Elric of Melniboné

I read this as part of the eBook collection “Elric of Melniboné” which includes the first four chronological novellas, so this review is encompassing that collection.

The Elric novels have been a hole in my fantasy history. I've owned a few for a while but only got around to reading it when my book club picked it. I struggle to rate them with stars because by modern standards, they aren't really my cup of tea, but as part of the foundation of fantasy, they are interesting to explore.

Elric is maybe the original fantasy anti-hero, and I know he's inspired a lot of my favorites. In Elric I see the ancestor of Morpheus, of Geralt, of Harry Dresden, of so many of the tall, pale, brooding figures just trying to punch a few evil doers while wondering how far from true north their own moral compass has wandered.

The plots themselves are pulpy and commercial, the non-Elric characters are pretty flimsy, and the women are basically just there for Elric to rescue and/or have sex with, so they aren't really what I look for in a novel, but I'm giving it the four stars because I know my books wouldn't have evolved to where they are to day with this series.