the early 1960's. Heroic fantasy has existed as long as humans have told stories, but there has never been a hero quite like Elric. An albino, Elric is weak and listless without is sword Stormbringer, which is an evil, sentient weapon that drinks the very souls of its victims and feeds their lifeforce into Elric to sustain him. But the sword smites friends as well as foes, and...more
Collected early stories of Elric from the 1960s. Moorcock intersperses commentary about what it was like writing and publishing back then; all of these were originally published in various magazines as short stories or serialized novels. I love collections like this, because for 50-year-old stories, it can be hard to track them all down, so a recent reprint is awesome for reading straight through.
Derek
rated it
Probably my least favorite of the Elric series, but that's hardly surprising, as it is the earliest. I don't think Moorcock had really hit his stride yet, really developed his pioneering concepts of Law vs Chaos, and of the Multiverse. They are hinted at, but still very raw. Very good nonetheless. The finale of the Elric saga (by internal chronology, though among the earlier in publication) was intriguing.
Still stands up well in comparison to modern S&S fantasy, but taken in the context of when this was written, you can appreciate how ground-breakingly different it was for the genre at the time. Definitely worth a read for fans of fantasy - stick with it as the storis get better as you go along, once Moorcock seems to get a graps of where he wants to go with the character.
If I had to pick one word to describe this compilation, it would probably be "METAL." The writing is pulpy, the dialogue stilted, romantic/even-vaguely-lady-related subplots uniformly a bit stupid, but Elric is a spectacular antihero (such a bastard! So mopey! So preposterous!), and there is rampant destruction, and it is good. Also possibly face-melting.
Classic! Moorcock's phrasing and lyrically descriptive writing make him a delight to read. Not buried in tons of backstory or boringly incessant world building, the stories of Elric leap right from the start. Smart, vividly written sword & sorcery fiction. Classic tales from Moorcock's Elric saga, this omnibus also contains early short stories, the novella Stormbringer, and letters & misc. Beautifully illustrated in b/w by John Picacio.
I'm about half way through. It was slow moving at first but I'm getting into the characters now. I have to keep reminding myself that these stories appeared as installments in fantasy magazines, otherwise the stories are unfulfilling...too short. Think Conan and Lord of the Rings combined.
Some might disagree but I cannot imagine a better introduction to Michael Moorcock and his excellent character, Elric of Melnibone. Not only are the first several stories intact and fun to read as ever, there's so many notes on Moorcock's other projects and inspirations.
The Sword and Sorcery sub-genre of Fantasy was invented by Robert Howard with Conan the Barbarian, and it was revived forty years later by Michael Moorcock with his Elric of Melnibone. Elric is one of the best anti-heroes ever written and is a pleasure to read.
Well I liked it and I didn't like it. Elric was quite unlikeable in the first half of the book, In Stormbringer Elric evolved. He became more of a hero. The first part of the book is a losely connected set of stories of Elric not being a very nice guy. The second part was a 4 part novel. Each part a self contained story and all four making up a larger story. In these Elric has matured and is trying to do good.
Something for me just didn't click with the whole thing. I enjoyed the individua...more
Something for me just didn't click with the whole thing. I enjoyed the individua...more
I was very disappointed in this book. I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt since I have heard good things about Michael Moorcock. But halfway through, I had to put it down. I'm not saying that he's a bad author, infact he's very well spoken with his characters.. but it's a chronical of Elric's adventures as published individually in the early 1960's, which I wasn't aware of until after it arrived.
The character himself, Elric, is a very fine character whose flaws actually empo...more
The character himself, Elric, is a very fine character whose flaws actually empo...more
For those not familiar with his work, Moorcock's Elric stories are some classic post-Tolkien British fantasy of the sword-and-sorcery variety. I've called Moorcock the British Howard, for there is something like the world of Howard's Conan in Moorcock's stories, though the heroes could not be more unalike. Moorcock was one of the big influences on the creators of D&D (along with Howard, Jack Vance, Tolkien, et al.) and I think he's worth reading for any fan of classic fantasy. Be warned though -...more
This is an amazing collection and a great introduction to the world of Elric. This is good, dark fantasy.
Michael Moorcock is one of the secret architects of 21st-century pop culture, and this bleak variant on the sword-and-sorcery epic is pretty much where he started doing it. Elric might not be the first anti-hero in epic fantasy, but he was cetainly one of the most extreme, and one of the most influential. (And not just in literature, either: Elric is, I'm pretty sure, the hidden bond between Bowie and Blue Oyster Cult, among other things.)
These stories move fast, and they're quite pu...more
These stories move fast, and they're quite pu...more
Elric is like an Emo kid: an outcast by choice, very edgy, and destined for an eternity of self-imposed darkness. His only bit of originality seems to be that Elric was the first Emo kid.
Now, take some random Conan story (it doesn't matter which one) and replace all references to the protagonist with the Emo kid. Next, make sure that the kid is miserable at the end instead of happy. Now you have an Elric story. To make an Elric book, just follow the preceding instructions and "...more
Now, take some random Conan story (it doesn't matter which one) and replace all references to the protagonist with the Emo kid. Next, make sure that the kid is miserable at the end instead of happy. Now you have an Elric story. To make an Elric book, just follow the preceding instructions and "...more
I love anti-heroes.
I'm really enjoying this one.
Yuki
rated it
Recommends it for:
fans of Fantasy genre (sword & sorcery)
Recommended to Yuki by:
Iain Scott
Perhaps a tad dark for American readers, but I was entertained. Well-written, vividly imagined. Elric is the last (sorcerer) Lord of the Bright Empire of Melnibone which ruled the Earth for 100 centuries "ten thousand years before history was recorded - or ten thousand years after history had ceased to be chronicled..reckon it how you will.." Culminates in final battle of Chaos and Law to shape the world/universe for humankind. Elric Saga (film) is in development for 2010.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Re-visiting childhood haunts. | 1 | 14 | Apr 25, 2009 10:11am |
Michael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels.
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in...more
More about Michael Moorcock...
Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
