Dear Mr. Moorcock,
I discovered the Elric saga at the age of 13 or 14, and it had a rather large impact on me.
I happened across mention of it in the purple edition of "Deities & Demigods." I was an avid D&D player at the time, having read Tolkien only a couple of years before. The fact that the Elric character was listed as "Chaotic Evil" in the D&D book intrigued me; he didn't sound particularly evil from the description. I also recall wondering, "What's this about a race of sorcerors who grew strong and waned weak? Now that sounds interesting..."
(Raise your hands. How many people had THAT story in the early 1980's?)
I recall trekking to the B. Dalton bookstore on El Toro Road (the main street in my boring-but-safe southern California home town). I found "Elric of Melnibone," and positively devoured it.
At the time, there were just the six books. I have reread them a few times over the years, but confess not getting to the "add-ons" ("Elric at the End of Time," "Dreamthief's Daughter," etc.) (my punctuation can be questionable, but at least I don't type "ect." There should be an award for that, on the internet.).
I read a number of Corum books. I remember finding a "Dancers at the End of Time" tome in the local library, and deciding, "Hmmm, I must be too young for this. I wish there were more Elric books." What can I say; perhaps at the considerably more sophisticated (or jaded) age of 36, it should give it another try. It's been over two decades, after all.
I did purchase Hawkind's "Chronicles of the Black Sword" in my late teens or early twenties; I recall being underwhelmed. I enjoyed the Blue Oyster Cult song, however. I did always wonder what you were doing with rock bands, though. I loved hard rock as a kid (Led Zeppelin, Rush), but never got into real heavy metal. Thus, while I loved the COVER ART on Cirith Ungol albums, I didn't buy them.
I was delighted to find that you had a website, and that there was an very active forum. I remember wondering a few things while reading the Elric and Corum books. The advent of the internet, and your involvement therewith, gives me a chance to ask these questions with a reasonable chance of someone answering. If not you, perhaps one of the many knowledgable readers I see posting in these forums.
Here is "What I've Always Wanted to Know About Elric, But Was Afraid to Ask":
1) I remember being confused about the period between "Elric of Melnibone" and "Sailer on the Seas of Fate." I loved the ending of the first book: "I shall be a new man when I return to Melnibone." Man, that reeked of tragedy. That punch really landed with the third book. But I sure wish I understood more about how/why Yyrkoon took over AGAIN. Boy, that would be a good story. Did you ever write it?
2) I remember in a Corum book, I think, there was some island with twisted, feeble sorceror-villains. There was a throne, carved of some enormous stone. There was something about them being the much degenerated descendents of something better. I think they were called the Malbranch, Malebranch, or something similar (Google has not been my friend, here). It sure looked like a case of "Sleestak Melniboneans" to me (does anyone understand that term, by the way? If you do, I'll hazard a guess that you are over 30 years old). Were these indeed greatly fallen "sons of Melnibone," or some echo in Corums plane of existence? Or no connection at all?
3) I loved "Sailer on the Seas of Fate." Adored the R'len Cren A'aa part (forigve any misuse of apostrophes, please!). But I remember being so confused and disappointed in a later Elric book, when you disavowed all these events. At least, I think you did. Someone rather authoritative told Elric that these people were actually NOT the ancestors of the Melniboneans. It sure felt like the Battlestar Galactica episode where the angel-guy (Richard Harris?) tells Apollo, "Oh, they call themselves Terrans, and they got an East-West Cold War going, but, ummm... this ain't Earth. Keep on looking, dude." What's the deal? Did you change your mind?
4) There is no #4. Just a compliment. The stuff about Earl Saxif D'aan (again, not sure of the apostrophe) was amazingly cool. "He knew regret," indeed. Loved that.
Thanks in advance for any answers, and thanks indeed for the books.
I discovered the Elric saga at the age of 13 or 14, and it had a rather large impact on me.
I happened across mention of it in the purple edition of "Deities & Demigods." I was an avid D&D player at the time, having read Tolkien only a couple of years before. The fact that the Elric character was listed as "Chaotic Evil" in the D&D book intrigued me; he didn't sound particularly evil from the description. I also recall wondering, "What's this about a race of sorcerors who grew strong and waned weak? Now that sounds interesting..."
(Raise your hands. How many people had THAT story in the early 1980's?)
I recall trekking to the B. Dalton bookstore on El Toro Road (the main street in my boring-but-safe southern California home town). I found "Elric of Melnibone," and positively devoured it.
At the time, there were just the six books. I have reread them a few times over the years, but confess not getting to the "add-ons" ("Elric at the End of Time," "Dreamthief's Daughter," etc.) (my punctuation can be questionable, but at least I don't type "ect." There should be an award for that, on the internet.).
I read a number of Corum books. I remember finding a "Dancers at the End of Time" tome in the local library, and deciding, "Hmmm, I must be too young for this. I wish there were more Elric books." What can I say; perhaps at the considerably more sophisticated (or jaded) age of 36, it should give it another try. It's been over two decades, after all.
I did purchase Hawkind's "Chronicles of the Black Sword" in my late teens or early twenties; I recall being underwhelmed. I enjoyed the Blue Oyster Cult song, however. I did always wonder what you were doing with rock bands, though. I loved hard rock as a kid (Led Zeppelin, Rush), but never got into real heavy metal. Thus, while I loved the COVER ART on Cirith Ungol albums, I didn't buy them.
I was delighted to find that you had a website, and that there was an very active forum. I remember wondering a few things while reading the Elric and Corum books. The advent of the internet, and your involvement therewith, gives me a chance to ask these questions with a reasonable chance of someone answering. If not you, perhaps one of the many knowledgable readers I see posting in these forums.
Here is "What I've Always Wanted to Know About Elric, But Was Afraid to Ask":
1) I remember being confused about the period between "Elric of Melnibone" and "Sailer on the Seas of Fate." I loved the ending of the first book: "I shall be a new man when I return to Melnibone." Man, that reeked of tragedy. That punch really landed with the third book. But I sure wish I understood more about how/why Yyrkoon took over AGAIN. Boy, that would be a good story. Did you ever write it?
2) I remember in a Corum book, I think, there was some island with twisted, feeble sorceror-villains. There was a throne, carved of some enormous stone. There was something about them being the much degenerated descendents of something better. I think they were called the Malbranch, Malebranch, or something similar (Google has not been my friend, here). It sure looked like a case of "Sleestak Melniboneans" to me (does anyone understand that term, by the way? If you do, I'll hazard a guess that you are over 30 years old). Were these indeed greatly fallen "sons of Melnibone," or some echo in Corums plane of existence? Or no connection at all?
3) I loved "Sailer on the Seas of Fate." Adored the R'len Cren A'aa part (forigve any misuse of apostrophes, please!). But I remember being so confused and disappointed in a later Elric book, when you disavowed all these events. At least, I think you did. Someone rather authoritative told Elric that these people were actually NOT the ancestors of the Melniboneans. It sure felt like the Battlestar Galactica episode where the angel-guy (Richard Harris?) tells Apollo, "Oh, they call themselves Terrans, and they got an East-West Cold War going, but, ummm... this ain't Earth. Keep on looking, dude." What's the deal? Did you change your mind?
4) There is no #4. Just a compliment. The stuff about Earl Saxif D'aan (again, not sure of the apostrophe) was amazingly cool. "He knew regret," indeed. Loved that.
Thanks in advance for any answers, and thanks indeed for the books.
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