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imperial dwarf · 01-20-2003, 10:08 AM

Oi pard, that's a difficult question you ask, let's see if I can help you.

Moorcock has written lots of series staring different heroes, some of whom appear in trilogies(Corum, Hawkmoon), single stories(the von Beks) or a vast assembly of stories and novels(Elric). They're all linked in that they live in the Multiverse and are all incarnations of the CHAMPION ETERNAL, which fights in his or her respective world against or with the two fundamental powers, Chaos and Order. The ultimate goal is to strike a balance between these two forces. And the different tales of the different aspects of the champion form the tale of the Champion Eternal.

Ahh...hope that makes some sense

. There is no proper place to start, just pick out the books dealing with one specific hero to read a coherent story.
The main heroes are Dorian Hawkmoon, Corum, Elric, Erekose, the family von Bek, Jherek Carnelian, Oswald Bastable and Jerry Cornelius.

Concerning Elric:
Ace has the pre 90s Elric stuff out in a series of 6 slim volumes which fit perfectly into a coat pocket, and thus make it a fine travel reading

, besides sporting some very nice art by Robert Gould. However, purchasing all six is a considerable strain on the purse.
The titles are as follows: “Elric of Melnibone”, “Sailor on the Seas of Fate”, “The Weird of the White Wolf”, “The Vanishing Tower”, “Bane of the Black Sword” and “Stormbringer”.
That edition misses two Elric stories that Moorcock did in the 90s, to wit, “Fortress of the Pearl” and “Revenge of the Rose” which are taking place somewhere within the series and are, I believe, no longer available as single volumes. It is, however, questionable whether they are necessary for enjoying Elric as they were written a long time after the original stories and differ in style and content. Many people, in fact, stick to the old stories and I personally would advise these as a start, the other two are really a bit advanced. Moorcock unearthes the Albino from time to time to use him as a vessel for ideas and thoughts he has, quite interesting, but far away from the original spirit (even now he’s writing another trilogy featuring him

).

Gollancz and White Wolf both have published all Elric stories in two hefty volumes except for a short story("Elric at the end of Time") that appears elsewhere. “Song of the Black Sword” and “Stealer of Souls” are the White Wolf titles and “Elric of Melnibone” and “Stormbringer” Gollancz’.
These are doorstoppers and both editions have their faults. The Gollanczes are not high quality, seem quite fragile and imo appear ugly, White Wolf uses the big paperback sizes and horrible covers...yet both editions are a lot cheaper than the six single volumes.
The decision is yours

Well, pard, hope that helps a bit, sorry for the lenghty explanations, MM is a topic I could talk days about

.

01-20-2003, 10:08 AM	#9
imperial dwarf Elite Waterdeep Guard Join Date: May 31, 2001 Location: Berlin Age: 43 Posts: 42	Oi pard, that's a difficult question you ask, let's see if I can help you. Moorcock has written lots of series staring different heroes, some of whom appear in trilogies(Corum, Hawkmoon), single stories(the von Beks) or a vast assembly of stories and novels(Elric). They're all linked in that they live in the Multiverse and are all incarnations of the CHAMPION ETERNAL, which fights in his or her respective world against or with the two fundamental powers, Chaos and Order. The ultimate goal is to strike a balance between these two forces. And the different tales of the different aspects of the champion form the tale of the Champion Eternal. Ahh...hope that makes some sense . There is no proper place to start, just pick out the books dealing with one specific hero to read a coherent story. The main heroes are Dorian Hawkmoon, Corum, Elric, Erekose, the family von Bek, Jherek Carnelian, Oswald Bastable and Jerry Cornelius. Concerning Elric: Ace has the pre 90s Elric stuff out in a series of 6 slim volumes which fit perfectly into a coat pocket, and thus make it a fine travel reading, besides sporting some very nice art by Robert Gould. However, purchasing all six is a considerable strain on the purse. The titles are as follows: “Elric of Melnibone”, “Sailor on the Seas of Fate”, “The Weird of the White Wolf”, “The Vanishing Tower”, “Bane of the Black Sword” and “Stormbringer”. That edition misses two Elric stories that Moorcock did in the 90s, to wit, “Fortress of the Pearl” and “Revenge of the Rose” which are taking place somewhere within the series and are, I believe, no longer available as single volumes. It is, however, questionable whether they are necessary for enjoying Elric as they were written a long time after the original stories and differ in style and content. Many people, in fact, stick to the old stories and I personally would advise these as a start, the other two are really a bit advanced. Moorcock unearthes the Albino from time to time to use him as a vessel for ideas and thoughts he has, quite interesting, but far away from the original spirit (even now he’s writing another trilogy featuring him ). Gollancz and White Wolf both have published all Elric stories in two hefty volumes except for a short story("Elric at the end of Time") that appears elsewhere. “Song of the Black Sword” and “Stealer of Souls” are the White Wolf titles and “Elric of Melnibone” and “Stormbringer” Gollancz’. These are doorstoppers and both editions have their faults. The Gollanczes are not high quality, seem quite fragile and imo appear ugly, White Wolf uses the big paperback sizes and horrible covers...yet both editions are a lot cheaper than the six single volumes. The decision is yours Well, pard, hope that helps a bit, sorry for the lenghty explanations, MM is a topic I could talk days about . __________________ Nächstens mehr.