Tales of the White Wolf

The Elric Saga

by Edward E. Kramer (Editor), Richard Gilliam (Editor), Michael Moorcock

Moorcock's Elric novels describe a decaying world of malevolent magic and calamitous destiny, and though hope is found in scant, brief flashes, it is invariably overshadowed by evil. In this anthology, however, Moorcock has allowed 24 other writers to craft stories of Elric and his times, as well as stories that span the realms of Arthurian legend, 15th century Milan, Nazi Germany, and even our modern, contemporary present. Into these tales hope shines with greater intensity, humor, relief and release appear with refreshing peaks. But blackest treacheries are uncovered as well, sorrows which should never have been...
Contents:
* Introduction to Tales of the White Wolf (1994) • essay by Michael Moorcock
* The White Wolf's Song [The Elric Saga] (1994) / novelette by Michael Moorcock
* Go Ask Elric [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / novelette by Tad Williams
* Now Cracks a Noble Heart [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by David M. Honigsberg
* A Devil Unknown [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Roland J. Green, Frieda A. Murray
* Kingsfire [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Richard Lee Byers
* The Gate of Dreaming [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Brad Strickland
* The Littlest Stormbringer [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Brad Linaweaver, William Alan Ritch
* Providence [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Kevin T. Stein
* The Guardian at the Gate [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Scott Ciencin
* Celebration of Celene [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / novelette by Gary Gygax
* The Song of Shaarilla [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) • poem by James S. Dorr
* Too Few Years of Solitude [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Stewart Wieck [as by Stewart von Allmen]
* White Wolf's Awakening [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Paul W. Cashman
* The Dragon's Heart [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Nancy A. Collins
* A Woman's Power [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Doug Murray
* The Gothic Touch [Kane] (1994) / short story by Karl Edward Wagner
* The Soul of an Old Machine [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Thomas E. Fuller
* The White Child [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Jody Lynn Nye
* Temptations of Iron [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Colin Greenland
* The Other Sword [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Robert Weinberg
* Arioch's Gift [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Charles Partington
* The Trembler on the Axis [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / novelette by Peter Crowther, James Lovegrove
* Beyond the Balance [Elric (homage stories)] (1994) / short story by Nancy Holder
* One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock (1994) / short story by Neil Gaiman
.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Anthologies, Sword and Sorcery, Dark Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction Fantasy

558 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Werner]

This isn't a review, just a note as to why I didn't go forward with reading this. The anthology was a flea market purchase several years ago; I'd never read any of Moorcock's Elric series (or any of his other work), and I thought this might be a good introduction to the character and world(s). Unfortunately, it soon became clear that this is really a collection aimed at seasoned fans of the series; without that background, one quickly becomes lost in the quicksand bogs of presupposed information, without a compass. If I'd read it, it would have to be after reading more of the original corpus; and it was also apparent, from Moorcock's own lead story, that the corpus itself was not apt to be something I really wanted to invest the necessary time in, with all the other books out there that I'm actually anxious to read! So, I decided it was prudent to cut my losses. :-)

[William Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of stories. I particularly enjoyed Karl Edward Wagner's story with his fantastic Kane character. Having Elric and Kane in the same tale felt like a superhero crossover story, but in the best way possible.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elric of Melinbone was one of the first anti-hero fantasy characters out there. It could be said he was emo before emo was even a thing. Still the story of the albino former-Emperor and his demon-sword fueled ennui have influenced many a fantasy writer.

This is a collection of short stories featuring Elric and written by some of the best fantasy writers out there. Some are great but, thankfully, all are good. They show Elric is various stages of his life- from Ascension to his travels post- Fall of Melinbone. It is Elric's blend of power with his devil-may-care attitude that makes him such a unique character far ahead of his time.

As a fan of Warhammer stories, I can see some inkling of the basis for the Chaos Gods here in the complex nature of the Melinboneans and the Chaos Lords, most especially in the Elric-Arioch relationship. These stories are out there and very forwards looking in terms of stylistic themes. Many of the "grimdark" and "conflicted anti-hero" that are common tropes today are here shown in an original light.

A good read for any fantasy fan and a MUST read for any Elric fan.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good anthology of two-dozen stories about or inspired by Michael Moorcock's iconic character, Elric of Melnibone, including a new one by Moorcock himself. It's interesting to see the take that other authors had on the character, most of whom I thought did well with the idea. I particularly enjoyed Karl Edward Wagner's story in which Elric meets Kane and Nancy A. Collins' dragon story, but the highlight of the book is Neil Gaiman's now-classic One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock. The variant viewpoints did a lot towards showing Elric as a hero of a vast multi-verse, which was the whole idea, I believe. There were a couple of less-memorable offerings, but I don't recall thinking that any of them were particularly bad, even though I didn't agree with where all of them ended up. Queue-up Hawkwind's Live Chronicles in the background and give it a try!

[Skallagrimsen]

A collection of stories about iconic sword-and-sorcery hero Elric of Melnibone written by various writers: the literary equivalent of a tribute album. It's been a long time since I read this, but I still recall being rather annoyed by the monotony of the entries. Story after uninspired story connects Elric to our own world in some way, a motif pushed well past the point of tediousness.

But there is one story worth talking about: "One Life, Furnished by Early Moorcock," by Neil Gaiman. This is not, strictly speaking, an Elric story at all, but an account of the sexual awakening of an Elric-obsessed adolescent. It's a mature, deeply moving development of a sensitive and universal theme. I recall Michael Moorcock himself has expressed a fondness for it. If so, it's well deserved. Too bad the rest of the collection consists of forgettable ephemera.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading if you're a big fan of Elric. This is a collection of stories, primarily by writers other than Moorcock, dealing with Elric and Elric's world. Some are really good, others not so great.

[Kent Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read this before, many years ago, and I feel my younger self was probably more impressed with this heavy metal bad boy of sword and sorcery. At my current age I find myself more annoyed than impressed with the cynical nihilism that is wallowed in simply for it's own sake. Elric's family has always been linked to the 'lord of chaos' Arioch. Elric doesn't like this link but assumed it's inevitable simply because, well, that's how it's always been. Although he finds the will and strength of character to power his way through a multitude of other situations but just accepts the servitude to Arioch because...well, really it's because without it the stories wouldn't have much pathos. Nor would Elric have a continued life to weep and wail about while clinging to tenaciously. I kept wishing I could just smack him and say, "Just kill Arioch! You know he fears your sword! And if he kills you than you'll be done. Either way you don't have to continue this madness." But, that wouldn't leave room for further chapters.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, I'd have to call this book disappointing. There are individually some good stories, but even many of those don't fit in well with the Elric mythos, and beyond them there's quite a few bad stories as well (particularly those near the start of the book, a critical mistake in anthology construction).

Best Story: "One Life Furnished in Early Moorcock" (Gaiman)

Second Best Story: "The White Child" (Nye)

Good Stories: "The Gothic Touch" (Wagner), "The Guardian at the Gate" (Clencin), "Kingsfire" (Byers), "Temptations of Iron" (Greenland), "Too Few Years of Solitude" (von Allman), "The Trembler on the Axis" (Lovegrove & Crowther), "White Wolf's Awakening" (Cashman), "The White Wolf's Song" (Moorcock)

Approach everything else with skepticism (or not at all).

[Travis Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of Elric, and this book was no exception. This was a series of short stories, written by several different people. As such, I have to admit that I didn't care for all of them, however overall it was an interesting and compelling collection. The majority of the stories were excellent. In the end, I would highly recommend this to anyone who is an Elric fan. Even if you don't like all of the stories, there are enough here for anyone to find something they like within these pages.

[Boyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since this was a collection of stories by other writers,it is hard to compliment the whole book. Some stories I liked and others I didn't care for. Since I'm an Elric fan, I had to add it to my collection.

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who am I kidding? I've read this far and only really enjoyed one story. I keep wanting to come back to it and finish it, if for no other reason than to say that I did.

I'm done.

Another book finds it's way back to the user book store.

Not recommended.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several of the stories are good, a few are crap. I think Elric is a great character to read about. Fun book.

[Mckinley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get through it. Too vague?

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection that raises the question: what can these writers say about Elric that Moorcock himself couldn't say after decades of churning out ever-more Elric?

Not much.

There's some switching-up of the point of view, showing Elric from the perspective of a drugged-out loser or Moonglum or even looking at what a Young Kingdom noble would think of Elric and especially Stormbringer. And there's the ever-popular "drag Elric to [insert recognizable destination] and see what trouble he gets into". And Karl Edward Wagner brings Elric and Kane together and _of course_ Kane is the awesomer of the two.

But there's precious few that say anything deep, or say anything critical. None aim for taking the Byronic piss out of Elric. "The Guardian at the Gate" plays with Elric and Stormbringer as a codependent couple and adds levels of paranoia. "A Woman's Power" touches on the idea of Elric's much-touched-on physiological problems as being actually psychological instead.

Neil Gaiman's "One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock" is the exception, as it wisely ditches the in-universe Elric to use the series as a framework for examining what these stories may mean to an outsiderish preteen grappling with growing-up emotions. It didn't speak to me particularly except for the need to see Elric in other terms than "fight monster be miserable".

[Liam Wurtz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag, as one might expect with a collection like this, but fun to read through having no prior exposure to Elric. I can also say with fair certitude that I'll have to get through a lot of other books before I decide to dive deeper into this particular mass market paperback fantasy series. A mopey, soliloquous character like this feels more fun in small doses.

A few really poignant and lovingly crafted shorts shine out of this one, most notably the ones by Richard Lee Byers, Paul Cashman and Nancy A. Collins (real household names, I know) and there's probably a few others I'm forgetting whose authors I would read more from before more by Moorcock himself. Also have to give respect that there is an above average inclusion of women on the list of authors in this collection. The one by Gygax kinda rules too but the piece by Tad Williams in which a 70s stoner drops too much acid and joins Elric on a quest takes the cake by far and bumps this up from a two to a three, outweighing all the mediocre, melodramatic and horny bullshit from the lesser side of the crop.

I was looking for some pulpy fantasy nonsense and this delivered so I don't regret reading and now that it's through I wouldn't reread! So that's that.

[Joel Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of the twenty-four stories in the book, only three are terrible. The rest are solid tales and eight of those are really good.

Weirdly, Gary Gyxax of Dungeons and Dragons fame turns in a story featuring Elric's red-haired sidekick Moonglum which is one of my favorites. Karl Edward Wagner contributes a Kane/Elric crossover which is quite enjoyable, but does include a line where Elric doubts (even with Stormbringer) whether he can take Kane in a fight. I was wondering if this was Wagner's not-so-subtle way of asserting his character's superiority.

As for the worst, the one that stands out for being just plain weird is Nancy Collin's The Dragon's Heart. It starts out very promising and then suddenly takes a turn into porn (perhaps Nancy Collins usually writes spicy romance?) Then the bizarre twist at the end is that Elric has fathered Lucifer.

[Blogul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quite average collection of quite average short stories. There were just a few I really did not like (those from Stein, Collins, Nye, Partington and, surprisingly, Neil Gaiman), and also just a few I did really, really like (Williams, Ciencin, Cashman, Wagner). The rest were all good-ish and mostly way too short, though they tended to become repetitive and, as a whole, to almost bore me - good thing I have been an Elric fan for so long. Still am.
On the good side, I discovered Wagner's character Kane and loved him, then found out there are 6 books of him... oh, goodie, must buy them all!

[Jenna Purdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved reading different authors takes on this character

[Joseph Loehr]

Nice to read other takes/ideas on Elric. Makes me want to get my copies out for another read!

[Kanea · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like monsters, barbarians, swords, sorcery, and that antiquated feeling that I personally find in only Conan or heavy fantasy novels this is a great introduction to Elric.

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with all anthologies some great, poor and average stories, but it made me smile.

[Clinton Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories inspired by Moorcock that are better than Moorcock. I said what I said.

[Baylor Wetzel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's see. Elric meets King Arthur. Elric meets Leonardo Davinci. Elric *is* Jimmy Hendrix.

I hate books like this.

[Billy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these are good, some are ok, some make me want to tear out pages and burn them. Neil Gaiman’s story is absolutely horrible. Along with the obvious WW2 propaganda.

[bluetyson]

Elric: Tales Of The White Wolf (Michael Moorcock's Elric) by Michael Moorcock (1995)

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to see other writers tackle Elric, but the story by Moorcock is still the best one in the book.
Like most anthologies it's very hit and miss.

[Tommy Landrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. I always enjoy reading stories about one character from the perspective of several authors and this book was perfect for that.

[Michael Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the anti-hero phantasy characters. Well developed characters and a story line that is very believable for the genre.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celebration of Celene by Gary Gygax.