This is my favorite Elric book yet in the series. If I was recommending this series to someone I would tell them to start here.
My one complaint is that I felt the author fumbled a scene early on that should have been the most powerful and emotional one of the book, if not the series. Michael Moorcock has a way of doing that occasionally. His writing isn't always polished and it is inconsistent at times. When he is good though, he is like staring into the blazing sun. Some sentences just drip with atmosphere and foreboding that it makes your hair stand on end.
The raw creativity, the raw imagination, is so powerful it is hard not to be blinded by it. If that comes at the price of an occasional lack of polish, I will take that bargain every time.
It is surprising how much detail he gives about the world and the gods and yet how utterly unfathomable and mysterious it still can be.
The world of Michael Moorcock is right up there with Jack Vance's Dying Earth in how captivating it is. This is the highest praise I can give someone.
Side note, if you ever gamemaster for fantasy roleplaying games, read this book! It sets your brain on fire and you will find so much to pilfer and put into your game.
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