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Title: The Dreamthief's Daughter: A Tale of the Albino by Michael Moorcock ISBN: 0-446-61120-4 Publisher: Aspect Pub. Date: 01 June, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.73 (26 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excelent
Comment: Moorcock returns to his Multiverse here. The story is about the stuggle of Ulric Von Bek against the Nazi's. Elric plays a significant part here, but this is only partially his story. The story moves slower than most of Moorcock's works. While some people find this a fault, to me it adds more versimultitude than his previous books. Ulric and Elric are interesting in their similarities and differences. Ulric while sharing Elric's albinoism and brooding nature, is still the production of a more civilized era. If you are looking for a simple retread of the previous Elric books, don't look here, but if you want a novel that takes the Multiverse and expands on it you will enjoy this.
Rating: 5
Summary: Moorcock at his best
Comment: It's been a while since I picked up a Moorcock fantasy novel, having spent most of my time reading his non-fantasy novels like Mother London, King of the City and The Brothel in Rosenstrasse. I thought that I had kinda outgrown his fantasies, I will admit. But either I'm going through an early second childhood or there's no chance of my outgrowing anything by Moorcock because I found this book a wonderful change from his 'straight' novels. There are subtleties here which maybe I never noticed when I first read the fantasy books. The references to the underground world, whose entrance is in Hamlyn in Germany, make extra sense to me now and relate to 'Nazi Science' which Hitler's people were promoting at the time when this book opens. The obsession with romantic emblems was another feature of Nazism and Moorcock subtly undercuts the normal material of generic fantasy, just as he subtly undercut the material of the imperial adventure novel in his Nomads of the Time Streams stories of airship captain Oswald Bastable (who makes a guest appearance here - to underline the significance of the story). This is a rich, brilliant, beautifully paced book which offers insights into Elric's character as well as into the world of our recent history.
As with all Moorcock, it is a generous book, a book full of heart and soul -- and a thrilling read as well. If you have
blood, brain and, yes, soul, you'll love this book. There isn't a better fantasy writer living.
Rating: 3
Summary: A Plague of Heroes
Comment: I have been reading Michael Moorcock's stories since the 1960's. So, I have been through almost every incarnation of the Eternal Champion, as well as many efforts in other directions. I have admired Moorcock not just for his writing abilities, but also for the support and aid that he has given to many other writers. I've never counted money spent on one of his books as wasted, and was looking forward to my first visit with Moorcock in a long time. This time, however, I am lest satisfied with what was delivered. I'm afraid the Eternal Champion has been stretched a bit too thin.
Ostensibly the story is about Ulric von Bek (the last count of Bek), or it's about Elric (the last king of Melnibone) and, maybe, Oona (the last of Elric's line). All of these are albinos, hence the book's subtitle. The first third of the book tells of Ulric and his conflict with the Nazis over a mystic black sword, and the Holy Grail that was once entrusted to his family. The conflict enlarges, and Ulric becomes the means by which Elric can be released from a comatose state. Unfortunately, we are subjected to a host of ruminations and explanations from Ulric's viewpoint. Ulric's lack of narrative skill doesn't interfere in the least with his ability to go on and on pedantically about everything from politics to scenery. But the early story frequently verges on the tedious.
Elric is a moderately better storyteller, but the simple truth is that the overall narration is wooden, as if Moorcock was badly out of practice or has some preaching to do. The plot turns on the albinos' efforts to prevent Ulric's cousin Gaynor from copping all the swords and the Grail, and thus bringing the universe to a sudden and fatal halt. If this sounds a bit too much like many other Moorcock stories, the truth is that there is little to clearly differentiate this tale from those that have gone before other than a lot of material on Nazi superstition and an unusually strong female protagonist.
The book is neither a success nor a failure. I thing some heavy editing could have mat it a much better story. It is, however, a poor introduction for those readers who have never had a chance to make Elric's acquaintance in the old days when the Albino destroyed his home and set out to wander the younger kingdoms. My recommendation is to go back and read the original Elric and Corum stories and let "The Dreamthief's Daughter" rest for now, hopefully to be rescued by the promised sequel.
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Title: The Skrayling Tree by Michael Moorcock ISBN: 0446531049 Publisher: Warner Books Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Michael Moorcock's Multiverse by Michael Moorcock ISBN: 1563895161 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 November, 1999 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Revenge of the Rose by Michael Moorcock ISBN: 0441001068 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: April, 1995 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Fortress of the Pearl by Michael Moorcock ISBN: 0441248667 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: December, 1990 List Price(USD): $19.50 |
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Title: The Bane of the Black Sword (Elric Saga, Book 5) by Michael Moorcock ISBN: 0441048854 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: May, 1994 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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