A Book Review: Carrie by Stephen King

Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors of our time. Up to date, King had written 60 books and more than 200 short stories. His works were adapted into more than a dozen beloved, popular movies and TV series; for examples, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, IT, The Shining, The Stand etc... King writes books in different genres, from non-fiction, mystery, sci-fi fantasy, to horror. Although he is perhaps best known as a horror writer. When did King's colorful career begin? It is commonly agreed that Carrie, a 240 page horror/thriller novel, kick-started King's writing career in 1974.

Two film adaptations based on this novel appeared in Hollywood. The first movie adaptation was made in 1976. Since then, this movie gained the status of a cult classic. The second adaptation was made in 2013 and it was a flop. I have seen both movies, and I really liked the 1976 version. However, I have never read the novel until I came across this book in my local library recently. I loaned this book, carried it home and read it in 2 sittings. I read it in 2 sittings because the story gripped me deeply from the first page to the last. Carrie tells a powerful story that continued to haunt my mind for days after I closed the last page of it. Allow me to share my thoughts about Carrie in a book review.

Synopsis:

Take a while and search your memory. Was there an outcast in your school? You know, the kid who was ostracized and treated horribly by everyone else? Do you remember this kid's name?

Every school has a kid who is an outcast. An outcast who is shunned and laughed at by every other kid.

Carrie White, a 17 year old girl, was the outcast at Thomas Ewen High school. Everyone rejected Carrie and she had no friend. As if this was not bad enough already, Carrie's mother, who had an extreme, religious fundamentalist worldview and mentally unstable, also abused Carrie at home.

Carrie's life was miserable indeed. Her life reached an all time low, when Carrie had her first menstruation while showering at school after the gym class. Carrie had no idea what menstruation was and thought she was bleeding to death. Instead of helping her, Carrie's classmates threw tampons at her, mocking Carrie mercilessly. The gym teacher interrupted the bullying, saving Carrie from further humiliations and punished Carrie's classmates.

One of Carrie's classmates, a girl called Sue Snell, felt remorse and wished to make it up to Carrie . Sue asked her handsome boyfriend to take Carrie out to the graduation prom. However, a chain of unfortunate events would twist Sue's good intention into a tragedy full of horror and destruction. A tragedy that walked hand in hand with Carrie's untapped power of telekinesis.

My thoughts about this book:

When I was reading this book, a thought occurred to me that in today's popular culture of superhero fictions, a girl with telekinetic powers could easily become a superheroine wearing a flying cape. However, under Stephen King's pen (or typewriting), Carrie became a horror novel. So where is the horror in this book and what is so horrifying about it?

I thought about this question for a time. For me, the answer lies in the story of this book. Carrie is a fictional story about a person who was pushed to the extreme until the buried angers from years of abuse and cruelty finally exploded in everyone's face. This story is powerful and it terrifies me, because I can recall from my own memory a few kids who were ostracized at my school(s), and I either partook in the ostracizing or did nothing to stand up against it. As a person reaching mid thirties, reading this book reminded me of my own cruelty when I was a teenager/child, but I also wonder if I am truly more empathetic and compassionate than 15 years ago or if I am just getting better at disguising my cruelty with outward niceties. For me, this reminder is where the element of horror lies in Carrie, and it struck me deeply and profoundly.

Carrie also associated (frequently) images about blood with power. Especially at the story's beginning, when Carrie White had her first menstruation and subsequently discovered her telekinetic powers. Remember, this book was written in 1974. Before this time, a woman's sexuality was often portrayed as something to be ashamed of and a subject of taboo. However, this book turned the popular view at the time up-side-down. In this story Carrie White's menstruation went hand in hand with the growth of her previously, undiscovered power of telekinesis. I speculate the author may be trying to establish some sort of an underlying theme about a girl reaching womanhood, becoming confident with her sexuality, and finding her place in the world. However, in this instance I am uncertain about the correctness of my analysis, so I leave the would-be readers to come to their own interpretations. Nevertheless, I do remember reading an interview with Stephen King, where he mentioned the difficulties he faced as a male author writing a book with a female protagonist, and the motivations behind his choice. Based on this novel's success and its positive receptions by both male and female readerships, I think it is evident that King did very well at writing a female protagonist. 

The structuring of this book is unusual. This book consists of chapters. Every chapter usually begins with a letter, or a testimony about the Carrie White Incident before moving into the actual narratives. I like this style of storytelling here. The letters and testimonies at the beginning of each chapter provided insights into the thoughts and feelings of the characters, while exploring the background of the story and its aftermath. I also found the story moved at a very fast pace. The writings were descriptive, yet remaining concise and effective.

As a horror/thriller novel, Carrie successfully entertains readers with a gripping story and memorable characters. More importantly, Stephen King wrote in the forewords of this book, the story of Carrie White was inspired by the stories of two girls he knew in his own life, both have passed away and were ostracized kids, and that he wished he had done something for them. This is why Carrie is a powerful novel, the premise of the story causes resonances in our own memories and we relate to it. The story in this book struck me deeply by reminding me of my own insensitivity and cruelty in my earlier years. A cruelty that I am not entirely sure has been completely stamped out by genuine empathy and compassion (or if I am truly in possession of both). Perhaps this is a realization that many readers share after reading this book, and the reason why the popularity of Carrie never waned 4 decades after the its publication.

A Book Review: Swords and Roses by Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melnibone #6)

Why do people read sci-fi/fantasy novels, or watch sci-fi/fantasy movies? Why do we read these stories or watch this type of movies despite knowing they are not real? Many explanations attempt to answer this question. The most common explanation says, sci-fi/fantasy provides us a way to escape from the real life, into an unlimited world where anything is possible and a story that fulfills our notion of “what things ought to be”.

Personally, I do not think “escapism” can fully explain why people like sci-fi/fantasy. In fact, equating sci-fi/fantasy with escapism seems to be a gross simplification failing to encompass the full complexity of the human experience. The truth is, people like sci-fi/fantasy for many different reasons, and escapism is only one of these many reasons.

Storytelling is an integral part of humanity. Since the dawn of time, our ancestors have been telling stories to help them understand themselves and the world, and most of these stories have fantastic elements. For examples, ancient, classical stories such as The Iliad, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, The Norse sagas, The Arthurian legend (I would also say parts of the Bible, but I don't want a religious argument here) etc..., all have fantastic elements that under today's definition could be categorized as “fantasy”. In fact, modern fantasy authors draw inspirations from these ancient classics to tell new stories. This means the blanket description, “fantasy is escapist entertainment”, will also render these ancient stories as escapist entertainment, an assessment that many people, including myself, will strongly disagree with.

Take The Iliad for example. In Homer's epic, the story of Achilles is a tragic tale about vanity. A vanity that was symbolized by Achilles' fantastic, supernatural strength. In other words, in the arts of storytelling, using fantastic, unreal story elements is a highly effective way at communicating powerful reflections on the realism for the human condition. I believe this applies to modern fantasy stories as well (the quality ones at least). This is one of the reasons why I love fantasy fictions, because I find a good fantasy story moves me deeper than a non-fantasy story. For me, fantasy fictions is not just escapist entertainment. While fantasy fictions is entertaining, but I value it as a creative way to exploring life from different perspectives, as well as a mirror reflecting what it means to be human.

I am not a novelist or an artist, and certainly not an expert in this field. I am just a fan of fantasy fictions who took some time to ponder on this question and offering my humble opinion in a piece of writing. I only hope my little rant here can spark people's interest in this topic, or promote further discussions, even if a reader disagrees with my assessment (which I am perfectly happy with).

Does my rant above have anything to do with the book I will be reviewing? Yes, certainly. Today, I will like to review a book called Swords and Roses. This is the 6^th, and the final installment in Del Rey's republication for Elric of Melnibone saga, authored by Michael Moorcock. The character of Elric of Melnibone first appeared in 1960s as an antithesis to Tokienian novels and its derivatives. Today, Elric mythos is deemed one of the most influential works in modern fantasy. Without further delay, allow me to share my thoughts about Swords and Roses.

Synopsis:

Stormbringer, a cursed, sentient sword, glows with black radiance as it cuts through the air. Its sharp edge sings a song of death, cleaving its enemy from the shoulder to the breast, draining the soul from the body, then feeding the stolen energy to its wielder, an albino warrior named Elric of Melnibone.

Powered by the stolen vitality, a battle lust seizes Elric and he treads the battleground as a hungry wolf hunting among easy preys. In Elric's hand, Stormbringer rose and fell, carving a crimson path decorated with the mortal remains of Elric's enemies, on their deathly pale faces froze streaks of angry tears mixed with horror and grief. Tears shed by Elric's enemies at the moment of their passing, as their souls were being devoured by Elric's vampiric sword.

This is the life for Elric of Melnibone, champion eternal, and the bane of the black sword. His life is trapped inside Stormbringer, a blade of horror, despair and destruction untold. The forces of Law guides him, and the wills of Chaos molds him, to be a decisive intervention in a game of mulitverse where law and chaos strive for a cosmic balance.

Will Elric ever find deliverance from his weird?

My thoughts on this book:

Swords and Roses is the 6^th, and the final book in Del Rey's republication for Elric saga. This book collects 3 Elric stories. The first story is a full length novel titled “The Revenge of the Rose”, which consists of 3 novellas/parts connected by an overarching plot. In this story, Elric reunited with the apparition of his dead father, who sent Elric on a mission to retrieve a rosewood box containing his soul. Elric's mission took him on a journey across multiverse, where Elric met a cast of intriguing characters whose own ambitions aligned with Elric's own. The Revenge of the Rose differs radically from other Elric stories in the settings. In turn, the writings signal a hint at humor. This story brings refreshment to Elric mythos. However, I found the story's pace too slow. As a result, I could not maintain an interest in this story and struggled to finish reading it. In fact, I felt a sense of relief when I finished reading The Revenge of the Rose, and this is not a good sign.

The second story collected in this book, is a screenplay called Stormbringer. This is a screenplay for a proposed Elric movie. This story is very similar to a novella called Eternal Champion, which appeared in To Rescue Tanelorn, the 2^nd book in the series. I think a movie based on this screenplay would have been a good introduction to Moorcock's fictional universe of Eternal Champion. Having said this, while the plot in this screenplay does hit readers with an interesting twist, but in comparison to other classic Elric stories, this screenplay doesn't stand out as a particularly good Elric yarn but ranks somewhere in the lower to the middle range.

Finally, the third story to appear in this book is a novella titled “Black Petals”. I absolutely loved this novella! Black Petals is, in my opinion, the best story in this book, and certainly one of the best stories in Elric mythos. In Black Petals, Elric, together with his friend Moonglum, journeyed to a strange land in search for a legendary flower called “Black Anenome”, whose medicinal property was supposed to cure Elric's natural deficiency. Elric thought if his natural weakness could be cured, then he can finally cease to rely on his cursed and vampiric sword, Stormbringer. Black Petals features one of the most vivid depictions for Elric's character, where his inner struggles were portrayed hauntingly and powerfully. Apart from a successful characterization, Black Petals is also a fast-paced story, achieving a perfect mixture between action, suspense, horror and mystery. This story gripped me from the beginning right to the end, and I was sorry to see it finish when I reached the final page.

Overall, while the first two stories collected in Sword and Roses left much to be desired, but Black Petals, the third novella in this book, is a ripping yarn (in fact, I feel like re-reading Black Petals again). I would say the excellence of Black Petals alone made this entire book worth a read, and this story certainly ended Del Rey's republication for Elric mythos with a huge bang. After reading all 6 books in this series, the gloomy, haunting saga of Elric of Melnibone left a deep impression on my living memory. I really enjoyed reading this saga. As I mentioned in my review for The Stealer of Souls, the dark and tragic nature of Elric saga may not suit everyone's taste. However, if you are a serious fan of fantasy fictions and don't mind dark stories, then I whole heartily recommend Elric of Melnibone to you.

A Book Review: Elric: In the Dream Realms by Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melnibone #5)

I noticed most iconic, fictional characters share a common trait; a scarred, tragic past.

For examples, Bruce Wayne/Batman's life is shadowed by the tragedy of his parent's death. Harry Potter's destiny is bound to his parents' murder in the hands of an evil sorcerer. Peter Parker carries a sense of guilt for his uncle's death.. so on and so forth. So I have a theory. I think there are two reasons why people like heroes with troubled pasts. Firstly, a troubled past builds a hero's character. Secondly, perhaps the reason why we prefer “heroes with troubled pasts” over "nice guys”, is because being human, we are all dealing with some personal issues, so we resonate better with troubled characters. As I have said, this is just my theory, and perhaps my speculation is not entirely correct. However, it is true that some of the most famous, beloved characters in fictions have tragic pasts. Out of all heroes belonging to this category, Elric Melnibone's past (as well as his future) is perhaps the most tragic and the darkest of all.

British novelist Michael Moorcock created Elric of Melnibone in 1960s as an antithesis to J.R.R Tolkien The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Since then, this character shaped the modern fantasy genre as we know today. I began reading Elric saga, a series of 6 books republished by Del Rey, because I am a fan of the fantasy genre, and I have an interest in the history behind the development of this genre. After reading the first 4 books, I agree Elric of Melnibone is one of the most intriguing, and memorable characters to embrace fantasy fictions. I enjoyed Elric stories immensely. Today, I will like to bring you a review for the 5^th book in Elric saga. It is titled, Elric In The Dream Realms.

Synopsis:

A pale stranger lies on the sandy dirt admist the barren, desert wasteland. This pale stranger nears his death as vitality fled his body. The stranger is Elric of Melnibone, the doomed, self-exiled king of Bright Empire, whose kingdom lives on the edge of extinction. As Elric was about to draw his final breath, his weakening hand clutched Stormbringer, a dreadful, cursed blade upon which would decide the fate of multiverse.

However, Elric of Melnibone would not die this day. A wandering urchin discovered Elric in the desert, and bore his weakened body to the city of Quarzhasaat for resuscitation. The urchin accidentally betrayed Elric's presence to the Lord Gho, an ambitious politician in Quarzhasaat. Gho poisoned Elric, demanding Elric to bring a fabled pearl of legend to exchange the remedy to the poison. Elric has 3 weeks to discover this fabled pearl, or his life is forfeit.

My thoughts on this book:

Elric in the Dream Realms collects 4 Elric stories. Firstly comes a full length novel titled The Fortress of the Pearl. This novel consists of 3 parts/novellas linked by an overarching plot. Chronologically speaking, this story took place in Elric's early life and constitutes to a turning point in Elric mythos. The Fortress of the Pearl explores Elric's psyche before his idealism was crushed. In this story, Elric visited strange and bizarre realms in his dream, each realm is unique and occupied by peculiar residents. The structuring in this novel reminds me of The Divine Comedy. However, while this novel is interesting, but I thought the pacing in The Fortress of the Pearl is very uneven. The narratives in the first part of the story were gripping, but the middle part of the story suffered from a slow paced storytelling. The conclusion in The Fortress of the Pearl however, was very satisfying. Overall, while The Fortress of the Pearl is a good Elric yarn, but the story's uneven pace prevented it from being listed among my favorite Elric stories such as The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, or Elric of Melnibone.

The second story collected in this volume is titled, Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer. This is a script for a graphic novel. Personally, I found Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer is the most enjoyable story in this collection. The story is set in a time before Elric became king and ruled Melnibone from the Ruby Throne. It is a time when Elric was a prince who underwent a series of training sessions to become a sorcerer. This story features Elric's romantic relationship with Cymoril, who was Elric's betrothed. Meanwhile, the story also told Elric's rivalry with his cousin Yrkoon. This story acts nicely as a prequel to Elric mythos, hinting at the darker things yet to come into Elric's life.

Surprisingly, the third story collected in this volume does not feature Elric at all. The title for this story is One Life Finished in Early Moorcock, written by author Neil Gaiman, who is best known for his award winning novels such as American Gods, Stardust, and The Sandman. This is an interesting and creative short story about an estranged school boy who found a sense of belonging and refuge in Elric stories. One Life Finished in Early Moorcock is a moving tale about this boy's love for fantasy fictions and what it meant for him in those years. As with most of Gaiman's writings, he invites his readers to think about the story and the message behind it. My own interpretation for One Life Finished in Early Moorcock, is that we never grow out of the things we love in our youth, and that is where the magic lies eternally.

A Portrait in Ivory is the 4^th story collected in this volume. This is an ethereal, gloomy story that flashes out Elric's inner character. In this story, Elric meets a mysterious lady who wished to carve his likeness into a statue. When the lady finally finished her work, Elric looked into the eyes of the vivid statue of himself, and reflected on how his past has impacted not only himself, but also those around him. A Portrait in Ivory is a very short story, spanning no more than 10 pages. Yet, I think this is one of the most interesting stories in Elric mythos.

I had an interesting reaction when I closed the final page in Elric: In the Dream Realms. You see, the main body in this collection is The Fortress of the Pearl, but I did not enjoy it as much as I did the other three, shorter stories collected in this volume. Overall, I did have a good time reading this book. Most importantly, the stories collected in this book made up vital constituents in Elric mythos. So if you like Elric stories, then make sure to check out this book.

A Book Review: Duke Elric by Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melnibone #4)

I discovered recently with surprise, that Elric of Melnibone is a source of inspiration for many rock/metal bands. For examples, bands such as Hawkwind, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, Skelator, Domine etc.. have all written songs based on stories from Elric mythos. It seems the influence of this iconic fantasy character extended his reach wider and broader than I originally thought. Personally, as someone who has an enormous interest in fantasy fictions, reading Elric books gave me invaluable insight into the history behind the development of this genre. But even more importantly, these stories are good yarns and deserve to be read by serious fantasy fans.

Duke Elric, is the 4^th volume in Del Rey's republication for Michael Moorcock's famous Elric saga, an antithesis to Tolkienian literature and its derivatives. This volume collects 3 Elric tales; a full novel titled The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, followed by Duke Elric, a script for a DC comic, and finally a short story titled The Flaneur des Arcades del l'Opera.

In this review, I will share my thoughts about this book, beginning with a synopsis.

Synopsis:

Stormbringer, a black, sentient sword forged by chaos, groans in its owner's scabbard thirsting to

drink the human soul. This dreadful sword bounds its wielder Elric of Melnibone, the albino, exiled sorcerer king of Melnibone, to an existence in horror and anguish. With Stormbringer in his hand, Elric grasps the decisive intervention in a game of cosmic balance within multiverse, where the forces of law and chaos do battle. In this conflict, Elric knows not his purpose beyond a feeling that he is a pawn, fated to betray everything he holds dear at the appointed time.

In Elric's weird, he traveled the world seeking a metaphysical answer that perhaps doesn't exist. Strange tiding drove Elric to a misty, foreign shore, where a mysterious ship, piloted by a blind captain, appeared and welcomed Elric onboard to sail across The Seas of Fate...

My thoughts on this book:

Tolkienian mythos (and its derivatives) is set in a world where Platonism's objective good and evil engage in mortal combat. Elric mythos, can be seen as an antithesis to Tolkien's works, repudiating this clear moral delineation, then invite readers to explore what it means to be human in a world of grays, through the eyes of the mytho's protagonist, Elric of Melnibone. I do not think Elric stories present a post-modern view on moral framework. i.e. I do not think Elric stories are suggesting there is no right and wrong. Instead, I opine Elric stories reflect the reality that in a world of grays, right and wrong aren't as black and white as good versus evil. This, I believe, is one of the main themes in Elric saga.

Ok, let me stop ranting my philosophical reflection on Elric mythos (but hopefully you found that bit interesting). It's time for getting down to discuss my thoughts on this particular book, Duke Elric.

This book collects 3 Elric stories. The first story is a full length novel called The Sailor on the Seas of Fate. This novel follows the narrative styles found in other Elric novels, consisting of 3 novellas connected by an overarching plot. I found the writings in The Sailor on the Seas of Fate to be superior than most Elric stories. The story flows smoothly at an even pace, it is fast enough to keep the story vibrant with kinetic energy, yet it is also slow at certain places, giving readers the time it needs to be immersed in this atmospheric, but gloomy tale. Elric's characterization stole the show in this novel, where his emotions, mixed with self-doubt, anguish and uncertainty was portrayed vividly. The Sailor on the Seas of Fate also plays an important role at giving readers further insight into Michael Moorcock's fictional creation, Eternal Champion. Without spoiling the story, let me just say in this story, Elric met other incarnations of Eternal Champion. Through this meeting, he discovered a bit more about himself and multiverse. I think this book (Duke Elric) is worth reading for The Sailor on the Seas of Fate alone.

The next story collected in this book, is a script for a DC comic titled, Duke Elric. In this story, Elric's weird intertwines with the history of our world, where he appeared in the crusader era. Personally, I think this story is mediocre when compared to the rest of Elric saga. Despite having an interesting ending, and an intriguing premise where Elric visits our world, but the plot in Duke Elric just didn't grab me because it feels plain and flat.

The final story in this book is called The Flaneur des Arcades del l'Opera. This story is set in WW2,

and we are introduced to an albino spy called Zenith, who has a glaring connection with Elric in both physical appearance as well as persona. In my opinion, this is the weakest story in the book. While the premise of the story fascinates me, but many places in this story are confusing, almost unreadable because it made disruptive jumps between our world and other worlds in multiverse with no explanations or transitions in between, therefore leaving readers in the dark to figure out the details and connections for themselves.

Overall, the stories collected in the second half of this book is a mishmash. However, the first half of this book collects the full length novel, The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, a doom-haunted, deeply memorable story which is arguably one of the best in Elric saga. This novel alone made this book worth reading. I hope you have enjoyed reading my review and found useful information here. In the next time, I will review the fifth volume in Del Rey's republication for Elric saga, titled In the Dream Realms.

A Book Review: The Sleeping Sorceress by Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melnibone #3)

The human nature is inquisitive and curious. We reflect our surroundings and ask questions. Among all questions we ask ourselves, the question of origin fascinates us the most, holding an undying appeal. Who are we? Where do we come from? Why are we here? Most of the time, we ask these questions and find no real answers. So what do people do? We make up stories with our imaginations. These stories satisfy our question about origin through analogies. From these stories came mythologies, legends of great beings and heroes who are bigger than life. From these stories, we find inspirations. From these stories, we seek meaning and purpose in a universe that gives us no definitive answer to the question of existence.

This is probably why we love origin stories. These stories tell us how and why our favorite characters came to be who they are at the present, and we connect with them. In the 3^rd volume of Del Rey's republication for Michel Moorcock's Elric saga, titled The Sleeping Sorceress, it collects 2 novellas telling the origin story for Elric of Melnibone, one of the most iconic characters to embrace the history of fantasy fictions. I think this book is a lot better than the previous volume in the saga of Elric. Today, I will share my opinions about this book in a review.

Synopsis:

“ It is the colour of a bleached skull, his flesh; and the long hair which flows below his shoulders is milk-white. From the tapering, beautiful head stare two slanting eyes, crimson and moody, and from the loose sleeves of his yellow gown emerge two slender hands, also the colour of bone”

                                                                                        - Michael Moorcock, Elric of Melnibone

With this striking description, we are introduced to Elric VIII, 428^th emperor of Melnibone, who rules his dying empire from the seat of Ruby Throne.

Elric is an albino, born with a natural deficiency. He is physically weak and sustains his vitality with herbs. As a descendant of the royal bloodline, Elric was trained since birth as a powerful sorcerer after the culture of Melnibone. A culture whose cruelty is only surpassed by its aesthetic beauty in arts and architecture.

Unlike his fellow Melniboneans, Elric has a conscience. He reflects on the decadent Melnibone traditions and detests it. As a result, his subjects found him a strange and unfathomable emperor. While his cousin, Yyrkoon, deemed Elric's behavior as a sign of weakness and seek to usurp his throne. Yyrkoon's treachery ultimately led Elric to find Stormbringer, a vampiric, giant black sword gifting him with unhuman vitality and unparalleled battle prowess, by feeding Elric the souls of his enemies.

With Stormbringer in hand, Elric is invincible. However, little did Elric know, despite his best intentions, he doomed everything he held dear with a fateful curse, at the moment he claimed ownership to the dreadful black sword...

My thoughts about this book:

The Sleeping Sorceress is the best book in this Del Rey's Elric collection so far. This volume collects 2 novellas, The Sleeping Sorceress and Elric of Melnibone. Each novella consists of three short stories, connected by an overarching plot. The writing is average, and the book's pace runs unevenly at certain places. However, these shortcomings are compensated by good storytelling and interesting plots.

An attractive feature for Del Rey's republication of Elric saga, is every book is illustrated. Personally, I particularly like the illustrations in this book. I think the illustrations in this book accurately captured the melancholic, gloomy atmosphere in Elric mythos and it added flavor to the text.

The Sleeping Sorceress is the first novella in this book. It is a traditional Sword and Sorcery yarn with a twist. Chronologically speaking, this story took place in the middle of Elric's saga, and plays an important role at expanding the theme of Eternal Champion and multiverse. i.e. the concept of many who are one. The Sleeping Sorceress followed the traditions of a Sword and Sorcery tale, where the story focused on Elric's personal struggle. In this case, the story centred on Elric's struggle to grasp the purpose of his tormented existence in a universal conflict between order and chaos, but found no real answer. Overall, The Sleeping Sorceress is a good addition to Elric's saga.

The 2^nd novella is this book is titled Elric of Melnibone. In my opinion, this is where this book shines with brilliance. Elric of Melnibone, is the origin story for Elric. This novella tells the story of how Elric became cursed to a fate where despite having the best intention, he would ultimately bring doom upon not only his enemies but also those dearest to him, including himself. The narratives in this story are gripping and striking, hinting at darker things to come in Elric's tragic future. Every character in this novella is lively depicted, and they possess memorable qualities that made me think about them long after I finished the book.

Elric's dark, tragic tale connects with a reader in a profound way. This is why Elric of Melnibone remains an enduring and iconic character in fantasy fictions. The stories in this volume represent some of the best in Elric mythos, and this character made an undeniable impact on fantasy fictions today. So if you are a serious fantasy fan, then make sure to check out this book. In fact, if you have an interest in Elric books but never read one before, then this book is an excellent starting point.

A Book Review: To Rescue Tanelorn by Michael Moorcock (Elric of Melnibone #2)

Today's fantasy fictions mostly consist of two sub-genres; High fantasy and Sword and Sorcery. What is the main difference between these two? High fantasy, such as The Lord of the Rings, often tell stories about good versus evil. These are stories about moral absolutes, grounded in a dichotomous worldview about right and wrong.

Sword and Sorcery on the other hand, differs from high fantasy by telling stories lacking a clear definition between good and evil. Instead, Sword and Sorcery yarns mostly feature grey characters who face personal struggles instead of fighting in wars about good versus evil. Speaking from my personal observation, I speculate people who are attracted to Sword and Sorcery, are the kind of people who are more interested in ambiguity, realism (not to be confused with reality) and the philosophy of human conditions.

As an avid fantasy reader and a lover of this genre, I prefer Sword and Sorcery to high fantasy. In fact, if the genre is only represented by high fantasy, I probably would have disliked fantasy altogether. One of the most memorable character in Sword and Sorcery literature, is Michael Moorcock's invention, Elric of Melnibone, first published in 1962. Almost 50 years after Elric's birth, publisher Del Rey republished the entire Elric saga in 6 volumes. These books follow the saga's publication dates instead of the chronological order for Elric's life. This means the story of Elric actually ended in volume 1, The Stealer of Souls. In volume 2, titled To Rescue Tanelorn, it collects stories featuring Elric's earlier life (I know, this is a very strange way to publish a series of books).

In my previous review for The Stealer of Souls, I briefly shared why I thought The Stealer of Souls is both a good book and a monumental turning point in the history of fantasy fictions. This week, I read To Rescue Tanelorn, and I would like to share my opinions about it in a review.

Synopsis:

Elric of Melnibone, a frail, doomed warrior king, wanders the earth in exile. Accompanied by his cursed and vampiric sword, Stormbringer, Elric seek the meaning for his existence; what is his purpose in the cosmic struggle between law and chaos? However, the result of his metaphysical quest is as barren as a fruitless desert tree. There is only one place in multiverse where may offer Elric peace and tranquility... The fabled city of Tanelorn.

My thoughts on this book:

To Rescue Tanelorn collects a mixture of stories, and some stories are not about Elric at all. In fact, Elric made appearances in only 4 stories out of 14 stories in this book. So what are the other 10 non-Elric stories about? These 10 non-Elric stories introduced readers to Michael Moorcock's theme of “Eternal Champion” and “multiverse”.

What are these?

Ok, let me provide a brief explanation. Basically, in Michael Moorcock's fictional universe(s), there exists the multiverse, but a cosmic struggle for balance, between law and order (AKA stasis and entropy), rages in each and every universe within the multiverse. An entity known as “Eternal Champion” is the key, a central intervention to this cosmic struggle and he incarnates in every universe. This means, Elric is just one of the incarnations of Eternal Champion in the multiverse, while he and “other incarnations” from other universes are essentially one and the same entity (i.e. they are many but one).

Other than Elric, Michael Moorcock authored about 70 books, featuring other characters who, like Elric, are incarnations of Eternal Champion (such as Corum, Hawkmoon etc..). The theme of “Eternal Champion and multiverse” is a bit complex, but it is very interesting. It is interesting because instead of a typical “good versus evil” theme, Eternal Champion cycle feature a cosmos balance between order and chaos.

Having said this, I must say I found To Rescue Tanelorn less enjoyable than The Stealer of Souls. Firstly, the stories in this book vary in quality, where some are better than the others. Secondly, this book presents a collection of stories disjointedly. For example, one story would feature an incarnation of Eternal Champion in ancient Greece, then the next one will suddenly be set in the 20^th century. I think this is a direct result of Del Rey's decision to present these stories in the order of their publication dates, instead of linking them together in the chronological order of Elric's life. This means, as a new comer to Elric Saga, Del Reys' presentation confused me greatly. Therefore, for those who are interested in exploring Elric Saga, I recommend starting from White Wolf Anthology, a 2-volume set published by White Wolf Publishing. This set presents the saga in the chronological order of Elric's life (details for these 2 books can be found in my review for The Stealer of Souls).

However, for those who like Elric saga, To Rescue Tanelorn is still a valuable book to read. This book paves the way for readers to broaden their understanding of Moorcock's theme about multiverse. If you read this book, it will help you to better appreciate other Elric stories, especially the ones following this book. I can testify to this, because as I am writing this review, I have already finished reading the next book, The Sleeping Sorceress, and I accredit my immense enjoyment of it to To Rescue Tanelorn, because this book established my understanding of Moorcock's overarching theme.

In other words, while I did not like To Rescue Tanelorn as much as other Elric books, but I think this is a good “special features” book providing valuable insight into Moorcock's works. In my next review, I will share my thoughts on the next installment in Elric saga, titled The Sleeping Sorceress. Until then, happy reading.