In this Elric story, our hero becomes more familiar and entwined in the multiverse. From this point on it seems that Moorcock really starts to develop Elric into a very complex character. ( )

You always get the feeling that most of the shorter Eternal Champion novels were written on the run, kind of like Anthony Trollope sitting down for so many hours to write so many pages per day. The Deus ex machina is always too much a part of this sort of Moorcock's sloppier slap-dash fantasy writing.

A pretty good start rambles about in typical Moorcock fashion into various travels, adventures, and perils involving a powerful sorcerer with much fantastical mayhem and swashbuckling. The best thing about this is the conjunction of three incarnations of the Eternal Champion, the fabled city of Tanelorn, and a shout-out for Dorian Hawkmoon.

These Eternal Champion novellas are mostly reminiscent of sword and sorcery pulp writing with a little more edge to it. They are fun reads with favorite characters (Elric and Von Bek being my personal favs) but lack the depth and the atmosphere of the longer EC novels. ( )

Books 1-3 all involve Theleb K'aarna the sorcerer from Pan Tang and Books 1 and three feature Myshella the Empress of the Dawn or the Dark Lady of Kaneloon. Book 3 is another tale of the Eternal Champion. The Elric Saga gets deeper and some story-lines are tied together. ( )

I don't know what it is about Elric, but damn, I just love this character, and this world. I wouldn't call Moorcock the best writer on the planet, not by a long shot, and there's honestly times when this series feels like he's making it up as he goes along, but overall, it's just an honestly enjoyable reading experience, and this one, with Elric chasing Theleb K'aarna hither and yon, is no exception. ( )

I liked this somewhat less than a few of the previous books in the Elric Saga, but only because it had less of the nearly meta-multiple-worlds eternal hero/villain in it except for the last tale.

The rest of it seemed very natural for a sword and sorcery adventure and rather plain. You know, a mysterious woman, albeit overpowered and in need of more overpowered help, almost throwing herself at evil (debatable) albino Elric after he avows he needs nothing, not even a reason to do whatever he wants.

Eternal brooding nightmare of a man, serving chaos though not always being served BY chaos, always/never regretting, tossed by fate, used by his malicious soul-drinking sword, and in a never-ending search for wisdom.

Good. Very good stuff.

In general.

This one reads like what Stephen King will eventually do better in his Dark Tower. Still, interesting to see the seeds. :) ( )

It hurts me to say so, but these stories don't resonate with me now the way they did when I was a teen. Elric, who I used to consider an edgy anti-hero now comes across as a whiney bitch. His motivations are unclear and the story barely hangs together. Secondary characters are barely fleshed out.

It's not all bad though. The story moves along briskly with exciting set pieces (like Edgar Rice Burroughs) and a great sense of the macabre (like Robert E. Howard). ( )

Interesante saga de fantasía heróica la de Elric el Melniboné, con toques oscuros e interés mantenido sin grandes altibajos.
Recomendable.

Lee mi reseña completa aquí. ( )

Elric gets to deal with more schizzle, a woman and his counterparts. ( )

this installment is my favorite so far. the author takes his characters on very inventive quests that are resolved in interesting ways. ( )

I have always felt that Elric was MM's best idea. Still do, and this is book number two so we are still exploring the ramifications of Elric's marriage to his technology. It's a good figure of speech. ( )

http://onefinemess.rhinopanda.net/2010/02/23/book-reviews-the-vanishing-tower-ba... ( )

In which our twisted hero plays paladin to Myshella, Empress of Dawn and muse to heroes, in his running contest against the vengeful wizard Theleb K'aarna. As in most of Elric's adventures, the results are less than hoped and he has to curse his fate. Unlike "Elric of Melnibone" and "The Weird of the White Wolf," this collection didn't have quite the same psychedelic flair, while some of the "Multiverse" elements of the story do feel a bit dated and clunky. ( )

bought it for the cover art artist: Robert Gould

There are certain places in fiction that seems to have a life of their own, that seem to exist outside of ink and paper, Rick’s Café, Yoknapatawpha County, Lankhmar, The House of the Last Lamp, or Tanelorn where weary heroes go to find peace.

http://fireandsword.blogspot.com/2007/07/vanishing-tower-by-michael-moorcock.htm...

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.asp?ID=884 ( )

The first book of this volume, entitled the Torment of the Last Lord, pits Elric once again against Theleb K'aarna - this time around a strange castle whose occupants serve Law. We met the mistress of the castle before. Her name is Myshella and Theleb K'aarna has her under a sleeping enchantment. Through Elric's deeds, the purpose of Law is forwarded, Myshella is restored and Theleb K'aarna defeated. In her arms, Elric even finds a slight reprieve from his anguish - but it is only slight and only temporary.

The second book, entitled "To Snare the Pale Prince" involves the return of Theleb K'aarna and Elric's attempts to, again, thwart Theleb K'aarna's machinations. In this book, those plans involve kidnapping Elric, stealing his ring and then attacking Eternal Tanelorn. For some reason, Theleb K'aarna chose to use the beggars of Nadsokor to help him... and they ended up paying a pretty horrible price.

In the final book of this volume, "Three Heroes with a Single Aim", Elric leaves Tanelorn in search of his own death. He finds, instead, Myshella and learns the Theleb K'aarna, again, threatens Tanelorn and this time he's got even more aid. Once again, Elric acts to protect Tanelorn. This time, though, he ends up getting called into Corum's realm where Erekose, Corum and Elric battle Violodion Ghagnasdiak to rescue Jhary-a-Conel from the Vanishing Tower. With items discovered in the Vanishing Tower, Elric thwarts Theleb K'aarna's plans, but Mysella ends up dead. ( )

*note to self. Copy from A.

Has multiple names - part of Elric saga ( )