Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn

Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné #2

by Michael Moorcock, Michael Kaluta (Illustrator)

“Moorcock’s writing is intricate, fabulous, and mellifluous. Reading his words I was, and am, reminded of music. His novels are symphonic experiences. They dance and cry and bleed and make promises that can live only in the moment of their utterance.”
–from the Foreword by Walter Mosley, New York Times bestselling author of Blonde Faith and Devil in a Blue Dress

Elric of Melniboné. The name is like a magic spell, conjuring up the image of an albino champion and his cursed, vampiric sword, Stormbringer. Elric, the last emperor of a cruel and decadent race, rogue and adventurer, hero and murderer, lover and traitor, is mystery and paradox personified–a timeless testament to the creative achievement of Michael Moorcock, the most significant fantasy writer since Tolkien.

Now comes the second in this definitive series of Elric volumes. Gorgeously illustrated by acclaimed artist Michael Wm. Kaluta and including a new Introduction by Michael Moorcock, this collection features, along with Elric, such renowned characters as Erekosë, Rackhir the Red Archer, and Count Renark von Bek. Readers will delight in adventures that include “To Rescue Tanelorn . . .,” “Master of Chaos,” “The Singing Citadel,” “The Black Blade’s Song,” and the novella version of “The Eternal Champion.”

To Rescue Tanelorn is essential reading for every fantasy fan and provides indelible proof–if any was needed–of the genius of Michael Moorcock.

“The most significant UK author of sword and sorcery, a form he has both borrowed from and transformed.”
–The Encyclopedia of Fantasy

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

460 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

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, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine.

During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume of the Elric chronicles contains less of the canonical Elric stories and more tangental "fluff," in my opinion, but still an excellent book for the sword-and-sorcery fan.
EDIT: Re-reading more than 10 years after my initial take, I can see how the "tangential 'fluff'" I mentioned is more closely related to Elric and the Eternal Champion he represents than it seemed on first read. That being said, when I bought an "Elric" book, I expected *Elric* stories, not Jerry Cornelius and the like. The anagrams and parallels between similar figures in stories is also far more apparent in multiple re-reads (the first Jerry Cornelius story has him break into the family estate with the help of Mr. Gnatbeelson to save his sister Catherine, who has been put into a drug-induced coma by his usurping brother Frank, and accidentally kills her - just as in the first Elric story he breaks into his ancestral palace with the help of Tanglebones (Gnatbeelson is a rather obvious anagram) to save his beloved cousin Cymoril from a sorcery-induced coma created by her brother, the usurper Yrkoon, and accidentally kills her . . . I'm not pointing out anything unknown to (at this point) a generation or so of Elric fans, I'm just saying that the more times I re-read all the stories, the more apparent all the parallels become.

[rosshalde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Başlarken umdumduğum şey bu değildi. Bu yüzden inanılmaz uzun aralıklarla okudum, okurken de yoruldum. Evet farklı hikayeleri de güzeldi fakat ben daha çok Elric okumayı beklediğim için sanırım kitaptan soğudum.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction:

Elric of Melniboné – The name and the character standout in my memory in ways that so many others do not. I’m quite certain that I read the Elric stories before any of Michael Moorcock’s other “Eternal Champion” tales. Originally in used paperbacks that bore the “Lancer” imprint. Later on, I’m sure I re-read them in the DAW issues. Because the two series of books have different issue order/numbering I was always a bit confused about the “correct sequencing” of the stories.

Even then, I realized that the author had worked quickly – just like some of the more memorable pulp fiction dating back to the 20s and 30s. There were echoes of “space opera” (before the term was rehabilitated), H.P Lovecraft, and others, but the chronological inconsistencies were not specifically from rapid creation. As I later learned, the character was created and then, almost immediately destroyed along with his world. Since then, the author has had to “invent” stories that fall before the original tale, occur in the “gaps” between published stories, or yank him out of his world to another time and place in the multiverse.

These reviews are intended for both the latest re-read (the Del Rey series) and for the older versions. I’ll keep the same “introduction” for all and add the appropriate “body” to each.


Elric

I don’t read tons of Sword and Sorcery fiction, but over the years I have enjoyed several versions of this sub-genre. I readily admit to liking all of Tolkien’s tales, the “Farfhd and the Grey Mouser” stories by Fritz Leiber, “The Eyes of the Overworld” by Jack Vance, everything “Amber” by Roger Zelazny, Poul Anderson’s “The Broken Sword”, the “Book of Swords” series by Fred Saberhagen, and so on (I’ve left many out). And as good as all of these authors (and others) are only a handful remain clear even when recalled decades later:

     The Amber Series
     Middle-Earth
     Elric

And each does so because they are so different in so many ways from each other and all of their forerunners, contemporaries, and followers.



I had the good fortune to read the first ever Elric story (the novelette, “The Dreaming City”), first. In rapid succession we learn of the Bright Empire that lasted for ten thousand years ages before our own history began, that the people of Melniboné used dark and powerful sorcery that none since have learned, and that they were brought down by pride, by arrogance, and powers that were greater than any mortals. They themselves were not true men, but some type of elder race that could channel and use dark powers in a way that men cannot.

Then, we meet Elric himself: Last Emperor of Melniboné and wanderer among the human lands. He bears his Ring of Kings and the black runesword Stormbringer and burns with vengeance for his cousin Yrkoon who has usurped his throne and lover. And if all of that is not enough to capture and hold the mind, Elric is an albino, a “silver Emperor”, whose skin is bone-white, his hair the color of milk, his eyes crimson, and whose deficient blood would produce a lassitude so profound he could barely rise from his couch. But he has an ally that counteracts this and indeed gives him energy and strength beyond normal. For when one is cut by Stormbringer, you do not merely die, your life-essence, your soul is sucked into the blade and in turn a portion is given to Elric.



2013 Re-Read: Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné: Volume 2 “To Rescue Tanelorn”

This excellent series reprints the Elric stories in the order of composition (mostly) and interspersed with them are several ancillary stories as well as informative introductions by Michael Moorcock. It is an understatement that this edition has helped to clarify the chronological issues that I recall from so long ago.

Note:     It had been my intention to “align” the stories contained in this series of books with those of the earlier Lancer and DAW Editions. However, my own copies are tucked away in storage and the normally wonderful BPL has yet to deliver a single one of these older books. Boo, Hiss. Thus, I am stuck with my memory of the books and which stories appear in them.

After the first volume, the relationship between this series and the prior editions becomes very “chaotic”. Because so much other material over the ensuing decades, its inclusion in these newest books makes a real hash of the contents. But, In keeping with the style of my previous review, I am going to include a synopsis of the next two novels in the “classic” editions. Finally I list the material in this volume.

The Weird of the White Wolf



This volume contains four “novelettes”.

In the “Dream of Earl Aubec” (aka Master of Chaos) a hero warrior many centuries earlier battles at the end of the world to increase the orderly (i.e. lawful) land of the world from the stuff of raw chaos. Here is where Moorcock first introduces the Lady Myshella.

In “The Dreaming City” (first story ever written) we have the classic tale of Elric leading the barbarians (merchants from the Young Kingdoms) to Imrry to destroy it as a competitor (and loot it) while he seeks only to rescue his love from the hands of the usurper Yrkoon. It, of course, goes horribly wrong – making Elric the fully-angst-ridden creature that inhabits the remainder of the stories.

In “While The Gods Laugh” (aka The Dead God’s Book) Elric seeks out a book of magic that can transform a flightless woman to one with wings, or perhaps even an albino with deficient blood into a normal. The book belonged to a god who has been gone for many long years and while dead still has certain defenses. Although it predictably does not end well, it joins him together with Moonglum of Elwher for the first time.

In the last story, “The Singing Citadel” Elric encounters the Empire of Pan Tang for the first time. Queen Yishanna of Jharkor seeks his help with a mysterious Citadel that leaves destruction behind. Since it is clearly a product of Chaos, who better to dispose of it than one who has influence and experience with Chaos and its Lords? In this tale, we meet for the first time Theleb K’aarna adept from the Isle of Pan Tang. As he is displaced as the Queen’s advisor and lover, he plots to destroy Elric. The story winds up in Stormbringer (see review of volume 1).




The Sleeping Sorceress (also called “The Vanishing Tower”)



This volume contains three “novelettes”.

In “The Torment of the Lost Lord” Elric sets out in pursuit of the traitorous Theleb K’aarna. He and Moonglum are diverted to a lonely castle in which there lies a beautiful sleeper. Elric discovers that she is Myshella, Empress of the Dawn; the one who was loved by Aubec. They have a common enemy in Theleb K’aarna. He has enchanted her and seeks to bring more Chaos to the world. Elric undertakes certain tasks which result in the defeat of a Chaos Army and the awakening of the Lady.

In the next tale, “To Snare The Pale Prince”, the Ring of Kings is taken from Elric’s hand and brought to the beggar King of Nadsokor (now allied with Theleb K’aarna, of course). Elric pursues and after being captured must find his way out of a labyrinth. Meanwhile the beggar army goes to conquer the Eternal city of Tanelorn. Elric successfully summons aid and fights supernatural with supernatural regaining his birthright.

In “Three Heroes With a Single Arm” Elric finds it necessary to combine forces with – himself. The ever-mischievous Theleb K’aarna has a machine that allows him to draw aid from another plane of existence. With this he plans to destroy Tanelorn. The machine opens a breach between the worlds, Chaos enters, but Elric is outside his normal plane. Together with two others Elric seeks the Vanishing Tower (which itself moves between the planes) and eventually is brought back. In the tower the fight a sorcerous Dwarf and find weapons to defend Tanelorn. Using their combined strength they battle back and defeat Theleb K’aarna, but not before Myshella is mortally wounded.



As stated above, the second volume weaves many tales into a very different order. Furthermore, not every story includes Elric. Some may be said to provide “backstory” for his world, but others build on a story that contains the Albino Prince and extends it to other places and people. While very different from the original collections, I can’t see how this might have been done any better given the goal of “inclusion”.

This volume includes:
     The Eternal Champion (not Elric)
     To Rescue Tanelorn (not Elric)
     The Last Enchantment (aka Jesting With Chaos) (post-DAW)
     The Greater Conqueror (not Elric)
     Master of Chaos (not Elric)
     Phase 1 (not Elric, but a retelling with Jerry Cornelius)
     The Singing Citadel
     The Jade Man’s Eyes (the Melnibonéan origin story)
     The Stone Thing (a comedic short, not Elric)
     Elric At The End Of Time
     The Black Blade’s Song (aka The White Wolf’s Song)
     Crimson Eyes (not Elric, but an analogue)
     Sir Milk-And-Blood (not Elric, but a precursor/inspiration)
     The Roaming Forest (not Elric)

Thoughts and Ranking:

Thus ends the middle two paperbacks (as issued by DAW). Except for the use of the oldest two stories, these are all “invented” to take place in the nooks and crannies of Elric’s published life. The author continued to mine the character with great inventiveness and occasionally sleight-of-hand.

As before, these stories are wonderful and great. Elric is now doomed (or has fallen under the spell of his doom) but life goes on. At times he tries to escape it and at others he fallows it as he seeks to redress wrongs. One of the gems in this volume is the tale he tells of how his people came to be the favored of the Chaos Gods. But, like all the stories, one reads to enjoy.

Another Four and One-Half (4.5) stars, but Four (4) for Goodreads.

[Fatih · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ilk kitabı okuduktan sonra Moorcock'un kendini daha fazla geliştirmiş olmasını daha etkileyici hikayeler yazmış olmasını umuyordum ama malesef hayal kırıklığına uğradım. Eternal Champion olayı beni kendine çekemedi, çünkü Elric dışındaki hikayeler gerçekten sıkıcı ve çekilebilir gibi değil. Kitabı tamamlayamadan bıraktığım için üzgünüm. Belki ilerde kalan öyküleri de bitiririm. Şimdilik başka kitaba geçmeyi daha uygun buldum.

[Ömer · Rating 3 out of 5]

İlk Kitabına Göre Biraz Sönük Geldi Bana.İlk Kitabında Elric'e Alışıp Bu Kitapta Elric'i Fazla Görememek Beni Üzdü Diyebilirim İlk Kitabında Zaten Gerçekleşen Olaylardan Sonra Daha Fazla Ne Yapabilir Diyerek Merakla Okumaya Başladım Ama Yinede Kötü Bir Kitap Diyemem Elric'in Olmadığı Bazı Hikayelerde Fena Değildi.Fazla Söze Gerek Yok Benim 2. Kitap Hakkında Söylebileceklerim Bunlar Artık 3. Kitaba Bakacağız Umarım 2. Kitap Gibi Yazmamışsındır "Moorcock".

[oguz kaan · Rating 3 out of 5]

İçindekiler;

-Ezeli Şampiyon-
Lord Erekose, "Ezeli Şampiyon" ve klasik bir Moorcock hikayesiydi. Anlamsız romantizm kokan kopuk kopuk aksiyon sahneleri olan kötü bir hikaye. (2)

-Tanelorn'u Kurtarmak-
İçinde Elric'in olmadığı, okçunun, bir önceki kitaptan da hatırlanabilecek bir kahraman olan Racknir'in hikayesiydi. Kadim Tanelorn'u savunmak için çıkılan bir görev öyküsüydü. Bu hikayeden çok iyi bir oyun senaryosu olur/muş. Ayrıca felsefik diyalogları ve ilginç tasvirleriyle güzeldi. (4)

-Son Efsun-
Geçiniz efendiler...(1)

-Muazzam Fatih-
Büyük İskender döneminden dolu dolu bir çok hikaye çıkar ve Moorcock güzel bir tane yazmış. Yine klasik, hızlı bir şekilde ilerleyen anlamsız seçimleri olan arkası boş karakterlere sahip ama ilginç şekilde okutan bir öykü daha. (3)

-Kaos'un Efendisi-
Felsefe olarak okurken başlangıç seviyesi için doyurucu bir yazar Moorcock ve katılmasanızda öykülerinde bunları anlatırken yormayan bir yazımı var. (3,5)

-Birinci Aşama-
Modern zamanların Ezeli Şampiyonu ve onun dedektiflik, intikam, saplantı ve acıklı bir fetih hikayesiydi. (3)

-Şarkı Söyleyen Hisar-
Belki de okuduğum en dolu olan Multiverse evrenini açıklayan hikayeydi. Arkaplan doldurmak adına Düzen(Law) ve Kaos(Chaos) gibi iki kavram ve onların arasında ki ilişki içinde var olan diğer güçlü yaratıklar hakkında ilginç bir hikayeydi. (3)

-Yeşil Adamın Gözleri-
Bir önceki hikaye için söylediklerim hepsi geçerli. Moorcock bu kısımlarda çoşuyor ve evrenin sırlarını dökmeye başlıyor. Ben oldukça sevdim bu hikayeyi Ayhüznü eğlenceli bir karakter ve onun olduğu hikayeler okumaya daha eğlenceliler. (4)

-Taştan Şey-
Yorum yok. (0)

-Elric Zamanın Sonunda-
Bu Ucubeler Sirki, bu aklın sınırlarını zorlayan karakterlerle doldu dolu bir Multiverse şöleniydi. Bu kadar şeyi öğrenmek ve Arioch hakkında bilgi almak güzeldi. Fakat hikaye bu kadar bilgi dolu olsa da sıkıcı bir anlatıma sahip olduğunu değiştirmez. (3)

-Siyah Kılıç'ın Şarkısı-
İşte bu hikaye Multiverse, Kaos ve Düzen, kılıç ve evrenler hakkında en dolu dolu diyaloglara sahip olan hikaye olmasının yanı sıra sıkıcı olmayan ve okuması da zevkli bir öyküydü. (4)

-Kızıl Gözler-
Klasik Kutsal Kase hikayesi... Moorcock'dan önce çok yazılıp yazılmadığını bilmiyorum ama o kadar kültür içinde kullanılan bir element ki bıkkınlık verici oldu. (1)

-Sir Sütvekan-
Ben böyle hikayeler yazıldıkları dönemde nasıl tepkiler alıyordu bilmiyorum ama şu an okunduğunda hiç bir anlamı olmadıklarını düşünüyorum. (0)

-Seyyar Orman-
Yine bir Kızıl okçu Rackhir hikayesinde oldukça farklı şekilde, Melnibone ırkından bir dişi görüyoruz. İlginç ama yine klasik Moorcock sıkıntıları... (2)

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 1 of the collected Elric Saga ended at an impasse: Elric of Melnibone had killed every living thing, slaughtered the gods, destroyed the universe and died... hard to continue the series for five more volumes after an ending like that! Michael Moorcock, a fantasy/sci-fi visionary, refuses to let a thing like that hamper him, and expands the scope of Elric's word into the concept of an Eternal Champion, forever incarnated in new lives and personas across the multiverse. "To Rescue Tanelorn" is a primarily world-building volume of Elric material; indeed, the White Wolf himself appears in maybe half of the stories at most. Rather, this book focuses on incarnations of the Champion and Elric's place in that line- from Erekose, the human enemy of all humans, to Ulrich von Bek, an incarnation of Elric who travels along Elric himself. The lack of extended full-length novels in this set sometimes gave the book a disjointed feel, but overall, once one adjusts to the world-expanding, multiverse-canvassing nature of the narratives here, it proved a worthy read (if less immediately gripping than the more focused Volume 1).

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent collection brings together several tales of Elric and the Eternal Champion in one of the best formats I have seen yet. While previous collections were more concerned about telling the tales in chronological order (which they were not written in), this collection series is collecting a variety of stories in each volume and adding in articles by Moorcock (or about Moorcock), and art from earlier printings. Each volume also includes art by a particular artist. I started with this volume because the artist was Kaluta, an artist I have been a fan of for a long time. Also, it includes "The Eternal Champion," a story I have never gotten around to reading until now. It is the tale of Jon Daker, aka Erekose, one of the only incarnations of the Eternal Champion to remember his previous lives.

[Neal whitton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Science Fiction and Fantasy almost exclusively since I was 13. I didn't find Moorcock until I was in my late 20's. He is the quintessential Good vs Evil Fantasy writer. To say he's prolific is an understatement. I've started re-reading him recently. His universe (MULTI-verse) is perfectly constructed and the stories match perfectly. The Heroism is flawless.

His dimensions are related to size, meaning worlds are separated by scale. To the best of my knowledge, he postulated this BEFORE String Theory, which also relates dimensions to size.

[Büşra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farklı hikayeler şeklinde ilerlemesini sevdim

[Peter Carrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

As other reviewers have noted, not all of the stories pertain to the last emperor of Melnibone. Even the tales that do not involve characters drawn from Elric's world are still good, solid stories that are worth reading; "The Great Conqueror" and "Phase 1" come to mind. While neither will ever be confused with Moorcock's more noteworthy writings, both are interesting, entertaining pieces that offer worthy passages. From "The Great Conqueror": "I am not his enemy - he is mine." The quote serves as a potent reminder as to the importance of perspective. Another from the same story outlines the prominence some people place on spirituality; "True. A man who is confident in his soul needs little ritual." Simon was satisfied by this."

"The Eternal Champion" is a different matter entirely. One of the best works in Moorcock's catalogue, it involves several of his signature elements: a reluctant hero, a powerful magic sword, misrepresented identity and a fantastic twist. The protagonist, an anti-hero named Erekose who is very similar to Elric, even makes his own brooding, melancholy observations on human nature: "But there must be countless forms of love. Which is the form which conquers the rest? I cannot define it. I shall not try." How many such sentiments, voiced by Erekose but not by Elric, drive the last emperor of Melnibone to moody,often self-destructive and sometimes bloody action?

Rakhir the Red Archer, an interesting character in his own right, appears in a couple of stories. "To Rescue Tanelorn" is good fantasy and "The Roaming Forest" is a great mix of fantasy, action and horror. Is Elric invovled? No. Are the stories in any way diminished by Elric's lack of presence? No. Do these tales of the Red Archer help develop the mythos of the world in which Elric lives, and entice the reader to be drawn further in to this fantastic setting? Absolutely.

Lastly any review of this collection would be remiss without mention of "Elric at the End of Time." Allow a quote from that story;
"Aye", said Elric darkly, "return me to my realm, so that I may fulfill my own doom-laden destiny..."
Werther looked upon the albino with affectionate delight. "Aha! A fellow spirit! I, too, have a doom-laden destiny."
"I doubt it is as doom-laden as mine."
Kudos to Mr. Moorcock for being able to have fun with his most famous character, all while showing strong comic chops, to boot.

In summary: fans of fantasy, especially darker fantasy, will not be disappointed. Cursed swords, time travel, powerful magic, strange worlds... what's not to enjoy?

[Can · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yazarın daha sonraları yazdığı hikayelerden seçmeler var kitapta. Belki biraz geliştirmiştir kendisini diye umdum ama nafile. Aynı kafada yazılmış çoğu öykü, özellikle çoklu evren konusunu işleyenler. Yine de ilk kitabın seviyesinin üstünde ümit vadeden birkaç hikaye vardı(Muazzam Fatih gibi).

[Tormund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Moorcock müthiş bir yazar. Bu kitaptaki hikâyelerin bir ikisi hariç kalanları müthiş bir hayal gücünün eseri. Yalnız kitabın çevirisi ve editörlüğü rezalet. Kepazelik..

[Eamonn Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although billed as the second volume of Elric’s chronicle this book is not exclusively concerned with that albino kinslayer. After an interesting introduction by the author, the opening story features the Eternal Champion, to be sure, but it is a different manifestation of that entity. This time it’s 20th century man John Daker, become Erekosé, resurrected by a King’s prayer to fight for humanity against the Eldren using a radioactive sword that kills them with its slightest touch. The Eldren are a tall, lean race of sorcerers, not unlike the Melnibonéans in looks but completely unlike that merciless race in character. The Eldren are not only civilised but rather nice. The humans, on the other hand, are cruel and treacherous, so Erekosé soon becomes a bit of a reluctant champion to those who raised him. He turns out to be a hero of questionable morality, like many Moorcock characters.

In the titular story ‘To Rescue Tanelorn’, Narjhan, a Chaos Lord, leads an army of beggars across the Sighing Desert to pillage that place of peace, Tanelorn, which he and his ilk detest. Realizing that supernatural help is needed the people of Tanelorn dispatch Rakhir the red archer and his hermit sorcerer accomplice Lamsar to seek the help of the Grey Lords, who serve neither Law nor Chaos. (I was reminded of the Grey Council in Babylon 5 which sits between light and darkness - Moorcock was first though, in 1962.) Rakhir and chum must pass through several dimensions to get to the Grey Lords. The story achieved a sort of detached, dreamy, unreal mood that made it memorable.

Alexander the Great was certainly not an Eternal Champion yet has a novelette here. The premise is that he was possessed by Ahriman, the dark god of Zoroastrianism and the forces of light, working for the God Ormuzd, must fight him. Seeing Alexander as a tyrannical murderer is an original viewpoint and a true one really. Distance lends enchantment to conquerors (Caesar gets the same treatment) but History never refers to Hitler the Great. Wait twenty centuries and maybe it will. The story was pretty good.

‘Phase 1: A Jerry Cornelius Story retells the first Elric story, ‘ The Dreaming City’ in a modern setting. I suppose it’s an experiment of some kind as Mister Moorcock certainly has enough imagination to come up with new plots. It probably works better if you don’t know the ending.

It is followed by a couple of original Elric stories, ‘The Singing Citadel’ (good), ‘The Jade Man’s Eyes’ (excellent ), ’Elric At The End Of Time’ (fun but not entirely serious) and ’The Black Blade’s Song’ (Cosmic, man!). I enjoy the Elric stories and appreciate that he is, allegedly, Moorcock’s most popular character but he is also a selfish, self-pitying whiner and an amoral wretch. If you had a sword that kept you alive but killed all your friends, would you hang on to it?

The stories are all page turners, being mostly of that forgotten and sorely missed genre, the novella. Fifty print pages is an excellent length for a ripping yarn but publishers don’t seem to think so and there is no market for them now, unless you’re a big name like Michael. The plots move fast and the prose is lush, as befitting epic fantasy. Sometimes it seems Moorcock has two big wheels with nouns on one and adjectives on the other, which he spins randomly to produce a striking image. The stories are filled with yellow claws, red wings, black marble, green helmets and so on. Sometimes the landscape is so colourful you think Elric’s got stuck in a kaleidoscope.

This sort of reprint volume gives publishers a chance to make money, Mike Kaluta an opportunity to do some excellent illustrations and earn a few bob, and old codgers like me a chance to wallow in nostalgia. Younger readers, too, could do worse than scan these classic yarns. In fact, I recommend the book to just about anyone.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5.0

This collection was disappointing, and the fact that Elric is only in about a third of the stories despite featuring largely on the cover is one of the main reasons why.

It seems this collection is intended to introduce readers to other characters from Moorcock's Multiverse and how they tie back to Elric, though some don't mention or bear any resemblance to him at all, and many left me more confused than anything. Some characters, I have no real interest in revisiting based on how they were presented here (Erekose, Jerry Cornelius, and the Dancers at the End of Time). Others, I may go back to if the remaining Elric stories improve my opinion (Rackhir, the von Beks, and Monsieur Zenith). "The Greater Conqueror" was also one of the best stories in this collection, though I don't know how it plays into the larger Multiverse.

This particular series of collections has proven to be hard to find and frustrating in its presentation. I will be switching to the more classic Elric novels to finish his stories.

[mantareads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. Self-indulgent, poorly fleshed out and sloppy. I picked Moorcock up because he's been called the "anti-Tolkien". Decently ambitious ideas that are crippled by tiresomely long sentences that try to fit too much in. If ever you needed an example of "show, not tell", this is an excellent author to go to. Lazy namedropping of magical cities or characters that add nothing to the plot. You sense he's really just poured an overindulgent weekend of congealed DnD fantasising into a book, lightly edited it, and sent it off to the publishers, hoping the fans would gulp it down. I was expecting a lot more from Elric, but this anaemic, whiny emoboi is so insufferable I had to stop reading near the 2/3 mark.

[Görkem · Rating 3 out of 5]

It should've been like a side book or introduction to Elric world etc. rather than being a second book of the chronicles. Most of the stories were about the Elric universe (or should I say multiverse?) and as much as I enjoyed most of them, I was generally distracted. I think I was looking for some epic fantasy stories but instead, I got some Doctor Who-ish stories and I couldn't fit it into the Elric world. Therefore, the idea of a multiverse is genius for Elric universe.
I hope rest of the series are more about Elric himself.
The stories I liked:

The Eternal Champion
To Rescue Tanelorn
Master of Chaos
The Singing Citadel
The Jade Man's Eyes

I'm looking forward to read the rest. Moorcock's pen is magnificent.

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of mostly fine "and also" stories. Particularly funny to me was the alternate universe version of Elric (emperor who razed his own city to the ground and killed everyone inside) killing two IRA fighters because they had killed civilians lol. Moorcock clearly struggling to actually accept the militant anti-imperialist politics he'd set loose with Elric. This was a low point of the collection - for the most part they are merely okay. Moorcock has interesting concepts, and executes them acceptably. At least, unlike inane modern writers like Sanderson, Moorcock actually has themes he's interested in developing with his work instead of just spinning out narrative for the sake of outputting some plot.

[Dana Larose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried, and just couldn't do it. I think I got about 1/4 of the way through? The characters were cardboard and the writing overwrought. Sometimes I wish books were like movies and that a better author would reboot the Elric books and write them, well, better.

[Gary Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book claiming to be a collection of Elric stories -- nearly half of the stories here do not involve Elric in any way.

[Carl · Rating 2 out of 5]

See my review of Elric: Stealer of Souls.

[Damian Esteban]

Absolutely spell-binding.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing collection plenty of new stuff I've never read before. Reading the old stuff, with new eyes, made the stories feel different. Worth checking out.

[Lindsay Stares · Rating 3 out of 5]

Premise: This is the second collected volume of stories, following Elric: The Stealer of Souls. These stories include several more Elric tales, a few other stories set in that world, and more stories on the theme of the Eternal Champion.

I am beginning to think maybe some other reviewers had the right idea when they criticized these collections. I loved the first one, and I love the idea of reading the stories in publication order. There was a set of volumes that tried to arrange the stories in a in-world order of continuity, and that made little sense to me for a character who was written over so many stories and so many years. (I have a Annotated Sherlock Holmes that I have never read most of, because the idea of putting those stories in “continuity” order rather than publication order seems incredibly foolish to me.)

Well, I'm second guessing myself now.

This isn't a bad volume, but I really question the inclusion of some of these stories. Maybe I don't understand Moorcock's Eternal Champion thing completely, or maybe I just don't like it, but the further away from Elric the story gets, the less interested I am. Some of these stories get pretty darn far away.

Let me break it down a bit more. I loved The Eternal Champion, the longest piece, about a Champion called from beyond the grave to play a part in a devastating war between Men and the Eldren. I loved To Rescue Tanelorn, in which Rackhir the Red Archer seeks aid for the besieged, beloved city. I liked The Last Enchantment, in which Elric contests the Lords of Chaos in a battle of wits.

The Greater Conqueror, about dark cults during the reign of Alexander the Great, felt meandering and dull to me. However, Master of Chaos, about a man on the edge of reality, was really intriguing.

I hated Phase 1, a modern-day-ish story about an insane heist gone wrong. It isn't terrible on its own, but I just don't like the conceit of telling the same exact adventures with different Eternal Champions.

I really liked The Singing Citadel, (finally, page 235 and we're only on the second story actually about Elric), and The Jade Man's Eyes was pretty decent. Both of these are 'Elric travels to a new place and does battle' stories.

There is a three page story with a punch line, which was okay, and then Elric at the End of Time, which was kind of cool, but really surreal. The next piece, The Black Blade's Song, was pretty great. There were two short stories about Elric-ish characters on Earth, and I guess they were sort of intriguing, although I was a little sad about how little actual Elric was in this volume by that point. The book closed with another tale of Rackhir, called The Roaming Forest: pretty good, not as good as the first one.

I would say I really liked about half the stories in this book. Those stories, I really really liked, 4 or 5 stars for those. However, the number of off-topic or boring stories (1 or 2 stars) kept me from really connecting with this book overall. I never knew whether I would like the next piece, and I started putting down the book for stretches of time.

In summary, I found this collection wildly uneven. The good ones were really good, but not quite enough to make up for the middling and downright annoying. I didn't really hate much of it, though, so it gets a middle-of-the-road sort of score.

[Ted Wolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically, this is not really a book about Elric of Melnibone. If you read the Daw books, you'll probably be disappointed and if you haven't you'll leave this book wondering what's so great about Elric.

There are really only 3 Elric stories in this volume: The Last Enchantment (very short), The Singing Citadel and The Jade Man's Eyes (not in Daw)

Other stories in which Elric is a character include: Elric at the End of Time & The Black Blade's Song. I found both a bit boring.

The other stories are tangential to Elric's story at best. They include the multiverse or a black rune blade or characters from Elric's plane of existence.

I enjoyed the first Jerry Cornelius story, which is the same basic story as the first Elric story except set in modern times (mid-1960s here).

I also liked the two Rakhir the Red Archer stories quite a bit, which included the title story: To Rescue Tanelorn & the final story The Roaming Forest.

There is one very amusing story fans of Corum Jhaelen Irsei will find especially entertaining entitled: The Stone Thing.

Stories not mentioned above were okay.

In conclusion, if you really want to enjoy Elric's story scour used book stores for the Daw books.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm torn -- since there's no 3 1/2, I'll stick with four stars. On the down side, Elric is only in about half the book. The remainder includes such things as the original version of The Eternal Champion, the first Jerry Cornelius story (which was essentially a rewrite of the first Elric story) and the like. The Elric stories included, though, are top-notch. It's also interesting to read them in their original versions -- in many cases (The Jade Man's Eyes most noticeably), Moorcock revised them substantially when the whole series was collected in chronological order.

Still a lot of fun; still highly recommended. Although now I want at some point to go back and read the Elric series in the version I first encountered.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is really more of an Eternal Champion collection, in which most of the stories are about the various iterations of Moorcock's primary character. His attempt to tie them all together into an overarching cosmic theme is interesting, given that he keeps each character true to his respective milieu even while madly mixing them around. But overall I found the stories less than appealing. Without the sense of exploring the world of Melnibone' and the Young Kingdoms, the assorted quests and adventures just didn't hang together.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

2013: Read story "Master of Chaos"
2014: Read: Foreword, Introduction, "Master of Chaos", "The Stone Thing", "Elric at the End of Time", and "The Black Blade's Song"
2016: Read: "The Singing Citadel", "To Rescue Tanelorn"

"To Rescue Tanelorn" has been one of my favorite stories even though it stars Rackhir instead of Elric.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of these stories are OK (though I think the mid 1960s where the heart of this volume comes from is the weakest area of Elric writing). However, the organization of this book is atrocious. It doesn't cover things in a chronological order, and it has way too much stuff that's off topic. This volume could serve to ruin this series as a whole.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another batch of short stories featuring Elric although this time we get a few variations like Jerry Cornelius and other sword & sorcery deviations. All in all a good collection, but I have a hard time understanding how this series of collections is being laid out. Generally it is chronological, but then each one seems to start over in the past at a different point. Oh well, whatever.