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

Narrated by: Samuel Roukin

Length: 24 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

When Michael Moorcock began chronicling the adventures of the albino sorcerer Elric, last king of decadent Melniboné, and his sentient vampiric sword, Stormbringer, he set out to create a new kind of fantasy adventure, one that broke with tradition and reflected a more up-to-date sophistication of theme and style. The result was a bold and unique hero - weak in body, subtle in mind, dependent on drugs for the vitality to sustain himself - with great crimes behind him and a greater destiny ahead: a rock-and-roll antihero who would channel all the violent excesses of the '60s into one enduring archetype.

Now, presented in the author's preferred story order, the classic Elric saga.

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

Don’t bother with the forward.

As much as I love Gaiman, I didn’t enjoy the forward. The rest of the book was great!

One of my old home favorites, great performance

I love it! Get your Elric fix. Blood and souls, Lord Arioch! Aid me now!

Made me want to actually read it

I loved the story and the characters.

Unfortunately, the narrator was simply not for me. Moorcock's writing is poetic and thought-provoking and I wasn't convinced by the performance for the most part.
It is all a matter of style though... It wasn't for me, but it might be for you

Elric is Iconic for a reason

A dark brooding fantasy hero, who questions his very soul, in a world of grand fantasy with sting swords and sorcery vibes. Old school fantasy at it's very best.

The Classic Anti-hero comes to life.

I’ve been waiting for an edition like this for years. Finally, all of the books, in order and complete.
Simon Roukin’s narration captures every nuance of Moorcock’s writing and gives Elric a sympathetic and emotional voice. By far the best audiobook version of any of Moorcock’s stories.
As one who has been a true Elric fan for over 40 years, I heartily recommend this and consider it the definitive version.
They now need to do the live-action series. To the Seven Darks with The Witcher, Geralt is a pale shadow to Elric, from whom Andrej Sapkiwski borrowed heavily from.

A Fantastic Achievement

So happy to finally see moorcock getting the audio treatment he deserves. I was worried whether the old and new stuff would fit together, interwoven in chronological order. The answer is yes, the excellent stories make up a coherent whole. Roukin’s narration is so easy on the ears, his voice is wonderful, and the characterizations are good as well. I’m looking forward to the next book!

Dark and Tragic Fantasy At Its Best!

I love these stories of Elric; multi-layered, morally conflicted, complex, the quintessential doomed champion of a doomed world.

Michael Moorcock's literary prose is as good as I remember and doesn't feel dated like some of my other favorite authors from the 70's and 80's. The narration was very well done. Neil Gaiman's short story at the beginning felt a little out of place, as his style of writing doesn't blend well with the original books, but its a very minor complaint. An introduction and/or context might have been helpful, or perhaps placing the short story at the end of the audio book, not the beginning. But, again, not a big deal at all.

Highly recommended!

Definitive audiobook treatment at last

Been a fan of Moorcock since junior high. Thrilled to have a high-quality audiobook...

... but I really need the narrator to stop slipping up and calling our hero "Eric."

For those complaining about Neil Gaiman's contribution, were you not paying attention to the Elric stories? Melniboné gets more disturbing things done before breakfast than British schoolboys do all day.

Blood And Souls for Lord Moorcock!

The Thine White Duke has RETURNED! In a GORGEOUS new hardcover that collects the Pale Prince's 4 GREATEST stories! This compilation is an absolute dream come true for me, a chronological collection of the ultimate origin story, Elric of Melnibone. My 4 favorite books in the series bundled together nicely, The Elric Saga is a MUST read for anyone curious of the origins of Grim/Dark Fantasy!

Strange Beginning Segment, Redeemed by Great Elric Stories

The Beginning Segment I could have done without, why was it even included…??? The Elric Stories themselves were Great!!!