Moorcock's Eternal Champion/Elric/Stormbringer novels

[Andyr]

Has anyone read these?

 

I'm looking into getting them, though am having difficulties finding out which is actually the first in the series. Several different Wikipedia pages and fansites have inconsistent information, and the one I thought was first (Elric of Melnibone) seems to be in fact the 8th, if the back cover as shown on Amazon is anything to go by. It also appears some of them have been republished with different titles, which is further adding to my confusion...

[Guest Erik]

Um. Moorcock is/has been confusingly voluminous - and organized his books later on.

 

"Elric of Melnibone" is the first of the Elric stories, but not the first in his greater "The Eternal Champion" story cycle. "Stormbringer" is one of the later Elric stories, and is probably included in the "Elric" omnibus.

 

For some reason, "Von Bek" has become the first omnibus in the greater story cycle. Specifically beginning with "The War Hound and the World's Pain".

 

The "Von Bek" stories are mainly written ten, fifteen years later, though.

 

And the Eternal Champion story cycle is not all that chronological.

 

So, start wherever you like, really. Each of the omnibuses should make a fair amount of sense on their own, and doesn't really have all that much to do with each other - apart from underlying themes.

 

Did that make sense? *chuckle*

[Andyr]

Heh, at least I'm meant to be slightly confused. Thanks!

[Guest KSR]

Has anyone read these?

 

I'm looking into getting them, though am having difficulties finding out which is actually the first in the series. Several different Wikipedia pages and fansites have inconsistent information, and the one I thought was first (Elric of Melnibone) seems to be in fact the 8th, if the back cover as shown on Amazon is anything to go by. It also appears some of them have been republished with different titles, which is further adding to my confusion...

 

 

Yes there have been many changes to titles as they have been repackaged/republished. It wont really matter which series you begin with, there is elements of interweaving characters and story lines throughout many of the eternal champion books. I myself started with the hawkmoon series of books (History of the Runestaff) and then the count brass chronicles as there was a close continuity of characters with them. Elric and corum series can be read on there own, and as you will see if you read them all there is the interweaving aspect i mentioned above (dont wont to give anything away:-)

 

After moorcock wrote the 'core' eternal champion favourties he released additional characters in his novels: von bek being one i recall and the eternal champion (the one character who remembers all incarnations of the champion) - these were repositioned if you will to the beginning of his eternal champion series, hence elric and others being bumped up this new list.

 

Moorcock's eternal champion characters are considered to be classics nowadays, and i definitely recommend them to anyone who is interested in the genre of fantasy. Start with Elric or Hawkmoon based books and im sure you will be back here posting that youre about to buy the whole series! :-)

 

Enjoy

 

KSR