Publication History |
This is an unconventional little book of interest to Michael Moorcock fans.
Despite its title, most of the stories in this collection are not about Elric; they're
about Sojan Shieldbearer, Moorcock's first fantasy character from the 1950s.
The book also includes two non-fiction essays regarding the creation of Elric
and Jerry Cornelius, two of Moorcock's most well-known characters, and
concludes with a short sword & sorcery parody.
"Elric at the End of Time," the novella from which the collection gets it name,
does not neatly fit into the timeline established in the core Elric books.
According to Moorcock's Introduction, this tale was written
contemporaneously with the other Elric stories and was created before
Stormbringer, although the tale itself bears little resemblance to other Elric
stories and Elric himself is quite different.
"Elric at the End of Time" sees Elric sucked into the End of Time, populated by
the League of Temporal Adventurers, including Una Persson, Sergeant
Alvarez, Werther de Goethe, Mistress Christina the Everlasting Concubine, and
Lord Jagged of Canaria. The time-travelers are able to change their bizarre
world at will, and do so repeatedly in misguided attempts to entertain Elric.
The result is confusing for both Elric and the reader.
"The Last Enchantment" is also difficult to place in Elric's timeline. In it, Elric
is transported to the Palace of Kaneloon, where the Lords of Chaos are meeting
in conference. Elric is challenged to "create something which it has never
occurred to [the Lords of Chaos] to create."
"The Secret Life of Elric of Melniboné" is a non-fiction essay on the creation of
Elric written in the 1960s. In this fascinating essay, Moorcock discusses how he
came to create Elric, how Elric's personality and challenges were allegories of
Moorcock's own, and how Moorcock feels about the critics' and public's
reception of Elric. Moorcock pens a similar essay on Jerry Cornelius. It's a
great opportunity to see what Moorcock was trying to achieve.
Following this essay is the entire collection of Sojan Shieldbearer short stories.
Sojan is a swashbuckling, sword-and-planet hero. Although human, he lives on
the twin-sunned planet of Zylor, which was settled by humans fleeing (what
they thought was) the dying Earth generations before. Sojan's people have lost
much of its technology, but they retained dirigibles, air guns, and steel. They
divide themselves among civilized and barbarian nations, dodge air pirates, and
untangle political intrigue. Still, their culture is dependent upon the sword and
the steed (in this case, the reptilian myat).
The Sojan stories show much of the promise of action and creativity of
Moorcock's later works, but here his execution has yet to be perfected. Fight
sequences and plot lines suffer from logical leaps, an excess of convenience or
"luck," and abrupt endings. Some of the tales read more like sketches;
characterization is thin; dialogue is infested with clichés. Still, as "portraits of
the artist as a young man," the Sojan stories remain of interest. The distinctions
between Moorcock's initial forays into fantasy and his masterpieces are lessons
for aspiring fantasy writers.
The collection concludes with "The Stone Thing," a hilarious and memorable
self-parody.
I rate it a 6 out of 10.
Despite its title, most of the stories in this collection are not about Elric; they're
about Sojan Shieldbearer, Moorcock's first fantasy character from the 1950s.
The book also includes two non-fiction essays regarding the creation of Elric
and Jerry Cornelius, two of Moorcock's most well-known characters, and
concludes with a short sword & sorcery parody.
"Elric at the End of Time," the novella from which the collection gets it name,
does not neatly fit into the timeline established in the core Elric books.
According to Moorcock's Introduction, this tale was written
contemporaneously with the other Elric stories and was created before
Stormbringer, although the tale itself bears little resemblance to other Elric
stories and Elric himself is quite different.
"Elric at the End of Time" sees Elric sucked into the End of Time, populated by
the League of Temporal Adventurers, including Una Persson, Sergeant
Alvarez, Werther de Goethe, Mistress Christina the Everlasting Concubine, and
Lord Jagged of Canaria. The time-travelers are able to change their bizarre
world at will, and do so repeatedly in misguided attempts to entertain Elric.
The result is confusing for both Elric and the reader.
"The Last Enchantment" is also difficult to place in Elric's timeline. In it, Elric
is transported to the Palace of Kaneloon, where the Lords of Chaos are meeting
in conference. Elric is challenged to "create something which it has never
occurred to [the Lords of Chaos] to create."
"The Secret Life of Elric of Melniboné" is a non-fiction essay on the creation of
Elric written in the 1960s. In this fascinating essay, Moorcock discusses how he
came to create Elric, how Elric's personality and challenges were allegories of
Moorcock's own, and how Moorcock feels about the critics' and public's
reception of Elric. Moorcock pens a similar essay on Jerry Cornelius. It's a
great opportunity to see what Moorcock was trying to achieve.
Following this essay is the entire collection of Sojan Shieldbearer short stories.
Sojan is a swashbuckling, sword-and-planet hero. Although human, he lives on
the twin-sunned planet of Zylor, which was settled by humans fleeing (what
they thought was) the dying Earth generations before. Sojan's people have lost
much of its technology, but they retained dirigibles, air guns, and steel. They
divide themselves among civilized and barbarian nations, dodge air pirates, and
untangle political intrigue. Still, their culture is dependent upon the sword and
the steed (in this case, the reptilian myat).
The Sojan stories show much of the promise of action and creativity of
Moorcock's later works, but here his execution has yet to be perfected. Fight
sequences and plot lines suffer from logical leaps, an excess of convenience or
"luck," and abrupt endings. Some of the tales read more like sketches;
characterization is thin; dialogue is infested with clichés. Still, as "portraits of
the artist as a young man," the Sojan stories remain of interest. The distinctions
between Moorcock's initial forays into fantasy and his masterpieces are lessons
for aspiring fantasy writers.
The collection concludes with "The Stone Thing," a hilarious and memorable
self-parody.
I rate it a 6 out of 10.
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| Elric at the End of Time (Michael Moorcock) By SC Bryce |
Second Printing:
FantasyBookSpot.com (Sept. 15,
2005).
FantasyBookSpot.com (Sept. 15,
2005).
Third Printing:
SCBryce.com (Dec. 22, 2006).
SCBryce.com (Dec. 22, 2006).
First Printing:
SFReader.com (Sept. 10, 2005).
SFReader.com (Sept. 10, 2005).
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