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Elric: The Stealer of Souls (Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melnibone, Vol. 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Moorcock
Creator: John Picacio
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $8.74
You Save: $6.26 (42%)
New (29) from $8.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 23031
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 496
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0345498623
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780345498625
ASIN: 0345498623
Publication Date: February 19, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
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Product Description
“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 Melnibone, and his sentient vampiric sword, Stormbringer, he set out to create a new kind of fantasy adventure, one that broke with tradition and reflected a more up-to-date sophistication of theme and style. The result was a bold and unique hero–weak in body, subtle in mind, dependent on drugs for the vitality to sustain himself–with great crimes behind him and a greater destiny ahead: a rock-and-roll antihero who would channel all the violent excesses of the sixties into one enduring archetype.
Now, with a major film in development, here is the first volume of a dazzling collection of stories containing the seminal appearances of Elric and lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist John Picacio–plus essays, letters, maps, and other material. Adventures include “The Dreaming City,” “While the Gods Laugh,” “Kings in Darkness,” “Dead God’s Homecoming,” “Black Sword’s Brothers,” and “Sad Giant’s Shield.”
An indispensable addition to any fantasy collection, Elric: The Stealer of Souls is an unmatched introduction to a brilliant writer and his most famous–or infamous–creation.
“The most significant UK author of sword and sorcery, a form he has both borrowed from and transformed.”
–The Encyclopedia of Fantasy
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Inspiring May 17, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
God I love Michael Moorcock. I was a little suspicious at first because of a negative review here, but thankfully I kept an open mind and I have reaped the reward now. Please try it out!
 Godawful May 5, 2008
0 out of 9 found this review helpful
It's like Moorcock wrote fan fiction based on a work that doesn't exist. The writing is dreadful, the stories make little sense, there's not a lick of suspense or excitement or urgency anywhere, the only memorable character is a sword, and it's all so boring.
Elric review April 24, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Anything done by Michael Moorcock is good but Elric is by far my favorites and he never disappoints me
Great literary value to the genre March 26, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Michael Moorcock's Elric is one of those fantasy cult-classics that's hovered in my peripherals for several years. And after being greatly pleased with Del Rey's recent trade-paper back editions of the The Fully Illustrated Robert E. Howard Library, their new publications of the Moorcock' s Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melnibone seemed the perfect opportunity for a Sword & Sorcery fan, like myself, to finally read them, (especially since I'm a sucker for illustrated books too). So I started this book with very high expectations. But maybe, just a little too high.
Elric is the last prince of a dying race and his royal blood carries a genetic defect that makes him a pure albino and physically frail. He possesses, or more accurately, is possessed by, the evil soul-stealing-sword; Stormbringer, which grants him power but also, makes Elric physically dependent. As the last prince of a fallen and advanced civilization, Elric has the knowledge of generations studied in dark sorceries at his disposal. He's a brooding and vengeful character who is haunted by past, unforgivable deeds. But he is also the dark savior whose destiny is to stop total domination by the forces of chaos and maintain the universal balance. This also means the complete destruction of himself and his world.
I especially enjoy the connection between Elric's fantasy world and our real one. I also found myself intrigued almost as much by Elric's side-kick, Moonglum, as I do by Elric himself. Throughout the stories, I delightfully wonder just what makes a free-booting, adventurer like Moonglum, so faithful to a self-destructive soul like Elric. Granted, there is sometimes profit to be gained, but Elric isn't really a likeable guy and Stormbringer can be just as likely to kill friends as it does enemies.
As literary value to the genre, I personally feel that these stories are well worthy of more then five stars. With Elric, Mr. Moorcock was one of the pioneers in modern fantasy fiction in the early 60's. It's easy to see his influence in fantasy today (not too mention that a few early 70's hard-rock bands reference Elric in their music). From what I understand, when Moorcock first wrote the Elric stories, he set out to create something totally different from the standard Sword & Sorcery heroes that came before. Elric is most defiantly that. In Fact, he's one of the most unique fantasy characters, I've ever read. However, I try to reserve that fifth star for the books that just "blow-me-away" and despite Stealer of Souls having all the ingredients I like in a fantasy story, it just didn't do that for me. Maybe it's simply just dated, or maybe it was the magazine format these stories were originally written for, but, overall, Stealer.. was missing that "grab-me-by-the-guts" "keep-me-up-past bedtime" reading. In some parts, the indented mind-blowing incomprehensibility, just ended-up being too over-the-top and forgettable, if not boring, to me. It's still an enjoyable read and there's definite potential for the following books to be even better.
I've finally had a justified taste of the soulstealing blade March 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Moorcock was the first Sword & Sorcery author I was ever introduced to. I began with the Dreamthief's Daughter about five years ago and was ever since in love with his writing. I became fascinated with his Von Bek characters, not to mention Elric. So when I picked up the Von Bek omnibus, I found that not only was his imagination extensive, but he is also an erudite historian. With the Dragon in the Sword and the little bit of research into the Eternal Champion, I wanted to know more about the first Eternal Champion, but I quickly learned that there were no Elric copies in print, so, having my spirits been shot, I decided to read other stuff I could scrounge up (fortunately for me, my brother was a fan so I got a lot of his books). Now, Del Ray and Moorcock have collaborated to make an exquisite book that not only gives us fans the classic Elric stories, but also historic facts around the conceiving of Elric, one of the first icons of Sword & Sorcery. I found Elric very cerebral and cathartic as a character. I could only imagine how powerful he must have seemed back in the 60's and 70's.
Extras: Some great introductions and an insightful afterword of sorts by the man himself that explains the growth of the serials and Stormbringer. I always found Mike's writing process interesting in general, ever since I learned that his earlier long works were sometimes written in under a month. Some of Picacio's illustrations are acceptable at best, most of them mediocre. They feel like mere page filler, which is unfortunate because some of these illustrations really prove how deft a hand Picacio has. I hope with the next book we see some prettier ones.
The 1961 novellas show us the incipient toil of Moorcock; they are easily not as well-hewn as his later stuff, but that fact doesn't precisely ruin the experience. The stories are not only an exploration of who Elric is but also the universe (or Multiverse) in which the albino presides. Overall, 1961 serials are quick little thrills to have on those long periods between class or lunch-breaks at work or obviously for pleasure. They are very, very formulaic and often dry of narrative energy (especially after the first two novellas), but there are frequently moments filled with sword swinging and nasty spells that summon the aid of hellish Chaos. All together they're easily the best introduction to Elric. We get quick-as-a-knuckle-crack adventures that are usually as satisfying as cracking your knuckles.
As for Stormbringer, I was quickly gripped as we have much a larger narrative with a writer who is more enthusiastic about his very own world. In the novel, Elric is justified completely in character and action: his ruthless escapades throw him into the thick of war against man and Chaos. It's an epic war story with morbid imagery (I especially love the bits of macabre warping of the world) and intriguing characters, especially Sepiriz who can be found in many of Moorcock's Eternal Champion stories. The balance, perhaps Moorcock's most entertaining concept in his stories, is the very focus of the narrative. The story is much like his serials though: episodic, which isn't a bad thing in this iteration. Each part takes an obstacle to overcome and a character who directly or indirectly reveals a part of the Balance, and they are far more entertaining than the quickies of the 1961 novellas.
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