Elric of Melniboné (The Elric Saga #1)
Author: Michael Moorcock
Desc: Elric of Melniboné is a requisite title in the hard fantasy canon a book no fantasy fan should leave unread. Author Michael Moorcock already a major player in science fiction cemented his position in the fantasy pantheon with the five-book Elric saga of which Elric of Melniboné is the first installment. The book's namesake the brooding albino emperor of the dying nation of Melniboné is a sort of Superman for Goths truly an archetype of the genre. The youthful Elric is a cynical and melancholy king heir to a nation whose 100 000-year rule of the world ended less than 500 years hence. More interested in brooding contemplation than holding the throne Elric is a reluctant ruler but he also realizes that no other worthy successor exists and the survival of his once-powerful decadent nation depends on him alone. Elric's nefarious brutish cousin Yrkoon has no patience for his physically weak kinsman and he plots constantly to seize Elric's throne usually over his dead body. Elric of Melniboné follows Yrkoon's scheming reaching its climax in a battle between Elric and Yrkoon with the demonic runeblades Stormbringer and Mournblade. In this battle Elric gains control of the soul-stealing Stormbringer an event that proves pivotal to the Elric saga. --Paul Hughes