I remember enjoying all the Elric stuff I read. My fav Moorcock char was not Elric but Corum. It's been years since I read either but that's the way I remember it.
Great artwork in that Del Rey series! Thanks for sharing those! I still need to get the new Saga book. My Elric reading is on hold until I finish Tolkien's Return of The King.
Love Elric! I will be reading the new hardbacks but I loved the delrays for the reasons you mentioned, mine are well thumbed though and I dropped the 6th one in the bath! I tried to find a replacement but no luck!..Its still readable though!
It's great that Elric is pretty well served by new editions these days, but what of Dorian Hawkmoon, and Corum, and Oswald Bastable? The Eternal Champion has lived so many lives.
@@davebrzeski I had quite a few of these Mayflower paperbacks too, most of my first Moorcock books. I bet your collection was an impressive sight, there were some great and weird covers.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Would that be a two volume set of Corum Saga like those nice new Elrics? If they did, we'd have to find a way of making sure stately Vaughan manor gets copies in the post without breaking the 500 rules or landing Roger in trouble.
I've been hoping you'd go into your Del Rey collection, so worth the wait. I missed these when published, as you've said before.. these books just suddenly disappear. Interesting, I think these and the fabulous contents can now be found in The Michael Moorcock Collection by Gollancz as well as the trilogy from Elric Saga book 3, it's a huge 20 plus volume set of books with seven or eight Elric volumes devoted to our beloved albino .. everything but the new novel, The Citadel of Forgotten Myths. The script you mentioned of Duke Elric for illustration by John Ridgway, I think that was part of the Michael Moorcock's Multiverse 12 issue maxi series published by the Helix imprint, DC Comics. That Multiverse comic is being recollected in two volumes by Titan Comics around summer 2023, hopefully Elric Making of a Sorcerer will be added to their library too, eventually.
Ungh. Don't support Gollancz- they're such a shit-show & the editor putting together those Elric books had a fight with Moorcock and was deliberately sabotaging them- that's why those covers are so plain, barren and terrible, the only thing that's kept them in print is that there is a demand for Moorcock in England. Gollancz was important to SF publishing once, 40-50 years ago, in the 1/5th the size market that is the UK, but they've been living vampiricly off of reprinting the works of estate-less dead writers for decades now & leveraging rights agreements made in the last century to maintain a foothold in the market. I grow so weary of people on booktube talking nicely about them . . . because the spines match
I’m slowly making my way through the Saga editions of Elric on audio. Not a huge fan of the newer stories so far, but the originals are still good. I remember Elric best from the old DAW yellow spine paperbacks.
My introduction to Elric was the original DAW volumes, 'way back in the last century. These Del Rey volumes sound excellent because of all the additional material, which is what's so appealing about the Del Rey volumes of Robert E. Howard's work.
Whenever I watch a discussion of Elric of Melniboné, my mind goes back to a spoof of the character in the pages of the comic book _Cerebus the Aardvark_ (number 4, 1978). Cerebus encounters an albino named Elrod of Melvin-Bone with his dark sword “Seersucker”. And rather than speaking in a refined voice, Elrod speaks in the voice of Foghorn Leghorn. Hilarious.
Informative as always, Michael. I will keep my fingers crossed for a totally one-hundred-percent complete Folio Society edition of the Elric saga for you ... although hopefully it doesn't come out until you finish the 500-book challenge! 😀
Love going back to these basically unaltered versions of Elric. Moorcock's intros, included in all the volumes, are very informative. I also still dip into the White Wolf edition even though they are riddled with grammatical and spelling errors. The Golanz editions have been excellent so far as I make my way through the Multiverse and its Eternal Champion (s). Thanks for keeping Moorcock in the Book Tube consciousness.
There is also an Elric book of short stories titled Tales of the White Wolf by various authors on White Wolf press. I wish they had done an Elric series instead of that Witcher series on Netflix, and omitted all the moronic Hollywood f-bombs. Maybe some still will and do a good treatment of it. Enjoyed the review. I wondered if you enjoy Moorcock's Corum too.
I just realize that REH's Conan stories, Leiber's Fafhrd and The Grey Mouser, and Michael Moorcock's Elric stories where all written out of order. I tend to think Conan is best read in order they were written. I am not so sure about Elric.
I love this set. Content aside, even just as a physical product, I prefer them to the Saga editions which, to me, feel very cheap for hardback editions. The Del Rey set may be paperbacks, but I still expect them to hold up better.
Well, I'm a little miffed to learn, after I shelled out for what everyone said was the "complete" saga omnibuses, that there are actually more stories not included in them! I mean, sure unmade comics and movie drafts are technically unfinished and maybe not canon, even if they were penned by Moorcock himself, but why wasn't "Elric at the End of Time" and "The Last Enchantment" included in the "complete Elric chronicles"? The editions I bought are very nice, but not as light weight or as vastly illustrated at the relevant points of the story as are these Del Rays. Sure, I like the idea of chronological story order, but I can use a guide to read it that way if I must. If they're out of print, then OK, I missed the boat; but _why_ on earth are they out of print when Del Ray is still printing all the older Robert Howard collections? It's a baffling series/multiverse to even plan to get into! I must try though: it's foundational fantasy influence on so much.
A little more research says perhaps those stories are canonically dead ends, which would make a bit more sense, but dang it, I'm still a completionist!
Gee I dunno about the covers. He looks zombie like on the second cover. Also compared to the Conan Del Rey covers I dont think they're as good. I'm a 'coverist' - if I dont like the cover there's no coming back from that 🤣 The Duke Elric and Dream Realm covers were the best.
As a fan, I'm torn; you can't buy everything that comes out, and (to me) these honestly seemed really crappy & overpriced when they came out, with a terrible typeface/ logo for Elric and embarrassing cover art, and every bookstore I saw them in the covers were curling back on new copies sitting on the shelf. And putting them out in publication order? That seemed extra esoteric. Over the years I've gotten feedback that some of these additions are quite nice, or that there were original stories in one or two of the books that you can't get anywhere else: but none of that info was findable when they were new and available. The constant battle with buying Moorcock books new. You covered them nicely though 🙂 I probably could have done with a few more minutes of looking at illustrations in each version and finding out which specialty stories were in which volumes, you know, because I'm your video director, and obviously the boss of you, and you're making these videos just for me. Obviously. 😉
After seeing (a 15-years younger) Luke Goss in Hellboy II: The Golden Army as the albino Elven Prince Nuada, he's all I can picture in my mind whenever I think of Elric. Wouldn't a Stormbringer movie be great with the current movie-making technology? Ah well, never gonna happen, but we can wish. Happy New Year!
The del rey collection is great and well executed as far as the text and so forth goes, but the artwork is ABYSMAL. Especially stealer of souls, sweet Jesus is it awful. What’s insane is that I looked up this artist and he actually works in pencil? I would have sworn this kind of awfulness could only be produced in photoshop (though I’m pretty sure he does digital colouring on these). If you hate your eyeballs google him and see his game of thrones artwork, it’s so atrocious it will surely make laugh or cry. And the absolutely weirdest thing is he _can_ actually make good art. I’m guessing publishers paid him pennies and got what they paid for. Anyway sorry for the rant, but every time I see that cover I get annoyed all over again and I must vent. Thank god the Conan del reys are better!
I remember enjoying all the Elric stuff I read. My fav Moorcock char was not Elric but Corum. It's been years since I read either but that's the way I remember it.
These videos really bring back memories of my teenage years so long ago and lost in the mists of time.
Great artwork in that Del Rey series! Thanks for sharing those!
I still need to get the new Saga book. My Elric reading is on hold until I finish Tolkien's Return of The King.
Love Elric! I will be reading the new hardbacks but I loved the delrays for the reasons you mentioned, mine are well thumbed though and I dropped the 6th one in the bath! I tried to find a replacement but no luck!..Its still readable though!
I just started reading The first volume you showed above. I'm not a fantasy fan but have been enjoying the stories. Thanks
If you're enjoying the old school awesomeness of the classic Elric run I've got news for you, you *are* a fantasy fan ;)
It's great that Elric is pretty well served by new editions these days, but what of Dorian Hawkmoon, and Corum, and Oswald Bastable? The Eternal Champion has lived so many lives.
@@ellesse3862 Back in the day, I used to have all the original UK Mayflower paperbacks. 😊
@@davebrzeski I had quite a few of these Mayflower paperbacks too, most of my first Moorcock books. I bet your collection was an impressive sight, there were some great and weird covers.
I do hope we get a nice, new edition of Corum.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 Would that be a two volume set of Corum Saga like those nice new Elrics? If they did, we'd have to find a way of making sure stately Vaughan manor gets copies in the post without breaking the 500 rules or landing Roger in trouble.
Thanks for my Christmas 🎄 now just waiting for Santa to deliver
I've been hoping you'd go into your Del Rey collection, so worth the wait. I missed these when published, as you've said before.. these books just suddenly disappear. Interesting, I think these and the fabulous contents can now be found in The Michael Moorcock Collection by Gollancz as well as the trilogy from Elric Saga book 3, it's a huge 20 plus volume set of books with seven or eight Elric volumes devoted to our beloved albino .. everything but the new novel, The Citadel of Forgotten Myths.
The script you mentioned of Duke Elric for illustration by John Ridgway, I think that was part of the Michael Moorcock's Multiverse 12 issue maxi series published by the Helix imprint, DC Comics. That Multiverse comic is being recollected in two volumes by Titan Comics around summer 2023, hopefully Elric Making of a Sorcerer will be added to their library too, eventually.
Ungh.
Don't support Gollancz- they're such a shit-show & the editor putting together those Elric books had a fight with Moorcock and was deliberately sabotaging them- that's why those covers are so plain, barren and terrible, the only thing that's kept them in print is that there is a demand for Moorcock in England. Gollancz was important to SF publishing once, 40-50 years ago, in the 1/5th the size market that is the UK, but they've been living vampiricly off of reprinting the works of estate-less dead writers for decades now & leveraging rights agreements made in the last century to maintain a foothold in the market.
I grow so weary of people on booktube talking nicely about them . . . because the spines match
I’m slowly making my way through the Saga editions of Elric on audio. Not a huge fan of the newer stories so far, but the originals are still good. I remember Elric best from the old DAW yellow spine paperbacks.
I would love to hear your opinion on other Eternal Champion characters like Corum, Hawkmoon, Erekose to name a few.
My introduction to Elric was the original DAW volumes, 'way back in the last century. These Del Rey volumes sound excellent because of all the additional material, which is what's so appealing about the Del Rey volumes of Robert E. Howard's work.
Whenever I watch a discussion of Elric of Melniboné, my mind goes back to a spoof of the character in the pages of the comic book _Cerebus the Aardvark_ (number 4, 1978). Cerebus encounters an albino named Elrod of Melvin-Bone with his dark sword “Seersucker”. And rather than speaking in a refined voice, Elrod speaks in the voice of Foghorn Leghorn. Hilarious.
I remember that! Ha!
He even had a pointy hat! “ Are you getting all this down, boy?” Or am I going to fast for you?”
Informative as always, Michael. I will keep my fingers crossed for a totally one-hundred-percent complete Folio Society edition of the Elric saga for you ... although hopefully it doesn't come out until you finish the 500-book challenge! 😀
I remember reading an Elric novel or two waaaay back in about 1985.
I was reading Elric at that same time.
These are like the DVD director's cuts with special features of Elric books.
Damn you! I’m trying to save money and you keep showing me books I want. 😂😂😂
Sorry!
Love going back to these basically unaltered versions of Elric. Moorcock's intros, included in all the volumes, are very informative. I also still dip into the White Wolf edition even though they are riddled with grammatical and spelling errors. The Golanz editions have been excellent so far as I make my way through the Multiverse and its Eternal Champion (s). Thanks for keeping Moorcock in the Book Tube consciousness.
I got the Saga press versions.
There is also an Elric book of short stories titled Tales of the White Wolf by various authors on White Wolf press. I wish they had done an Elric series instead of that Witcher series on Netflix, and omitted all the moronic Hollywood f-bombs. Maybe some still will and do a good treatment of it. Enjoyed the review. I wondered if you enjoy Moorcock's Corum too.
I remember seeing these when they came out and being turned off by the covers. I never bought them.
I just realize that REH's Conan stories, Leiber's Fafhrd and The Grey Mouser, and Michael Moorcock's Elric stories where all written out of order. I tend to think Conan is best read in order they were written. I am not so sure about Elric.
Got Graphic Elric Box with Blondel artist and just Love it are 4 book box set 👌❤️
I love this set. Content aside, even just as a physical product, I prefer them to the Saga editions which, to me, feel very cheap for hardback editions. The Del Rey set may be paperbacks, but I still expect them to hold up better.
Thanks!
Well, I'm a little miffed to learn, after I shelled out for what everyone said was the "complete" saga omnibuses, that there are actually more stories not included in them! I mean, sure unmade comics and movie drafts are technically unfinished and maybe not canon, even if they were penned by Moorcock himself, but why wasn't "Elric at the End of Time" and "The Last Enchantment" included in the "complete Elric chronicles"?
The editions I bought are very nice, but not as light weight or as vastly illustrated at the relevant points of the story as are these Del Rays. Sure, I like the idea of chronological story order, but I can use a guide to read it that way if I must. If they're out of print, then OK, I missed the boat; but _why_ on earth are they out of print when Del Ray is still printing all the older Robert Howard collections? It's a baffling series/multiverse to even plan to get into! I must try though: it's foundational fantasy influence on so much.
A little more research says perhaps those stories are canonically dead ends, which would make a bit more sense, but dang it, I'm still a completionist!
thanks
Don't forget about Corum.
Shockingly, I don’t seem to have any of those books anymore! Corum is great. I must have foolishly lent them to someone.
@@michaelk.vaughan8617 I have the original Swords Trilogy in paper back. Also a few Hawkwind , I did not even know it was related to a band.
Gee I dunno about the covers. He looks zombie like on the second cover. Also compared to the Conan Del Rey covers I dont think they're as good. I'm a 'coverist' - if I dont like the cover there's no coming back from that 🤣 The Duke Elric and Dream Realm covers were the best.
As a fan, I'm torn; you can't buy everything that comes out, and (to me) these honestly seemed really crappy & overpriced when they came out, with a terrible typeface/ logo for Elric and embarrassing cover art, and every bookstore I saw them in the covers were curling back on new copies sitting on the shelf. And putting them out in publication order? That seemed extra esoteric. Over the years I've gotten feedback that some of these additions are quite nice, or that there were original stories in one or two of the books that you can't get anywhere else: but none of that info was findable when they were new and available. The constant battle with buying Moorcock books new. You covered them nicely though 🙂
I probably could have done with a few more minutes of looking at illustrations in each version and finding out which specialty stories were in which volumes, you know, because I'm your video director, and obviously the boss of you, and you're making these videos just for me. Obviously.
😉
After seeing (a 15-years younger) Luke Goss in Hellboy II: The Golden Army as the albino Elven Prince Nuada, he's all I can picture in my mind whenever I think of Elric. Wouldn't a Stormbringer movie be great with the current movie-making technology? Ah well, never gonna happen, but we can wish. Happy New Year!
That Elven Prince did look a lot lot Elric!
The del rey collection is great and well executed as far as the text and so forth goes, but the artwork is ABYSMAL. Especially stealer of souls, sweet Jesus is it awful. What’s insane is that I looked up this artist and he actually works in pencil? I would have sworn this kind of awfulness could only be produced in photoshop (though I’m pretty sure he does digital colouring on these).
If you hate your eyeballs google him and see his game of thrones artwork, it’s so atrocious it will surely make laugh or cry.
And the absolutely weirdest thing is he _can_ actually make good art. I’m guessing publishers paid him pennies and got what they paid for.
Anyway sorry for the rant, but every time I see that cover I get annoyed all over again and I must vent. Thank god the Conan del reys are better!
Ha! Yeah, that’s the kind of art criticism that I remember.