The Dreamthief's Daughter: A Tale Of The Albino (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
As I wrote elsewhere, I read the Elric stories first many years ago and have done a couple of re-reads since. But that is only the “classic” tales all of which predate the 21st Century. While searching out copies for a recent re-read (my own volumes are stored away), much to my surprise I found that there were additional tales crafted only a decade or so ago. The Dreamthief’s Daughter is the first in a trilogy.Note: My reviews of the older books are hideously late, except for the first volume. I’ll get back to them eventually.As I noted in my last Elric review, since our Author decided to kill off the Melnibonean Prince in his second batch of stories and his entire world, adding to the canon required writing prequels (which he did) or “sandwiching in” stories between older ones (also done). To make these tales “fit”, an interesting device is used: Elric exists in a 1,000 year dream state which takes only moments (or a couple of days) in his “official” history. So, while he remains bound to the mast of a ship, his astral being (if you will) roams the multiverse serving as one aspect of the Eternal Champion.I’m going to omit most of the narrative details, as I think those who like this character and author deserve to find these things out for themselves. I will make a few comments on the story and the writing, though.If you remember the frenzy and energy of the original stories; The Stealer of Souls, Stormbringer, The Vanishing Tower, Elric of Melnibone, and so on, they were very fast-paced. Indeed the first two novels read like a whirlwind. I found this book to feel and read more like the later Eternal Champion novels (e.g. Dorian Hawkmoon & Count Brass era stories). There is more description without immediate action and personal observations. I say this not as a criticism, but just to describe how it differs from the earlier works. Remember this is not his homeworld. The balance of forces, magic, and science is different, so why should the story read the same?Mr. Moorcock is in places more “playful” with his story and his reader. He sprinkles many references to his own works throughout the book both to tie it in to his multiverse, but also to engage the reader at many levels (and maybe to amuse himself, as well.) One of the passages I liked best is on page 83: “The name was faintly familiar. I remembered a book from my library. One of those unlikely memoirs which enterprising hacks turned out in the wake of Grimmelshausen’s Simplicissimus and Raspe’s Munchausen. The author, perhaps the pseudonym for an ancestor, claimed to have visited an underground kingdom, a refuge for the disposed, whose natives were more stone than flesh. I’d enjoyed the tale as a boy, but it had like so much of that fantastic stuff, and I had grown bored with it.”It hit me just the right way that I accurately recalled the page number weeks after reading it.So, spoilers aside, I will say that I was happy to read the further adventures of the White Wolf. I have read (and will review) the third novel, but the BPL has let me down on the second volume. It’s not to be found. But someday I may have another “new” book to read, so that’s okay. For nostalgia alone, I’d rate this book a three, but it brings a new perspective and dimension (if you will) to one of my favorite characters. That’s at least another ½ star. The ethical and moral issues that form the backbone of this book earn it another ½ star.Four Stars (4.0).
Official Rating: 4.5 starsThis book is so well written. There is nothing lacking. The pacing is perfect, with the exception that I had a hard time getting into the book (the first couple of chapters) for one main reason. This was the first eternal champion novel I had read, and this is the tenth in the saga, so I was a bit lost. It picked up quickly though and never slowed down to where it got boring. Which leads me to Moorcock's usage of words. Brilliant! He's just so poetic, Even in parts of the story where things seem to slow down, I was never bored but always consumed with the worlds he created, because of how he wrote. He would write one or two paragraphs laced with his (the author's) personal morals/beliefs/philosophical thoughts and then the next paragraph jump back into complete reality of the story. This was done so subtly and through the characters themselves that I had to reread many parts, then stop and pause, awestruck with the beauty and intelligence of the author. Finally, there is a such author with enough great intelligence that it subtly reverberates through a story. Well appreciated. Next, the storyline was amazing. This book follows the perspective of Ulric and Elric at various points throughout the book and even dares to follow both of their minds at once. The characters are lovable and I was truly rooting for them. Rather than just being along for the ride, I was held captive by this story and invited into the minds and souls of the characters and of the setting itself.
What do You think about The Dreamthief's Daughter: A Tale Of The Albino (2002)?
This late trilogy of Moorcock's Elric books almost seems like an all-star extravaganza series, pulling in stars and references from throughout his multiverse/Eternal Champion canon. Some might find it a bit vain and trite, but I rather enjoyed this way of explicitly tying everything in his multiverse together. The use of the Nazis as a representation of pure evil was a bit cliche, and the tone of his musings about the Nazis was a bit self-righteous. But I rather like the overall story arch, the use of this different avatar of the Eternal Champion to narrate the story of Elric was nice. It seems that with Gaynor the Damned, Moorcock finally found a worthy and interesting nemesis for his White Wolf.
—Derek
The main character is an early twentieth century rural German aristocrat named Ulric von Bek. His Nazi cousin begins to insist that he hand over his family heirloom, a sword, and when he refuses he ends up in a concentration camp. The sword displays mysterious powers which help him break out of the camp, mysterious characters guide him into a sort of underground fairyland, and things just get more bizarre from there. Unfortunately, the flat prose completely fails to engage my emotions or give me the impression that any of Ulric's wondrous or terrifying experiences really mean much to him. The setting has the potential for complexity, but it's presented too impressionistically to give me confidence that any coherence would emerge from reading more books. This book doesn't encourage me to explore any more of Moorcock's vast body of work.
—Silvio Curtis
I didn't get very far in this novel. It sounded promising and I couldn't wait to get back into fantasy, but I just felt so bombarded with historical facts! I understand that it was set in Germany in the early 20th century and all but it felt like an unnecessary history lesson a lot of the time, as if the author was trying to show off his knowledge and fill up more pages or something. This is only my opinion. I guess historical fiction is not my thing after all. If anyone can explain to me why I should stick with this book and that it is truly worth my time reading, then please feel free to try and persuade me. I'm not being sarcastic. Honestly, I want to like this story! Also I believe this isn't the first in this series? Was there a previous trilogy? Anyone?
—Mairead
