How Elric Became the Patron Saint of Rebellious Youth || Part 5, Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion

This is the fifth installment in my series of videos exploring Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion saga. Elric of Melnibone, was a rebel on and off the page. An agent of Chaos in his own story, he flouted the standard tropes of the fantasy genre in our world when he first appeared in print more than 60 years ago. This is a brief overview of Elric's literary origins, his existence as Moorcock's alter-ego, and his impact on the genre. I also provide a suggested reading order.
0:55 Elric's Origins
7:56 The Tragic Hero
13:04 Reading Elric
20:29 Elric's Impact
Links to my previous four Eternal Champion videos:
Part 1: Overview - • Michael Moorcock's Ete...
Part 2: Where to Start (Erekose, John Daker, Von Bek) - • Michael Moorcock's Ete...
Part 3: Hawkmoon - • Michael Moorcock's Ete...
Part 4: Oswald Bastable/Steampunk Roots - • Who Put the "Punk" in ...
I have a Ko-Fi.com page if you enjoy my videos and would like to buy me a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/thel...
#booktubesff #fantasy #multiverse #booktube
Artwork credits:
Michael Whelan
Robert Gould
Yoshitaka Amano
Brom
Tom Kidd
Piotr Jablonski
Grant Griffin
Bastien Lecouffe Deharme
Tyler Jacobsen
Tim Conrad
John Picacio
Alex Chen
Chris Quilliams
ghostbow [deviantart]
Lao Wa [deviantart]
Montanimagenes
A. Gyllstrom

[@themangog7900]

A new Library Ladder video is always a treat but a new Library Ladder video about Elric has made my day :)

[@Leopard589]

@@themangog7900 same here.

[@andreamauriziomedici6306]

Elric and the Eternal Champion have had a deep impact on me and even how I see the world.

[@thelibraryladder]

I think Moorcock would be thrilled to hear that. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@murph_archer1129]

Elric is a titan of the genre for sure. My dream is that some of Moorcocks other works get some high quality hardbacks so that other readers might give them a try. Fantastic video as always

[@JimmyDaKoik]

There’s a new hardback edition of the Von Bek tales coming in December

[@murph_archer1129]

@@JimmyDaKoik where do I find any info on this? Haven't found anything after a quick Google search

[@thelibraryladder]

It's being published by Saga Press and is listed on Amazon. The cover art for it is a headscratcher, though. The character featured on the cover isn't Von Bek -- instead, it's Erekose, a different Eternal Champion. It's going to confuse people, because the same illustration by Yoshitaka Amano was previously used as the cover for Volume 1 of the 1990s omnibus edition titled The Eternal Champion (which contained the Erekose and John Daker stories).

[@joemountains1539]

Hello! Excellent point, and your biblio history is wonderful and accurate. Blame me, I’m the editor of these editions. I spent several months trying to track down Amano/his agent(s) to no avail. A lot of this art was not archived properly and is lost. Gollancz didn’t have it to share either. So, this piece was the closest but, yes, a mitigation. Much of my efforts beyond popular artists like Brom and Whelan who have robust archival systems, has been a combination of archaeology and connections through Mike and the community. As I only wanted to use the older art, I have had limitations upon my wish list. Still, it’ll be a proper omnibus of just the two novels, as Mike prefers, with new maps showing the journeys within each novel. And the inside jacket will have the original UK Achillos art printed upon it. And there will be audio editions for the first time.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for the background info! I love that you're bringing more of Moorcock's works back into print in trade hardcover editions (as opposed to very pricey limited editions with tiny print runs). And audiobooks too! The Von Bek stories are among my favorites by him, so I'm happy that more people might have an opportunity to enjoy them. I also love that you're focusing on the older, classic artwork that defined the characters for many readers. That's a real shame about the lack of archiving of Amano's works. I think he and Bob Gould best captured the abstract strangeness of Moorcock's creations in their artwork, while Whelan and Brom provided more tangible and muscular versions in theirs. Thanks again!

[@tasosalexiadis7748]

Blood and souls for my Lord Arioch.

[@BMikeGalloway]

Stormbringer ~ " Alas, poor Elric, I was a thousand times more evil than thou."

[@Alkemisti]

I have never read Moorcock, but based on this video, I have a hunch I might like it.

[@thelibraryladder]

I hope you do! Thanks for watching.

[@Leopard589]

@@Alkemisti that is literally the Library Ladder effect. 😂 my coworkers and I watch it at work during our lunch breaks. He make the information easy to understand

[@Alkemisti]

@@Leopard589 I usually watch this channel in the late evening or night before bed, when all the day's work is done, sipping some tea.

[@Leopard589]

@@Alkemisti exactly bro. It’s so relaxing with a hot drink and etc

[@BMikeGalloway]

You won't regret it at ALL. 😊

[@GrumpyScotsman]

The library ladder always brightens my day when a new video is released. Moorcock is my go-to author when I can't decide what to read on a rainy day.

[@HellBoy-id6ss]

As an emotionally immature person, I've always loved the Conan stories and never saw them as simplistic power fantasies.. Conan is definitely a Nietzschean ideal.. interesting how Nietzsche's final spiritual stage is the child.. Conan and Elric have more in common than Moorcock would like to admit.. if Conan met Elric I'm sure he would bitch slap him and say " stop being a whiny little bitch and live your life in the moment and don't apologize for your choices"..

[@thelibraryladder]

Great point! You may be right about that. :D

[@dudeboydudeboy-zj8kd]

Conan going full shonen MC on Elric 😂😂.

[@kdj3000]

Your Moorcock videos are what drew me to the Eternal Champion Saga as a whole. I am grateful. Your channel is always informative and a joy.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thank you! I'm so glad you find my videos useful.

[@classicsfwithandyjohnson]

A brilliant video neatly summarising some wonderful stories. Elric is, as you say, essential reading.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@jakecarlstad6192]

I'm happy for more Moorcock content!!

[@redesignedbydelicia3052]

I have just found your KZbin and I’m addicted. I’m a book reseller but just love books. Altho not very well read, not a lot of free time lol, I find your videos fascinating and your book collection admirable. You have a wonderful way of talking about books! Thank you.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thank you for your very kind comment! It's always nice to meet another book lover, and I'm glad you're enjoying my videos. I'll have a new one up in a couple of days.

[@nyarparablepsis872]

My teenage self feels hugely validated. Elric was the hero of those years! I had the fortune to get into the stories through the German Herder omnibus in the 90s, which presented the books chronologically and added the beautiful old black and white illustrations. ...have you considered making a video about the Eternal Companion? I've always felt that the champion really needs the companion to be complete, both as a character and a literary creation. Jhary-a-Conel and Moonglum do a lot of heavy lifting. Anyways, thank you for this video. I have lots of different editions, and this really helped making sense of the publications.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! That's a great suggestion about the Eternal Companion(s). Prior to the 1990s omnibus editions, I found the Elric saga daunting to read, because I wasn't quite sure about the reading order, due to the practice of some publishers to change the titles and contents of their paperback editions.

[@thefoxialbunny]

Thank you so much, sir, for one more Moorcock video! You're light about this content on the internet.

[@JeffJacquesmd]

I found Elric right after I'd read Zelasny's original Corwin series. Corwin and Elric significantly impacted my main D&D characters, and to some degree the way I interpreted the world in my late teens and early 20s. Brilliant, tortured characters. Thank you for this video, now I have to see if you've made a video on the Amber novels. BTW, what lovely and evocative cover artwork SciFi and Fantasy novels had in the 60s, 70s and 80s!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! There's a lot of overlap between Amber and the Eternal Champion saga in their conceptions of a multiverse and in how their protagonists navigate the central conflict between order and chaos. I plan to do a retrospective of Zelazny's works in the future.

[@phillipcarson2544]

Yyyyessss! A new video. And it’s about Moorcock? Even better. Don’t have time to watch it now. But let’s just go ahead and leave a like….

[@norbertsuselessknowledge]

Yet again, another great video. Elric is one of my all time fave characters in fantasy literature, and I have not even finished reading all of the Elric stories! Also, Elric is not just crucial for all the other literary works and characters he inspired, but also for rock/metal music: Cirith Ungol, Hawkwind, Blue Oyster Cult, Grand Magus, Eternal Champion, Domine, just to name a few. Thanks again for the video!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! You're right about Elric's broader influence across different media. I neglected to discuss his connections to music and comic books/graphic novels in this video, as I had mentioned them in my earlier, introductory Moorcock video. Thanks for filling in that omission. :)

[@rogueinsiderpodcast]

The Elric series really is amazing. I'm reading Gloriana right now and the background of the crossing over of psychology and political theory is so juicy.,

[@RiderOrigin]

Finally found the time to watch this and was not disappointed! You delved in deep into Elric's themes and meaning, and I really appreciate your overview on the different editions there are to the books.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! I'm glad you found it enjoyable and useful.

[@dbensdrawinvids8390]

No matter how old I grow, Elric is still one of my favorites.

[@marcosgalvan8545]

This is amazing. The best analysis of Elric that I have seen. You, sir, have one of the most incredible channels of literature ever. Keep the great work, I'm sure you will be big one day

[@thelibraryladder]

Thank you for your very kind comment!

[@m.4983]

Fantastic exploration! It is comforting to know that the confusion reading the Eleic series isn't an isolated experience.

[@themetaphysicalgentleman]

Always great to see a new Michael Moorcock video by the channel that originally got me interested in reading Moorcock. His works are some of my favorite things in all of literature at this point and this series of videos is directly responsible for that.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thank you! You've made my day! My channel's primary goal is to spark interest in significant works and authors that aren't widely discussed on BookTube, such as Moorcock. So if I convinced you to give him a try, then my mission was accomplished (and all the better that you really enjoyed reading him).

[@mathiashaddoxx8398]

The best kept secret on BookTube dropping another incredible essay for all of us to gobble down. Bridger, you never cease to amaze. Thank you, please continue to make these gems.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy my videos. I hope to keep making them for a long time to come. There are a lot of authors and books I want to cover.

[@mathiashaddoxx8398]

@@thelibraryladder If you were ever to make a Gene Wolfe essay, I’ll cry lol

[@thelibraryladder]

It's on my list. :)

[@AnomanderRex]

Great as always! the amount of works referenced in this one video is insane! my TBR list is expanding every time a library ladder video drops!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! For the sake of your TBR list, I suppose it's a good thing I'm slow in releasing videos. :D

[@Spyros.ts13]

very good work concgatulations for your research Elrric has always been a companion through the years and those to come

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! I had fun making this video. Because Elric is Moorcock's best-known character, with plenty of coverage already on BookTube, I wanted to approach his stories from a little different direction.

[@erinjackobssss]

These are so well made. Well researched, well written, well edited, well performed. I wish I could have a series of these videos for all of my favorite authors/stories.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thank you! They're a lot of work, but I have fun making my videos. I'd never done anything like this before starting my channel three years ago, and I've been teaching myself how to do it along the way. Each video is an experiment of sorts with different production or editing techniques. Some have worked out better than others. :D What are your favorite authors or books? I plan to continue highlighting authors who I think are overlooked on BookTube.

[@orsino88]

Splendid, as always. Now I find myself wondering if Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are too trivial for discussion. Certainly they are much lighter than the Eternal Champion-but they do constitute another revision of the Howard legacy.

[@thelibraryladder]

Leiber's high on my list of future video retrospectives. I love the Fafhrd/Gray Mouser stories.

[@adriantruman8315]

Thank-you for another absorbing look at the works of MM. I am enjoying your studies of (for me) our most interesting fantasy author as I reread (again) my 1990s Millennium omnibus editions and others. I hope you reach beyond the Eternal Champion works in time, too. Keep up your great work!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying these videos. Eventually, I plan to look at some of Moorcock's other works, including Gloriana and his Colonel Pyat series.

[@adriantruman8315]

@@thelibraryladder Fabulous! The Pyat series, especially, is oft-overlooked (probably as it's such uncomfortable reading)... I hope you cover The Dancers at The End of Time, too (personal favourites).

[@calebcox4963]

I’ve been looking forward to this one since you started your series on Moorcock. Great video!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@gelatin95]

A new video an one from Moorcock. Just what I need to the day.

[@budgethornet7498]

Ay! I was worried you forgot the Elric video! Perfect timing as my fancy Elric hardbacks just arrived! Edit: I’ll add that The Citadel of Forgotten Myths is awkwardly placed after the second story of Bane of the Black Sword. Least according to Moorcock’s friend and Biographer in a facebook group. It made sense to me when I read it at that point. Funny enough, the Wikipedia page for the Elric chronology just updated, it’s very comprehensive.

[@thelibraryladder]

Great! I wish that Wikipedia page had been updated a couple of weeks sooner. I would have liked to cross-check the timeline I put together for this video from other sources (including the appendix in Elric: The Stealer of Souls, and ISFDB.org).

[@timothyriley4141]

Great show.

[@garymoraco3184]

I appreciate that you take your time making your videos. Always a treat. It's like when I used to smoke weed, I didn't do it every day so I always reacted it as if I never smoked it. OK, not just like that, I mean I'm not giggling at anything but you get the analogy folks. You can get the same effect from too much honey as well. So I'll leave now because I'm beginning to sound "trollish".

[@thelibraryladder]

Thank you! I think that's the first time my videos have ever been compared to a mind-altering drug experience. :D (I wish I were a little faster at making my videos, though.)

[@BookishChas]

This was an excellent video Bridger. I feel much more comfortable on where to start when I begin reading it.

[@thelibraryladder]

I'm glad you found it helpful, Chas! I remember being very confused about the reading order when I first encountered the Elric books more than 40 years ago. I'm glad recent publishers are sorting out that problem.

[@wileyschmitt]

Hey Bridger, thank you for that awesome Jack Vance video! Got to see it late, but wow! Much appreciated, your videos are the best!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks, Wiley! I'm so glad you found it (or it found you)! I'd been working on that video off and on for a year and a half, so I was very happy to get it completed at long last.

[@wileyschmitt]

@@thelibraryladder Well worth all that effort, and now it's immortalized. :) Keep up the great work!

[@secretsauceofstorycraft]

I havent read moorcock but if you recommend him to make more than 2 videos on his work, I will have take notes for where you recommend starting. Although he seemed to have a bit of narcissism based off what he is writing about the fantasy genre. I’m looking forward to more content from you! Thank you for all new installment. 😊

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks, Whitney! Early in his career, Moorcock developed a reputation as an _enfant_ _terrible_ with an axe to grind against what he termed the literary Establishment. He had a tendency to express strong (often trollish) opinions as a way of garnering attention for the avant garde SFF pulp magazine he edited at the time and for the SF New Wave movement/rebellion he was shepherding. He also was a self-proclaimed anarchist. Later in life, he became a lot more diplomatic and circumspect in his commentary, perhaps once he realized that the Establishment had evolved, partly due to his influence on the science fiction and fantasy genres.

[@HakimALIGHT]

You should do John Crowley next!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm currently reading one of Crowley's novels as part of an upcoming video I'm working on.

[@HakimALIGHT]

@@thelibraryladder If I may, I would love to recommend Engine Summer by Crowley. It is one of the oddest most beautiful post apocalyptic tales ever written. I think you would enjoy it.

[@thelibraryladder]

Good call! That's the one I'm currently reading for a retrospective video about the history of post-apocalyptic fiction that I hope to have ready next month.

[@HakimALIGHT]

@@thelibraryladder I'm absolutely brimming with anticipation! I hope it resonates with you as deeply as it did with me.

[@robmsmithdumbhandle]

Great video. You have a great voice for narration, deep, sonorous... Kudos!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

[@robmsmithdumbhandle]

@@thelibraryladder I love all your videos, bro! You put so much time and care into them. I especially loved seeing that window w/clips from The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton was a master.

[@thelibraryladder]

I wondered if anyone would recognize those film clips from decades past. It makes me happy that some do. :D

[@robmsmithdumbhandle]

@@thelibraryladder Yeah, man, I saw those movies when I was kid and loved them all. My mom caught me recording Rumble Fish on a VHS, and she was a little mad at me and felt I was too young to deal with the violent topics, but she caved in when I made a solid argument that I should be well-armed before beginning my journey into life. Thank God my mom was a teacher and loved literature so much. Growing up, my mom ALWAYS had an open book lying on her bedside table that she would read after we three kids went to bed. I grew up reading all the classics: C.S. Lewis, I read every OZ book they put out up the early 90s, Lloyd Alexander: I especially loved his Vesper series. J.R. Tolkien evolved into Silverberg and Asimov, and Stanislaw. I'm currently working my way through the Chronicles of Amber. I'm writing my own series of books, too. It's been a battle, getting them published, though all my obstacles have mostly been of my own making. Keep making your wonderful videos, man.

[@coffemuse]

I don't think I'd like the Elric books much, being very much not the target audience. But I appreciate the introduction. This channel introduced me to Guy Gavriel Kay, and having begun the Sarantine Mosaic I'm forever grateful!

[@thelibraryladder]

It makes me very happy to hear that I introduced you to GGK's works! I can understand your misgivings about reading Elric. His saga is a far cry from a typical GGK story (although Kay's Fionavar trilogy does have significant echoes of Moorcock's multiverse and Eternal Champion). He's worth giving a try, but he's unlikely to appeal to everyone.

[@RedFuryBooks]

I finished the second of the Saga Press Omnibus editions earlier this year, and have mostly enjoyed my time with this character. But as you said, it can be a bit uneven, but is definitely an integral work for any fan of the genre. Thanks for the video!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks, Josh! Sometimes the concept, image and influence of a character surpass the experience of reading his story. That seems true to me (and perhaps to you) for parts of the overall Elric saga. It's kind of a mixed bag for me.

[@RedFuryBooks]

Agreed. But I did feel pushing through some of the books I didn't love as much were worth it when I got to The Bane of the Black Sword, and Stormbringer, which were my two favorites of them all!

[@davidbooks.and.comics]

I loved the Elric presentation from beginning to the end...some of the quotes you made are found in the 7th DAW book about Elric. The Orion editions I have which shows how the three book club Elric Saga books bring everything into reasonable order.

[@thelibraryladder]

@@davidbooks.and.comics Thanks!

[@Lokster71]

I liked Elric, but I loved the Jerry Cornelius stories. Indeed, I re-read the Cornelius Quartet recently and - with some quibbles - enjoyed it again. I've got a pile of Michael Moorcock to read. This is an excellent video. A really solid introduction to the Elric series.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! The prospect of making a Jerry Cornelius video leaves me feeling equal parts eager anticipation and dread. :D

[@Lokster71]

@@thelibraryladder Yeah, it is a lot. I've got loads of other Cornelius stuff to read/re-read. I think it is the series that feels most 'of its time'.

[@AeternumInferis]

fantastic video

[@buddhabillybob]

Fantastic video! Thank you.

[@pabloenriquechavesmonsalve4786]

Wow! Last time I read about Elric and Stormbringer was in 83.

[@EstoNoEsUnSpoiler]

I was just thinking that I missed your videos!

[@keithdonohue4631]

Thanks so much for this video! It's great!!!

[@Eluarelon]

Elric was certainly the first Moorcock character I met on my journey as a young reader of fantasy. I think I was 13 or 14 years old at most, so most of the topics talked about in this video went totally over my head. What I was fascinated by back then was the world building in Moorcock's books: the multiverse, the conflict between Law and Chaos, and especially Tanelorn, and the overall darkness that was way different from what I had read in fantasy before that. This said, my favorite Moorcock character will always be Corum Jhaelen Irsai, whose stories I read a bit later. And I'm really curious about which is yours.

[@JimmyDaKoik]

Corum, Jhary and Whiskers for the win!

[@thelibraryladder]

That's about how old I was when I first encountered Moorcock's works, and I had a similar reaction. I might do a ranking of my favorite Champions once I've covered more of them.

[@salty-walt]

Just going to pause at 2 minutes 47 seconds to tell you that this intro has already done more Justice to Moorcock than some people's whole videos. It is appreciated. Sorry I waited. Imma post it on a Moorcock fan page.

[@taffer4515]

Very good review, and I would also highly recommend the comic adaptations of some of those stories. The older ones written by Roy Thomas and (mostly) drawn by P. Craig Russell are a visual treat of psychedelic and impressionistic art, and follow the chronological order very well. You can find them under the Michael Moorcock Library collection. Also worthy of mention are the most recent adaptations by the french, under Julien Blondel, Jean-Luc Cano, Robin Recht and Julien Telo, who feature some gorgeous large scale artwork and largely maintain the dialogue from the original books. Moorcock himself has said that this is his favorite interpretation of his character, and I believe the team is actively working on publishing the fifth comic in the series.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for sharing that information! I'm not as familiar with the comic book/graphic novel adaptations of Moorcock's works.

[@SciFi.Horror.Thriller.Fantasy]

Great video-eassay - thank you! :-)

[@veronicaclarke7499]

My very first Moorcock book was a Corum one - "The Bull and the Spear". I discovered Elric a little while later and thought he was much cooler. But my favourite eternal champion is Jherek Carnelian - the Dancers at the End of Time trilogy is great fun.

[@thelibraryladder]

I'll get to Jherek eventually in this series of videos. :)

[@fluorescentartichoke8361]

Having scoured the second hand bookshops in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s trying to complete Moorcocks multiverse I had feared that science was going to need a new branch of physics to pin down the myriad of iterations,reprints and cover art that abounds. I can think of no other confusing bibliography other than that of P G Wodehouses print history. Great illustrative introduction to a completists idea of nightmare. 😊

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! I remember struggling (and failing) back in the 1980s to figure out the confusing assortment of Moorcock reprints. And for this video, I had an ordeal trying to sort out the bibliographic history of parts of the Elric. In an ironic twist, I was informed by another commenter here that Elric's Wikipedia page was updated just in the past few days (after I had filmed the video) to provide a detailed bibliographic chronology. Fortunately, as far as I can tell, I got the details right in the video. :D I'm very happy the omnibus editions, starting in the 1990s, have mostly eliminated the confusion.

[@Calypso694]

I learned a few days ago the name for Melnibone came from Marylebone, a little town 10min up the road from where Moorcock grew up.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for sharing that tidbit!

[@baine4040]

I truly enjoy this video. My first Michael Moorcock novel Corum Jhaelen Irsei, reading this in 6th grade library during lunch break in the early 1990's. I found Elric of Melnibone constant whine boring, but as adult more understanding of the character. Also use Dorian Hawkmoon as my moniker to avoid being bother as I used the train service, when some passenger want to start a conversation while I 'm reading. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@thelibraryladder]

Corum's one of the good ones IMO, and I'll be getting to him eventually. Your Hawkmoon anecdote is hilarious -- a very polite way of getting people to leave you alone. :D

[@justsomedude5727]

I love the Elric stories so much, though I fully understand the critism, I think Moorcock is maybe a favorite among other authors because he offers amazing and original ideas, themes and concepts, but they can be a bit underdeveloped so other authors are able to kind of "cherry pick" what they like from Moorcock and expand upon it. I've been digging the first Corum book greatly though, so I hope you cover that series soon.

[@thelibraryladder]

That’s a good way of expressing it. Thanks for sharing! Corum will be a future video in this series of mine.

[@fuzonzord9301]

This reminds me I need to re-read The Stealer of Souls and Stormbringer. I have read some of the other books and I feel it's better to stay with these two.

[@thelibraryladder]

There's no shame at all in sticking with the originals! :D

[@bookmarkswithjason9445]

I am enjoying these Elric stories immensely. I love how much it feels like Conan, but is nothing like Conan.

[@thelibraryladder]

I think Moorcock would be happy to hear that -- it's exactly what he was aiming for when he created Elric.

[@kabobdole9737]

Really loving this channel. Do you ever plan on doing an installment on Gene Wolfe? The Solar Cycle is my all time favorite SF.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! Yes, a Wolfe retrospective is on my list of planned videos. There are several others ahead of it, though.

[@CRIMS0N_KING]

You mentioned Elric not being your favourite Eternal Champion, out of curiosity, who is? Also Great video as always!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for watching and asking! I'm considering doing a tier ranking of my favorite Champions at some point in the future. In the meantime, though, I'll keep my top choice under wraps. :)

[@samuelleask1132]

Heck yeah more Library Ladder content

[@lordofchaosinc.261]

As my username suggest the saga left a lasting impression. Elric was the antihero of my youth. Surprised anyone around still knowing the character.

[@thelibraryladder]

My primary goal for this series of videos about the Eternal Champion is to introduce Moorcock to younger generations and to pique their interest in his works.

[@dudarino666]

Great video. Lots of things I want to check out. ***Feel free to ignore this, its just audio mixing tips/advice. I just want the channel to grow more! And some things I noticed were. Maybe its because I have decent studio monitors but,The reveb effect feels a bit too much. It actually seems to be keeping some of the "ess" going and making them a bit more noticable. The compression feels a bit intense too. It seems like to sound is more soft spoken, but watching your lips, you look as if to be speaking normally. Are you by chance putting your compressor AFTER the reverb? If so, it needs to be VERY subtle. And dont be afraid to use compressors in series, a few light compressors are better than a single hard one. You can also high pass on the reverb around 100hz or so. To clean up the sound. You dont need the low end "reflections" being amplified, it sounds a bit boomy.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! I appreciate the constructive suggestions. Alas, clean audio is an impossibility for me due to the acoustics of the room, which has four walls of hard, flat, glass-paned surfaces (bookcases and windows) and a hardwood floor. I use a professional-caliber mic that's designed for indoor recording, but it can't overcome the room's terrible acoustics that generate a ton of reverb and standing waves, and there's no feasible way to sound treat the space with effective bass traps. I'm not adding any reverb effect to the audio -- the reverb and boominess is all occurring naturally, and what you're hearing is what's left _after_ I've applied a low cut/high pass filter starting at 140Hz that reduces the bass in my voice by up to ~15dB. I apply a high cut/low pass filter above 10kHz as well. In some earlier videos, I've reduced the low frequencies by even more, but then I received viewer feedback saying that it sounded unnatural because there wasn't enough reverb in my voice, given the nature of room I was in. So I'm trying to find a balance. Also, my voice is naturally deep, which exacerbates the problem. The room reflections really amplify my lower register, causing the audio signal to clip badly (after normalizing it to KZbin's desired level) if I speak too loudly. Thus, I control the volume of my voice while I'm speaking, maintaining a level, conversational volume (as if I'm speaking to someone three feet away from me) and not raising my voice, getting excited, or putting too much emphasis on words or syllables. I then apply light compression to the peaks at about a 2.5:1 ratio to eliminate the potential for clipping. The relatively constant volume of my voice isn't the result of heavy compression -- it's how I'm actually speaking while I'm recording (and how I typically speak in normal, quiet conversation). This is in contrast to many channels that tend to speak loudly to get a good signal-to-noise ratio in their audio signal, due to the recording gear and setup they use. Thanks again for the feedback. I wish there was an easy solution to my audio challenges. :)

[@dudarino666]

@@thelibraryladder Yeah thats a hard one to work around. Beautiful room I understand some of those issues with my own room. Sorry I assumed you werent already working on it or experienced with mixing. I can hear it in some of the older videos now that I check. I can only think that maybe some sort of gate may help reign in the tail ends of the reverb. I have most of my experience with mixing tracks for my band as demoing ideas. Vocals mixing is an art in itself. Bass control in a mix is another art in itself. Trying not to get lost in rabbit holes while creating music is a struggle of mine. Thank you so much for the detailed feedback. I really do appreciate it. New viewer as of today, but you got me hooked for life. I never knew there were so many as interested in sci fi short stories as I am. The additional history and info is so great. Best reading channel on youtube imo! And greetings from an American in Germany!

[@thelibraryladder]

Danke noch einmal! I'm no expert at sound mixing, but I've been trying to teach myself the art since I started my channel and discovered how bad the room's acoustics were. It's involved a lot of trial and error (some of my videos look and sound much better than others) and learning from knowledgeable people like you. It's always nice to encounter someone who enjoys SF short fiction. I wish short stories had the prominence they used to have, and I hope I can encourage more people to seek them out.

[@whom382]

Another great video. I personally only recommend the DAW books. It feels like one coherent story and are the best parts. Fortress of the Pearl and Revenge of the Rose are tolerable but don't really add anything. However, the books written after those are outright terrible. His 60s and 70s output were the peak. He declined in the 80s. Once the 90s hit, his works felt tedious. Basically the Doctor Who running down corridors in book form.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! I'm partial to the earlier, core Elric stories myself, and the DAW editions do a nice job of compiling them in chronological order. My only complaint about them is that they're incomplete, since some of the stories were edited down or consolidated for length to fit them into DAW's page limit for the paperbacks.

[@brenthatcher5748]

Perhaps you seen other Moorcock interviews than I have, but from what I read he really admired Howard, but thought that Hour of the Dragon had taken the character as far as it could go, and wanted to do something different. I never saw anything where he puts down REH. Of course, as you said, he may have said different things at different times. Two Gun Bob is my favorite author but Moorcock is a close second. Have you ever gotten into his work with Hawkwind? I highly recommend it if you haven't.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for watching and commenting! Moorcock has written in essays and forewords to some of his books that he admired and enjoyed reading Howard in his youth, but that as he grew into adulthood, he perceived significant limitations, particularly in Conan. That inspired his original conception of Elric as a Conan-like character, but with a couple of significant twists. For this video, I relied primarily on essays he wrote and published early in his career, several of which were written in the early 1960s while he was still penning the original Elric stories. In his younger days, Moorcock had a tendency to voice strong, unfiltered opinions (what might be called 'hot takes' today) -- perhaps as an attention-grabbing tactic, but also perhaps as the best reflection of his mindset while he was creating Elric. He's become a lot more diplomatic in his commentary and interviews as he's gotten older.

[@Morraak]

I thought Elric sounded familiar, I have some paintings of him in my Michael Whelan artbook. Always great to watch a library ladder episode :)

[@thelibraryladder]

Whelan is one of my favorite illustrators (and I probably have that same artbook of his). Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@ryansullivan5854]

I’ve read a lot of Elric but I was way too young and read it in no particular order so found it just confusing. And yet I’m still very aware of the legacy of the character. Probably time to take another crack at it.

[@someokiedude9549]

Moorcock is interesting for the same reason Gaiman is, the guy is a student of the fantasy genre and he knows it well. Though I’m often bugged by his obsession with being subversive, even when it’s impractical. But he is an intelligent writer, and most importantly, a sincere one. I like Elric quite a bit, Elric himself is an intriguing take on sword and sorcery protagonists and Moorcock got away with some weird stuff, probably on account that he was writing for pulp magazines, but nonetheless very interesting stuff. I would like to read some more of his more literary, ‘serious’ stuff like Gloriana, Mother London, and the Pyat books. Also perhaps try some of his other Eternal Champion stuff like Jerry Cornelius, Dancers at the End of Time, Bastable, and Hawkmoon as well. Say one thing about Moorcock, dude cranks ‘em out like it’s nobody business. Great video!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks, Britton! Moorcock was incredibly prolific, particularly in the first two decades of his writing career when he could write a full trilogy of short novels in a week. I share your skepticism about his belief that subversiveness should be the objective of most fiction. Also, FYI, the editor of Saga Press noted in another comment on this video that it will soon be publishing hardcover editions of the Von Bek stories and Mother London (in December and later next year, respectively).

[@Leopard589]

Dear Apple. Where is the show????

[@dudeboydudeboy-zj8kd]

Here's a video idea. A deep dive of what is Sword and Soul, and the book Imaro that pioneered it. And is it more than just Sword and Sorcery in Africa?

[@thelibraryladder]

Great suggestion! Imaro is a book I plan to discuss in the future.

[@HalfBlindAssassin-i5q]

i always imagine a very Wagnerian soundtrack to an Elric movie in my head :)

[@thelibraryladder]

I can absolutely hear that in relation to Elric! :)

[@Melvinshermen]

Can you do edgar rice Burroughs and poal Anderson. ( i love some Burroughs stuff ) and with Anderson. I am not big fan of his sci fi but i love his fantasy. I both three herat and three lions and the broken swords.

[@thelibraryladder]

They're both on my list of planned topics, although I'm not sure when I'll get to them. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@sblinder1978]

10:30 I could relabel the Elric Oscillations Graph with Moorcock's own oscillations regarding Elric: here's where MM sets out to create a protag who goes against the genre conventions (appeal to Art), here's where MM wedges the popular character post-hoc into other works (appeal to Commerce)...

[@thelibraryladder]

I can see your point! :D

[@SolarLabyrinth]

Elric was my first Moorcock, and I'm not even sure I was aware that he was part of a larger multiverse which led to some confusion at times. The books are just cool, filled with a great atmosphere and ideas. Unlike so many "fantasy" stories today, there is no shortage of fantastical elements and imagination in Elric. After finishing them all, my biggest complaints, though, were 1) there was too much literal deus ex machina, with Elric calling upon or receiving assistance from higher beings a little too often, and 2) his various companions tended to blend together over the course of the books, almost to the point of them turning into forgettable stock characters. Still, it's a series that all fantasy fans should read at least once. I will also mention that the recent bandes dessinées adaptation published by Titan Comics in the U.S. is worth checking out too. Moorcock has even called it the best adaptation of the story and incorporates ideas that he wishes he had thought of 50 years ago.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for sharing that! My experience reading the Elric stories seems to mirror yours in many ways. I haven't read the comic book/graphic novel adaptations, though.

[@waldo8791]

❤

[@funpolice4416]

We wouldn’t have warhammer either without Elric. And think of all the excellent heavy metal that’s still being made. Just the other day I was listening to a new release, and bam, a song called dreaming city. Or Cirith Ungol wouldn’t be a thing at all without our albino friend. Personally, I think Mike Mignolas version of Elric is my favorite illustration. Would absolutely love to see his take on some of the stories, he did do an illustrated version of Corum iirc. But yeah, I had my exposure to Elric at the end of highschool, and something about a hero who tries to be good, but isn’t very good at it was super appealing.

[@thelibraryladder]

Good point! Warhammer is notable gap in my reading history. Mignola's vision of Elric is iconic. I'm not sure which illustrator's version is my favorite, as they each capture different aspects of the character. Some of the artwork in the recent special editions from Centipede Press is stunning (and bleak) -- I included some of it in this video.

[@fengusburnt]

Have you considered doing a Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser video? Curious about your take.

[@thelibraryladder]

Leiber is definitely in my queue!

[@3choblast3r4]

I read the first saga (the first of the new editions) I found Elric to be a bit dramatic lol even a bit of a drama queen. At one point bro throws himself at the floor crying when the magic book he's after turns to dust. And the lady that's with him plus the other guy have to carry him out of there. But I think I need to read the later books, because the early books seem too disjointed with how they were written for magazines etc. I also find Elric to be exceedingly naive, you mean to tell me your cousin tried to take your throne and your cousin wife as his sister wife. You defeated him. And .. then left your throne for him to rule while you did a world tour? Who could have ever imagined what would happen next lol xD. EDIT loved the book though, but my enjoyment also came a lot from the fact that so many things seem extremely inspired by the Elric books. From Warhammer (even the Chaos god and their symbol) to A Song of Ice and Fire and the Witcher books etc.

[@thelibraryladder]

I believe Moorcock would agree with your assessment of Elric as a drama queen. After all, he intentionally wrote the character to have the emotional stability and naivete of a teenager/young adult. In general, I think Moorcock's writing improved over time, once he stopped publishing first drafts of his works in order to meet a deadline. Over the years, he has revised the texts of many of his early stories, partly for retroactive continuity with newer stories, but also to fix some of the flaws he saw in them. The omnibus editions starting in the 1990s, generally have his preferred text.

[@James-n9g2y]

Library Ladder, are you familiar with the work Michael Moorecock did with the rock bands Hawkwind and Blue Oyster Cult?

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for your question. I am familiar with his prog rock contributions. I first encountered them in the late 1970s when I sought to decipher the mystery of the Hawkwind logo spray-painted on the sides of university buildings in my home town.

[@Melvinshermen]

I think you can do both like you do moorcock.

[@andreassundberg9426]

Does the two omnibuses from 2022 contain every story written up to that point? Including the shortstories? I men the saga press versions

[@thelibraryladder]

The two Saga Press omnibuses Elric of Melnibone and Stormbringer contain all of the stories in Elric's main narrative published up to that point. A third Saga Press omnibus, The White Wolf, contains the Dreamquest/Oona Von Bek trilogy of Elric novels. They don't include a very small number of short stories and novelettes that are tangential to Elric's main storyline. The Gollancz omnibuses contain some of those additional stories, but not all. The most comprehensive omnibuses are the paperback ones published in six volumes by Del Rey/Ballantine in 2008-2010, but they have the significant shortcoming (in my opinion) of presenting Elric's stories in publication order rather than chronological order, which makes them a confusing read.

[@andreassundberg9426]

@@thelibraryladder thank you for your answer!

[@davidsirois6633]

Last night i woke up in Terror... maybe there will be no more Library Ladder videos!, then I realize my gums were bleeding and my tooths were loosening.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for your concern! (And as my dentist would say, try to stop clenching/grinding your teeth!) :) My output has been slowed considerably over the past few months by work commitments and several funerals and family illnesses that required a lot of travel and attention. I expect to get back to a more regular schedule soon. A new video is coming in the next few days. I've filmed it and am editing it now.

[@elgatochurro]

Tbh i dont think i wouldve finished any Erekose book if that was my introduction to the Eternal Champion sagas...

[@thelibraryladder]

I tend to agree with Moorcock himself, who has said he prefers the Von Bek stories as the best entry point. I find the Von Bek tales more compelling than the Erekose ones, and they provide a deeper tour of the multiverse and the mythology associated with the saga.

[@elgatochurro]

@@thelibraryladder ive not read Von bek, but personally, the audio book of erekose's start, the eternal champion, I feel i was interested in more so because I already wanted to know more about the eternal champions... if it was my start as an 8 hour audio book, I think i woudlve dropped it because of how uneventful it was for the length (throughout). Erekose's is interesting, but those audios have been harder to get through imo. i dont think id recc it as a start.

[@samcostello2861]

Another fantasy author who was heavily influenced by Moorcock is Tad Williams. Certain aspects of Williams’ Osten Ard setting bear similarities to Moorcock’s Elric saga, namely the antagonist Ineluki, a white-haired, elf-like prince whose fate is tied to a dark sword with magical properties. Williams also penned a hilarious short story (I forget the name) in which a pot-smoking slacker travels to Elric’s world and becomes an unlikely companion to Elric.

[@thelibraryladder]

Good point! I think 'Go Ask Elric' is the short story Tad wrote as an homage to Moorcock.

[@samcostello2861]

@@thelibraryladder That’s the one! I know that Williams is primarily known for his epic series, but he writes great short fiction too. A Stark and Wormy Knight is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read! 😅

[@bobbressi5414]

In Dungeons & Dragons terminology, I always felt Elric leaned more chaotic neutral. Yes he could be quite selfish, stubborn, and single minded to the detriment of those around him. But I never found him to be wantonly cruel. Even when exacting vengance he seems to focus more on enacting justice than doling out suffering. Oh sure he goes off the rails sometimes and does something like sack his own ancient city state, but even then Elric seems more reckless and impulsive. Elrics' color of evil is that, "Don't get on his bad side," kind that is fairly easy to avoid.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! That seems like a reasonable classification, although his chaotic tendencies are inconsistent. He starts out as a powerful agent of Chaos, but over time he resists its influence (as someone seeking balance might be expected to do), pushing him in the direction of pure neutral.

[@bobbressi5414]

@thelibraryladder You make a valid point. I think by the end he is disgusted with the eternal struggle between forces.

[@SmallSpaceCorgi]

I really loved the original Elric stories and "Stormbringer", but I hated (hated!) the whole Eternal Champion idea. I never understood the point of the Eternal Champion. The Elric stories stood alone brilliantly. With the exception of some of the early Hawkmoon stories, none of the other Champion stories are worth reading.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I like the concept of Moorcock's Eternal Champion spanning infinite worlds and different incarnations, but its execution on the page is more than a little unwieldy at times. Among other things, I think some of the linkages seem forced and some Champions are underwhelming as protagonists. To me, Elric definitely is one of the best-conceived and executed ones.

[@markmunroe-hz8rf]

Conan by Robert E Howard was a far more complex character under the womanizing, treasure seeking, anti hero exterior. Also, can you cover Tamora Pierce?

[@thelibraryladder]

I was presenting Moorcock's opinion about Howard and Conan, not my own. Moorcock has never been shy about expressing strong (and sometimes dubious and inconsistent) opinions. :D Tamora is on my list. I'm a fan of her books. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@markmunroe-hz8rf]

@@thelibraryladder I am writing a short story series inspired by Conan and Jack Reacher. Also, do you think her books are a bit too adult for children in terms of certain elements found in her stories?

[@thelibraryladder]

That sounds like an intriguing combo! I think some of Pierce's books fall into a gray area where it's not clear who her intended audience is. I'll use her Alanna series as an example. It's almost as if she wrote the books for a specific cohort of kids who were growing up and maturing in tandem with Alanna as Pierce wrote each volume. The problem is that the books are available now without the time lag of waiting for the next book to be published. While I think the first book is fine for pre-pubescent readers, later books in the series clearly are aimed at older readers, due to the sex and violence. I encountered that issue with my own daughters -- I wanted them to read the first book around the time they were nine or ten, but I wasn't keen on them reading the whole series at that age.

[@markmunroe-hz8rf]

​@@thelibraryladderThe Chronicles of Prydan sounds far more interesting and all ages. Also, what do you think of clock punk? Steampunk is too oversaturated as a genre in my opinion and it's clichés are annoying.

[@thelibraryladder]

I thoroughly endorse the Prydain Chronicles for all ages! Conceptually, I like the _idea_ of clockpunk, but I don't think I've read enough of it to have a clear opinion about its execution. Of all the engineering fields, mechanical engineering has long held the most fascination for me, so I'm primed to like it. I've enjoyed some of the books featuring clockwork automatons I've read, such as The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Ken Scholes' The Psalms of Isaak, while K.J. Parker's Devices and Desires satisfies the science geek in me. However, I fear that a lot of recent clockpunk suffers from some of the same excesses and shortcomings as much of modern steampunk does.

[@Jonjzi]

Isn't John Daker that legendary singer of hymns?

[@thelibraryladder]

Same name, different character. :D

[@linuslauterbach2975]

Wait, where is episode 4?

[@thelibraryladder]

There's a link to it in the video description. It's my video about the roots of steampunk, which features Moorcock's Oswald Bastable novels prominently.

[@linuslauterbach2975]

@@thelibraryladder Ahh I see, thanks gotta check that out first!

[@whom382]

@@thelibraryladder I had skipped that video because I generally don't like that genre. I never would have thought that video had the OB novels in them. I've always considered them alt-history.

[@thelibraryladder]

You just stated one of the main points I make in that video -- that there isn't a generally accepted definition of steampunk -- hence the "identity crisis" referenced in the thumbnail. :) Moorcock's Oswald Bastable trilogy, particularly the first book, is considered by many SFF scholars to be one of the first of what would later be called steampunk (or at least the version of steampunk that focuses more on substance than fashion). My video about it looks primarily at the roots of steampunk before it morphed into an aesthetic.

[@Blaize24]

I cannot find the Fourth installment.

[@thelibraryladder]

It's my Roots of Steampunk video, which contains a discussion of Moorcock's Oswald Bastable trilogy. There's a link to it in the description of this Elric video. Thanks for watching!

[@Blaize24]

@thelibraryladder Thank you for such a quick response. I caught that once I started watching this video and backtracked. I'm all caught up now, and ready for my beloved Elric.

[@josephzamer5802]

At least the previous "rebellious youths" found themselves reflected on Elric: character from a book, so implies that you should read, understand the character....etc, I wonder who is the "Patron Saint" of the current rebellious youth?? Sad...

[@thelibraryladder]

Good question! Given the dramatic decline in reading over the past 20 years, I suspect it's not a character from a book. If I were a betting man, I'd say it's an edgy KZbin 'celebrity' or a character from a TV show, movie or video game.

[@LordEriolTolkien]

I have read much many Moorcock: many incarnations of immortality. Elric is the best of them, but Corum and Hawkmoon are close

[@Spyros.ts13]

where is part 4??

[@thelibraryladder]

It's my video about the roots of steampunk (which features Eternal Champion Oswald Bastable). There's a link to it in the description of this video. Thanks for watching!

[@Spyros.ts13]

@thelibraryladder thank you : ) I'm watching it now I was hoping for a part 4 for prince korum

[@thelibraryladder]

Corum will be a future video (probably part 7 in this series).

[@MrChristophSteininge]

Hero is not the word I think of first when considering Elric. Madman is more fitting.

[@thelibraryladder]

[chuckle] His decision making can make it seem that way.

[@BallroomBlitzkrieg]

Ships of Chaos upwards churning from the nightmare realms below... Dragons downwards, venom burning now attack the malformed foe... Lords of Hell, all pity spurning cry "REVENGE!!!" and lust for death... Their servant Elric's mind is turning to sweet Law's promises of rest... Monstrous men and manlike monsters battle for the end of time... Meanwhile heavy metal songsters cut themselves another line...

[@thelibraryladder]

Sweet! (and Hawkwind!) :D

[@BallroomBlitzkrieg]

@@thelibraryladder Excellent work on the video, your channel delivers.

[@thelibraryladder]

@@BallroomBlitzkrieg Thanks!

[@paulcooper3611]

I am, alas, one of those who is not a fan of Elric. Part of this may be because, when I discovered him as a teenager, 'The Stealer Of Souls' and 'Stormbringer' were the only books about him that were available. I quite, enjoyed them, actually. The two books were a satisfying and intriguing adventure which lead to a satisfying and tragic conclusion. When Moorcock started writing new stories, however, I felt he was pissing in his own swimming pool. I had also gotten tired of his constant harping on underling themes in his other works, and his Eternal Champion I found ludicrous. For morally ambiguous heroes, I find Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouser stories more interesting and readable. Your presentation is well done, don't get me wrong, and I can understand other people loving Elric, much like Elric's own adiction drugs and to Stormbringer. It just doesn't speak to me.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for commenting! I share your love of Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and the hit-or-miss enjoyment of Elric's stories.

[@waldo8791]

@captainmidnight just shouted you out on his first video of 2025 about KZbin originals.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for the heads-up! I'm thrilled! It also explains the sudden bump in traffic my channel has seen over the past couple of days.

[@waldo8791]

Never know who’s watching. Keep up the good, your hard work shows.

[@A.M.Kovacs.Author.Musician]

"Emotionally stunted bully." Man, what a superficial reading of Conan. Like, I get that at the time it was in vogue to talk down on Howard's work, but you would think by now, we've left that fart-huffing elitism behind by now. Conan is a wild man from a wild land, living in an era where survival is dependent on split second decisions. He's just a mortal man who's got a great deal of self-determination, who's not without his criticism towards civilization (i.e. modern society). But the 20th century man is so full of anxieties and compulsions, we sheepishly gawk at this deliberately pre-historic/pre-modern persona of his and declare it "simple" and "immature" because we're vexed by a mind that is upfront and never wavers.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You might have missed that I was characterizing how Moorcock viewed Conan more than 60 years ago. That wasn't my own review of Howard's creation. I enjoy the Conan stories for what they are (and Moorcock has said that he did too, despite the significant limitations he perceived in them). :)

[@Belisaur]

yo do you sound like this irl

[@thelibraryladder]

Yes, I do. :)

[@jeroenadmiraal8714]

Elric is such a drama queen!

[@thelibraryladder]

I think Moorcock would agree with you, Jeroen! He wrote him that way intentionally to mirror the angst and emotional immaturity of many teenagers and young adults. :D