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dantastic's review against another edition
5.0
2011 re-read:
The Vanishing Tower: Elric and Moonglum continues their quest to destroy the sorcerer Theleb K'aarna, visiting Myshella's castle, Nadsokor, the city of beggars, Tanelorn, and the Forest of Troos...
The saga of Elric continues moving toward its conclusion. Elric meets up with Myshella, flying her magic eagle thing around, takes on all kinds of demons, and meets up with Erekose, Corum, and Jhary-a-Conel. More of his destiny is revealed, Rackhir and Brut make return appearances, and Elric spends a bit of time in Tanelorn. I think that about covers it.
The Bane of the Black Sword: Elric and Theleb K'aarna have their reckoning and Elric foresakes Stormbringer for a life with Zarozinia. Can he leave the Black Sword behind?
While I was glad Theleb K'aarna got what was coming to him and Elric and Zarozinia started their relationship, this volume largely felt like filler to me, although that might be because I'm licking my chops in anticipation for the Armageddon shit-storm that is Stormbringer.
Stormbringer: Elric's retirement with Zarozinia at Karklaak near the Weeping Wastes is cut short when Jagreen Lern, Theocrat of Pan Tang, summons the Dukes of Hell to Earth. Can Elric slay the Theocrat before the forces of Chaos devour the world?
Ever since reading Stormbringer for the first time, it is the measuring stick against which all endings of epic sagas are measured. Even after multiple readings, it still holds up. Elric slays gods, reawakens the dragons of Melnibone, banishes the Lord of Hell, and brings about the end of the world with the Horn of Fate. Tragedy upon tragedy befalls him, because of his hellblade Stormbringer, in part, but he keeps taking the fight to the overwhelming odds opposing him. It's crazy that by the end of the saga, Elric, Moonglum, and Dyvim Slorm are the only forces of Law left kicking against an unbelievably vast horde of the minions of Chaos. As I said before, even after more than a decade after I first read it, Stormbringer is still the measuring stick.
Farewell, friend. I was a thousand times more evil than thou!
2022 notes: I misremembered about half of this. Lots of things happened differently than my hazy mind remembered from 2011. Sad that Rackhir went out the way he did, not to mention each of Elric's lover's. I could have sworn Elric and Jhary teamed up in a story without Corum but maybe I was thinking of Hawkmoon. Elric goes on a ton of side quests to complete the main quest, doesn't he? As far as apocalyptic battles go, Stormbringer is still the grand daddy of them all.
The Vanishing Tower: Elric and Moonglum continues their quest to destroy the sorcerer Theleb K'aarna, visiting Myshella's castle, Nadsokor, the city of beggars, Tanelorn, and the Forest of Troos...
The saga of Elric continues moving toward its conclusion. Elric meets up with Myshella, flying her magic eagle thing around, takes on all kinds of demons, and meets up with Erekose, Corum, and Jhary-a-Conel. More of his destiny is revealed, Rackhir and Brut make return appearances, and Elric spends a bit of time in Tanelorn. I think that about covers it.
The Bane of the Black Sword: Elric and Theleb K'aarna have their reckoning and Elric foresakes Stormbringer for a life with Zarozinia. Can he leave the Black Sword behind?
While I was glad Theleb K'aarna got what was coming to him and Elric and Zarozinia started their relationship, this volume largely felt like filler to me, although that might be because I'm licking my chops in anticipation for the Armageddon shit-storm that is Stormbringer.
Stormbringer: Elric's retirement with Zarozinia at Karklaak near the Weeping Wastes is cut short when Jagreen Lern, Theocrat of Pan Tang, summons the Dukes of Hell to Earth. Can Elric slay the Theocrat before the forces of Chaos devour the world?
Ever since reading Stormbringer for the first time, it is the measuring stick against which all endings of epic sagas are measured. Even after multiple readings, it still holds up. Elric slays gods, reawakens the dragons of Melnibone, banishes the Lord of Hell, and brings about the end of the world with the Horn of Fate. Tragedy upon tragedy befalls him, because of his hellblade Stormbringer, in part, but he keeps taking the fight to the overwhelming odds opposing him. It's crazy that by the end of the saga, Elric, Moonglum, and Dyvim Slorm are the only forces of Law left kicking against an unbelievably vast horde of the minions of Chaos. As I said before, even after more than a decade after I first read it, Stormbringer is still the measuring stick.
Farewell, friend. I was a thousand times more evil than thou!
2022 notes: I misremembered about half of this. Lots of things happened differently than my hazy mind remembered from 2011. Sad that Rackhir went out the way he did, not to mention each of Elric's lover's. I could have sworn Elric and Jhary teamed up in a story without Corum but maybe I was thinking of Hawkmoon. Elric goes on a ton of side quests to complete the main quest, doesn't he? As far as apocalyptic battles go, Stormbringer is still the grand daddy of them all.
asylumrunner's review against another edition
5.0
Man this was *really good*
If I had a complaint with the first triumvirate of books, it's that the adventures of Elric therein were a little meandering. Elric stumbles into a thing, almost dies, summons some elemental lord or Chaos god that had gone previously unmentioned that saves the day, then he goes on with his life. Some fun swords-and-sandals stuff, but nothing that really made it all the way to amazing for me.
A problem *absolutely solved* by this set of books. These books are bound together by Elric's quests first against Theleb K'aarna and then against the end of the world itself, and manage to tie together a lot of the interesting one-off ideas of this universe into a sweeping epic that transcends the "threat-of-the-week" model of earlier books and into an honest-to-god saga. Stormbringer especially, the final book of the series, is an absolute masterpiece, a story that manages to unite all of the disparate ideas of this series together and tell a story that feels equal in scope to the mythological vibes this series has always had. Stormbringer is the moment that Elric genuinely feels like a tragic hero on the level of those of myth, and where his character is at its deepest and most interesting.
Man, this was *really good*. Genuinely adored reading this. I don't know if I should delve into some of the other Eternal Champion books, or if I should avoid risking disappointment after loving this so much.
If I had a complaint with the first triumvirate of books, it's that the adventures of Elric therein were a little meandering. Elric stumbles into a thing, almost dies, summons some elemental lord or Chaos god that had gone previously unmentioned that saves the day, then he goes on with his life. Some fun swords-and-sandals stuff, but nothing that really made it all the way to amazing for me.
A problem *absolutely solved* by this set of books. These books are bound together by Elric's quests first against Theleb K'aarna and then against the end of the world itself, and manage to tie together a lot of the interesting one-off ideas of this universe into a sweeping epic that transcends the "threat-of-the-week" model of earlier books and into an honest-to-god saga. Stormbringer especially, the final book of the series, is an absolute masterpiece, a story that manages to unite all of the disparate ideas of this series together and tell a story that feels equal in scope to the mythological vibes this series has always had. Stormbringer is the moment that Elric genuinely feels like a tragic hero on the level of those of myth, and where his character is at its deepest and most interesting.
Man, this was *really good*. Genuinely adored reading this. I don't know if I should delve into some of the other Eternal Champion books, or if I should avoid risking disappointment after loving this so much.
ostrava's review against another edition
2.0
Worse than the first three installments, the second part in Elric's saga is disappointing. The ending doesn't deliver, the tales can be bloody awful at times and its most appealing characteristic is that it's short and carries enough energy to force you to read to its end. But it never utilizes that energy. It never lives up to the first volume, which is where the series peaked and where I would recommend any reader to stop before they're disappointed as well.
parenthesis_enjoyer's review against another edition
got a newer collection to read from
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