[Nesacat]

It's a close tie between Elric of Melnibone and Ulrich von Bek but I'll go with Elric first. The Elric books were my first proper introduction to Moorcock and it was him that made me look out for the rest of them.

He's such a different sort of hero. An albino prince who is doomed and who's motives are often less than noble. Has a sword without which he's absolutely weak and you wonder who exactly is the master in this relationship. There's some of the old sword and sorcery magic of writers like Robert Howard but you also have a much more human hero.

I met Ulrich von Bek in Warhound and the World's Pain. An old friend had given me the book in my first year of law school and I remember being very drawn to the story and the role of Lucifer. But Lovecraft and his works happened and I went back to Von Bek only after reading Elric.