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The Dreamthief's Daughter: A Tale of the Albino (The Dreamquest Trilogy #1)
The first new "Eternal Champion" novel in ten years and a major fantasy publishing event, "The Dreamthief's Daughter" continues the highly successful Elrick Saga. The Count Ulric von Bek meets a figure known to him only in dreams--Elrick of Melnibon, the wandering Prince of Ruins. Somehow the same person, yet separate, their very beings fuse spectacularly. Now the never-en...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
April 11th 2001
by Aspect
(first published March 1st 2001)
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The Dreamthief's Daughter
by Michael Moorcock
Earthlight, 342 pages, hardback, 2001
In pre-WWII Germany, with the Nazis on the ascendant, Count
Ulric von Bek is one of the many who look upon developments with
dismay but a largely passive dismay, for fear of the
bully-boys. He is not allowed to continue thus, however, for the
Nazis, in the person of his cousin Prince Gaynor von Minct, seek
the ancestral sword of the von Bek family, Ravenbrand, as well as
the Holy Grail, also entrusted to the family but...more
The premise for this book is bizarre. Elric fighting Nazis? Pathways to other dimensions? I was prepared to go "what?!" at the end of every chapter. Instead, I only went "what?!" after the occasional long and probably too philosophical for me explanations of how all this was technically possible. Oh, and at the civilization living under the earth. In terms of the main storyline, it's surprisingly enjoyable. As the story is told from the point of view of Elric's 'avatar', Ulric von Bek, the langu...more
The main character is an early twentieth century rural German aristocrat named Ulric von Bek. His Nazi cousin begins to insist that he hand over his family heirloom, a sword, and when he refuses he ends up in a concentration camp. The sword displays mysterious powers which help him break out of the camp, mysterious characters guide him into a sort of underground fairyland, and things just get more bizarre from there. Unfortunately, the flat prose completely fails to engage my emotions or give me...more
WW2 dystopia, Elric & the story behind Gaynor the Damned, argueably the most interesting villain in Moorcock's stories. Sounds interesting. Meh. Nothing goes very well here. The ww2 part is decent but small and not enough, Elric is the guy who pulls aces out of his magical sleeves every time things get difficult, Gaynor used to be far more ambiguous and interesting than the nutjob he's here, and of course, the conventions of fantasy may work fine when in Tanelorn and Imrryr, but seem out of...more
Aug 07, 2011
Paula
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of hist-fic/fantasy
Official Rating: 4.5 stars
This book is so well written. There is nothing lacking. The pacing is perfect, with the exception that I had a hard time getting into the book (the first couple of chapters) for one main reason. This was the first eternal champion novel I had read, and this is the tenth in the saga, so I was a bit lost. It picked up quickly though and never slowed down to where it got boring. Which leads me to Moorcock's usage of words. Brilliant! He's just so poetic, Even in parts of t...more
This book is so well written. There is nothing lacking. The pacing is perfect, with the exception that I had a hard time getting into the book (the first couple of chapters) for one main reason. This was the first eternal champion novel I had read, and this is the tenth in the saga, so I was a bit lost. It picked up quickly though and never slowed down to where it got boring. Which leads me to Moorcock's usage of words. Brilliant! He's just so poetic, Even in parts of t...more
Moorcock starts with a really good historical fiction, telling the story from the viewpoint of a German nobleman who was born at the beginning of the twentieth century. The novel follows the man's experiences in World War I, his quiet life of reading and swordsmanship, and his horror at the rising tide of Nazism.
Moorcock makes a number of insightful comments about what could be called the influence of decrepit, rigid law in a society. His best observation is that the health of a nation can be de...more
Moorcock makes a number of insightful comments about what could be called the influence of decrepit, rigid law in a society. His best observation is that the health of a nation can be de...more
I didn't get very far in this novel. It sounded promising and I couldn't wait to get back into fantasy, but I just felt so bombarded with historical facts! I understand that it was set in Germany in the early 20th century and all but it felt like an unnecessary history lesson a lot of the time, as if the author was trying to show off his knowledge and fill up more pages or something. This is only my opinion. I guess historical fiction is not my thing after all. If anyone can explain to me why I...more
Absolutely brilliant! Micheal Moorcock writes fantasy, but it's so beyond most others in the genre, it's incredibly refreshing. Elric is a great anti-hero, and it was interesting to see him compared with the more human Ulric. Very well written, I couldn't put it down!
One of the later tales of Elric. Much harder than to read than the sword and sorcery novels of Elric that I read many years ago. Not bad and appears to be an isolated story and not one connected to any of the others.
This late trilogy of Moorcock's Elric books almost seems like an all-star extravaganza series, pulling in stars and references from throughout his multiverse/Eternal Champion canon. Some might find it a bit vain and trite, but I rather enjoyed this way of explicitly tying everything in his multiverse together. The use of the Nazis as a representation of pure evil was a bit cliche, and the tone of his musings about the Nazis was a bit self-righteous. But I rather like the overall story arch, the...more
ξεφεύγει περίτεχνα απο το φανταστικό και χρωματίζει με μαγεία τον δικό μας Χωροχρόνο.
μου αρεσε.
και επιπλέον.. επιτελούς κάποια θα έπρεπε να κερδίσει και τον Αλμπινο αντιήρωα μου! :)
μου αρεσε.
και επιπλέον.. επιτελούς κάποια θα έπρεπε να κερδίσει και τον Αλμπινο αντιήρωα μου! :)
Mildly good. The idea of Elric verses the Nazis was entertaining, but for the most part I wouldn't say it's Moorcock's best.
First of the latest (and best) Elric trilogy. Von Bek tries to keep the black sword from falling into the hands of the Nazis.
An epic continuation of the Von Bek saga, where Moorcock really takes out the stops and puts the whole multiverse on display.
The Eternal Champion (ala Elric of Melnibone/Ulric von Bek) fights Nazis in the Center of the Earth. Fantastic.
Starts out in pre-WWII Germany and expands the conflict until it encompasses multiple worlds and realities. It's basically a madcap sword-and-sorcery romp plus Nazis.
Elric fights the Nazis.
What more do you need to know?
Okay, Moorcock starts out writing a great historical story about one young german noble getting a harsh dose of reality when the nazis come to power. Then the book takes a sharp turn into a wonderful fantasy adventure, featuring guest appearances from numerous folk from across the multiverse and then in the grand finale blends the fantasy / historical stories in a scene that is almost too cool for words.
Plus, there's a nice love story mixed in...more
What more do you need to know?
Okay, Moorcock starts out writing a great historical story about one young german noble getting a harsh dose of reality when the nazis come to power. Then the book takes a sharp turn into a wonderful fantasy adventure, featuring guest appearances from numerous folk from across the multiverse and then in the grand finale blends the fantasy / historical stories in a scene that is almost too cool for words.
Plus, there's a nice love story mixed in...more
very good book..love the story and characters.
It was fun to revisit the Fantasy Genre. The Elric series was my favorite as a kid. I'm glad he picked up the Character again. It was a fun read. I am very glad that I have read so much about WWII and found his combination of the history and the fantastic to be deeply entertaining.
Jul 14, 2007
Ray
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Elric, Moorcock & fantasy fans
Shelves:
fantasy
I really enjoy the old Elric / Eternal Champion books, they have a dreamlike quality. Elric is a half-mad, manic/depressive...at least in the old stories. That aspect has been missing from the recent books...until this one, that is! The albino's back in full force.
Another trilogy of the VonBek family who I suppose is the iteration of Elric in our world. I've read and enjoyed these already but am revisiting the series while I wait on my Alan Garner book to be shipped.
A confusing read - like the multiverse itself I suppose but still too long and too slow at times needs tighter editing.
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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 1956,...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 1956,...more
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