The Tale of the Eternal Champion
The “definitive” series
Phoenix in Obsidian † and The Dragon in the Sword ‡ list many of the incarnations of the Eternal Champion. Here’s an alphabetical list that I made some years ago based on these (it includes some names that I haven’t – yet – been able to corroborate re-reading the novels).
Some of these are the protagonists of Moorcock’s tales, others are Moorcock’s inventions that have not (yet) made an appearance, and others are historical and mythical figures that Moorcock has co-opted.
(Those in bold type are the protagonists of stories listed below. And thanks to Mike * and Guy Lawley ** for identifying the appearances of some of the more obscure avatars.)
- Alerik †
- Alivale
- Konrad Arflane †
- Artos † [the Celt] – the “historical” King Arthur?
- Asquiol of Pompeii † (The Sundered Worlds) *
- Aubec of Kaneloon †
- von Bek † – Graf Ulrich von Bek and his descendants
- Brian †
- Clen [of Clen Gar] † – appears in the graphic novel The Swords of Heaven, the Flowers of Hell; storyline by Michael Moorcock, finished script and artwork by Howard Chaykin **
- Clovis Marca † (The Twilight Man/The Shores of Death) * – Clovis Marca is renamed Clovis Becker in the White Wolf omnibus edition
- Cornelius † – i.e., Jerry Cornelius, maybe others
- Cornell † – probably not the Jerry Cornell of The Chinese Agent
- Corum Jhaelen Irsei † ‡
- John Daker † ‡
- Elric Womanslayer †
- Erekosë, Champion of Humanity, who bore the Black Blade † ‡
- Franik
- Goldberg
- Dorian Hawkmoon ‡
- Ilanth
- Ilian of Garathorm ‡
- Michael Kane (of Old Mars)
- Klan † — from an aborted series started in Tarzan Adventures … which never went anywhere *
- Malan’ni ‡
- Mejink-La-Cos †
- M’v Okom Sebpt O’Riley, Gunholder of the Qui Lors Venturers
- Oshbek-Uy †
- Pournachas †
- (Alan) Powys † (The Fireclown/The Winds of Limbo) *
- Rashono ‡
- Roland – from the mediæval epic The Song of Roland, with his sword Durandana
- Ryan † (The Black Corridor)
- Shaleen †
- Sojan †
- Ulysses † – from Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey
- Umpata †
- Urlik Skarsol †
- Ghardas Valabasian, Conqueror of Distant Suns
Millennium published new, omnibus editions of Moorcock’s Eternal Champion stories during 1992 and 1993; versions of all but one of these were published later in the US by White Wolf, in a different order, with some stories redistributed among the volumes, and with two completely new volumes.
The Millennium series doesn’t include all Eternal Champion tales: it omits the Kane of Old Mars stories. What’s more, some volumes comprise tales that aren’t normally considered part of the Eternal Champion series, or include only some (crossover) stories that are. While it includes most of Moorcock’s and others’ Jerry Cornelius short stories (in The New Nature of the Catastrophe), it includes none of the Jerry Cornelius quartet or other Commedia novels. The White Wolf series excludes Cornelius but includes Kane, and adds a volume of other novels framed as von Bek stories.
The original Millennium editions also suffered from poor copy editing, from small ytpsettinç errors to the omission of all but one chapter of a novel that should have been included in one volume. The later UK paperback editions (from Millennium/Orion/Gollancz) corrected at least some of these errors; the US editions were further revised.
My original intention was to list the Millennium editions, which I own, but the White Wolf series is, I think, the better.
The Eternal Champion
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The Eternal Champion, Vol. 1
(omnibus, White Wolf 1995; previously published as [2] The Eternal Champion Millennium 1992). |
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| The Eternal Champion (?1957; Dell 1970) |
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| The Sundered Worlds (SF Adventures 1962-3, Compact 1965 US) | ||
| Phoenix in Obsidian (Mayflower 1970) | ||
| “To Rescue Tanelorn” (Science-Fantasy #56 December 1962, first printing of the complete text in The Bane of the Black Sword DAW 1977) | ||
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The Eternal Champion and Phoenix in Obsidian are slightly revised, and The Eternal Champion contains the forward from the revised 1978 Harper & Row edition. The Millennium edition omits The Sundered Worlds and “To Rescue Tanelorn” but includes The Dragon in the Sword. |
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von Bek
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Von Bek: The Eternal Champion Vol. 2
(omnibus, White Wolf 1995; previously published as [1] Von Bek Millennium 1992) |
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| The War Hound and the World’s Pain (Timescape 1981) |
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| The City in the Autumn Stars (Grafton 1986) | ||
| The Dragon in the Sword (Ace 1986) | ||
| “The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius” (New Worlds September 1965 as by James Colvin) | ||
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The short story is slightly revised as a von Bek story for this series. The Millennium edition omits The Dragon In The Sword, which was included in its The Eternal Champion. |
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The Roads Between the Worlds: The Eternal Champion Vol. 6
(omnibus, White Wolf 1996) |
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| The Wrecks of Time (Ace 1967) |
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| The Winds of Limbo (Compact 1965 as The Fireclown) – Alan Powys | ||
| The Shores of Death (Compact 1965 as The Twilight Man) – Clovis Becker (aka Clovis Marca) | ||
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Framing passages tie the novels into the Eternal Champion theme through Renark von Bek. Omitted from the Millennium series. |
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Hawkmoon
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Hawkmoon: The Eternal Champion Vol. 3
(omnibus, White Wolf 1995; previously published as [3] Hawkmoon Millennium 1992) |
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| The Jewel in the Skull (Lancer 1967) |
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| The Mad God’s Amulet ; previously published as Sorcerer’s Amulet) (Lancer 1968) | ||
| The Sword of the Dawn ; previously published as Sword of the Dawn) (Lancer 1968) | ||
| The Runestaff ; previously published as The Secret of the Runestaff) (Lancer 1969) | ||
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Reprint of The History of the Runestaff (omnibus, Granada 1979), each using the slightly revised US text of the 1977 DAW editions. |
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Count Brass
(omnibus, White Wolf 1996; previously published as [14] Count Brass Millennium 1993) |
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| Count Brass (Mayflower 1973) |
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| The Champion of Garathorm (Mayflower 1973) | ||
| The Quest for Tanelorn (Mayflower 1975) | ||
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Reprint of The Chronicles of Castle Brass (omnibus, Granada 1985). |
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Oswald Bastable
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A Nomad of the Time Streams
(omnibus, White Wolf 1997; previously published as [6] A Nomad of the Time Streams Millennium 1993) |
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| The Warlord of the Air (NEL 1971) |
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| The Land Leviathan (Quartet 1974) | ||
| The Steel Tsar (Granada 1981) | ||
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An earlier omnibus comprising the original versions of these novels was published as The Nomad of Time (SFBC 1984). Moorcock substantially rewrote and expanded all three books for this edition, the third (The Steel Tsar) extensively. Oswald Bastable is not generally considered to be an avatar of the Eternal Champion. |
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Elric of Melniboné
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Elric: Song of the Black Sword
(omnibus, White Wolf 1995; previously published as [8] Elric of Melniboné Millennium 1993) |
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| Elric of Melniboné (Hutchinson 1972, cut vt The Dreaming City 1972 US). Comprises three untitled books. |
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| The Fortress of the Pearl (Gollancz 1989) | ||
The Sailor on the Seas of Fate (Quartet 1976)
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| “The Dreaming City” (Science Fantasy February 1961, The Stealer of Souls (collection Neville Spearman 1963), The Weird of the White Wolf (collection DAW 1977 US)) | ||
| “While the Gods Laugh” (Science Fantasy April 1961; The Stealer of Souls (collection Neville Spearman 1963), The Weird of the White Wolf (collection DAW 1977 US)) | ||
| “The Singing Citadel” (The Fantastic Swordsmen ed. L. Sprague de Camp (anthology 1967 US), The Singing Citadel (collection Mayflower 1970), The Weird of the White Wolf (collection DAW 1977 US)) | ||
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The Millennium edition has a shorter introduction. |
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Elric: The Stealer of Souls
(omnibus, White Wolf 1998; previously published as [12] Stormbringer Millennium 1993) |
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The Sleeping Sorceress (1971; vt The Vanishing Tower 1977 US)
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The Revenge of the Rose (1991 as The Revenge of the Rose: A Tale of the Albino Prince in the Years of his Wandering)
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| “The Stealer of Souls” (Science Fantasy February 1962, The Stealer of Souls (collection Neville Spearman 1963), The Bane of the Black Sword (collection DAW 1977 US)) | ||
| “Kings in Darkness” by Michael Moorcock & James Cawthorn (Science Fantasy August 1962, The Stealer of Souls (collection Neville Spearman 1963), The Bane of the Black Sword (collection DAW 1977 US)) | ||
| “The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams” (Science Fantasy October 1962 as “The Flame Bringers”, The Stealer of Souls (collection Neville Spearman 1963) and The Bane of the Black Sword (collection DAW 1977 US)) | ||
Stormbringer (cut Herbet Jenkins 1965; restored and revised DAW 1977 US)
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| “Elric: A Reader’s Guide” by John Davey, adapted from Michael Moorcock: A Reader’s Guide (1991/2) | ||
Corum Jhaelen Irsei
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Corum: The Coming of Chaos
(omnibus, White Wolf 1995; previously published as [4] Corum Millennium 1992) |
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| The Knight of the Swords (Mayflower 1971) |
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| The Queen of the Swords (Berkley 1971) | ||
| The King of the Swords (Berkley 1971) | ||
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Reprint of The Swords of Corum (omnibus, Grafton 1986). |
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Corum: The Prince with the Silver Hand
(omnibus, White Wolf 1996; previously published as [10] The Prince with the Silver Hand Millennium 1993) |
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| The Bull and the Spear (Allison & Busby 1973) |
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| The Oak and the Ram (Allison & Busby 1973) | ||
| The Sword and the Stallion (Berkley 1974) | ||
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Reprint of The Chronicles of Corum (omnibus, Berkley 1978). |
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Konrad Arflane and others
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Sailing to Utopia
(omnibus, White Wolf 1997; previously published as [5] Sailing to Utopia Millennium 1993) |
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| The Ice Schooner ([publisher] 1966, Berkley 1969) – Konrad Arflane |
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| The Black Corridor by Michael Moorcock & Hilary Bailey (Mayflower 1969) – Ryan | ||
| The Distant Suns by Michael Moorcock & James Cawthorn [as Philip James] (Unicorn 1975) – Jerry Cornelius (another one) | ||
| “Flux” by Michael Moorcock & Barrington J. Bayley (New Worlds, July 1963) – Max von Bek | ||
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Each of the novels is slightly revised and The Distant Suns omits the illustrations by Jim Cawthorn; “Flux” is revised to fit into the von Bek series. The collaborations are mentioned only in the foreword. The 1997 White Wolf edition has further corrections and adds illustrations by Rick Berry. |
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Michael Kane
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Kane of Old Mars
(omnibus, White Wolf 1998. |
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| City of the Beast (Compact 1965 as Warriors of Mars by Edward P. Bradbury) |
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| Lord of the Spiders (Compact 1965 as Blades of Mars by Edward P. Bradbury) | ||
| Masters of the Pit (Compact 1965 as Barbarians of Mars by Edward P. Bradbury) | ||
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Reprint of Warriors of Mars (NEL 1981). Moorcock wrote these Mars novels in homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs. Omitted from the Millennium series. |
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The End of Time
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The Dancers at the End of Time
(omnibus, White Wolf 1998; previously published as [7] The Dancers at the End of Time Millennium 1993) |
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| An Alien Heat (MacGibbon & Kee 1972) |
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| The Hollow Lands (Harper & Row 1974) | ||
| The End of all Songs (Harper & Row 1976) | ||
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Reprint of the 1981 Granada omnibus. The books were slightly revised for this edition. |
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Legends from the End of Time
(omnibus, White Wolf 199?; previously published as [11] Legends from the End of Time Millennium 1993) |
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| “Pale Roses” (New Worlds 7, ed. Hilary Bailey & Charles Platt, anthology, Sphere 1974) |
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| “White Stars” (New Worlds 8, ed. Hilary Bailey, anthology, Sphere 1975) | ||
| “Ancient Shadows” (New Worlds 9, ed. Hilary Bailey, anthology, Corgi 1975) | ||
| Constant Fire ; previously published as The Transformation of Miss Mavis Ming, W. H. Allen 1977) | ||
| Elric: “Elric at the End of Time” (Elsewhere volume 1 ed. Teri Windling & Mark Alan Arnold (Ace 1981), Elric at the End of Time, collection [publisher] 1984) | ||
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Reprint of Legends from the End of Time (collection, Harper & Row 1976). The omnibus edition adds Elric at the End of Time and the novel Constant Fire. The Millennium edition erroneously included only a chapter from the novel, confusingly entitled “Constant Fire” (the title of the original novella on which the novel was based). The Millennium omnibus omits the last few lines of “Elric at the End of Time”, which were those on the final page of the Paper Tiger edition: Jagged waved a modest hand. |
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Earl Aubec and others
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Earl Aubec and Other Stories
(collection, White Wolf 199?; previously published as [13] Earl Aubec and Other Stories Millennium 1993) |
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| 1. THE BEGINNING |
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| “Earl Aubec” (Fantastic May 1964 as “Master of Chaos”) | ||
| Elric: “Jesting with Chaos” (Ariel v3 1978 as “The Last Enchantment”) | ||
| “The Greater Conqueror” (Science-Fantasy #58 1963) | ||
| 2. THE MIDDLE | ||
| “Going Home” (Science Fiction Adventures (UK) #25 1962) | ||
| “Hanging the Fool” (Tarot Tales, ed. Rachel Pollack & Caitlin Matthews, Legend 1989) | ||
| “Consuming Passion” (New Worlds April 1966) | ||
| “Wolf” (The Deep Fix, Compact 1966, as by James Colvin) | ||
| “Environment Problem” (Space #1, ed. Richard Davis, [publisher?] 1973) | ||
| “The Opium General” (The Opium General, Harper & Row 1984) | ||
| “A Dead Singer” (Factions, ed. Giles Gordon & Alex Hamilton 1974) | ||
| “The Lovebeast” (The Deep Fix, Compact 1966, as by James Colvin) | ||
| “The Ruins” (New Worlds April 1966, as by James Colvin) | ||
| The Golden Barge: A Fable (Savoy 1979) | ||
| “The Deep Fix” (Science-Fantasy #64 1964, as by James Colvin) | ||
| “The Real Life Mr Newman (Adventures of the Dead Astronaut)” (The Deep Fix, Compact 1966, as by James Colvin; revised) | ||
| “Good-Bye, Miranda”(vignette, New Worlds July/August 1964) | ||
| “Islands” (New Worlds September 1963 as “Not by Mind Alone”) | ||
SOME REMINISCENCES OF THE 3RD WORLD WAR
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| “Mars” (Megaflow Manifesto October 1988) | ||
| “The Frozen Cardinal” (Other Edens, ed. Christopher Evans & Robert Holdstock, Unwin 1987) | ||
| “Peace on Earth” by Michael Moorcock & Barrington Bayley (New Worlds December 1959 as by James Colvin & Barrington Bailey) | ||
| 3. THE END | ||
| “The Mountain” (Boys World #21, New Worlds February 1965 as by James Colvin) | ||
| “The Time Dweller” (New Worlds February 1964) | ||
| “Escape from Evening” (New Worlds March 1965) | ||
| “Waiting for the End of Time…” (Vision of Tomorrow August 1970 as “The Last Vigil”) | ||
| AND SOMEWHERE ELSE | ||
| “The Stone Thing: A Tale of Strange Parts” (Triode October 1974) | ||
| “The Last Call” (Fantasy Tales #17 1987) | ||
| “My Life” (You Always Remember the First Time, ed. B.S. Johnson & Giles Gordon, Michael Joseph 1975) | ||
| “The Museum of the Future: Homage to H.G. Wells and The Time Machine, 1895” (The Daily Telegraph August 17 1990) | ||
| AND ANOTHER BEGINNING… | ||
| “Sir Milk & Blood” (Michael Moorcock’s Pawn of Chaos: Tales of the Eternal Champion, ed. Edward E. Kramer, White Wolf 1996) | ||
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The Millennium edition omits “Sir Milk & Blood”; in its place it has “To Rescue Tanelorn…” (which White Wolf includes in The Eternal Champion Vol. 1). |
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