Rating: 
Summary: Still the greatest!
Review: There is nothing much I could say that has not already been said by previous reviewers. I simply am taking this oppurtunity to say that as this is the fourth Eternal Champion novel I've read, it is by far the best in a fantastic ongoing saga. A must read for any dark fantasy fan.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Best
Review: There is nothing much I could say that has not already been said by previous reviewers. I simply am taking this oppurtunity to say that as this is the fourth Eternal Champion novel I've read, it is by far the best in a fantastic ongoing saga. A must read for any dark fantasy fan.
Rating:
Summary: A amazing piece of work
Review: This is one of the best dark fantasy books that I have ever read. It has love, death, demons, and magic. It kept me intuged the entire time. And very few books have done that. This book suceeds in taking the reader not only to a different time and place once but in fact it does several times. It will take the reader and the hero through diffrent dimenions. The storyline is very intersting. The book is also gory and pretty precise in its voilence and gore. The demon callings where also very intresting. And how it captures the way the characters look in the book is very nice. There is onl yone problem I had with this. Is that you have to buy another book to cotitnue with Elric's story. It really just leaves you there saying, "now what?" I have yet to read or even find this book. But all in all this book was a fantastic adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Moorcock at his best!
Review: This is the book which started me reading Michael Moorcock and has kept me doing so. It is classic "dark fantasy" before the genre had wide recognition. His richly detailed (some would say graphic) descriptions catch your imagination and keep your fascination. This is the world of fantasy as it should be, described as it would be -- rarely safe and comfortable, always true to life
Rating:
Summary: A literary experience of the meta-physical through fantasy
Review: This reprinting of Michael Moorcock's Epic Saga of Elric of Melnibone emerses us as the reader into a epic world of dark fantasies and darker philosophies both current at the time of the original printing and currnet yet today. In "Elric: Song of the Black Sword," Moorcock uses Elric as a symbol struggling with his own morality. While Elric is a hero he resists this title at the same time he struggles for his own perception of truth. It is because of this inner struggle he finds himself at odds with the forces of Law and Chaos. Elric's world is one of sorcery and shifting truths. It is a world were "truth" is not only questioned but changes and is a changing balance between these forces of Law and Chaos. Michael Moorcock has acheieved a very entertaining and stimulating text. This stands alone as a literary work beyond that of a sword and sorcery tale. The saga entertains us as reader with wild images of dragons and sorcery while leads us to question how we define our own truths and how we struggle against todays "sorcery" of technology and those supernatural forces around us. Michael Moorcock's Elric saga, and the entire "Eternal Champion" saga brings to life such philosophies as Existentialism and even Deconstruction of today. Through "Elric" we can enter this world of philosophy and struggle with our own "eternal" debates on truth and reality. I recommend Michael Moorcocks "Elric: Song of the Black Sword" to anyone interested in a very entertaining and fantasical world or to anyone interested in looking at philosophy from a slightly different edge...perhaps the edge of a sentient sword
Rating:
Summary: The End Justifies the Means
Review: Touted by many as the best of Moorcock's Eternal Champion series the reader is thrust into the darkest areas of the human soul. Elric is evil refined by ten thousand years of culture given entirely to the pursuit of evil as an art form. Having become the first of his race to develop a rudimentary conscience, Moorcock uses Elric to explore the forbidden areas of the human mind. In Elric, good is kept on the far horizon, something to achieve. But since Elric knows nothing except evil and his weaknesses are constantly exploited by the forces of evil it becomes a titanic struggle within that is mirrored in the world around him. Elric's new found conscience constantly plagues him and he struggles to break through his evil by using evil in the employ of good. Many of Elric's attributes seem entirely at odds with each other, his critical eye for great beauty and art clash with his blood lust and horrendous aptitude to cause himself and others pain. As you read of the inhuman brutality and great skill Elric wields in his many battles you may find yourself drawn into his world and reveling with him in the blood letting and misery he causes instead of being horrified. In creating what is arguably the greatest anti-hero or anti-protagonist in modern literature Moorcock allows the reader to explore the most restrained of our primal compulsions from the safety of the armchair. There are so many subtleties intricately woven into the fabric of this story it would be impossible to hit upon them all here. Elric's good twin (metaphorically), Corum, and moral opposite, Captain Bastable, provide an excellent contrast to Elric.
Rating:
Summary: The genesis of Dark Fantasy...
Review: What can I say about this pioneering work in the Field of Fantasy, except that Micheal Moorcock deserved to win(and did) the British Fantasy award for all five books when they came out. And now you have the chance to buy these books in one collectors edition, this is not something that you should miss out on...nor should you forget that this is still part of a larger textured world known as the Eternal Champion Series, each volume as devastatingly brilliant as the one who brought them to their well deserved recognition.
Rating: 
Summary: diverse yet a tad disappointing
Review: What can I say except that I was a bit disappointed by this part of the legendary Elric saga. In the UK and the rest of Europe this omnibus is available under the name "Elric of Melnibone" and contains the same stories Americans read in this "Song of the Black Sword". I've read my share of books, predominantly fantays and history. This is my first review here. Interesting to see how my views differ from a previous reviewer Mr. Battaglia. I'll go by step by step.Elric of Melnibone: Good and interesting intro to the saga. Not overly impressive though 7,5 out of 10. Fortress of the Pearl: Reasonable story of Elric as a fellow dreamthief. The Lady Oone was what made this story bearable, it was otherwise pretty poor. 6,5 out of 10. Sailer on the Seas of Fate: Easily the worst tale in this omnibus. It was too vague and the magic didn't impress me at all, no not even the short appearance of Corum Jhaelen Irsei, who will be known to Moorcock fans from his other trilogy. 5 out of 10. The enemy was a poorly written one and the internal struggle was not clear. Dreaming City: Catastrophical chapter for Melnibone. Terrible ending, the only moment in this entire book when I was touced by what happened. 7,5 out of 10 While the God's laugh: Quality goes down yet again. The struggle within Elric is yet again poorly written. Many superlatives but little actual info. The quest was mediocre. 6 out of 10 The singing citadel: Much better. Appearance of the supreme Chaos Lord Arioch. That always does a lot for the story. I also liked the intro with the queen and her sex enslaved pet wizard Theleb Ka'arna. 7 out of 10. All in all, certainly not a bad book but I'd expected much more from this often recommended series. Doesn't come close to Lord of the Rings, or Martin's Song of Ice and Fire if you must compare it to something. However, there are some strong points. Although the internal struggle Elric is supposed to go through is extremely weak in my humble opinion, there's the interesting matter of him being the last in a great and powerful line of sorcerer emperors. There's Elric being such a remarkable character with his long white hair, crimson eyes and his length. There's the intro to his incredible black Runeblade Stormbringer and there's sometimes the appearance, just a hint of the power of the Lords of Chaos in the form of Arioch (great name by the way). And some romances are well done. But like Zelazny's Amber series , there's so much more Moorcock could have done with magic and his characters. Especially the magic is too vague and unless the power of the Chaos Lord is shown, it lacks grandeur. It has it's little inconsistencies, for instance regarding his Red ring of emperor's , the Actorios, which then he does, and then he doesn't need in order for him to be able to use magic. Note however that the second omnibus, available here under the name "Stormbringer", is about better this one. It contains two stories that are arguably the best Elric tales ever, Stealer of Souls , Stormbringer and Revenge of the Rose. But you need an intro before you can read that one, and that would be "Song of the Black sword".
Rating:
Summary: The first half of the Elric saga
Review: What to say, what to say... the Elric saga is one of the most excellent fantasy series ever written. This is the first part, composed of the first three books, excluding Fortress of the Pearl, which was written after the six-book saga was completed. Nevertheless, it fits smoothly. Elric of Melnibone - The flawless beginning of the saga. Elric of Melnibone introduces its namesake, his best friend Dyvim Tvar, his lover Cymoril, and his competent cousin Yyrkoon. This is, obviously, the first true advancement into the story; but as I mentioned before, it is flawless. The Fortress of the Pearl - A sidestory, taking place between Elric of Melnibone and the Sailor on the Seas of Fate. Not as good as the other installments in the series, but a gem nonetheless. The Sailor on the Seas of Fate - Split into three seperate, overall unrelated stories. Of course, all three fit into the current storyline, but each can be considered a seperate adventure. The first introduces Hawkmoon, Erekose, and Corum, three of the other incarnations of the Eternal Champion. The next two tell of Elric's adventures with Smiorgan and Duke Avan. The Dreaming City - The conclusion to the plot that was set up through the entire first book (Elric of Melnibone). To say any more would spoil and excellent plot twist. Also, to mention, this is the first part of Weird of the White Wolf, the third book in the Elric Saga. While the Gods Laugh - The second part of Weird. Here Elric meets Shaarilla, the wingless woman of Myrrh. Also, in this story, Elric meets Moonglum, his most faithful companion, and the one who stayed with the albino warrior the longest. An excellent story, simply put. The Singing Citadel - Elric's first meeting with his long-lasting enemy (from this point on), the sorcerer and servant to Chaos, Theleb K'aarna. Here Elric also meets Yishana, who appears once more in the future Elric stories. The third installment in Weird. My final word: Read it, read it, read it!
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