Elric of Melniboné: Book One of The Elric Saga

Amazon.com Review Elric of Melnibon? is a requisite title in the hard fantasy canon, a book no fantasy fan should leave unread. Author Michael Moorcock, already a major player in science fiction, cemented his position in the fantasy pantheon with the five-book Elric saga, of which Elric of Melnibon? is the first installment. The book's namesake, the brooding albino emperor of the dying nation of Melnibon?, is a sort of Superman for Goths, truly an archetype of the genre. The youthful Elric is a cynical and melancholy king, heir to a nation whose 100,000-year rule of the world ended less than 500 years hence. More interested in brooding contemplation than holding the throne, Elric is a reluctant ruler, but he also realizes that no other worthy successor exists and the survival of his once-powerful, decadent nation depends on him alone. Elric's nefarious, brutish cousin Yrkoon has no patience for his physically weak kinsman, and he plots constantly to seize Elric's throne, usually over his dead body. Elric of Melnibon? follows Yrkoon's scheming, reaching its climax in a battle between Elric and Yrkoon with the demonic runeblades Stormbringer and Mournblade. In this battle, Elric gains control of the soul-stealing Stormbringer, an event that proves pivotal to the Elric saga. --Paul Hughes Review I was so impressed with this audiobook that I wrote and thanked the director. -- SFFAudio.com Jeffrey West brings this fantasy tale to life with such force, you can feel the swords clashing in his narration. -- Bennet Pomerantz, Audioworld a time-proven fantasy classic, and a top notch technician, culminating in one of this year’s stellar releases. -- CJ Henderson, AudioBooksToday It is the colour of a bleached skull, his flesh; and the long hair that flows below his shoulders is milk-white. From the tapering, beautiful head stare two slanting eyes, crimson and moody. He is Elric, Emperor of Melnibone, cursed with a keen and cynical intelligence, schooled in the art of sorcery -- the hero of Michael Moorcock's remarkable epic of conflict and adventure at the dawn of human history. 5 CDs, almost 6 hours of AudioBooksPlus entertainment! Read by Jeff West. Included is a dramatic introduction read by Michael Moorcock over 10 mins in length. **Elric of Melniboné** is a 1972 fantasy novel by **Michael Moorcock**. It is the first original full-length novel to feature **Elric**, the last emperor of the stagnating island civilisation of Melniboné who wields the cursed, soul-drinking sword **Stormbringer**.