The Night Marchers and Other Oceanian Stories

[cornerofmadness]

The Night Marchers and Other Oceanian Stories by Kel McDonald

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was really excited to see this one because you don't often see Oceanian tales in America unfortunately. Sadly this is one of the weak points as the stories are written as if the reader will be familiar with the folk lore and don't quite carry through if you're not. That said I did enjoy it.

As with all anthologies there is a hit and miss to the stories. For me the two stand outs (both from the Philippines) are The Ibalon Epic: a Retelling of the Baltog and Let's Learn Baybayin. The former has outstanding art and a sympathetic epic hero who wants to retire from the killing and be a farmer. The latter has a war theme too looking at it from an animal's pov (a turtles and lizards) but what makes it interesting is that it is written in Baybayin an old Tagalog script, trying to rescue it which I think is neat.

Hawaiian folklore is the next prevalent one depicted with one or two from Fugi and Maori but over all most are from Hawai'i and the Philippines. I'm glad I read this but also glad it's a library book because it's not one I see myself going back to time and again.



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Elric: Stormbringer

[cornerofmadness]

Stormbringer by

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The dread fear older fantasy readers have is going back to things they loved as a kid and thinking WTF was wrong with me? This is in that pile. I adored Elric passionately in my teens. Looking at this with adult eyes I'm thinking why do I remember him as a tragic, if emo, character when he's obviously a heartless, arrogant and outrightly foolish psychopath?

While there are deviations from the novel judging by other reviews (because I haven't reread the novels in 30 + years and don't remember), Alan Moore's overblown intro claims this is the best graphic novel adaptation of the stories and Moorcock himself seems to agree.

The cover alone tells you there's going to be misogyny in this and there is but not as much as feared simply because women are only present briefly as things to be slaughtered (and if you're wondering about my psychopath statement we first see Elric in a pool of blood and bodies while babies are torn from their mothers and sacrificed for I'm not even sure what, a way to find the villain of the piece, Cymoril's (Elric's queen) brother who wants the throne. (And I'm not putting that under a spoiler cut, it should serve as a trigger warning).

Elric shows his concern and love for Cymoril by moving mountains and calling on the gods for help (which the god of chaos is happy to do) but he slaughters everyone sometimes for the littlest of reasons (spoiler alert/trigger warning more dead kids) so it becomes impossible to root for him.

This is not how I remember this story. I think I prefer my obviously imperfect memory. And boy Cymoril is a piece of work too. Honestly not worth going to war over. This takes place before he meets Moonglum I think.

The art is really well done so that's a plus. Bonus points if you can tell me why Cymoril (and every woman) needed to be naked though. (like she couldn't be stabbed through clothing? but like i said women are here to be killed, nothing more).

I'm rather afraid to read any more and maybe just keep Elric as a happy memory



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