Favourite Eternal Champion??

[mellobiafra]

Cornelius takes it for me without a thought! The Cornelius Chronicles are the only works by Moorcock that threaten to become more than just entertaining and could be argued are real literature.

[I, Brian]

Hi mellobiafra, and welcome to the chronicles network.

[mellobiafra]

Thank You, glad to be here!

[Loch_Etive]

Hard question. Having not read them all yet, I'd be inclined not to answer. Though I think Oswald Bastable (Nomad of the Time Streams) deserves a mention he's a jolly good sort!

[Jerry]

No contest - has to be my namesake, doesn't it? (same initials too, but not the same surname). The Cornelius Chronicles were my first introduction to Moorcock and remain my favourites - dammit I even enjoyed the film of The Final Programme! (note: I didn't say it was any good, just that I enjoyed it... )

[speedingslug]

I was going to say Hawkmoon but now think Corum.
It's been many years since reading them, I read mos but just didn't fancy the Jerry Cornelius ones

[j. d. worthington]

I'll have to go for Elric, I suppose, though J. C. is a very close second (and why not? the first chapters of The Final Programme were rewritings in contemporary terms of the first published Elric stories -- "The Dreaming City" in Science Fantasy for June, 1961; and "While the Gods Laugh" in Science Fantasy for October, 1961). However, it should be noted that virtually all Moorcock's fiction has been subsumed into the cycle at this point, not simply his fantasy work, nor even fantasy and sf. This tends to complicate things for people new to his work, but I think I understand why he has done it. And his versatility is, to me, one of the fascinating things about what he writes; one can never quite predict what his next piece will be like, except that he has grown into an excellent novelist over the years (Mother London, Blood, The Brothel in Rosenstrasse, the Pyat novels). Sometime I'd like to start a nice discussion of how he's handled some of his themes as his views have changed -- and even his non-fiction writings are closely tied in with the issues he explores in his fiction. Been a while since I visited Moorcock extensively, and I haven't read anything he's published in the last 2-3 years, so I ought to buckle down and start that again. As they say, so many books, so little time......

[Snowdog]

It used to be Hawkmoon. I liked the Hawkmoon books most when I was younger, but later it became Corum because his story is so tragic.

[Brys]

Originally Posted by mellobiafra

Cornelius takes it for me without a thought! The Cornelius Chronicles are the only works by Moorcock that threaten to become more than just entertaining and could be argued are real literature.

I haven't read these, but I'd heard that Mother London (and its sequel), Gloriana (which I have read), the Pyat Quartet and the Cornelius Quartet all deserve to be considered real literature - though they're only loosely linked to the multiverse and eternal champion.

Hawkmoon is probably my favourite of the Eternal Champion series at the moment.

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Brys

I haven't read these, but I'd heard that Mother London (and its sequel), Gloriana (which I have read), the Pyat Quartet and the Cornelius Quartet all deserve to be considered real literature - though they're only loosely linked to the multiverse and eternal champion.

Hawkmoon is probably my favourite of the Eternal Champion series at the moment.

Gloriana isn't a sequel to Mother London, though, as said, nearly all Moorcock's work is interconnected. But, yes, these I'd say do fit the bill.

[Brys]

I know Gloriana isn't - but I can't remember the title of Mother London's sequel - I wasn't particularly clear, but Gloriana is one of those that can be considered real literature.

[j. d. worthington]

The title you're probably looking for is King of the City, which is touted as a sequel to Mother London, though Moorcock has denied it being so. I haven't yet had a chance to read that one (or, for that matter, anything else he's published in the past 3 years or so), but the little I have read would seem to support his claim; although (obviously) it is centered around the same themes/concerns as the rest of his work and, since it's set in contemporary London, perhaps that's what earned it this description.

[Tau Zero]

I love them all, really. But Corum was always my favorite. I think he relied on his own powers (and a couple Gods') to accomplish his tasks. Elric, a close seond, had the wonderful device of Stormbringer. Who was master? The Sword or Elric? Part of the fun, of course, but i think that's why i liked Corum just a little bit better.

[gudspud]

Mine has to be Dorian Hawkmoon. It not him as the main character but Baron Meladius and the rest of the English lords. I must admit I have a fondness for the eternal champion as he was a staple deit in my youth but the image of a wolf helmed maniac ridding across a war torn europe still stirs the imagination

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by gudspud

Mine has to be Dorian Hawkmoon. It not him as the main character but Baron Meladius and the rest of the English lords. I must admit I have a fondness for the eternal champion as he was a staple deit in my youth but the image of a wolf helmed maniac ridding across a war torn europe still stirs the imagination

Did you ever see the comic version with illustrations by James Cawthorn? He did several things with Moorcock, including a juvenile Jerry Cornelius titled The Distant Suns. His art is a very interesting and appropriate interpretation of Moorcock's fantasy.