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The Elric Saga
Series · 19
books · 1965-2022

Books in series

Elric of Melniboné book cover
#1

Elric of Melniboné

1972

Elric of Melniboné is a requisite title in the hard fantasy canon, a book no fantasy fan should leave unread. Author Michael Moorcock, already a major player in science fiction, cemented his position in the fantasy pantheon with the five\-book Elric saga, of which Elric of Melniboné is the first installment. The book's namesake, the brooding albino emperor of the dying nation of Melniboné, is a sort of Superman for Goths, truly an archetype of the genre. The youthful Elric is a cynical and melancholy king, heir to a nation whose 100,000\-year rule of the world ended less than 500 years hence. More interested in brooding contemplation than holding the throne, Elric is a reluctant ruler, but he also realizes that no other worthy successor exists and the survival of his once\-powerful, decadent nation depends on him alone. Elric's nefarious, brutish cousin Yrkoon has no patience for his physically weak kinsman, and he plots constantly to seize Elric's throne, usually over his dead body. Elric of Melniboné follows Yrkoon's scheming, reaching its climax in a battle between Elric and Yrkoon with the demonic runeblades Stormbringer and Mournblade. In this battle, Elric gains control of the soul\-stealing Stormbringer, an event that proves pivotal to the Elric saga. \-\-Paul Hughes
Elric of Melniboné and Other Stories book cover
#1

Elric of Melniboné and Other Stories

2013

Here are the first tales of the albino sorcerer-prince Elric: lord of the Dreaming City, last Emperor of Melniboné, traitor, kinslayer. Doomed to wander the multiverse, battered by the whims of Law and Chaos, in thrall to his soul-eating sword, Stormbringer, Elric lies at the heart of Michael Moorcock's extraordinary mythology of the Eternal Champion. If you know his story already, then this definitive edition will finally let you read the entire saga in the author's preferred order. If you've never experienced the chronicles of the albino with the soul-sucking sword, then this is the perfect place to start.
Elric of Melniboné book cover
#1, 8, 2, 3

Elric of Melniboné

2021

From World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award–winner Michael Moorcock, comes the first book in his famous Elric of Melniboné series, brought to vivid new life with stunning illustrations. In one of the most well-known and well-loved fantasy epics of the 20th century, Elric is the brooding, albino emperor of the dying Kingdom of Melnibone. With Melnibone’s years of grandeur and decadence long since passed, Elric’s amoral cousin Yrkoon sets his eyes on the throne. Elric, realizing he is his country’s best hope, must face his nefarious cousin in an epic battle for the right to rule. Elric of Melnibone is the first in Michael Moorcock’s incredible series, which created fantasy archetypes that have echoed through the genre for generations. The beautiful, vivid illustrations bring new life to the story and are sure to captivate fans, new and old. Contents: 'One Life, Furnished in Early Moorcock', by Neil Gaiman. Elric of Melniboné. _The Fortress of the Pearl. The Sailor on the Seas of Fate. The Weird of the White Wolf._
The Sailor on the Seas of Fate book cover
#2

The Sailor on the Seas of Fate

1976

Elric of Melniboné, last of the emperors of a once mighty land, exiled bearer of the sword of deathpower called Stormbringer, found a ship waiting for him on a mist-wreathed alien seashore. When he boarded the mysterious vessel, he learned from its shadowy captain that he was to undertake a strange quest, side by side with other heroes from other times. For this ship sailed no earthly waters. These warriors and champions fought sorcerers and demons in a journey spanning seas that seemed to connect not continents and coastlines but other eras and different worlds. For they were, all of them, sailors on the seas of fate.
The Weird of the White Wolf book cover
#3

The Weird of the White Wolf

1977

"We must be bound to one another then. Bound by hell-forged chains and fate-haunted circumstance. Well, then - let it be thus so - and men will have cause to tremble and flee when they hear the names of Elric of Melnibone and Stormbringer, his sword. We are two of a kind - produced by an age which has deserted us. Let us give this age cause to hate us." Imrryr, the dreaming city; Yyrkoon, the hated usurper; Cymoril, the beloved... all had fallen to the fury and unearthly power of the albino prince and his terrible sword. An Elric faced at last the fate that was to be his in this haunted era - that he must go forth, sword and man as one, and havoc and horror would be forever at his forefront until he found his Purpose that was yet obscured to him.
The Vanishing Tower book cover
#4

The Vanishing Tower

1970

Elric of Melniboné, proud prince of ruins, last lord of a dying race, wanders the lands of the Young Kingdoms in search of the evil sorcerer Theleb K'aarna. His object is revenge. But to achieve this, he must first brave such horrors as the Creatures of Chaos, the freezing wilderness of World's Edge, the golden-skinned Kelmain hordes, King Urish the Seven-fingered with his great cleaver Hackmeat, the Burning God, the Sighing Desert, and the terrible stone-age men of Pio. Although Elric holds within him a destiny greater than he could ever know, and controls the hellsword Stormbringer, stealer of souls, his task looks hopeless - until he encounters Myshella, Empress of the Dawn, the sleeping sorceress...
Stormbringer book cover
#4, 9, 5, 6

Stormbringer

2021

From World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award–winner Michael Moorcock comes the second installment in is famous Elric of Melnibone series, brought to vivid new life with stunning illustrations. In one of the most well-known and well-loved fantasy epics of the 20th century, Elric is the brooding, albino emperor of the dying Kingdom of Melnibone. After defeating his nefarious cousin and gaining control over the epic sword, Stormbringer, Elric, prince of ruins, must decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in a fight against Armageddon. Stormbringer is the second in Michael Moorcock’s incredible series, which has transformed the fantasy genre for generations. Perfect for fans new and old, this book is brought to life once more with stunning illustrations from the most lauded artists in fantasy. Volume 2: Stormbringer The Vanishing Tower The Revenge of the Rose The Bane of the Black Sword Stormbringer
The Bane of the Black Sword book cover
#5

The Bane of the Black Sword

1977

After much wandering and seeking Elric finally discovers the location of the sorcerer who had earlier inconvenienced him. A meeting of old friends and scattered brothers evolves into a union of vengeance. A demon sent hoping to devour an albino is thwarted, but it's master's aim's are met with Elric's capture. A bargain made with a well intentioned merchant wins Elric his freedom, but only half of him is allowed to escape. Elric restored with his symbiotic blade calls upon unholy aide to finally vanquish his meddlesome sorceress enemy. The final assault brings a grievous death as the dragon caves will no longer have a master. A promise broken and an unwanted soul taken by Elric's hungry companion. Another hollow victory causes Elric much discomfort.
Stormbringer book cover
#6

Stormbringer

1965

Elric of Melnibone, an albino sorcerer, must take up his magically powerful sword, Stormbringer, in order to free his wife Zarozinia, who was kidnapped by demons
Elric at the End of Time book cover
#7

Elric at the End of Time

1984

This book includes two of Moorcock's Elric stories, as well as tales of other Moorcock heroes such as Sojan, and several essays on his craft: - Elric at the End of Time - The Last Enchantment - The Secret Life of Elric of Melnibone - Sojan the Swordsman - New Worlds - Jerry Cornelius - In Lighter Vein - The Stone Thing
The Fortress of the Pearl book cover
#8

The Fortress of the Pearl

1989

Elric, master swordsman of Melnibone, must lay aside his sword and venture into the Realm of Dreams to stop the evil schemes of the Sorceror Emperors of Quarzhasaat
The Revenge of the Rose book cover
#9

The Revenge of the Rose

1991

The Revenge of the Rose is Michael Moorcock's newest, most captivating novel of Elric, the mad albino warrior with the vampire Black Sword. Now, Elric returns on the wings of a dragon to the ruined place of his birth, the Dreaming City. There, in the catacombs of his ancestors, he hears the tortured voice of his dead father. But to save his father's soul from eternal suffering, Elric must battle the princes of Hell itself - and put his faith in the hands of a woman. A woman called the Rose...
The Dreamthief's Daughter book cover
#10

The Dreamthief's Daughter

A Tale of the Albino

2001

As Nazism engulfs the Fatherland, the albino Ulric von Bek, last Count of Bek, battles to keep the dark sword Ravenbrand from being taken by Adolf Hitler... As an unhuman army engulfs Tanelorn, the albino Elric, last sorcerer-king of Melniboné, fights to keep the black sword Stormbringer from being taken by Gaynor the Damned... They both fail. Now, their destinies suddenly entwined with that of Oona, the mysterious Dreamthief's Daughter, Elric and von Bek must become one hero. For the entire Multiverse will be destroyed—unless Elric can summon his dragon kin across space and time to the Battle of Britain, and show the Third Reich what hell on earth truly means...
The White Wolf book cover
#10, 11, 12

The White Wolf

2022

From World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award–winner Michael Moorcock comes the final installment of the Elric of Melnibone series, brought to vivid new life with stunning illustrations. In one of the most well-known and well-loved fantasy epics of the 20th century, Elric is the brooding, albino emperor of the dying Kingdom of Melnibone. After coming into an unnatural, devastating power that felled his enemy Yrkoon and destroyed an entire city, Elric is haunted by the many deaths he caused and sets out on a quest for redemption and renewed purpose. The White Wolf is the final volume in Michael Moorcock’s incredible series, which created fantasy archetypes that have echoed through the genre for generations. Originally published in the 1970s, this book is brought to vivid new life with stunning illustrations from magnificent artists in the fantasy field. Volume 3: The White Wolf The Dreamthief’s Daughter The Skrayling Tree The White Wolf’s Son
The Skrayling Tree book cover
#11

The Skrayling Tree

The Albino in America

2004

Nine by Nine and Three by Three In search of her kidnapped husband, Oona von Bek and the mammoth-riding shaman White Crow must cross Hiawatha's lands of legend to a fabled golden city... We all Seek Looking for the creators of the black sword Stormbringer, Elric of Melnibone journeys to Vinland, where he encounters fierce pygmies in need of an ally... The Skrayling Tree Faced with the task of saving all existence, Count Ulric von Bek must protect a golden city from demons and berserkers. Now three heroes must follow their own fateful paths through space and time-only to meet in a moment of terrible tragedy that may destroy them...and the Multiverse itself.
The White Wolf's Son book cover
#12

The White Wolf's Son

The Albino Underground

2005

- Aspect published the previous novel in the series, The Skrayling Tree, in hardcover (0-446-53104-9) in 2003 and in mass market (0-446-61340-1) in 7/04. The prior novel. The Dreamthief's Daughter (Aspect hardcover, 2001, 0-446-52618-5; mass market, 2002, 0-446-61120-4) received praise from the Washington Post, Denver Post, and Locus, where it was featured on the 2001 Recommended Reading list. - Aspect reissued Moorcock's classic Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen in trade paperback in 8/04. Gloriana won Moorcock the World Fantasy Award, the John W. Campbell Award, and the British Fantasy Award. - Moorcock's Elric the Eternal Champion saga has been optioned by Universal Pictures, with Chris and Paul Weitz (American Pie) producing. - Michael Moorcock is a vanguard author, editor, journalist, critic, and rock musician, who is editor of the controversial magazine New Worlds. A member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, Moorcock has won the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Nebula Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the British Fantasy Award, among others.
The Citadel of Forgotten Myths book cover
#13

The Citadel of Forgotten Myths

2022

Elric along with his companion Moonglum return, in this prequel set within the early days of Elric’s wanderings, in order to investigate the history of Melniboné and its dragons, known as the Phroon, in this exciting new addition to the Elric Saga from World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Moorcock. Elric is the estranged emperor of the Melnibonéan empire, struggling with his nature while desperately striving to move forward with his dying empire alongside the constant thirst of his soul-sucking sword, Stormbringer. Elric is on the hunt for the great Citadel of Forgotten Myths while traveling through the remnants of his empire with his tragic best friend Moonglum, as Elric seeks the answers to the nature of the phroon of The Young Kingdoms. Taking place between the first and second book in the Elric Saga, The Citadel of Forgotten Myths is perfect for longtime fans and those new to this epic fantasy series.
Swords & Dark Magic book cover
#15

Swords & Dark Magic

The New Sword and Sorcery

2010

Seventeen original tales of sword and sorcery penned by masters old and new Elric ... the Black Company ... Majipoor. For years, these have been some of the names that have captured the hearts of generations of readers and embodied the sword and sorcery genre. And now some of the most beloved and bestselling fantasy writers working today deliver stunning all-new sword and sorcery stories in an anthology of small stakes but high action, grim humor mixed with gritty violence, fierce monsters and fabulous treasures, and, of course, swordplay. Don't miss the adventure of the decade! Contents: \- Introduction: Check Your Dark Lord at the Door by Lou Anders & Jonathan Strahan \- Goats of Glory by Steven Erikson \- Tides Elba: A Tale of the Black Company by Glen Cook \- Bloodsport by Gene Wolfe \- The Singing Spear by James Enge \- A Wizard in Wiscezan by C.J. Cherryh \- A Rich Full Week by K.J. Parker \- A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet by Garth Nix \- Red Pearls: An Elric Story by Michael Moorcock \- The Deification of Dal Bamore: A Tale from Echo City by Tim Lebbon \- Dark Times at the Midnight Market by Robert Silverberg \- The Undefiled by Greg Keyes \- Hew the Tintmaster by Michael Shea \- In the Stacks by Scott Lynch \- Two Lions, a Witch, and the War-Robe by Tanith Lee \- The Sea Troll's Daughter by Caitlín R. Kiernan \- Thieves of Daring by Bill Willingham \- The Fool Jobs by Joe Abercrombie
Elric book cover
#3-5

Elric

The Stealer of Souls

2008

“The stories here are the raw heart of Michael Moorcock. They are the spells that first drew me and all the numerous admirers of his work with whom I am acquainted into Moorcock’s luminous and captivating web.”–from the Foreword by Alan Moore, creator of V for VendettaWhen Michael Moorcock began chronicling the adventures of the albino sorcerer Elric, last king of decadent Melniboné, and his sentient vampiric sword, Stormbringer, he set out to create a new kind of fantasy adventure, one that broke with tradition and reflected a more up-to-date sophistication of theme and style. The result was a bold and unique hero–weak in body, subtle in mind, dependent on drugs for the vitality to sustain himself–with great crimes behind him and a greater destiny a rock-and-roll antihero who would channel all the violent excesses of the sixties into one enduring archetype.Now, with a major film in development, here is the first volume of a dazzling collection of stories containing the seminal appearances of Elric and lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist John Picacio–plus essays, letters, maps, and other material. Adventures include “The Dreaming City,” “While the Gods Laugh,” “Kings in Darkness,” “Dead God’s Homecoming,” “Black Sword’s Brothers,” and “Sad Giant’s Shield.” An indispensable addition to any fantasy collection, The Stealer of Souls is an unmatched introduction to a brilliant writer and his most famous–or infamous–creation.“The most significant UK author of sword and sorcery, a form he has both borrowed from and transformed.”–The Encyclopedia of FantasyFrom the Trade Paperback edition.

Author

Michael Moorcock
Michael Moorcock
Author · 134 books

Michael John Moorcock is an English writer primarily of science fiction and fantasy who has also published a number of literary novels. Moorcock has mentioned The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Apple Cart by George Bernard Shaw and The Constable of St. Nicholas by Edward Lester Arnold as the first three books which captured his imagination. He became editor of Tarzan Adventures in 1956, at the age of sixteen, and later moved on to edit Sexton Blake Library. As editor of the controversial British science fiction magazine New Worlds, from May 1964 until March 1971 and then again from 1976 to 1996, Moorcock fostered the development of the science fiction "New Wave" in the UK and indirectly in the United States. His serialization of Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron was notorious for causing British MPs to condemn in Parliament the Arts Council's funding of the magazine. During this time, he occasionally wrote under the pseudonym of "James Colvin," a "house pseudonym" used by other critics on New Worlds. A spoof obituary of Colvin appeared in New Worlds #197 (January 1970), written by "William Barclay" (another Moorcock pseudonym). Moorcock, indeed, makes much use of the initials "JC", and not entirely coincidentally these are also the initials of Jesus Christ, the subject of his 1967 Nebula award-winning novella Behold the Man, which tells the story of Karl Glogauer, a time-traveller who takes on the role of Christ. They are also the initials of various "Eternal Champion" Moorcock characters such as Jerry Cornelius, Jerry Cornell and Jherek Carnelian. In more recent years, Moorcock has taken to using "Warwick Colvin, Jr." as yet another pseudonym, particularly in his Second Ether fiction.

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The Elric Saga