A great introduction to Michael Moorcock - Rated 
What makes this book such compelling reading is that the hero, Elric, is is a soul in turmoil, he is not at peace even with himself, let alone others, and as such is a far removed from the traditional whiter than white hero. This makes him a very interesting and believable character. My only slight criticism is the 'multi-verse' Elric lives in is sometimes a little overwhelming, he travels backwards and forwards in time, as well as travelling physically, so there's so many worlds he travels between you sometimes get a little confused as to where his current adventure fits into the grand scheme of things. But generally this is a superb book, taking the fantasy genre into some very interesting directions.
The begining of a great series. - Rated 
The entire saga is one of the best. And this book begins it.... you will want to read them all. I love the Robert Gould covers. There is something about this series, which has an authenticity, a tragic reality, very few other books like it have. The prose is lush and reads well aloud and Moorcock clearly relishes language, yet language and description are never secondary to the driving force of character and plot. This first book is not the best of the series (thus the 3 stars), but it is the best to start with.
Elric review - Rated
It is interesting to re-read this book after so many years, and it is amazing how it stands out in the ocean of generic fantasy novels weighing down book shop shelves these days. Elric was written in a time when fantasy was a rare sub culture of fiction, not the booming (if totally stagnant) genre of today.
But we must rememebr, despite Elric's age, that Moorcock's excellent tale is itself derivative. Moorcock was heavily influenced by Robert Howard. Elric is the antithesis of Conan. The book starts with Elric as Emperor renouncing his position wheras Conan fought his way up to be king. But Elric is very similar to Howard's King Kull tale- "Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" which starts with Kull brooding and unhappy on his throne, seeking escape. This is very close to Elric- even to the part when a slave girl approaches him.
Yet Moorcock's brilliance is as a writer: Clear, concise, fast paced. True classic fantasy. But also read Robert Howard's Kull tales which are the genesis of Elric.
As good as it gets - Rated 
I decided to reread all the Elric stories this year, having completed the latest trilogy, and while it's true that the writing of this book can be uneven (given that it was written over a long period of time) it still holds up very well. These are the books which changed our expectations about heroic fantasy. Elric is a hero tormented with ambiguity, still very representative of modern times. The fundamental argument of the books is one which is still very much in the forefront of our thinking, these days: How to survive in a violent world without turning to violence ourselves, how we should use our knowledge, whether our 'magic' brings us a better world or whether it merely complicates. And the pace of the writing is superb. You plunge straight into Elric's world and are absorbed immediately in vividly described alien cultures, with characters who represent every shade of human complexity. Moorcock remains one of the Big Three of heroic fantasy writing, with Tolkien and Robert E. Howard, and has still to be bested.
Let's not kid ourselves about the quality. - Rated 
I loved fantasy when I was younger, but as the years passed, the formulae started to tire and wear thin, and I slowly lost interest in the genre. As my tastes broadened, I found it increasingly difficult to excuse the appalling prose that so often passes for good writing in the fantasy genre. Occasionally, however, I dip back into fantasy in the hope of re-awakening the excitement I once felt when reading it. On one such recent "dip", I did some research into Moorcock and what I read about him sounded interesting. I was expecting (and hoping for) a mature style of fantasy. Instead, unfortunately, I got pulp fiction of the lowest grade. Instead of plot, we are treated to an endless parade of meaningless events. We are made to endure one attack after another on the central character (each one rebuffed with a tedious inevitability), one more utterly uninteresting pickle after another, and one more thinly drawn sidekick after another. There is no character development to speak of. Elric and Melnibone start out well and there is clearly potential for something interesting, but Moorcock never gets anywhere with it. Fundamentally, this is because Moorcock isn't a very good writer, or at least he wasn't when he wrote this book. Not a single character, Elric included, ever develops beyond a cheap caricature. Elric's neurosis and "moral enquiry" feels like an ethical debate between two children. Moorcock seems to think that conjuring up new landscapes and cities is the apex of creative writing, when, in reality, any five year old could conceive the world that he has created. The real achievement is to create a world that is meaningful, coherent and vibrant, and then place it in the background while character, plot and ideas are developed. If you are looking for intelligent fantasy, I have yet to find better than Mervyn Peake, Stephen Donaldson or Tolkien. If all you read is fantasy, then you will probably lap this up. But if you think fantasy can be used as a medium for great writing and interesting ideas - and is not just an end in itself - I think you will be very disappointed by this book.
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