When I was younger the Michael Moorcock books that I read were exactly the fantasy novels that I was looking for – interesting worlds, amazing battles, intrigue, magic, fast pace, varied heros and a huge number of books to discover. I certainly didn’t love everything I read, but some of my favorites were:

Corum Jhaelen Irsei – classic tragic hero Corum, last of his race, helps the Mabden against the Gods.

Dorian Hawkmoon – in a post-apocolypic setting Hawkmoon seeks the magical Runestaff.

Elric of Melniboné – the adventures of Elric – a classic anti-hero, alienated from his people and dependent on a sword that steals souls.

All of these books are part of Moorcock’s Eternal Champion Sequence, a set of books where the ‘heros’ are incarnations of the Eternal Champion and the worlds are part of a multiverse (this occasionally allows the various incarnations to meet – Corum, Hawkmoon and Elric meet in several different books).

I have read very few fantasy books over the last decade and these strike me as a very specific genre/taste – but for me they are fun to occasionally re-visit (Elric and Corum most of all) and I appreciate the imagination, grand scope and adventure!

Rating: 4 of 5
First Read Date: Late 1980s

Moorcock’s Miscellany – a great site where Michael Moorcock (“Mike”) actively and frequently participates in the forums – this is a fun place to visit if you have any interest in Michael Moorcock.

CM