Duke Elric (Chronicles of the Last Emperor of Melniboné, Vol. 4)

It was interesting to read a novelized version of a graphic novel; certainly a first for this reader. "Duke Elric", the story for which this collection assumedly takes its name, was originally intended to be a much more visually recounted tale. One whereby Elric existed in the Middle Ages of Europe and, as all crusaders are wont to do, travels the length and breadth of this strange land. Without giving away too much, where this graphic novel to short story translation takes the reader is... not entirely expected. Left field might begin to describe the destination the reader arrives at. Without a doubt, an entertaining tale. Complete with memorable passages, for example: "My people cared more for experience than profit... You humans will always mistake the symbol for the thing itself... Relatives of mine have seen whole universes made of gold. Worth how many dinarae?" Wholly unexpected in its final chapter, however.In this work, the more established stories pertaining to the last emperor of Melnibone are the collected recountings of "The Sailor on the Seas of Fate." The third chapter of this tale is known by another name, "The Jade Man's Eyes", from the second volume in this series. There are some differences between the third chapter of "Sailor" and "Eyes", but on the whole, that portion of the tale is the same. Taken together, "Sailor" is what any reader could reasonably expect of an Elric tale: fantastic and imaginative. The signature character is given to all his normal moodiness and whimsy while remaining motivated by equal parts nobility and spite. Some quotes to further illustrate:"...but to his fatigued brain it seemed that the sword murmured, stirred against his hip, pulled back. The albino chuckled. "You exist to live and to take lives. Do I exist, then, to die and bring both those I love and hate the mercy of death?"Another:"Death is the promise we're all born with, sir. A good death is better than a poor one. I'll sail on with you."And:"Had his ancestors felt this agony of knowledge, this impotence in the face of the understanding that existence had no point, no purpose, no hope?"Though the stories are good, as always, it was Moorcock's essay regarding his view on Gothic literature that proved most interesting. This quote in particular, taken from a passage discussing the success of horror in Gothic writing, was fascinating: "The feelings of terror and wonder which these descriptions of the "supernatural" inspire in us are created not by the suggestion that there is something "out there" trying to get in, but by the knowledge that there is something "in there" trying to get out." Moorcock makes another on-point observation.TL;DR: worth it. Contents: the collected "The Sailor on the Seas of Fate"; a very different way to consume a graphic novel; another essay by Moorcock; and a great, tongue-in-cheek story in the form of "The Flaneur Des Arcades Des L'Opera." Book four is a good time.

Aficionados of Elric and Moorcock will enjoy this book; it has previously unpublished material, and tends to focus on how the entire saga-of-sagas ultimately ends. People who have never before encountered either Elric and Moorcock should go elsewhere; try "The Sleeping Sorceress" or, really, any of the others available.This volume is really three stories that are completely different in style and content:The first, "Sailor on the Seas of Fate," is classic sword-and-sorcery, with Elric making his way through three separate adventures. I enjoyed it, as I've enjoyed Elric since the 60s and 70s. The last is effectively an ending of the saga on his home plane, as it unleashes. ... well, no spoilers.The second is a graphic novel storyboard, with Elric set in a slightly alternate Middle Ages, leaving England and heading through Moorish Spain into Africa. I initially found this very hard; the only descriptive material is in the form of what kinds of graphics should accompany the dialog. Eventually I got into it. This has a far more bloodthirsty Elric than appears anywhere else I've seen. People and events of the Elric canon show up with altered names, like "Tan-el-oorn". It also ends things, this time effectively ending all the (other?) Eternal Heroes.The third is set in an alternate 19th century Paris, where Elric is the elegant Monsieur Zenith in Paris cafes and mazes. It's told from the point of view of rather dapper metatemporal detectives, and involves thwarting an alternate Hitler - who isn't the worst guy around by a long shot. It reminded me of Moorcock's Jerry Cornelius novels, which are not my favorite, but this story was good. It also ends it all, involving the Eternal Balance (Law v. Chaos) in very explicit form.An essay by Moorcock begins the whole book, explaining where these came from and how he could, after immersing himself in Gothic literature, experience full-blown hallucinatory trips without the use of chemicals. Kind of interesting.An essay by someone I've never heard of ends the book, and the less said about that essay, the better. Not at all to my taste.So if you want to fill in your Moorcock/Elric virtual shelf, and pick up some of the less standard forms of Elric stories, pick up this book. Otherwise, seek elsewhere. Elric is worth it, but not with this as your first exposure.

In spite of my love for Michael Moorcock's writing/world building skills, these books only get three stars due to the confused presentation. I know, I know, it's an attempt to put the stories in order of original publication rather than chronologically (per the story arc). The problem is that the Elric saga became so much more than the sum of the individual stories, which were released in an episodic fashion. The overall story-line suffers as a result.

very good

So far this has been the least satisfying of the series. "Sailor on the Seas of Fates," is a composite of short stories which were published previously in the series, and the conclusion of "Duke Elric" seemed like a throwaway resolution by an author who had run out of ideas after so much fabulous buildup. It had so much potential, only to be resolved completely anticlimactically. There are some interesting articles about the nature of fantasy and Elric as a character, but mostly I'd say get this book purely for the sake of completeness. Elric is a fabulous character, and his saga is wonderful, but this is ultimately a collection of weaker Elric writings and things previously published. Get it, read it, and realize that the best Elric stuff is published elsewhere.

A great series by Moorcock

This is just another amazing book by Michael Moorcock. I cannot think of a greater fantasy character than our beloved albino Elric of Melnibone. This book, as much as all the rest, bring a desire for me to have more of Elric. Ive read this series many times over, and continue to do the same. My only wish is that a movie can be made, with Michael Moorcock next to the director at all times of course.

Good quality