Michael Moorcock Books

If you believe that everything in the Bible is the infallible truth, you should avoid this book. If you think that George W. Bush is in the white house because Jesus wants him there, you should avoid this book. If you think that any minute the rapture will sweep you away to heaven, you should avoid this book. If however you have an open mind about religion and you posses critical thinking skills, this book is an interesting exercise involving myth and faith. Again, if you're very religious don't buy this book. You'll just want to write a review WITH ALL CAPITAL LETTERS going on and on about how "Behold the Man" is insulting to Christians. You've been warned.

What I find most odd about this book's ideas is that there is a ring of truth to it. Miryam (Mary) was indeed a harlot. In fact she was not even married to Joseph. Joseph was actually a Roman soldier. Miryam's (Mary) real husband was named Paphuhs ben Yihooduh. However she had an affair with Joseph & out of that was born jesus.

This is not a real review of the book itself because I have not actually read it. However based on the reviews I have read, it seems that the book states that "Mary was a harlot". It is upon this concept that I am commenting on.

Many people say this book is a satire, but I disagree. This book is dead serious! If one studies theology (as I have done), one will find out that everything we know about the beginning of Christianity is built on guesses. Christianity is one of the major religious traditions in the world, but we hardly know how it started. As Moorcock explains in this book, all our knowledge of the beginnings of Christianity (including the New Testament) could be wrong. What would be the repercussions for Christianity?

The story of the book is as brilliant as it is simple. The protagonist of the story, Karl Glogauer, returns with a time machine to the year 28 AD, to find out all about Jesus. However, due to the rough "landing", he is wounded on arrival, and is taken care of by John the Baptist and his Essene sect. As the story progresses, it turns out that John has a very special role to play...

This sounds simple, but the book is a complex and multi-layered mixture of flash-backs of Glogauer's past. The book in a sense is a psychological analysis of Glogauer's struggle to find an authentic identity, to find himself. This struggle, in which religion plays a large role, is very realistic, but is as fascinating as is the SF-part of the story. This mixture of realism and fantasy makes this simply a brilliant book!

I don't believe that Christians should be offended by this book (though of course fundamentalists and literalists will be offended by it). The book clearly is a fantasy and I believe Moorcock had no intention to ridicule the Christian faith. The book's tone is way too serious for that. However, this book does make one think: what if... What if Jesus was simply a madman? What if he isn't resurrected from the dead? What if the Christian religion turned out to be a human invention? - Would it all matter to the central message of Christianity?

Truly a fascinating book...

I read this book back when I was in High School (I believe between 1982 and 1983) and remember it to be both excellent in concept yet shocking. At the time, I was in my "rebelious" stage exploring "all things alternate". This story fit right in presenting an Alternate History that was engaging and thought provoking story, just like so many of Michael Moorcock's books.

Now 20 years later, being what I would consider a more "mature Christian", I can say that "Behold The Man" could be considered a blasphemous book, but we must remember that it is a work of fiction, and not Truth. If you are fascinated by Alternat History books, check this one out. It's not necessarily the best writing ever, but it certainly was an engaging.

Excuse me for sailing under the above flag of convenience. It's one of my jokier pseudonyms. Thanks for the kind review -- but I'm surprised to learn I've 'struggled with addiction'. I'm probably the least addicted or addictive person I know! I'm better known amongst my friends for my abstinence. I'm very boring, I fear. I know it's fashionable to have struggled with addictions, these days, and you can scarcely have any authority with your audience unless you haven't, but I'm sorry to say I come from a family of non-addicts. My mother gave up smoking the day they published the first statistics that it was harmful and I followed not long after! I enjoy a glass of good wine on occasion. I even tend to change my regular routes to town out of boredom. My point in writing Behold the Man was not, indeed, to offend Christians. I've actually had some great reviews in the Christian press and enjoyed fine correspondence with people of religion. I was interested in my character 'imitating Christ' -- making Christ's journey when he discovered that Jesus was not the historical figure described in the Bible. When I conceived Behold the Man (at Easter 1966) I had no wish to offend, no argument with believers, merely an interest in the processes which created one of the world's greatest religions.

Note that there is also an omnibus collection with this name, looks like they have been combined here incorrectly.

A human man, John Daker, has troubling dreams. He discovers that he is an incarnation of the Eternal Champion, and his name is Erekose.

Erekose and his great sword is to be the key figure in a war between the humans and the alien Eldren, but what Erekose has to work out, is humanity who he should really be fighting to save?

This shuld be the begining for anyone delving into Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion stories. If you hope to read them in order, then this is your starting point. And it really is a wonderful story. There is more than one tale in here, but the important one is obvious. I love the Eternal Champion idea, and Michael Moorcock is one of Fantasy's finest authors. You won't be disapointed.

"Not as well known as Moorcock's other books - e.g., the Elric and Corum series, but this is just as good."
-- Glenn G. Thater, Author of 'Harbinger of Doom'

This review is for only the story "The Eternal Champion"

Moorcock wrote this story in less than a week when he was seventeen and it is the only one by him written in first person (at least that I know of). The story is simple: A man called to champion the human race in a war against ?the evil Eldrin? finds that the Eldrin are not evil at all; that the evil is all a projection of humanity?s own shortcomings. The hero then betrays humankind and champions the Eldrin. In the Eldrin he finds kindness, dignity, restraint, spirituality, and beauty (all the things seventeen year old men want, but lack in adolescence). In the end the very qualities of humanity he detests (anger, revenge, myopia, self interest) overtake him and he launches a genocide against mankind.

The story is told in broad strokes, and the writing is inconsistent; weak at times, strong at others. But the magic of this story is seeing how Moorcock?s young mind is trying to come to grips with really powerful ideas. Most of the struggles in our life are actually quite simple: who am I; what do I believe; to whom am I loyal and why; how do I reconcile what I want be with who I actually am; what does my choice of enemies say about me; how well do I really understand my enemies; etc... In the end the hero is not Eldrin (whom he admires), he is human (what he detests),and so he ends up all alone in the middle (again an adolescent fantasy: I refuse to be like the world, but I fail to be what I want, and therefore I am nowhere and all alone...).

This may all sound simple, but compared to much of the sci-fi/fantasy claptrap out there this is Dostoyevsky by comparison. And Moorcock is brilliant at filling in a fantasy world, and keeping the narration at high speed. This is a sparse tale; not a lot of wasted words here. What is left unsaid is equally important as what is said. This book is not a complex masterpiece. It is a simple, yet competent work by a young brilliant author just realizing his skill in story telling and thought. In the end the simplicity is betrayed by an honest existential sadness.

I first read this book in sixth grade twenty years ago and have read it several times since. Each time I like this tale more. Great short read. Enjoy.

The most important thing about this book is the first story out of the four in this book. Originally published in the 1950's, it was a very different type of fantasy writing than the L.O.T.R. and Conan the Barbarian style that was and remains insanely popular. The Eternal Champion features a hero who is at times scared, unwilling, and most importantly, evil. The protagonist does not fully agree with his own actions and this presents a hero who is *gasp* human.

This seriously rocked the boat when held up against the other fantasy and sci-fi of the day. Has the anti-hero concept been more skilfully rendered since? Of course, several have done it better, and Moorcock himself has improved upon his early writing greatly, which is to be expected since he was 17 when he wrote The Eternal Champion.

The stories in the book are interesting enough, but the real value of this volume is the way it changed the rules for a genre of fiction and the fairly complete introduction to a decent series of books it provides. The series is well worth the read if you have a couple of months or years to get through it all and you want to see fantasy done with more of a human realist perspective.

Stormbringer is the end of this Elric cycle. Many times Elric has struggled with his symbiotic relationship with the powerful demonsword Stormbringer. It gives him energy, but has caused him to destroy those close to him, earning him the sobriquets Kinslayer and Womanslayer, at times.

He finally faces the Dukes of Hell, again, and must summon all his creativity, and dig deep into the last of his bag of tricks, not the least of which are the Dragons of Melnibone.

This is the end for this Eternal Champion, as he faces his final destiny, and his place in the multiverse.

I will beg to differ with so many of the glowing reviews of Stormbringer, and indeed the whole of the Elric saga. Before reading them, I had heard how great they were from a variety of people. Given the time of their writing, they obviously fall into the latter stages of the great pulp/sci-fi/fantasy boom that occured from the twenties until the late sixties. I have greatly enjoyed many of Moorcock's contemporaries and forefathers, such as R.E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and, of course, Tolkien. Each writer has his own set of strengths and weaknesses, but they all bring some sparkling thing to their work, some great gift.

After reading a six book saga from Moorcock, as well as a three book Omnibus long since forgotten, I have to wonder if the same is true for this author. I've foud that his charactarization is poor, in the main. His central characters tend to be disconnected brooders, while the rest are really just moveable scenery. No one moves to the level of attaining a connection with the reader. In addition, even at points of wild action and universe-moving portent, the tension in the writing is lacking for me. It's all a fairly dispassionate walk-through, in my eyes. I'm sure people are cursing my name at this moment, but I can only provide my opinion, for good or ill.

In the end, however, the biggest problem with this whole saga is this: Elric is a one-trick horse. He laments the terrible cost that carrying Stormbringer incurs, killing his friends and loved ones, addicting him like a drug to its evil power. He tries to find ways to leave his dependence on the sword behind. Something occurs that causes him to pick up Stormbringer yet again. Elric gets in trouble, and Stormbringer's awful power solves the problem, albiet with some terrible cost to him. It's the same story every time. Even the type of evil that Stormbringer causes is fairly predictable. It plunges itself into someone's flesh and takes their soul, killing one of Elric's friends or comrades. Over the long haul (or even the short one, really), it becomes rather uninspiring.

There are far better fantasy sagas out there. I would hesitate to recommend this one to any but the hard-core reader. Though it's hard to find, Michael Scott Rohan's Winter of the World saga is a thousand times better, and deals with some of the same ideas. Cheers.

Plot:
Elric, Crimson-Eyed Albino, Last Emperor of Melnibon?, Kinslayer (and many more unflattering titles), is still closely bound to his sword, Stormbringer. It being a product of Chaos, much like himself, makes it the perfect weapon against his former Masters.
In this book, the last of the Elric Saga, Elric will at long last learn his Fate. More yet, he will have to blow the Horn of Fate, thrice, before the World can be reborn. But of course, the Lords of Chaos aren't just going to let him destroy everything they own, everything they are.
It's an all out Battle against the Dukes of Hell themselves, and Elric is running out of Allies. The Sourcerer-Albino still has a few tricks up his sleeve, and the Horn of Fate is able to help him rouse the Dragons of Melnibon? from their slumber on the Dragon Isle.
But it will take more than the Mighty Melnibonean Dragons to overcome these forces of Chaos.

While his enemies are numerous and the most powerful forces in all of the Multiverse, Elric is aided by The Servants of Fate. And that is help one cannot overlook.

Of course, that's all I can say, I can't spoil the entire book for you, wouldn't be nice.

Characters:
Michael Moorcock's characters are somewhat unique. Elric most of all. He is in some ways a typical anti-hero, though so much more. The characters, and particularly Elric, are very well thought out, and as Moorcock would say "They're everything Tolkien's characters aren't".
Moonglum is in many ways (still) the exact opposite of Elric. Though they are both part of a greater being, and serve a common purpose, they are entirely different.

Dyvim Slorm again is completely different. Whereas Elric lacked certain Melnibon?an traits (among other things due his albinism), he is the perfect example of a True Melnibon?an. What that means, you will have see for yourself.

Still, you will have to read the book to get better acquainted with all the characters. Who knows, you might just like some of them .


Book's Cons:
The only downside to this book is that it is the last one in the Saga. After this there is nothing more for Elric. Once you read the Final Chapter you know that it's time to let go of what is in my opinion the most amazing character in the history of Fantasy! You might just shed a tear, though that's not really a bad thing.

Book's Pros:
The best part of the book is that despite its being Fantasy, very dark and gloomy Fantasy, you can still relate to it. Of course, you can't relate to going up against the Lords of Chaos, but Elric is a very emotional character in some ways, and that is something everyone can relate to.
I'm not going to lie to you, not many people will like this book. Fantasy is already a somewhat 'despised' genre among many, and Moorcock is possibly one of the more despised writers ever, but that alone is a great proof of his awesome talent.

If you like a very exciting book, of which you know the end will be sad; if you like Moorcock's Multiverse, his Champion Eternal, his struggle for the Balance; then you will love this book. If not, then you won't.

The best 'pro' however is this one: Elric can kick some serious ass with that bad ass sword of his! Go Stormbringer!


Other Comments:
To put in the word those silly kids nowadays use "OMFG IT PWNZ!11!!".
Erhm, I mean, yes, the book rocks.
In all seriousness, this is my favourite book in my favourite Saga by my favourite author. Before I read Moorcock's books I thought nothing could get better than The Lord of the Rings, boy, was I wrong.

I'm moved to write this review after finishing "Stormbringer" again for the nth time. Actually, I read Stormbringer again after slogging through one of the Robert Jordan books, and it was like a bucket of cold water over my head. I realized just how bored and uninterested I have become with the Wheel of Time series.

Stormbringer and the other books about the brooding albino anti-hero Elric of Melnibone are full of apocalyptic energy, epic plots, and immense creativity.

Stormbringer is of course the demonic sword carried by Elric of Melnibone, the last of the Dragon Emperors. Elric is an aspect of the Eternal Champion (a character found in nost of Moorcock's fantasy work) doomed, in this world, to bring its destruction and in the process, restore the balance between Law and Chaos.

Stormbringer was written before a lot of the other stories in the Elric saga, so Moorcock really glories in the character he has created. In a series of short stories, Elric discovers his fate and seeks to carry it out.

I've had the Stormbringer book for years, and read it from time to time. After finishing it (in about a day) I started on again with another Elric omnibus edition and I'm halfway through it already. Moorcock's prose is fast and deadly and moves like greased lightning. Each scene pushes things further and faster ahead and there is no wandering around, looking at the flowers.

I've given up on Jordan and many of his contemporaries. There's just too much navel-gazing going on in current fantasy novels.

But Moorcock is one of the best there is and was. If you're stuck in the fantasy doldrums, tired of slogging through 700 pages with no payoff, all it will take is for you to read "Stormbringer" to be whipped away in its gale force winds.

Michael Moorcock created the character of Elric, a doomed albino prince of a dying race who carries a cursed sword called Stormbringer in his wanderings throughout the Young Kingdoms of the humans, in the mid-sixties for "Science Fantasy Magazine." Elric starred in a series of novellas, the last four of which were gathered together to create this single novel, "Stormbringer." Although Moorcock has gone on to write many more novels featuring Elric, "Stormbringer is chronologically the last of the series; the albino prince meets his destiny and the world faces its fate in the eternal battle of law and chaos.

And the saga ends on its highest note; without a doubt, "Stormbringer" is one of the best of Michael Moorcock novels. Most fans consider this finale the best in the series. Even though it was originally published as four novellas, the parts flow together in one concentrated epic of sorcerery, horror, and war. The storyline has the the Theocrat of Pan Tang, Jagreed Lern, ally himself with the Dukes of Hell to spread Chaos across the Earth, warping it in nightmarish ways. Leading the seemingly hopeless struggle against the conquerors, Elric comes to understand finally the destiny appointed him, and that the fate of the entire world -- and the one that will follow it -- rests on his own, hideous sacrifice.

Moorcock's imagination here is feverish and grotesque, the battles sequences are epic and thrilling, and the language is poetic and deeply tragic. Everything that has come before in the saga of Elric (principally in the five earlier novellas that make up "The Werid of the White Wolf" and "The Bane of the Black Sword," as well as the 1972 prequel novel "Elric of Melniboné") crashes together for the cosmic, cathartic conclusion. This stands easily amongst the best fantasy novels ever written, and fine example of dark, philosophic fantasy filled with imagery that you will never forget.

I found this one of the most amazing books I have ever read. After the first one, which is fairly straightforward though written with a sardonic humor, they get better and better, with more and more information adding to your first impression, rather like a good movie by Lynch, say. Don't expect anything like you've read before, even if you've read other Michael Moorcock titles. The first one deals with Jerry Cornelius's quest for revenge and the microfilm which contains the information to make the 'final program' of the title -- a computer program which will put the sum of human knowledge into a single, self-reproducing human being. The second one, A Cure for Cancer, changes pace and style and has direct reference to the Vietnam War, set in a London which has been taken over by American 'military advisors', who are occupying Europe. Here Jerry also visits America and meets Indians, black power activists and so on in his search for his sister and for the black box which enables people both to change identity and travel through the multiverse, through multiple versions of our own realities, all of which bear satirical or ironic reference to the world we know. By The English Assassin Jerry is in a coffin, living dead, being traded between his enemies and friends across a Europe embroiled in civil war which prefigures what has since happened in Yugoslavia, Russia and elsewhere. The style and the substance of the books matures and deepens as you go, but also the characters become more complex and interesting. We meet Bishop Beesley and his
daughter, Miss Brunner, the Thatcher-like character, Major Nye, the embodiment of idealistic imperialism and Colonel Pyat, whose story is continued in Moorcock holocaust series beginning with
Byzantium Endures.

References to both American and European history, especially imperial expansion, abound, but there are some wonderfully funny and dramatic scenes. Here you can see how much has been borrowed for whole series of comic books, movies and other novels, including Bryan Talbot's Luther Arkwright series and Grant Morrison's Invisibles series, along with a lot of alternative history series, such as Harry Turtledove's. But Moorcock is also a literary writer, so there is always much more going on.

By the time we get to the resolving volume The English Assassin, the books are making more and more sense on more and more levels.
This is probably the richest and most mature of the books and Moorcock manages a heart-rending Christmas resolution which has the same mixture of melancholy and merriment you find in the best Dickens. At last you start to understand why literary critics have likened Moorcock to a modern Dickens. Also, you realise that everything you have read up to this point can be interpreted in a TOTALLY different light. Don't expect anything like the regular sci-fi tale, however good. This is more like Pynchon or
DeLillo and can only be fully appreciated if you accept it as a literary novel, rather than the popular adventure novel it sometimes pretends to be! A genuine masterpiece and deserving of every praise it has received. I remain stunned and deeply
impressed. And I thought it wasn't possible to feel like this
from a novel any more. I'm now reading King of the City, which
is a weird kind of development from this. I'm looking forward to finding a copy of Mother London, which I'm told is even better!

Between the EC's earliest incarnations as Corum, Urlich or Elric of Melnibone, and the final, totally insane finished product dancing with the Iron Orchid at the end of time, Jerry Cornelius reveals the most contemporary, most adolescent facet of the same, singular character. That character seems to be, to all observers of social evolution, a Mod; some product of the nineteen-sixties between Beatnicks and Hippies, although the scene is undeniably post-apocalyptic. Mad Max in Londontown sums it up pretty well.

Anemia and albinism take many guises, different and unique from one timeslip to the next throughout the multiverse - which, by the way, is not a Moorcock invention, but goes back to Heinlein's works from the late fifties and early sixties. Moorcock uses the concept of the Multiverse better than anyone else since Heinlein, though, and pays the Grand Master further homage in tiny, needlegun-like ways. The only other similarity between the two that I will mention is that Heinlein was nearly pure sci-fi, with only "Glory Road" being wholly sword-and-sorcery unto itself; The Cornelius Chronicles do the reverse for Moorcock, taking the sword-and-sorcery of the EC deeper into pure sci-fi than many S&S fans are able to delve. I digress; whether or not Una Person is the Iron 0rchid or the Honorable Jaggedd is Mick Jagger, Jerry is most certainly both Elrik and the Demented Carnelian.

Any more-than-casual reader of Moorcock can tell you that there will be an Eternal Champion until the end of time. That's what "eternal" means. Duh! The earliest kingdoms of pre-humanity knew him; the decadant remnants of civilization will know him; and somewhere in the middle, in the not-too-distant-future, where the best of sci-fi lives, and closest to our own epoch than any other of the EC's accounts penned by Moorcock, there is Jerry Conrelius.

This is Moorcock's most ambitious work. Certainly his most honest. There are a million and one experiments in literature here, not all of which come off. But according to Schopenhauer the errors of geniuses are worth a hundred truths of lesser mortals. (Or something like that.) The fact that Moorcock provides the most visceral experiences in the sort of fabulous sf universe his brain inhabits means that even when he's mistaken his point is well taken. (For a similar world, see Zelazny's stuff.) The characters of this book will live forever. Even though he's not a household word like Tolkien or Rowling he certainly will be some day. Keep your chin up Mike, the zombies will get the point eventually.

It's been argued that these books were an angry/funny response to the Vietnam War and certainly the second story A Cure For Cancer refers a lot to Vietnam. What is particularly interesting about it, however, is how it refers to the PRESENT
situation. The Administration's rationales for going into Vietnam and the military's rationales for staying there are here transported to Europe. And that's no doubt what makes the books so relevant to the immediate situation we have at the moment with Europe refusing America's rationales for going to war and the Administration reacting with an aggressive, bullying tone. The ways in which imperial adventuring are cloaked in the language of 'saving the natives' are clearly shown here. Moorcock takes the experience of British imperialism and equates it with American imperialism. He does it all, of course, with irony and black humor which gets more and more sophisticated as the series continue. The Final Program is the weakest of the books, though it parodies 60s slang rather than parroting it, and has subtleties rarely found in US fiction of the day. These books were of their time and half a century AHEAD of their time and the way in which Moorcock reveals the underbelly of his society as well as the
postures of his main character are brilliant. Unquestionably, some of the very best experimental and influential fiction of our time! Recommended at every level -- fun, funny, fantastic and literary. I would also recommend Moorcock's very latest Cornelius novella, Firing the Cathedral, with its introduction by Alan Moore.

So if a little imagination helps, consider what it's like when your imagination is unreined. No reason to let a little reality stand in your way. And when the forms are constrained, it only somehow heightens the free play. Reinvention of self has rarely gone so far. Jerry's or yours.

Moorcock wrote about these stories: "Part of my original intention with the Jerry Cornelius stories was to 'liberate' the narrative; to leave it open to the reader's interpretation as much as possible - to involve the reader in such a way as to bring their own imagination into play."

These chronicles are among my favorite literary works. Each is a different literary experiment. Transform the mundane, don't let it run you down. How cool can you be? How important can you be? How intriguing can the folks you hang out with? Only Jerry seems to know. Let him show the way. Profound? Well, it's at least great, incredibly well-written fun.

Read "Dancers at the End of Time" if you want to see how well Moorcock can construct a "traditional" story. But if you want to see Moorcock's talent unleashed, give The Cornelius Quartet a try.

I really wanted to like these. Each of them starts with an interesting idea -- a world in which WWI didn't occur and tech developed slowly, a world in which high tech appeared early and WWI was much worse -- but two things killed my interest. First, there is never any clear explanation of how and why the protagonist is wandering in time. (You _may_ be able to figure this out if you read a lot of other Moorcock books, but this is too much to ask of the reader). But the main problem is that each of them soon degenerates into heavy-handed political posturing. There is never any moral conflict or ambiguity, and when Moorcock tries to simulate some it's pretty obvious that he's stacking the deck from behind the curtain. If you enjoy PC preaching, you might be able to overlook the flaws. Otherwise, take a pass.

Oswald Bastable - 1 The Warlord of the Air

Oswald Bastable is an English army officer, sent on a mission to the mountains in the Nepal region. It does not go too well, and sick and delirious he stumbles into a citadel that is rumoured to have existed for all time.

When he wakes up, he is several decades in the future and the natives are not disposed to be too friendly.

3.5 out of 5

Oswald Bastable - 2 The Land Leviathan

A device used for these books is that an ancestor of Moorcock's has found tales of Oswald Bastable, in much the same sort of style as the Warlords of Mars trilogy.

This bloke goes looking for more, and finds some. Una Persson also makes an appearance.

A more confident Bastable has gone adventuring again, but when he comes back in time, the world is a lot different to the one he left.

Submarine adventures, Gandhi, a Black Atilla, and other strange national alliances must be navigated and dealt with.

3.5 out of 5

Oswald Bastable - 3 The Steel Tsar

The conclusion of Oswald Bastable's adventures associated with the Temple of the Future Buddha. The time he came back too is full of giant airship and other such fun. This book is really a couple of parts, and again, Una Persson is involved in the story in mysterious ways, as Oswald Bastable learns more about the nature of the universe, and has to face the supervillain of the piece.

3.5 out of 5

If you are a fan of sci-fi, "magic realism" or alternate history stories, READ THIS BOOK! It's so captivating that I read it every moment I could, and finished it quite quickly. As I read about the various characters' miscellaneous adventures through time, history and war, it was as if I could see a movie playing in my head. Vivid and haunting. Michael Moorcock is a talented sci-fi author that will have you keep flipping the pages for more.

I love Moorcock's Eternal Champion cycle. I love the way it weaves an entire universe where characters can come and go out of each other's stories at any time. Two years after reading Nomad of the Time Streams, it's still my most memorable volume in the core cycle. Moorcock's vision of alternate histories where airships rule the skies and monorails cross the land manages to portray Utopia and Dystopia in the same space. Brilliant writing from a brilliant man. Although Bastable's main story begins and ends with this volume, he still appears briefly in other stories, such as the final book in the Dancers volume and, I believe, in the Cornelius Quartet and possibly in the Blood trilogy. If you've never read Moorcock's EC series, this book provides an excellent introdution.

This is a book that mixes political commentary with fantastic voyages. Being more of prone to reading sword and sorcery types of novels, I was a bit apprehensive going into this one, but it kept me turning the pages until the end.

Our hero is thrust through a series of alternate realities for how our world might have turned out if certain turns of events were different. There isn't really anything magical or fantastic about these alternate realities, which is what makes it exciting. You feel like things could have been that way.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable departure from dark sorcery and demons of other Eternal Champion novels - not that I don't love those!

I can't imagine that anyone reading this review is actually someone who could stand to benefit by it; surely, no one reads the review of a Michael Moorcock volume--let alone the fifth volume of his series--without either having already read it, or already being a die hard fan of his work. But let us pretend that it is not necessarily so, and that my words of caution might have some effect on the world other than to anger the Moorcock faithful, and proceed.

As you may or may not be aware, this volume comprises the fifth volume in the "Eternal Champion Series" but was, originally, a number of different works, some of which were written before Moorcock had come upon the idea of an "Eternal Champion." The works in this volume, moreover, were not even published in the order that they appear in this collection: the forth story was published first; the second, last. Does reading these stories out of their originally published order affect the reading? Of course it does, and much to the detriment. Also, and because of the lame Eternal Champion idea that Moorcock eventually came up with to unite his works (idea being that almost all of his heroes in various stories are incarnations of the same guy in a different dimension), Moorcock liberally brings in characters and names from his other books without any real context, expecting us to have read his entire library. Further, because these stories are published out of order, some of the stories reference ideas like the Eternal Champion, and multiverse, and some we read after (but published first), do not. Some characters are brought in without much background because Moorcock had described them in an earlier published work... but that's not the order they're in here.

Really, this is a poor approach--if you must read Moorcock, read them in the original order as published. But, I think there's a good question as to whether these stories are worth reading at all.

The first story in the collection (published forth, naturally) is probably the best--Elric of Melnibone. It is also the worst because it leads you to believe that the rest of the stories might be worth reading, too; your memories of Elric of Melnibone will push you onwards through the LSD-influenced Fortress of the Pearl and dull-as-dishwater Sailor on the Seas of Fate, and utterly forgettable short stories once published as The Weird of the White Wolf for some arcane reason. Moorcock writes bloodless prose, which for him is really more of an exercise in fleshing out his bizzare Law versus Chaos theories than telling a compelling, human story. His descriptions are sparse, his vocabulary alternating between smarter-than-thou fifty dollar words and incredibly repetitious (a great Moorcock drinking game would include a shot every time he uses the word "ironic" to describe someone's smile or tone of voice, and two for "sardonic"). His "hero," Elric, is a depressed moper who succeeds only because some random God or another scoops him out deus-ex-machina style from the flames at the last second. Make no mistake: Moorcock writes with agendas, political and philosophical. Unfortunately, he doesn't write with them all that well, and his works decline in quality over time as he lets them take over the normal conventions of plot and character.

Speaking of, his plots are weak and his characters borderline non-existent. The tone of his work is unceasingly morose, and the only thing worse being when he tries to interject some humor because it always falls flat. Elric hates living--he hates trudging through the stories he's forced, Fated, to endure--and his world weariness communicates itself to the reader. We, too, are depressed after reading his journeys.

Moorcock wanted to write something unlike the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien, and in that he succeeded. (Before--or after--reading this, you may be interested to read Moorcock's nonfiction essay "Starship Stormtroopers," easily found on the web, in which he declares the writings of Tolkien, Issac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Richard Adams, C.S. Lewis, H.P. Lovecraft, and many others to be "crypto-fascist," "misanthropic," "misogynistic," "bourgeois," "anti-semitic" and other such things; despite its promising insanity, this essay is sadly even worse written than his fiction.) Tolkien wrote engaging prose with humor and wonderful characters you'll treasure forever. Moorcock wrote dry and funereal prose (though undoubtedly "ironic" and "sardonic"), with benighted characters you'd sooner forget, which you will.

Once again, I doubt that anyone is reading this review who could actually stand to benefit by it; unlike Mr. Tolkien and the other greats that Moorcock mindlessly maligns, the world has essentially forgotten Michael Moorcock, a process that takes up steam with every passing year, and will relegate him to a footnote in the annals of mediocre fantasy fiction. In the end, I think that Moorcock, himself, understood this, and that jealousy as much as his odd anarchic-fringe idealism fueled his hate-filled diatribe. As these things infected his fiction as well, I cannot recommend this volume to anyone other than the very curious who've already read Moorcock's betters. One star because it's mandatory, and one more for the passing-good Elric of Melnibone.

It's a shame that the tradition in which Moorcock and a few others write has been almost swamped into non-existence by the kind of security-blanket fiction preferred by the likes of poor Mr Powell, whose review appears here. There was a time when James Branch Cabell, Lord Dunsany, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance and, yes, the great M.John Harrison, more or less dominated this field. Now it has been taken over by the depthless pseudo-seriousness which once characterized the worst pulp sci-fi. It's sad that the portentousness of Tolkien and his followers dominated by sentimentality and ersatz seriousness has become the benchmark, so that the majority (as always, I guess) has the feel and texture of a baby's security blanket. You can almost smell the milk on the breath and see those hurt little eyes staring at the albino as he pulls their comforters from their lips and goes on about his horrid business. I'm even beginning to suspect that the Tolkienoids, in common with the religious right who are their spiritual comrades, are trying to kick at Moorcock's shins with their little slippered feet. This makes me remember why I only ever went to one fantasy convention.
If you want the real stuff, that's in the tradition of the great non-generic fantasts, Moorcock's the first you should try. Then try Cawthorn and Moorcock's 100 Best Fantasy Books, which will give you some idea of the great tradition you've been missing. Incidentally, Moorcock and his collaborator are perfectly kind to Tolkien and are positive about him. But if Tolkein clones are your idea of the best, it's time you took a look at the real hard stuff.

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.

Being my first adventure with Elric, an incarnation of the Eternal Champion, I was quite perplexed by Moorcocks approach to dark fantasy.

This book, Song of the Black Sword, contains three full length original Elric novels with the addition of three short stories that would most definetly become a burden to collect. Just having so much out of print or hard to find literature in one novel is well worth the price alone.

The most interesting aspect of these books for myself was not the massive genocide Elric commits with Stormbringer or the bizarre adventures he physically and metaphysically sets foot on , but the strong development of Elric himself.
He has changed the way that I view fantasy with such a dark hero.

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!

Aged fourteen, The Knight of the Swords was the first Moorcock I ever read, in fact I read it before I read Tolkien. Moorcock remains for me the only fantasy writer who can compete with Tolkien in terms of the size and detail of the world he creates. In fact if anything Moorcock's world excels Tolkien's in its scope and weirdness.

Readers of Moorcock will know of his concept of the Eternal Champion, that is that a series of heros who are all incarnations of each other and of his basic idea that the universe, or as Moorcock calls it the multiverse, is governed by the conflict between the forces of Law and Chaos. The idea being what is needed is a balance between the two.

In this group of stories the champion is Corum a member of an elf like race who face extermination at the hands of humans. The story involves Corum in a series of battles for and against an assortment of men, demons, sorcerers and gods. The stories are fast paced and as usual Moorcock has the abilty to describe a person, a city or even a God in a couple of well chosen phrases.

Remember this is fantasy do not expect any great truths about life to be explained but what you can expect is a great read from a writer who knows that fantasy writing is supposed to be fantastic.

If you haven't read Moorcock before, you will be suprised by the lack of depth to his writing. 'Corum' is no exception. Moorcock's style is amateurish, but by no means slow.

'Corum' is basically set in a Celtic, Bronze Age Europe as man is starting to dominate and destroy two elf-like races, one of which Corum is a member. Corum decides to seek vengeance, but as a result of being sidetracked, ends up going on an Odyssey-like adventure.

The pace is fast - too fast, because very rarely does Moorcock describe the setting of a location or develop the characters to any great extent, even the main character, Corum. Exposure to characters lasts only a few pages on occasion, as the odyssey is quickly into full swing again.

I don't recommend this book to anyone requiring depth or development of character, or intelligent themes, for there is no attention to detail. This book seems to be written by an inexperienced author for a teenage audience, but I don't think it has been. I think Moorcock is a very average author - even for a "light read" author. If you are looking for a light read, but with decent characters who have real motives than read David Gemmell's Drenai Saga.

Moorcock began his fantasy writing career young, in the 1950s, around the same time as Lord of the Rings and Gormenghast were published. His interest in fantasy predated his reading of either sequence. He quotes such writers as Twain and Cabell as influences. It's clear, however, that Moorcock writes more in the Peake tradition than the Tolkien and, if you want a combination of the virtues of both writers, you'll find it here. Moorcock loves language and his books are enriched by it. You don't need 800 pages to get the message across! In Europe he is honored as an important literary writer. These novels are a great writer enjoying himself. Moorcock has said that he only writes fantasy novels if he can enjoy himself. Even now in his new Elric books Moorcock is still keeping them short and fast. Why the books have depth is because of the superior writing, with characteristic ironies and elegaic tone, fresh quality of invention, strong structuring, using 'image as narrative', the underlying philosophy which is never shoved in your face, but makes you think, the characters, who have strong motivations and crises. Moorcock doesn't world-build, any more than he bothers with invented alphabets and other somewhat nerdy occupations. He is a story teller and nothing extraneous is allowed to get in the way of that first priority. (...)

These stories are set in Cornwall, easily identified by the use of original Cornish (Celtic) names. This year I visited 'Moidel's Mount' and its
wonderful, impregnable castle, which, apart from the town now on the other shore, is exactly as Moorcock describes it, only it's called St Michael's Mount and is across from Marazion in Cornwall. The Scilly Isles also feature, though in the Moorcock books they are still attached to the mainland. This is real
Arthurian territory, but Moorcock makes no reference to it. He is busy inventing his own mythology. He is steeped in Celtic and Norse mythology, which he also claims as a strong influence on Corum and Elric respectively.
Moorcock says in his introduction that he came up with the Corum stories during a wet vacation in Cornwall. All I can say is, thank goodness it rains in Cornwall (and how it rains!). This is a fine, intelligent, fast read. It won't tax your mind, but it will leave it a little richer when you're done. I'm very choosey
about the kind of fantasy I read and this, believe me, is amongst the very best you'll find.

"The Chronicles of Corum were originally 6 books, but have been repackaged in various editions. Although less popular than the Elric books, I'd say the Corum series is equally good, perhaps better."
-- Glenn G. Thater, Author of 'Harbinger of Doom'

Moorcock and Fritz Leiber have the same ironic vision which means they use language lightly to suggest rather than belabour their points and they almost never dwell too long on the emotions of their heroes, no matter how bad things get. That said there is a refreshing pace and clarity of writing to this book which, while not being one of Moorcock's finest, still gives more per page than almost anything else out there. Corum was the first of Moorcock's characters I read, so I guess I identify with him more than the gloomier Elric, and I also like this 'science fantasy' quality, which takes Corum through various incarnations of the multiverse in rapid succession as he tries to avoid the genocide planned for him by the Mabden (mankind) interlopers. As usual Moorcock defeats expectations and takes some odd twists to deliver a fine, nicely-flavored wine which is best drunk by the goblet-full and savoured when you're done with it. A soupcon of Paidraic Colum, maybe, a touch of Dunsany, perhaps, with a dash of Yeats echoing in the background, but none the worse for that. A great read for St
Patrick's Day!

Hawkmoon is fantastic! Loved this book when I first read it many years ago and recently read it again with the same result. It is an exciting epic tale told in a rich, unique world that anyone would enjoy!

I have the Millenium edition of this book, and it was my first taste of the Eternal Champion series. It had a Dune-like feel with the ornithopters, and though it's bleak and dark, it's certainly exciting and fast-paced. After reading this, I realized that I had to see more of Michael Moorcock. I never regretted that.

When I was in 10th grade, my friend Joe introduced me to the evil and depressing fantasy Elric. By the second book Corum, Erekose and Hawkmoon showed up to do something of great importance which didn't seem all that important except to forshadow Elric's first inadvertant Black Sword victim in the next book. But from that series I was hooked.

This trilogy didn't impress me when I read the first book, but many years later I picked up the entire series and as with many fantasy serieses I needed to read the entire trilogy. Hawkmoon develops from a pawn to a hero and the people around him change in accidental moods. D'Avarec and Count Brass are two of the most intriguing characters in fantasy. The villains make up a fully realized society of animal masks and freaky customs, while the question of how do you deal with anarchy is up for grabs. While you can see that the heroes will fight against the evil empier of Granbretan, the question as to whether an evil government like Granbretan is preferable to chaos is not one that is often asked in fantasies where the evil empires are only in need of defeat.

Overall, this is an underrated and often overlooked Moorcock masterpiece that reads fast, has some very enjoyable moments and gives you something to chew on for years afterwards. In other words, it's everything fantasy should be.

This is possibly my favourite of Moorcock's interwoven Eternal Champions - the battle of Londra is heroic fantasy at its best. However you MUST read this as part of Moorcock's whole body of work to fully appreciate the magnificence of his creations.

Hawkmoon's quest for peace in his world is typical Moorcock fantasy, with bold heroes, evil opponents, hideous fates, weird monsters, and most of all, lots of action. In his preface, Moorcock warns us not to look to deeply for meaning in Hawkmoon, but that's like saying "Don't think of an elephant." There are certainly some themes here that Moorcock returns to in later books, but they are treated perhaps a tad more superficially here than in later years (not really a fault or anything, I just thought I'd mention it). As in Elric and Corum (my personal favorite), the author uses a fable-like semi-mythological style that makes the story move and focuses attention where it needs to be focused. For example, when Hawkmoon travels hundreds of miles to a city in the Middle East, the author devotes about four pages to the journey. Some writers (think Robert Jordan) would make the journey half a book long. This simplicity of style is one of my favorite things about Michael Moorcock. The only real weakness to this novel, as has been mentioned by other reviewers, is Hawkmoon himself. He's not really much of a character. Mostly he is either fighting or saying how he wishes he could return to his wife. He also seems kinda dim-witted at times. Usually one of the other characters is the one who comes up with a solution to a problem, or notices that the bad guys are coming or that Hawkmoon's pants are on fire. Not a big weakness, but in comparison to more interesting characters like Corum or Elric, a noticeable weakness. Still, if you like Elric or Corum, or just sword and sorcery stuff in general, this is highly recommended.

While others build mere worlds, Moorcock has built the multiverse. While many use his ideas, these days, he was the first to conceive the idea as it is used throughout fantasy fiction. Just as some of his books slowly unfold to show you ideas from different angles, so does he slowly reveal the multiverse. Read this and the three books in the War Amongst the Angels series and you will see what I mean. Moorcock was also the author who predicted Black Holes and a whole different cosmology to go with them, he spoke of the multiverse in terms of branches or branes on a tree, and science has continued to prove him right throughout his career. Moorcock is far more than a writer of fantastic adventure stories, but neither does he reject his own relish for the stuff and as a result he gives us books which, as adult, we can enjoy more and more. The literal minded consumer of mass production fantasy is probably going to need a lot more explanation than Moorcock provides. You just have to trust him, jump in anywhere, and let him carry you on a wild tide of adventure, character, philosophy and more! The ending of this sequence is famous. So it should be. There is nothing else as good, at least since Melmoth the Wanderer! (Actually, it's better than Melmoth the Wanderer).

A very good book, same with the first Elric. I can't rate it perfectly though as some of the stories have parts which sort of clash with my sense of taste ;) Though even then, if the elements seem bizarre to me, they fit in with Moorcock's multiverse and help paint it better. And some of the stories are simply excellent.

I've introduced several friends (who normally don't read) to Elric and they've read the first text as well as the second. A good story with action elements with deep underlying themes, with fun stylistic device, but it's good even if you don't care about such things =)

This novel by Moorcock was very good, but not great. I enjoyed it , this is true..but there is no love affair. I found his writing style exciting, but the story as a whole, lacked the luster I was anticipating. I would love to see Michael team up with a new author, M.V.Cox, who wrote Souls Eternal. Funny they seem to have many passions in commmon. I reviewed Souls Eternal and found it the work of a genius.I will continue to read Michael Moorcock,but I would love to see him team up with Michael V.Cox. I think they would reach the sky and beyond. I for one would read anything they put out..thank you.

I was told by a friend that you had to trust Moorcock. Not only do his stories unfold rather like life, with new information coming in from new angles all the time, but they march towards the greatest dramatic conclusion in all fantasy. And this is where you'll find it, in STORMBRINGER, the final volume. You will be mightily rewarded with one of the most powerful literary fantasy stories you've ever picked up. And once you start reading him, it becomes fascinating -- because no writer has written so much at such a high level of literary ambition. Read his Jerry Cornelius stories, his Pyat novels or books like Mother London and you will know why Moorcock got the Grand Master award and why he has been winning prizes since his career began.

Not really, but somewhere there's a great tagline for an ad campaign for this book waiting to be used. Michael Moorcock has a gigantic catalog of novels and short stories, many of them dealing with his Multiverse concept, in which Law and Chaos constantly battle and a fellow known as the Eternal Champion tends to help sort it all out, with varying results. Back in the last decade White Wolf and Moorcock took most of the stories/novels, grouped them by character and concept and then put them out as a series of collections. This is the eleventh of those and second featuring Elric, perhaps Moorcock's most famous creation. While not my personal favorite of Moorcock's many characters (that honor goes to Jerry Cornelius, who I find has more personality) Elric definitely has a loyal following and his stories did a lot to nurse the then fairly low-key epic fantasy genre. Basically, Elric is a weak albino from a very old race that is dying out (and is quite evil) but he carries the magical sword Stormbringer that likes to suck the souls out of people (though Moorcock never says where the souls go, into the sword or straight to hell?), thus giving the sword and Elric vitality. Unfortunately, Elric has a very rough life and that makes him a somewhat dour person, since he's constantly caught between Law and Chaos (technically he's on Chaos' team though he swaps sides often). The stories in this volume depict the end of the Elric saga, when the war between Law and Chaos heats up on Elric's world and finally threatens to come to a conclusion. Moorcock's type of fantasy takes some getting used to, with a lot of really odd place names and bizarre monsters (some sound like they're straight out of Lovecraft) as well as some definitely odd situations. Elric himself seems to act more as an observer in most of these stories, trying to keep out of trouble. The earlier stories are typically the most formulaic (though brilliant for anyone else, as the cliche goes), since Elric generally has to fight Someone Bad and often saves the day by casting a spell or invoking the aid of some Old Elemental Spirit or just wading through crowds of people with his magical intelligent sword (oh by the way, it wants to kill all his friends too). Moorcock has definite style and flair when executing this kind of material but if you read them all at once there can be a definite sameness about them, where Elric just mopes and mopes and goes "wow is me" for chapters on end before getting attacked and summoning dragons or something to save him. The later stories (and Revenge of the Rose, which was written later) are much better, especially when they deal with the Multiverse directly, because the ideas and action and giant battles just keep coming, until it becomes a kind of sensory overload and toward the end of Stormbringer (the last story) everything gets all weird and metaphysical and it's just great. Moorcock can be lauded for bringing a mature sensibility to fantasy (Elric's a dour fellow but he has his passions) and for all of Elric's moping, he's far more memorable than most other fantasy characters. I won't go as far to say that these are his best work (again, I like the Cornelius stuff better and I haven't read Mother London or the Pyat novels yet) but for lovers of fantasy it's basically essential (if you can find them, the White Wolf editions went out of print and apparently command a high price, they must have been rare . . . the British editions are still available, I think) and no matter what you think of his style it's clearly one of the more original concepts in a genre that feels fit to merely repeat the work of a certain hobbit-loving author over and over again. Moorcock stands on his own and to understand fantasy at all, these books are required reading.

......then you will like this book. Personally I prefer the John Carter stories to Kane of Old Mars. However, these are definitely worth reading.

I read these books before the were combined into one, and they were in there second printing. Personally this book is much better than the Elric Saga, and much better writen. Kane makes this time machine, hoping to well, go back in time, but it takes him back in time to when Mars had life. This machine also lets him come back to his own time on earth, and the orignal three books were written as he retold his story the three times he came back. Read these if your a Moorcock fan..they are worth it.

it's a nice read, but it'll only take an afternoon or two to finish. Very predictable at points, the stories all seemed like they were rushed. A map of the planet would have also been helpful.

A good title to check out of the library for a lazy weekend.

Michael Moorcock, Kane of Old Mars (Warriors of Mars/Blades of Mars/Barbarians of Mars) (Lancer, 1965)

For the first book and a half of this trilogy, I had no idea what Moorcock was on about. Then I did a little research and found out Moorcock was parodying Edgar Rice Burroughs; that helped put things more into perspective and helped me get over some of my usual annoyances with many fantasy writers (the plethora of exclamation points and one-sentence paragraphs, etc.); traps Moorcock usually doesn't fall into.

Once that was behind me, I enjoyed these three books quite a bit more. The astoundingly cheesy premise herein is that a writer, Edward Bradbury (under which pen name the books were originally published), encounters and befriends one Michael Kane while vacationing in the south of France. Kane is a physicist who previously worked for the military but went off to the private sector to develop what he calls a matter transference machine (in this post-Star Trek world, we know them better as transporters or teleporters). Its only problem is that, when Kane tests it on himself, it sends him not to the receiving transference machine, but to Mars millions of years ago, a Mars that is full of thriving communities. They are, of course, at war with one another or in tenuous peace treaties that could erupt into war at any moment, leading to many examples of Kane's ability to show off the swordfighting techniques he learned as a child (how coincidental!), while forging alliances between peoples who have been at war for generations and earning the respect of all he encounters. It's high silliness of the order to be found in old Douglas Fairbanks pictures from the silent era (or the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, presumably).

Moorcock keeps the pages turning, and each of the books is slim; it's possible to get through one of them in a lazy afternoon and still have time to tackle thirty of forty pages of the newest Danielle Steel potboiler, if one is so inclined. Just don't be expecting great literature. For that matter, don't be expecting material up to Moorcock's usual high standards. Just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride. ***

It's an exciting adventure story as other reviewers have already stated. I would definitely recommend picking this up on a rainy afternoon and escaping.

Did anyone else notice the 'game' with anagrams of other authors names played as Kane was flying over the islands (I won't say more, work it out for yourself).