Looking For a Good Book

I remember when this ‘new’ Elric book came out.  I was working in a book store in Los Angeles and I was so thrilled to get a copy as soon as the box was opened and I went home and devoured it.  Elric … again! That was, what …. the seventh book in the Elric series?  The eighth? Yeahhhhh… this is Michael Moorcock world.  ‘Order’ is an unnecessary concept.  According to the newest saga omnibus, this is now the second book in the series.  Which makes some sense because events happen early in Elric’s life and career, though given the heated battle between Elric and Yrkoon in the previous (and first) book, it takes a great deal of willingness on the part of the reader to accept that Elric puts Yrkoon on the throne during his anticipated absence.  How well do you think that’s going to work for you, Elric?

As mentioned, Elric puts his criminal cousin on the throne so that he, Elric, can go after the Pearl at the Heart of the World. Lord Gho Fhaazi puts Elric on this quest (Fhaazi needs this pearl to be seated on on the ruling Council of Seven of the city of Quarzhasaat). Lord Gho entices Elric by getting Elric addicted to a slow-acting poison. Of course Gho has the only known antitdote.

On this quest for the pearl, Elric discovers that the pearl can only be found inside the sleeping dreams of a young girl. To do this, Elric joins forces with Oone, a dream thief.

The dreams of a young girl are not as simple or safe as one might expect and the beautiful dream thief will help Elric navigate the dangerous dreamworld.

It’s really interesting to read this book again, right after reading the first book.  Although Elric is young here, the author is not, and the writing is in many ways more mature as our hero alternates from brooding youngster to sword-wielding warrior to a seasoned battler of magic.

That brooding, though, is key.  It’s this introspection and philosophical reflection that sets Elric apart from all the other sword & sorcery heroes in literature – not his albinism.

Author Michael Moorcock maybe tests the limits as to how long an action hero can spend thinking and worrying and planning, but just as we start to think, ‘Get on with it, already’ Elric will be tested and we’ll get the action scenes we were hoping for.

While I did feel we got some important clues to Elric’s nature with this book, I was also missing Cymoril. That triad of Cymoril, Yrkoon, and Elric set up perfect storylines and challenges, and yet we jump ship so quickly to take on this new adventure.

Only the second book in, but I’m really enjoying re-reading these Elric books.

Looking for a good book? The Fortress in the Pearl by Michael Moorcockis the second book, chronologically, in the Elric series.  It is wildly adventurous and philosophical – a perfect sword & sorcery hero for the intelligent reader.

I bought a first edition hardcover copy of this book and received a digital copy as part of the Elric of Melniboné Saga omnibus, from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Fortress of the Pearl

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga #8, Elric Chronological Order #2, The Eternal Champion Sequence #5.2

publisher: Ace (1989) || Gallery/Saga Press (2022)

ISBN: 0441191231 (1989) || 1534445684 (Elric Saga #1)

hardcover, 213 pages (1989) || hardcover, 752 pages (Elric Saga #1, 2022)

I first read Elric of Melniboné in the late 1970’s and I’ve had my DAW Books edition of this series sitting on a bookshelf because I’ve been wanting to reread not just the Elric books, but the entire ‘Eternal Champion’ books again.  But I’ve been really tied up with a backlog of ARC books so all I’ve been able to do is look longingly at these beautiful titles.  Fortunately for me, Gallery/Saga Press, is re-releasing these titles in a new compilation and I managed to get a digital copy, giving me an excuse to reread the books.

Elric is a young, reluctant ruler of the kingdom of Melniboné. Melniboné was once an elite nation – for 100,000 years Melniboné ruled the world. But the kingdom has declined for the past 500 years. Now Elric rules, but he tends to sit and be contemplative, wondering if he should even bother. But Elric, who strikes an imposing figure in part because he’s an albino and his white skin stands out, comes to realize that there is no one else in Melniboné who would be able to step up and rule well and that the very survival of the once-great nation relies on him.

But there is one other who thinks they would be a better king. Yrkoon, Elric’s cousin, is sure he would be better than the anemic-looking albino and plots a coup with an army of insurgents. The two will meet in an epic battle that will be fought with the powerful ‘runeblades’ known as Stormbringer and Mournblade. Elric and his sword, Stormbringer, (which steals the souls of those who are killed by it)  will develop a strong bond during the battle.

I have read or reread a few scifi/fantasy books from the 1960’s and 70’s and find them many of them feel dated. Elric of Melniboné, on the other hand, is as fresh and unique now as it was fifty years ago.

There’s a Shakespearean quality to Elric (something I would not have recognized when I was in my teens). His youthfulness and brooding reminds me of Hamlet, and his eventual take-charge attitude reminds me of Henry IV. And like Shakespeare’s plays, the outcomes of an individual’s actions might affect millions, but the story is centered on the individual and the choices they make.

The book moved along faster than I was expecting. We establish who Elric is, and what Melniboné is, and that Elric may be Melniboné’s last, best hope. Then we get Yrkoon wanting the throne, and then we get a chapters-long battle.  And that’s pretty much it!  It shouldn’t be a spoiler to say that Elric will ultimately be victorious in the battle, but his actions afterward might come as a surprise, setting Elric up as unique among these kinds of fantasy characters, as well as establishing potential storylines later on.

This book not only lived up to my memory and expectations, but exceeded them.  Anyone reading fantasy today should pick up and read this classic – and getting the four book compilation will take away any guess work as to which book to read next.

I’ve seen and heard people compare the Elric books to Tolkien – in regards to the epic fantasy style – but this is as closely related to Tolkien as it is to Robert E. Howard’s Conan or Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars. All classics and worth taking the time to read.

Looking for a good book? Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock is a sword & sorcery style fantasy that stands the test of time. You can only do yourself a favor by reading this.

I still have my 1976 paperback edition, but read this as part of the Elric of Melniboné Obnimbus which I received from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Elric of Melniboné

author: Michael Moorcock

series: The Elric Saga #1, Elric Chronological Order #1, The Eternal Champion Sequence #5.1

publisher: DAW (1976); Saga Press (2021)

ISBN: 0879973560 (DAW), 1534445684 (Saga Press)

paperback, 160 pages//hardcover, 752 pages

For the longest time, I thought publisher Angry Robot was putting out some of the best science fiction and fantasy on the market.  Exciting, cutting-edge works were coming out of this press quite regularly.  Then a couple of years ago I began to get disappointed with what I was reading – for the first time in a decade there are books that I am not requesting from them because I didn’t like the first book in a series. Though I am always willing to try a new book and a new author, I was starting to wonder if it was worth it. And then a book like Spidertouch, by Alex Thomson, appears, renewing my faith in the fantasy field and in Angry Robot books.

To the book…

An alien race called The Keda have ruled over the city known as Val Kedic for hundreds of years. They are cruel and ruthless, keeping the locals in line by punishing the children for parental slights, and sending the children off to the mines for back-breaking, cruel work at an early age.  Razvan was spared this usual fate … now middle-aged, Razvan was trained as a translator for the Keda are a mute race who communicate through a complicated system of touching, referred to by the natives as ‘Spidertouch.’ Razvan has become a trusted translator among the more elite Keda members.

But, though harsh, the Keda have grown complacent with the iron fist rule and a resistance group is ready to wrest control away from the Keda. Razvan, a mild-mannered translator has the opportunity to step up, but will he risk the life of his son?

There’s nothing particularly special about the general world here.  This is some typical fantasy – evil alien rulers and a plot to get rid of them. The aliens themselves are big, mean, baddies and we really don’t find anyone among the Keda to sympathize with or for. They are there to provide an obstacle for our protagonist.

But what is special about this story is the unique language building that author Thomson has created. Perhaps because I’m fascinated with ASL (though I don’t know it), this had a real appeal to me.  It’s one thing for an author come up with different words for items, it’s another to create a different system of communication and the language to go along with it.

And while a unique language like this is fascinating, it isn’t enough to carry an entire book.  Fortunately, Thomson is a deft storyteller and is able to get the reader interested in his primary character (Razvan) and build action, suspense, and excitement over the plot and the dangers of taking on the attempt.

The characters do tend to be a bit limited – only Razvan really stands out and all the Keda are sort of interchangeable.

Still I liked this quite a bit – I’d like to see Thomson grow as a writer and I look forward to reading more works by this author.  If there were a follow-up or sequel to Spidertouch, I’d definitely be interested.

Looking for a good book? Spidertouch by Alex Thomson is a solid fantasy with a good protagonist and a unique, well-crafted language. Fans of fantasy with uprising action should enjoy this.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Spidertouch

author: Alex Thomson

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857669605

paperback, 400 pages

Debbie Reynolds Biondi is the creator of a comic book series called Sputnik Chick: A Girl With No Past. Debbie lives in different timelines.  The comic book series has been an outlet for Debbie to detail her experiences in Atomic Mean Time. In Earth Standard Time, Debbie travels with her apprentice, Unicorn Girl, and Cassandra – an AI who knows all about pop culture.

There are over 2,000 alternate timelines – each created by the detonation of an atomic bomb in Earth Standard Time – and Debbie and Unicorn Girl and Cassandra travel through them, collectively known as the Sisters Sputnik. Debbie’s storytelling skills has her treated with celebrity status throughout the realities and in one particular world, where all books and music have disappeared, Debbie is in bed with an old Earth Standard lover, and he begs her to tell him a story.

This book is … really unusual; highly unique; a pop-culture jambalaya; a literary paella; psychedelic fiction. Think Harlan Ellison and Thomas Disch meet Ernest Cline and Charlie N. Holmberg and the four of them write a story.

I really liked the characters here and the general concept is fabulous. But at times I found this a little hard to follow … and I like off-the-wall unusual sci-fi with mind-bending, time-wrenching concepts. The story-within-a-story … was that really necessary? As a reader, it felt like author Terri Favro had a short story in the Sputnik universe, and to make it a novel, added a little bit around it.

This is, however, one of the books that I think about long after I’ve read it.  A moment will strike and I’ll remember something in the book and wonder about it.  Because of this, this is likely one of the few books I will read a second time, but I’ think I need to re-read Favro’s Sputnik’s Children again before I do.  It’s been almost five years since I read and reviewed that book – a pre-cursor to this.

Looking for a good book? The Sisters Sputnik by Terri Favro is a unique, adventurous fantasy, but it might be good to read/re-read Sputnik’s Children, by the same author, first.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Sisters Sputnik

author: Terri Favro

publisher: ECW Press

ISBN: 1770416080

paperback, 292 pages