Elric of Melniboné

Volume 1: Elric of Melnibone, The Fortress of the Pearl, The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, and The Weird of the White Wolf

By: Michael Moorcock, Neil Gaiman - Foreword

Narrated by: Samuel Roukin

From World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Moorcock comes the first volume in his Elric of Melniboné series.

It is one of the most well-known and well-loved fantasy epics of the twentieth century: the story of Elric, emperor of the dying kingdom of Melniboné. For a hundred centuries the Melnibonéans have ruled from the Dragon Isle of Imrryr.

Now, after years of corruption and decadence, Elric’s amoral cousin Prince Yyrkoon, the brother of his beloved Cymoril, sets his eyes on the Ruby Throne.

Elric must face his treacherous cousin not as a warrior but as a sorcerer king once again in league with the ancient gods of Melniboné, the Chaos Lords, and thus sealing his inexorable fate.

Elric of Melniboné is the first volume in Michael Moorcock’s incredible chronicle, which created fantasy archetypes that have echoed through the genre for generations.

Volume one of the Elric Saga contains the first novels in the series: Elric of Melniboné, The Fortress of the Pearl, The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, and The Weird of the White Wolf.

©2021 Michael Moorcock and Neil Gaiman (P)2021 Recorded Books

Skip the first chapter, it's not Moorcock.

Michael Moorcock's writing is some of the finest in the English language. The Elric novels are 23 1/2 hours of this book, and are some of the best fictions I have ever read. They contain lush descriptions, perfect pacing, deep moral dilemmas and stunning allegory. It is unthinkable and unforgivable then that Audible and Recorded Books chose to open this set with a half-hour fan fiction which amounts to child pornography and has only one or two references to Moorcock and the character Elric. Many people will probably purchase this, think the awful essay at the beginning is part of the compendium and decide not to listen, to their own loss and to the loss of Audible and Recorded books. This child-sexualization essay needs to be removed immediately, it has nothing to do with Moorcock's writings or characters. It would be one thing if the introduction was a biopic of Moorcock or a literary study of the Elric novels. It is not. It has no place in this compendium.

Excellent Fantasy

Excluding that weird out of place short story by Neil Gaiman and some clunky prose. Moorecock is a fine pillar of his craft.

Garbage Intro from Gaiman, annoying narration

Publishers need to stop hiring Neil Gaiman for intros to classic works. As others have said, skip the awful intro fiction by Gaiman. The narrator’s corny accents and several references to ‘Eric’ are insufferable too, I’m afraid. I’m sorry Moorcock has such a shoddy treatment of his work. I guess I’ll stick the last few hours out, but it’s an unpleasant way to return to books I’ve loved.

Classic story, well told.

As others have noted, the foreward by Neil Gaiman is a bit intrusive and unnecessary, but otherwise a solid retelling of a fantasy masterwork.

Classical fantasy story that was enjoyable

Loved all of it, other than the fact that it seemed linear, Elric being an idiot at moments, as well as the dream world dragging. Other than that, extremely enjoyable, will be listening/reading the next part of the series soon.