Gurthang

Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné. Probably one of the most genre defining authors but certainly the least well known. Its a fact that Tolkien's shadow looms large over Fantasy literature even today with so many authors and stories standing upon the foundations he's set. That's partially why I enjoy older fantasy novels. Tolkien's legacy hadn't been fully cemented at the time and so we have authors that aren't afraid to try new and weird ideas. Thus Elric is born. The anti Conan, he's a moody introspective sorcerer prince of a morally neutral people. Although I enjoyed my time with this book, I wouldnt recommend this or any other of Moorcock's older writings to newbies of the genre. The novel is quite short and MM plays fast and loose with his ideas, each more strange and unusual than the last but never fully explored. It's almost as if he's bursting with ideas and trying to get them all out so he can move on with the next one. This novel feels like his ambitions outweigh the page count and i would say that about most of his novels. By today's standard I would give this 3 stars but alas this genre fiction book is almost 50 years old but has probably influenced your favorite fantasy author at some point.

Despite being a self admitted Tolkien fanboy I always begin reading one of his works with the thought "well surely this one won't live up to the hype. All of his works can't be that good" and once again I'm forced to admit it is that good. I would recommend this to lovers of mythology or those who have an interest in Tolkien's extended writings but found the Silmarillion unappealing.

In this work Tolkien succeeds at emulating the very myths and legends that inspired much of his writing. With this one pulling from the doomed heroes of European mythology, specifically Sigurd and Kulervo, from the Volsung and the Kalevala respectively.

The story is told in an overview style, as if it were being recounted. At times this can be grating as it fragments the narrative, giving you the information piece meal over the course of several years. However in this instance its somewhat diagetic in that it puts the reader in the same situation as Húrin, trapped on the peak of Thangorodrim, bearing witness to the doom of his kin yet unable to intervene.

Tolkien scholars have often debated to what extent could Morgoth's curse effect Húrin and his kin. It's feasible that Morgoth commanded the orcs to raid and pillage the region and the easterling occupation of a major settlement. As well as the unleashing of Glaurung on Beleriand. Beyond that, all the misery that befell Túrin was by his own hand. He has his mother's pride and his father's passion without any temperance. You could say that its Túrin's belief in his doom that makes it so. It raises an interesting question. How much does our outlook dictate our fate? If Túrin had kept a positive outlook he would have had faith in King Thingol, who up until that point had treated him as his own son, instead of going into self imposed exile before even facing judgement. He chose to only see the world for all its misery and none of its beauty, turning his curse into a self fulfilling prophecy. This ties back into one of the greater themes of Tolkien's works. Although there will always be darkness we must not despair. If we live with hope in our hearts and believe in the goodness of the world we can have a brighter tomorrow.

Cabal is yet another novel, later turned film, by the underrated Clive Barker. This book has a lot of different themes and aspects that at times compete with each other within the limited page count. This is by no means among Barkers best work but I do think it's one of his most interesting. Its Barkers take on a chosen one narrative with Boone almost playing this Moses type character and going on a hero's journey of sorts. Its still Barker so nothing is conventional. A popular reading is that the book is an allegory for queerness and it's no stretch to imagine especially considering the time of the novels release. The monstrous, orphic Nightbreed are bastioned beneath a cemetery, away from mortal men who fear and persecute them. This is exemplified by the police brutality against the breed but also by Decker. Decker is a monster in his own right yet instead of joining the Nightbreed he works to exterminate them. Maintaining the queer allegory you could say Decker represents the anger and self hatred often associated with repressed homosexuality. Anger which he can only express when he dons his mask, "Buttonface". This is in opposition to Boone who has also repressed his true self. He's turned into a Nightbreed via oral transmission when he's assaulted by Peloquin. Its only then through his relationship with Lori that he's able to finally accept himself and consumate their love does he become proactive in the story. The books is at its best when Boone, Lori and Decker are playing off each other. Unfortunately this is few and far between. The book is short and its not always efficient with its page count, leading to some parts dragging and some moving quite fast. Barker's prose here is also nowhere near what he displayed in Hellbound Heart. All that said, this is undeniably one of my favorite novels and films. It resonated with me before i even knew exactly why. I would only recommend this to the die hard Barker fans or those who would resonate with its themes.