All in all, this is a strong debut issue, though not without its faults, that clearly conveys the editor’s vision to bring classic voices together with the new and try and reach across a breadth of spectrums and viewpoints, with an equal balance between fiction and non-fiction discussing the genre, making NESS a bit unique from Tales From The Magician’s Skull or Old Moon; the closest comparisons on the market. It will be interesting to see how it develops over the rest of these four debut issues and beyond.
Features a new Elric short story by Michael Moorcock.
“The Folk Of The Forest” by Michael Moorcock is a tale of young Elric, and not a grim and dour one, so if you wanted another moody story of the Doomed Emperor, sorry. Instead it is a youthful adventure that tells us more about Prince Elric and his relationship with his mentor Tanglebones. It’s not a big story, it is a delightful one, and I think it’s perfect for the magazine.
"...I want to know where I came from and why and what relation I hold to the rest of the universe."
- Robert E. Howard to Tevis Clyde Smith, week of 20 Feb 1928, CL1.170