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Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné #6
Elric: Kılıçlar ve Güller
Fantastik edebiyatta hiçbir karakterin yapamadığını yapan, takipçisi eserleri kökten etkileyen yegâne karakter: Moorcock'ın fiziksel olarak zayıf, zihinsel olarak sorunlu, bir uyuşturucu bağımlısı gibi kılıcına tutkun, rock'n'roll tarzı anti-kahramanı Elric!
Michael Moorcock’ın yarattığı efsanevi karakter Melnibonéli Elric, serinin altıncı ve sonuncu kitabı Kılıçlar ve Güller’de bizi çokluevrende bir maceraya götürüyor. Kitabın ana öyküsü olan Gül’ün İntikamı’nda Rüya Gören Şehir’e dönen Elric’in babasının hayaletiyle karşılaşmasını ve hem kendi ruhu hem de babasının ruhu için çokluevrende cehennemin sakinleriyle girişeceği mücadele anlatılıyor.
Gül’ün İntikamı’na ek olarak Fırtınayaratan için yazılmış bir film senaryosunun taslağıyla Siyah Taç Yaprakları isimli bir Elric novellası da kitapta bulabileceğiniz metinlerden. Michael Moorcock önceki ciltlerde başladığı “Fantazi Suretleri” isimli fantastik edebiyat tarihi üzerine makalesini bu ciltte sona erdiriyor.
Önsöz ise bir fantazi devi olan Tad Williams’tan.
Michael Moorcock’ın yarattığı efsanevi karakter Melnibonéli Elric, serinin altıncı ve sonuncu kitabı Kılıçlar ve Güller’de bizi çokluevrende bir maceraya götürüyor. Kitabın ana öyküsü olan Gül’ün İntikamı’nda Rüya Gören Şehir’e dönen Elric’in babasının hayaletiyle karşılaşmasını ve hem kendi ruhu hem de babasının ruhu için çokluevrende cehennemin sakinleriyle girişeceği mücadele anlatılıyor.
Gül’ün İntikamı’na ek olarak Fırtınayaratan için yazılmış bir film senaryosunun taslağıyla Siyah Taç Yaprakları isimli bir Elric novellası da kitapta bulabileceğiniz metinlerden. Michael Moorcock önceki ciltlerde başladığı “Fantazi Suretleri” isimli fantastik edebiyat tarihi üzerine makalesini bu ciltte sona erdiriyor.
Önsöz ise bir fantazi devi olan Tad Williams’tan.
490 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
14 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Michael Moorcock
1,209 books3,761 followersMichael 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.
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.
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June 6, 2017
Sixth and final of Del Rey's series collecting all of Michael Moorcock's Elric stories (& other miscellanea) (n.b. except for the novels of the Dreamquest trilogy, which were still in print and so didn't really need to be "rescued" by inclusion in this series; plus TOR probably wouldn't have agreed ...)
There are three major works in this volume: The Revenge of the Rose from 1991, which was the last Elric novel until the Dreamquest novels began appearing, a previously-unpublished screenplay from 1964 or so for a movie called Stormbringer, and Black Petals, a longish (50 pages) story that appeared in Weird Tales magazine in 2008 and may be the most recent major piece of Elric fiction Moorcock has written.
The book is rounded out with a set of republished essays & introductions either about fantasy in general (with special attention paid to Elric) or about Elric specifically, including one non-Moorcock piece that actually (and fascinatingly) lists all the Elric stories, their initial publications, and the ways they were subsequently revised & recombined to make the "classic" six paperbacks of the 1970s. (Plus, of course, the stories & novels published subsequently, and the collections that followed them; but the six-book series from the 1970s contains the "core" of the Elric series -- the relatively finalized versions of the stories that brought him originally to prominence.)
As to the fiction: The Revenge of the Rose is, like The Fortress of the Pearl, Moorcock returning to Elric as a much more mature & accomplished writer. In this particular case, Elric is sent on a quest across multiple realities by his father Sadric's ghost; much blood & plenty of souls goes to My Lord Arioch and while it's a shame we don't spend more time in the Young Kingdoms, the different planes we do visit are fascinating places.
The Stormbringer screenplay is ... odd. The actual story being adapted is really that of The Eternal Champion, except the protagonist is named Urlik rather than Erekosë (n.b. -- Urlik was the Champion's name in The Silver Warriors), and the Champion's sword is actually and explicitly Stormbringer itself. It'd almost be interesting to give this to, say, Peter Jackson to see what he could make of it -- reading some of the descriptions, it's hard to imagine it being produced in the 1960s.
And Black Petals is a fine story of Elric & Moonglum joining an expedition to an ancient city in search of a mysterious flower that might be able to replace Stormbringer in giving Elric the strength he needs just to live. Needless to say, it's not as simple as it sounds ...
There are three major works in this volume: The Revenge of the Rose from 1991, which was the last Elric novel until the Dreamquest novels began appearing, a previously-unpublished screenplay from 1964 or so for a movie called Stormbringer, and Black Petals, a longish (50 pages) story that appeared in Weird Tales magazine in 2008 and may be the most recent major piece of Elric fiction Moorcock has written.
The book is rounded out with a set of republished essays & introductions either about fantasy in general (with special attention paid to Elric) or about Elric specifically, including one non-Moorcock piece that actually (and fascinatingly) lists all the Elric stories, their initial publications, and the ways they were subsequently revised & recombined to make the "classic" six paperbacks of the 1970s. (Plus, of course, the stories & novels published subsequently, and the collections that followed them; but the six-book series from the 1970s contains the "core" of the Elric series -- the relatively finalized versions of the stories that brought him originally to prominence.)
As to the fiction: The Revenge of the Rose is, like The Fortress of the Pearl, Moorcock returning to Elric as a much more mature & accomplished writer. In this particular case, Elric is sent on a quest across multiple realities by his father Sadric's ghost; much blood & plenty of souls goes to My Lord Arioch and while it's a shame we don't spend more time in the Young Kingdoms, the different planes we do visit are fascinating places.
The Stormbringer screenplay is ... odd. The actual story being adapted is really that of The Eternal Champion, except the protagonist is named Urlik rather than Erekosë (n.b. -- Urlik was the Champion's name in The Silver Warriors), and the Champion's sword is actually and explicitly Stormbringer itself. It'd almost be interesting to give this to, say, Peter Jackson to see what he could make of it -- reading some of the descriptions, it's hard to imagine it being produced in the 1960s.
And Black Petals is a fine story of Elric & Moonglum joining an expedition to an ancient city in search of a mysterious flower that might be able to replace Stormbringer in giving Elric the strength he needs just to live. Needless to say, it's not as simple as it sounds ...
July 8, 2019
Çıkmasını bekliyordum ve çıkar çıkmaz alıp okuduğum bir kitap oldu. İçinde 2 hikaye, bir senaryo taslağı ve makaleler var. İthaki bu kitapda düzeltiye özenmiş gibi duruyor, tek tük hatalar dışında gözüme çarpan bir şey yok ve okumayı bozan şeyler de değildi.
Gülün İntikamı: Hikaye olarak klasik Moorcock diyebilirim, hikayeyi beğendim olayın nereye varacağı pek kestirilemiyor hikaye boyunca. Anlatım olarak bu hikayede farklı ve benim için çok rahatsız edici bir tarz denemiş. Anlatım sürekli olarak dili geçmiş zamandan bir anda geniş ve şimdiki zamana geçiyor, bu geçişlerinde hikayede özel birşeye vurgu yapmaması da çok rahatsız etti. Okurken aklıma @mit’in bir tartışmada söylediği “İyi çeviri birebir olmaz birebir olan da iyi çeviri olmaz” lafı geldi, kastettiği böyle bir şey miydi bilemiyorum. İngilizce okusam bu kadar rahatsız edermiydi bilmiyorum. Bu anlatım tarzı sadece bu hikayede var.
Siyah Taç Yaprakları: Keyifle okuduğum bir hikaye oldu yine hikaye süprizlerle dolu. Gül’ün intikamındaki anlatım tarzını bu hikayede kullanmamış klasik Moorcock anlatımı diyebilirim.
Fırtınayaratan Senaryo Taslağı: Senaryo aslında Elric ile ilgli değil ve Fırtınayaratan etkisiz eleman rolünde. Senaryo Ezeli Şampiyn hikayesinden uyarlanmış ya da tam tersi senaryo film olmayınca biraz değiştirip hikaye olarak uyarlanmış.
Gülün İntikamı: Hikaye olarak klasik Moorcock diyebilirim, hikayeyi beğendim olayın nereye varacağı pek kestirilemiyor hikaye boyunca. Anlatım olarak bu hikayede farklı ve benim için çok rahatsız edici bir tarz denemiş. Anlatım sürekli olarak dili geçmiş zamandan bir anda geniş ve şimdiki zamana geçiyor, bu geçişlerinde hikayede özel birşeye vurgu yapmaması da çok rahatsız etti. Okurken aklıma @mit’in bir tartışmada söylediği “İyi çeviri birebir olmaz birebir olan da iyi çeviri olmaz” lafı geldi, kastettiği böyle bir şey miydi bilemiyorum. İngilizce okusam bu kadar rahatsız edermiydi bilmiyorum. Bu anlatım tarzı sadece bu hikayede var.
Siyah Taç Yaprakları: Keyifle okuduğum bir hikaye oldu yine hikaye süprizlerle dolu. Gül’ün intikamındaki anlatım tarzını bu hikayede kullanmamış klasik Moorcock anlatımı diyebilirim.
Fırtınayaratan Senaryo Taslağı: Senaryo aslında Elric ile ilgli değil ve Fırtınayaratan etkisiz eleman rolünde. Senaryo Ezeli Şampiyn hikayesinden uyarlanmış ya da tam tersi senaryo film olmayınca biraz değiştirip hikaye olarak uyarlanmış.
November 4, 2022
I was a big fan of Elric and Michael Moorcock during my teenage years. That hasn't changed. I still am. But back then, as a greasy long haired spotty 17 year old with no hope of getting a girlfriend, I identified strongly with Moorcock's self pitying, doom driven anti-hero with his eternal melancholy and soul hungry hell sword, Stormbringer. I devoured those books with feverish abandon, relishing each Michael Whelan cover and delving into the cosmic struggles of the multiverse with gusto.
My interest with Elric started to wan around 1989 with THE FORTRESS OF THE PEARL. A sad irony, as it was at the book launch of that novel in London that I first met Michael Moorcock. It just didn't have the same... verve or passion as those early stories. Subsequent books followed, each less enchanting than the last until I just could not bring myself to buy another. The last I recall reading was THE DREAMTHIEF'S DAUGHTER.
Fast forward some twenty five years later and here I am with SWORDS AND ROSES. This is a collection that I was interested in getting for two reasons. One was for the 1976 first draft script for a proposed movie, STORMBRINGER, written by Moorcock himself, and the other a novella, 'Black petals', first published in the 85th anniversary issue of WEIRD TALES in 2008. The main part of the book is taken up by THE REVENGE OF THE ROSE, a novel that I read many years ago and of which I recall very little except that I didn't much like it. Indeed, I had to google the plot to remind myself what it was about.
My main thoughts here concern the script and the WEIRD TALES novella, both of which are interesting for different reasons.
The script for STORMBRINGER was commissioned after Moorcock and James Cawthorn completed the screenplay for the movie, THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT. For all of you who accuse John Milius of bastardizing and ruining Howard's character with CONAN THE BARBARIAN, then the script for STORMBRINGER will come as something of a shock- especially as it is written by the man who actually wrote the book upon which it is based. For the script has actually nothing to do with Elric at all but is loosely based on his novel THE ETERNAL CHAMPION. I say loosely, because, beyond the basic premise of the plot it is nothing like that book either. The protagonist's name is Ulric (the name of the character in THE SILVER WARRIORS) and it starts off with an action set piece in the 20th century. Stormbringer does play a huge role. Basically, it's a cannibalization of Moorcock's themes elastoplasted together to make a film. It clocks in at 80 pages. It's a bit daft and rushed and reads for what it is- a first draft treatment. Interestingly, Mike agreed only to do the project if his friend, James Cawthorn, was allowed to do the storyboards. Alas, it never got to the pre-production stages to make that come to fruition.
'Black petals' is interesting because it harkens back to the days when Elric was still chumming and slumming it around with his old mucker, Moonglum. It starts off well. There is some great descriptive passages and it's nice to see the companions in the back alleys and narrow lanes of a strange new city again. This time they are seeking a mythical plant which may, may or may not, ease the last lord of Melnibone's sickliness and thus end his reliance on his wicked blade, Stormbringer. There are two princesses, another Melnibonean, and a trip up a jungle river to an ancient ruined city over run with cannibals. All's well that ends.... well, let's just say that the story reads like Moorcock in his early days. Not his great, glory days, mind, but rather the days of 'The jade man's eyes'. The story was fine up until a point but I had the feeling I had read it all before. Elric's actions play out rather mechanically. You can virtually predict how things are going to go down. I get the feeling Moorcock was self consciously playing to the old school fan base whilst uneasily recognizing that his enthusiasm for this sort of caper had died off years ago.
I'm among the first to recognize that Moorcock's golden glory days are behind him and that some of the stuff in this book, such as the script for STORMBRINGER, was never really meant to be read by anyone but movie execs. Nevertheless, for the completist, it is still fascinating and fun to read this sort of stuff. The illustrations by John Picacio for THE REVENGE OF THE ROSE, by the way, are marvellous.
My interest with Elric started to wan around 1989 with THE FORTRESS OF THE PEARL. A sad irony, as it was at the book launch of that novel in London that I first met Michael Moorcock. It just didn't have the same... verve or passion as those early stories. Subsequent books followed, each less enchanting than the last until I just could not bring myself to buy another. The last I recall reading was THE DREAMTHIEF'S DAUGHTER.
Fast forward some twenty five years later and here I am with SWORDS AND ROSES. This is a collection that I was interested in getting for two reasons. One was for the 1976 first draft script for a proposed movie, STORMBRINGER, written by Moorcock himself, and the other a novella, 'Black petals', first published in the 85th anniversary issue of WEIRD TALES in 2008. The main part of the book is taken up by THE REVENGE OF THE ROSE, a novel that I read many years ago and of which I recall very little except that I didn't much like it. Indeed, I had to google the plot to remind myself what it was about.
My main thoughts here concern the script and the WEIRD TALES novella, both of which are interesting for different reasons.
The script for STORMBRINGER was commissioned after Moorcock and James Cawthorn completed the screenplay for the movie, THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT. For all of you who accuse John Milius of bastardizing and ruining Howard's character with CONAN THE BARBARIAN, then the script for STORMBRINGER will come as something of a shock- especially as it is written by the man who actually wrote the book upon which it is based. For the script has actually nothing to do with Elric at all but is loosely based on his novel THE ETERNAL CHAMPION. I say loosely, because, beyond the basic premise of the plot it is nothing like that book either. The protagonist's name is Ulric (the name of the character in THE SILVER WARRIORS) and it starts off with an action set piece in the 20th century. Stormbringer does play a huge role. Basically, it's a cannibalization of Moorcock's themes elastoplasted together to make a film. It clocks in at 80 pages. It's a bit daft and rushed and reads for what it is- a first draft treatment. Interestingly, Mike agreed only to do the project if his friend, James Cawthorn, was allowed to do the storyboards. Alas, it never got to the pre-production stages to make that come to fruition.
'Black petals' is interesting because it harkens back to the days when Elric was still chumming and slumming it around with his old mucker, Moonglum. It starts off well. There is some great descriptive passages and it's nice to see the companions in the back alleys and narrow lanes of a strange new city again. This time they are seeking a mythical plant which may, may or may not, ease the last lord of Melnibone's sickliness and thus end his reliance on his wicked blade, Stormbringer. There are two princesses, another Melnibonean, and a trip up a jungle river to an ancient ruined city over run with cannibals. All's well that ends.... well, let's just say that the story reads like Moorcock in his early days. Not his great, glory days, mind, but rather the days of 'The jade man's eyes'. The story was fine up until a point but I had the feeling I had read it all before. Elric's actions play out rather mechanically. You can virtually predict how things are going to go down. I get the feeling Moorcock was self consciously playing to the old school fan base whilst uneasily recognizing that his enthusiasm for this sort of caper had died off years ago.
I'm among the first to recognize that Moorcock's golden glory days are behind him and that some of the stuff in this book, such as the script for STORMBRINGER, was never really meant to be read by anyone but movie execs. Nevertheless, for the completist, it is still fascinating and fun to read this sort of stuff. The illustrations by John Picacio for THE REVENGE OF THE ROSE, by the way, are marvellous.
July 19, 2016
I just finished reading "Black Petals", one of the novellas included in this volume. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Chronologically, this story comes after the events in "The Dreaming City" and "While the Gods Laugh" (which were some pretty epic events in Elric's story and I won't give them away here in case you haven't read them yet). In this tale, Elric travels upriver into the jungles of an exotic land in search of the ruins of an ancient civilization where he hopes to find a black lotus flower that can cure his disease and free him of his dependency on the Black Sword. Although written relatively recently (in 2007), it still contains many of the hallmarks of a classic Elric story from the 1960's and 70's: travel to the far-flung reaches of the world, Elric's faithful and lovable pal Moonglum, adventure over sea and land, the sorcerous summoning of a monstrous denizen from another plane, Elric's brooding and tragic heroism, and of course, the Black Sword. Some new elements in this tale include an unexpected alliance with Elric's estranged kinsmen, the jungle ruins of the ancient civilization called Soom whose antiquity rivals that of Melnibone itself, and an encounter with jungle savages. These latter elements reminded me somewhat of Edgar Rice Burroughs (perhaps even the name "Soom" itself is reminiscent of "Barsoom" for me), and some of the otherworldly sorcery and ancient unearthed evils felt a little Lovecraftian. Altogether, this was a great pulp-ish sword and sorcery novella.
I'm reading the Elric saga in chronological order, which is why I read a novella from this volume (#6 and the last in the Del Rey anthology) immediately after finishing "While the Gods Laugh" (which is included in volume #1). I enjoy reading these in chronological order. Even though this most recent story was written in 2007, Moorcock does a good job of keeping his stories spoiler-free: no mention is made of what is still to come in Elric's story, even though it has already been written. This sixth Del Ray volume also includes a "New Reader's Guide", which looks to be a fairly comprehensive list of Elric publications, although I can't say it provided me with the guidance needed to read these stories in chronological order. For that, there are plenty of resources online.
The drawback to reading these in chronological order is that it involves tracking down individual stories across numerous volumes. One could simplify this somewhat and read White Wolf's "Eternal Champion" anthology (here and here), which publishes the Elric stories in chronological order. That is how I started, and it isn't a bad starting place for someone first looking to try out Elric. However, I have since switched to the Del Ray anthology. The Del Ray anthology (6 volumes) publishes Elric's saga in order of publication, therefore reading them in chronological order involves jumping around from volume to volume, and buying 6 volumes instead of 2. This disadvantage is, in my mind, offset by the fact that these Del Ray versions include many more Elric stories than the White Wolf anthology, as well as some nice interior black and white illustrations that add a lot to the atmosphere of the stories, plus numerous bonus chapters like screenplays, graphic novel scripts, cover art from foreign publications, commentary from the author, and so on. In a way, I feel like these Del Ray publications are the "DVD with all the extras" version of Elric, whereas the White Wolf (and the even earlier DAW) publications are just the "DVD with the movie only" version. So, for Elric fans, I recommend this anthology published by Del Ray.
I'm reading the Elric saga in chronological order, which is why I read a novella from this volume (#6 and the last in the Del Rey anthology) immediately after finishing "While the Gods Laugh" (which is included in volume #1). I enjoy reading these in chronological order. Even though this most recent story was written in 2007, Moorcock does a good job of keeping his stories spoiler-free: no mention is made of what is still to come in Elric's story, even though it has already been written. This sixth Del Ray volume also includes a "New Reader's Guide", which looks to be a fairly comprehensive list of Elric publications, although I can't say it provided me with the guidance needed to read these stories in chronological order. For that, there are plenty of resources online.
The drawback to reading these in chronological order is that it involves tracking down individual stories across numerous volumes. One could simplify this somewhat and read White Wolf's "Eternal Champion" anthology (here and here), which publishes the Elric stories in chronological order. That is how I started, and it isn't a bad starting place for someone first looking to try out Elric. However, I have since switched to the Del Ray anthology. The Del Ray anthology (6 volumes) publishes Elric's saga in order of publication, therefore reading them in chronological order involves jumping around from volume to volume, and buying 6 volumes instead of 2. This disadvantage is, in my mind, offset by the fact that these Del Ray versions include many more Elric stories than the White Wolf anthology, as well as some nice interior black and white illustrations that add a lot to the atmosphere of the stories, plus numerous bonus chapters like screenplays, graphic novel scripts, cover art from foreign publications, commentary from the author, and so on. In a way, I feel like these Del Ray publications are the "DVD with all the extras" version of Elric, whereas the White Wolf (and the even earlier DAW) publications are just the "DVD with the movie only" version. So, for Elric fans, I recommend this anthology published by Del Ray.
October 5, 2015
I loved it, of course, There was a large gap of time between my read of the first three volumes and the last 3, and mostly I want to go back and read the first 3 again. This particular tale is a little different from the typical Elric story, but I loved it nonetheless. The metaphor for modern capitalism near the beginning is unsubtle but delightful. He mentions in an essay later in the book that he was always weaving social commentary into his books that not everyone seemed to grasp, which only makes me want to go back and read them again. Anyway, as always the imagery here is mind-bending and surreal and I love him for it. Although I am struck again by how much the Warhammer universes owe to Moorcock's conception of the lords of chaos, down to the 8-sided star. The non-fiction elements of these books have grown on me over time, especially Moorcock's "Aspects of Fantasy" essays. In this volume he writes passionately about why fantasy works and why it works so much better than SF and it was a thoughtful read.
As this is the last volume in this particular Elric omnibus, and my "to-read" shelf and I are still groaning with the physical and psychic weights of the many books remaining there, I must bid a sad farewell to Elric for now. Between Moorcock and Jack Vance the end of my summer has been a much-needed soak in the realms of weird fantasy, and I am loathe to leave it behind. Alas.
As this is the last volume in this particular Elric omnibus, and my "to-read" shelf and I are still groaning with the physical and psychic weights of the many books remaining there, I must bid a sad farewell to Elric for now. Between Moorcock and Jack Vance the end of my summer has been a much-needed soak in the realms of weird fantasy, and I am loathe to leave it behind. Alas.
July 14, 2020
The 6th volume of this excellent collection of Moorock's Elric!
For reasons unclear to me, for some time volumes 1-5 have been in print but not available on Kindle, and the 6th volume is out-of-print, but available on Kindle. Anyway, this is the 6th and final volume of a collection centered on Moorcock's most famous antihero, the sword-and-sorcery icon Elric. This is the kind of fantasy fiction that landed Moorcock his place in the list in the Appendix N of Gary Gygax (the list of authors and works that inspired the creation of Dungeons & Dragons, and thus RPGs in general). Anyway, there is some great stuff in this volume - some really great stories and some fantastic art relating to the history of the character.
For reasons unclear to me, for some time volumes 1-5 have been in print but not available on Kindle, and the 6th volume is out-of-print, but available on Kindle. Anyway, this is the 6th and final volume of a collection centered on Moorcock's most famous antihero, the sword-and-sorcery icon Elric. This is the kind of fantasy fiction that landed Moorcock his place in the list in the Appendix N of Gary Gygax (the list of authors and works that inspired the creation of Dungeons & Dragons, and thus RPGs in general). Anyway, there is some great stuff in this volume - some really great stories and some fantastic art relating to the history of the character.
July 29, 2019
Moorcock kendisinin de söylediği gibi iyi fikirleri olan kötü bir yazar. En azından Elric için bu böyle. Elric yaratıldığı tarih açısından kendisinden sonraki birçok karaktere ilham olmuş olabilir ama kendi başına ele alınışı çok zayıf. Hiç başlamamış olmayı diletecek kadar kötü hikayeler vardı tüm seri boyunca.
June 23, 2022
This is another volume of Elric paraphernalia, including one novel, one short story, one screenplay and assorted essays and fillers. These will be addressed in descending order of importance (to me).
'The Revenge of the Rose' is a 240 page Elric novel dating from 1991. This quantity of pages is short by modern fantasy standards but quite long by Moorcock's as he tends to squeeze a lot of plot into his wordage. The novel is split into three 'books' like so much of his best sword and sorcery stuff. And this is certainly up there with his best. Elric has to go on a quest to save the soul of his father, Sadric. This brings him to strange realms and engenders comradeship with a variety of companions. The Rose of the title, a nifty swordsperson to match any Red Sonya, and a sorceress to boot. Then there is Wheldrake, a short poet from Putney who declaims verse on any pretext and must have been a joy to write. There is also a family of psychics called the Phatts to add to the fun. Highlights include a gigantic gypsy tribe on wheels going round and round their world on the same road; a tremendous encounter with Chaos Lords Duke Arioch and Count Mashabak, and the changing fortunes of Prince Gaynor the Damned, ally and enemy by turns. This is the best Elric novel I've read in ages, and maybe the best ever.
'Black Petals' is a short story in which Elric, trying as ever to rid himself of slavery to that beastly black sword, goes in search of a rare flower that blooms once every hundred years and which might provide him with enough sustenance to live free. He is accompanied by Moonglum, some pretty girls, some Melnibonéan exile soldiers and other assorted scallywags on a trek up a jungle river plagued by cannibals. This is pure pulp fiction at its best.
'Stormbringer: First Draft Screenplay' is a screenplay (surprise, surprise!) Not my favourite form of reading, but it was not without interest. Despite the title pointing Elric-wards it seems to be the story of the Eternal Champion, wafted off to another realm to fight for the human race against an elder race. In fact this seems to be Moorcock’s 1970 book 'The Eternal Champion' in another guise. Erekosë has become Urlik and has a sword called Stormbringer. Clearly disparate elements have been bought together to make a new story, summing up the essence of the saga for Hollywood. Elric movies are forever being mooted but such sagas are actually better suited to television, as proved by the recent 'Game of Thrones'. We can only hope other good fantasies get an airing too.
'Aspects of Fantasy (Part 4)' is the last in a series of essays about what it says in the title. For my money Mister Moorcock is a bit harsh on science-fiction, calling it a self-defeating, self-limiting form, only any good in those aspects it has borrowed from fantasy. At the time he wrote this SF was all-conquering and fantasy was a quiet backwater of the publishing industry. Now the situation is reversed ssomewhat,so he should be less bitter. SF certainly is a branch of fantasy, which has much older roots, but SF is also, arguably, the fiction most relevant to an era of ffast-pacedtechnological change. Robert Heinlein argued that but Moorcock is certainly no fan of Heinlein. In this essay,he praises the guys he usually praises, Fritz Leiber, Mervyn Peake and so on. They deserve his acclaim but I'll keep reading SF even so.
'Elric: A New Reader's Guide' by John Davey is interesting but not very useful. It lists the multiple editions in which the albino has appeared and tells you how they have been reissued or revamped in various ways but that just leads to confusion. What is needed for new readers is a list of what books to buy to get all the stories without duplication ..This may be impossible but was worth trying. In fact, this series of volumes from Del Rey, The Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, could be the best bet.
Moorcock's own introduction sums it up quite nicely. Fans say, he says, that 'The Revenge of the Rose' is the best Elric novel since 'Stormbringer', and it is. It may be even better than that magnificent work. He also states the 'Black Petals' is the kind of story that might have appeared in the old Weird Tales alongside Conan, and he's dead right there too. The other bits and pieces, essays and so forth, are welcome adornments to these core pieces of first class fiction. Much of the introduction is a devoted and touching tribute to Jim Cawthorn, an old friend of Moorcock's lately passed away who was the first to illustrate the Elric stories.
All in all an excellent collection and a great addition to this first class series from Del Rey. Nobody does it better than Moorcock at his best.
'The Revenge of the Rose' is a 240 page Elric novel dating from 1991. This quantity of pages is short by modern fantasy standards but quite long by Moorcock's as he tends to squeeze a lot of plot into his wordage. The novel is split into three 'books' like so much of his best sword and sorcery stuff. And this is certainly up there with his best. Elric has to go on a quest to save the soul of his father, Sadric. This brings him to strange realms and engenders comradeship with a variety of companions. The Rose of the title, a nifty swordsperson to match any Red Sonya, and a sorceress to boot. Then there is Wheldrake, a short poet from Putney who declaims verse on any pretext and must have been a joy to write. There is also a family of psychics called the Phatts to add to the fun. Highlights include a gigantic gypsy tribe on wheels going round and round their world on the same road; a tremendous encounter with Chaos Lords Duke Arioch and Count Mashabak, and the changing fortunes of Prince Gaynor the Damned, ally and enemy by turns. This is the best Elric novel I've read in ages, and maybe the best ever.
'Black Petals' is a short story in which Elric, trying as ever to rid himself of slavery to that beastly black sword, goes in search of a rare flower that blooms once every hundred years and which might provide him with enough sustenance to live free. He is accompanied by Moonglum, some pretty girls, some Melnibonéan exile soldiers and other assorted scallywags on a trek up a jungle river plagued by cannibals. This is pure pulp fiction at its best.
'Stormbringer: First Draft Screenplay' is a screenplay (surprise, surprise!) Not my favourite form of reading, but it was not without interest. Despite the title pointing Elric-wards it seems to be the story of the Eternal Champion, wafted off to another realm to fight for the human race against an elder race. In fact this seems to be Moorcock’s 1970 book 'The Eternal Champion' in another guise. Erekosë has become Urlik and has a sword called Stormbringer. Clearly disparate elements have been bought together to make a new story, summing up the essence of the saga for Hollywood. Elric movies are forever being mooted but such sagas are actually better suited to television, as proved by the recent 'Game of Thrones'. We can only hope other good fantasies get an airing too.
'Aspects of Fantasy (Part 4)' is the last in a series of essays about what it says in the title. For my money Mister Moorcock is a bit harsh on science-fiction, calling it a self-defeating, self-limiting form, only any good in those aspects it has borrowed from fantasy. At the time he wrote this SF was all-conquering and fantasy was a quiet backwater of the publishing industry. Now the situation is reversed ssomewhat,so he should be less bitter. SF certainly is a branch of fantasy, which has much older roots, but SF is also, arguably, the fiction most relevant to an era of ffast-pacedtechnological change. Robert Heinlein argued that but Moorcock is certainly no fan of Heinlein. In this essay,he praises the guys he usually praises, Fritz Leiber, Mervyn Peake and so on. They deserve his acclaim but I'll keep reading SF even so.
'Elric: A New Reader's Guide' by John Davey is interesting but not very useful. It lists the multiple editions in which the albino has appeared and tells you how they have been reissued or revamped in various ways but that just leads to confusion. What is needed for new readers is a list of what books to buy to get all the stories without duplication ..This may be impossible but was worth trying. In fact, this series of volumes from Del Rey, The Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, could be the best bet.
Moorcock's own introduction sums it up quite nicely. Fans say, he says, that 'The Revenge of the Rose' is the best Elric novel since 'Stormbringer', and it is. It may be even better than that magnificent work. He also states the 'Black Petals' is the kind of story that might have appeared in the old Weird Tales alongside Conan, and he's dead right there too. The other bits and pieces, essays and so forth, are welcome adornments to these core pieces of first class fiction. Much of the introduction is a devoted and touching tribute to Jim Cawthorn, an old friend of Moorcock's lately passed away who was the first to illustrate the Elric stories.
All in all an excellent collection and a great addition to this first class series from Del Rey. Nobody does it better than Moorcock at his best.
June 25, 2018
The sixth and final volume of Elric materials is more of the same- sometimes in good ways, and sometimes not. "Revenge of the Rose," the final full-length stand-alone Elric novel, is too ambitious for its own good, with dimension-hopping, colorful characters and too many disparate plots and settings to come together seamlessly. On the other hand, "Black Petals," the last Elric novella, is a throwback to the earlier, D&D-inflected fantasy-horror novellas that built the series' reputation. In between, an immensely forgettable and poorly-conceived Elric screenplay (in which the character would be known as Urlik and be a time-displaced twentieth-century human). This one closes out the series, so I'd say "for fans only" is already implied.
December 30, 2020
Elric:Kılıçlar ve Güller ile Elric serisine veda ettim. Bu ciltteki hikayeler 5. ciltteki hikayelerden daha iyiydi. İçinde bir kısa roman, bir hikaye ve bir senaryo taslağı ile çeşitli yazılar olan bu ciltle Elric macerasına güzel bir nokta koyulmuş oldu. Elric bir bütün olarak çok sevdiğim bir seri. Hem yazarın sinematografik ve renkli dili hem hayal dünyası ile Elric ile maceradan maceraya koşmak her fantastik severin yaşaması gereken bir deneyim bence. Ayrıca bugün edebiyat ve sinemada sıkça gördüğümüz multiverse kavramının ilklerinden birini de Moorcock oluşturmuş Elric ve diğer Ezeli Şampiyon hikayeleriyle. Belki de ilklerden biri değil ilkidir, tam emin değilim.
April 20, 2022
While I have enjoyed these Elric stories, I probably would have been more into them during the hardcore fantasy phase of my teens and twenties.
Definitely showing the influence of writers like E.R. Burroughs and R.E. Howard, Moorcock does a fine job, though he does get a bit long-winded with his descriptions at times.
I know there are many books in the series that I'll never get to as the library doesn't have them, but it was a nice diversion to spend some time in the company of the Melnibonean Emperor and his dread blade Stormbringer.
Definitely showing the influence of writers like E.R. Burroughs and R.E. Howard, Moorcock does a fine job, though he does get a bit long-winded with his descriptions at times.
I know there are many books in the series that I'll never get to as the library doesn't have them, but it was a nice diversion to spend some time in the company of the Melnibonean Emperor and his dread blade Stormbringer.
October 12, 2024
Great series. Rereading these books at a different stage in my life has been very satisfying. I also enjoyed the non-fiction essays. Moorcock has had a profound influence on my life in a very positive way. It has influenced my philosophy.
March 7, 2022
I thought this book was a really good book I like the fantasy and horror books they really make me feel like I am living in the time period. The reason I gave it three stars is because I started with one of the last ones and it made it kind a confusing because it didn't just start a new book it lead off of the last one and another reason I didn't like it was because half of the book was like author's info and stuff like that. But I realy liked how the had like titles or sections what stated where the setting moved to kind a like a journal. but if I was to read this book I would read the ones before it then read this book and then it would be a amazing book.
July 29, 2016
This is review for all of the omnibus and I have to say if you want to visit some romantic heroism in sword and sorcery filled universe you better read all the series. It will give you not only great stories about Elric and his reincarnation in parallel worlds, but also background info how much Elric stories have influenced whole fantasy scene and also culture in general. Here is a good example - Blue Oyster Cult - Black Blade - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCxL3... lyrics by Michael Moorcock.
February 12, 2011
A great conclusion to this series of reprints. What's wonderful about these volumes, aside from the core stories and novels, are the bonus material: essays, scripts, rare drawings. This one includes the conclusion to Moorcock's "Aspects of Fantasy" essays from the '60s, and a script for an unmade "Stormbringer" film from the '70s (which, oddly, resembles The Eternal Champion novel more in its plot).
May 3, 2011
_Revenge of the Rose_ is the primary work of this, the last of the Elric collection. Another multiversal romp, one in which Moorcock "guest stars" several of his recurring characters from throughout his fantasy fiction. He also begins his "retcon" of the origins of the Melniboneans, one he furthers in _Making of a Sorcerer_. I'm not sure how I feel about the revision. But the work itself is a solid tale.
May 25, 2013
A really haphazard mess with relatively mediocre content. The Reader's Guide and "Black Petals" are the main exceptions.
Overall, I *hate* Del Rey's organization of the Elric series. It makes sense in no way. Go dig up the older White Wolf volumes or the Del Rey volumes.
Overall, I *hate* Del Rey's organization of the Elric series. It makes sense in no way. Go dig up the older White Wolf volumes or the Del Rey volumes.
March 27, 2011
This series has the potential to confuse newcomers to Elric, but for existing fans the bonus material adds welcome insight into the creation of the series.
hibernating
April 26, 2020Picked this up as it was easiest way to get a copy of Black Petals, I’ll get to the rest of the stuff I haven’t read at some point.
April 13, 2021
Such a fascinating character, delightful read!
April 13, 2017
“Is there no luxury that is not the creation of someone else’s misery?”
At last, the end of the road. The final volume of what is possibly the definitive, most comprehensive collection of tales concerning Elric of Melnibone, his world and associates. The words of a wise man come to mind: what a long, strange trip it's been. 😉
This entry in the series contains "The Revenge of the Rose", a screenplay titled "Urlick", the short story "Black Petals", and a brief outline of chronological publishing order for the dedicated enthusiast or collector.
It also includes the fourth part of his essay on fantasy, where Moorcock continues to use his literary background and acumen to offer critiques of several noteworthy contributors to the fantasy genre (REH and Tolkien among them). It seems he is willing to offer himself up as a sacrifice on the same altar, if these passages from "The Revenge of the Rose" are any indicator. They bear particular attention, as the character who offers these quotes is himself a poet:
"Say what you will, sir, no poet ever did his best work starving, though he may have starved himself whilst doing the work, that I’ll grant. They are different things, however.”
"Still, plagiarism’s only dishonourable if the coin you earn with it is worth less than the coin you stole.”
Like many Elric tales, "The Revenge of the Rose" is part literary exposition itself. That makes for slow going at times, and the tone of the tale (specifically the ending) seem somewhat at odds with some of the usual themes. In part, that is to be expected; after all, Moorcock no doubt wants Elric to grow, given that he'd been writing about the albino sorcerer for 30 years when this story was first penned. Even so, it still came across as a bit strange.
"Revenge" clashes nicely with "Black Petals", as "Petals" is more typical Elric fare. Even though "Petals" makes use of more familiar tropes, characters and themes, it is apparent that Moorcock had less interest in telling this kind of story. The tale never feels 'phoned in', but it lacks something of the signature energy often found in many pieces concerning Elric. Again, this is understandable; how many stories of this same style has Moorcock written in the Elric cannon, let alone in the entire Eternal Champion cycle? "Black Petals" remains an excellent choice to close the series, however; a fit reminder of the blessings and curses of the world, and how each person must accept who they are for what they are.
So ends the sequence of the rock star anti-hero that is the Last Emperor of Melnibone, a character as distinct, influential and memorable as the age in which he first appeared. May he remain an inspiration and a warning for many generations to come.
At last, the end of the road. The final volume of what is possibly the definitive, most comprehensive collection of tales concerning Elric of Melnibone, his world and associates. The words of a wise man come to mind: what a long, strange trip it's been. 😉
This entry in the series contains "The Revenge of the Rose", a screenplay titled "Urlick", the short story "Black Petals", and a brief outline of chronological publishing order for the dedicated enthusiast or collector.
It also includes the fourth part of his essay on fantasy, where Moorcock continues to use his literary background and acumen to offer critiques of several noteworthy contributors to the fantasy genre (REH and Tolkien among them). It seems he is willing to offer himself up as a sacrifice on the same altar, if these passages from "The Revenge of the Rose" are any indicator. They bear particular attention, as the character who offers these quotes is himself a poet:
"Say what you will, sir, no poet ever did his best work starving, though he may have starved himself whilst doing the work, that I’ll grant. They are different things, however.”
"Still, plagiarism’s only dishonourable if the coin you earn with it is worth less than the coin you stole.”
Like many Elric tales, "The Revenge of the Rose" is part literary exposition itself. That makes for slow going at times, and the tone of the tale (specifically the ending) seem somewhat at odds with some of the usual themes. In part, that is to be expected; after all, Moorcock no doubt wants Elric to grow, given that he'd been writing about the albino sorcerer for 30 years when this story was first penned. Even so, it still came across as a bit strange.
"Revenge" clashes nicely with "Black Petals", as "Petals" is more typical Elric fare. Even though "Petals" makes use of more familiar tropes, characters and themes, it is apparent that Moorcock had less interest in telling this kind of story. The tale never feels 'phoned in', but it lacks something of the signature energy often found in many pieces concerning Elric. Again, this is understandable; how many stories of this same style has Moorcock written in the Elric cannon, let alone in the entire Eternal Champion cycle? "Black Petals" remains an excellent choice to close the series, however; a fit reminder of the blessings and curses of the world, and how each person must accept who they are for what they are.
So ends the sequence of the rock star anti-hero that is the Last Emperor of Melnibone, a character as distinct, influential and memorable as the age in which he first appeared. May he remain an inspiration and a warning for many generations to come.
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