The Sailor on the Seas of Fate

Absolutely amazing.

No amount of words can explain just how great these two books are for either the world of Fantasy or of even regular Literature. This is the template of which all other fantasies are but mere illusions or drawn-out caricatures.

Heavy words, no? Seriously. Let me explain.

This is drawn in the traditional sword and sorcery style, yes, but that is just a platform on which to leap out and explore wild imaginings and deep world-building, all of which is done so smoothly that it puts most SF/F to shame.

How else can such a tiny tome as either of these books convey a vast multiverse, planes-walking as we D&D lovers like to call it, full of destiny, time travel, reincarnation, grand multiverse'scapes of conflict between Order show more and Chaos, cities with jewels, or boats with blind captains filled with alternate-reality versions of your own badass self?

And it's not only effortlessly pulled off, it's a grand adventure that actually places me fully in the mindset of AWE. I am in AWE. No one should ever sail by these without tasting of its waters. Your life will be enriched and you will have a true yardstick by which to judge everything else you might read, because you will have tasted brilliance. It doesn't even matter if you're reading it for the sake of metaphor or psychology or grand adventure or soul-drinking chaotic-evil swords or the grand Demon of Chaos himself.

If you read this, you read it bringing whatever you have inside to the table... and you will always come away enriched.

I'm certain I'll be revisiting these books many times over the years, and I'm certain that I'll always be pleased to do so. :)

Simply Awe-some. :) show less

In the past I've found much of the Elric canon underwhelming. It turns out I was somewhat unlucky about the order I read the Elric books, discovering Moorcock through some of his weaker books (Elric at the End of Time & Fortress of the Pearl). As a result my interest in Moorcock in general, and in Elric in particular cooled, which is a pity because its only now, several years later, that I'm discovering the better Elric stories - The Sailor on the Seas of Fate is definitely one of these.

The book is divided into 3 parts, each on better than the last, and with the last story culminating in a real sense of pathos and melancholy - the tragedy of Elric comes across powerfully. At heart the tales are ones of adventure, with swashbuckling show more pirates and the search for lost cities in distant continents, but when Moorcock is on song, these pyrotechnics are the window-dressing for themes of greater depth. In that sense, the first story is weakest because it concerns a 'team-up' of several of Moorcock's heroes - Erkrose, Hawkmoon, Corum and Elric. This failed to be as interesting as it might otherwise be since I've yet to read any of Moorcock's Erkrose, Hawkmoon or Corum books. Thankfully the other stories stand much better on their own. show less

What an odd, cool book. Immeasurably weirder than the first Elric novel, it comprises three stories from Elric's travels after leaving Melniboné. But this is where the Elric we generally know comes out; Elric can't readily distinguish his memories from his dreams, all the ideas of the Eternal Champion begin to make themselves known, and the asshole sword keeps doing its thing. I'm so glad I decided to read these again before giving them away.

I haven't been able to settle on a book recently. While I usually have two or three on the go at any one time, I've been at six or seven the last few weeks. So, in exasperation, I decided to try "one from the vaults", and landed on Elric!

It's been thirty-odd years since I last read this one, and I'm pleased to say that it didn't disappoint. I'd initially given it a provisional three-star rating, which I've happily upped to four stars. So...

A collection of three episodic adventures for the self-exiled Melnibonéan emperor, linked to each other by the whale's road. A fanboy-pleasing Eternal Champion crossover to start off with; to follow, an untypical "damsel in distress" tale, mixed with a multiversal romp with twin extra-dimensional show more sorcerers; rounded off with an Indiana Jonesesque trek through hostile jungles to (ostensibly) find the treasure of a long-lost city out of Melnibonéan legend. In which we find out just why Arioch, Duke of Hell, is so pissed off with his favourite son. Oh, and a good deal of Stormbringer soul-stealing, too!

After which, I'm still rather unsettled, so I think I'll try another Elric before applying myself elsewhere. show less

Elric finally found some buddies in this one. Well, shady companions, but certainly no shadier than he is. And his sadness deepens. I love these books, they are under my skin in a weird little way.

Book 2 in the Elric saga, this did not disappoint. I am a sucker for the way Moorcock weaves adventure with existentialist musings (never heavy-handed). Guess I prefer melancholic fantasy to the triumphant "good against evil" type that seems to be such the rage. I missed these when they came out (when I was a teen sf enthusiast who thought fantasy was somehow "lesser than" the "speculative fiction" I was reading.) Glad to be reading these now...glad there are many more left in the series.

Oh Elric, you're such a passive knob. I actually like Moorcock's style, I just find the albino such bore compared to nearly every other character in the story. Honestly, Yrkoon seems so much more engaging in comparison. :)