Personal Life

Michael John Moorcock was born in Mitcham, Surrey England in 1939. He started his career in 1956 as a teenager when he began selling short stories to the British pulps. In 1964 he took over as editor the long running science fiction magazine New Worlds, where he quickly steered away from traditional science fiction gadget stories towards more literary and experimental fare. Moorcock published some of the first experimental fiction by J.G. Ballard, Thomas Disch, Brian Aldiss, and many more, turning New Worlds into the avant-garde of science fiction and setting new standards for the genre.

Moorcock's most famous creation, Elric started in 1961 with The Dreaming City. Over the years he has developed many more memorable characters: Dorian Hawkmoon, Jerry Cornelius, Corum, and the Von Beck family. All of his stories are woven together through his "multiverse" concept, and the main characters are all aspects of his Eternal Champion who fights to maintain the balance between chaos and order.

Comics Work

Moorcock has written many original stories, starting in 1956 when he was hired to provide the text to the reprints of Hal Foster's Tarzan Strips for the British boys' magazine, Tarzan Adventures. The English plates were destroyed during The London Blitz and Moorcock was hired to translate the Spanish language plates. Moorcock spoke not a word of Spanish so he just wrote whatever seemed to fit and it worked for several years. From 1958 to 1965 Moorcock wrote for Fleetway and other comics publishers, turning in thousands of pages for The Life of Alexander, Kit Carson, Billy The Kid, Robin Hood, Zip Nolan, Bible Story Weekly, Highway Patrol, Buck Jones, Karl The Viking, Sexton Blake Library, and Dogfight Dixon RFC which he co-created.

Original Stories

1972 Conan The Barbarian #14-15 (From a plot by Moorcock)

1977 Heavy Metal Magazine #197909

1977 Heavy Metal Magazine #197911

1977 Heavy Metal Magazine #198211 (Interview with Moorcock)

1979 The Swords of Heaven, the Flowers of Hell (from a plot by Moorcock)

1995 Weird Business (comics anthology containing a new Moorcock Elric story)

1997-1998 Michael Moorcock's Multiverse #1-12

2004-2006 Michael Moorcock's Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer #1-4

2005 Tom Strong #31 and #32

Adaptations

1973 Elric: The Fall of the Dreaming City (based on characters created by Moorcock)

1978 The Jewel In the Skull (adapts The Jewel In the Skull)

1983-1984 Elric (adapts Elric of Melnibone)

1985-1986 Elric The Sailor on the Seas of Fate #1-7 (adapts Elric: The Sailor on the Seas of Fate)

1986 Hawkmoon The Jewel In the Skull #1-4 (adapts The Jewel In the Skull)

1986-1987 Elric The Weird of the White Wolf #1-5 (adapts Elric: The Weird of the White Wolf)

1987 Hawkmoon The Mad God's Amulet #1-4 (adapts The Mad God's Amulet)

1987-1988 Elric The Vanishing Tower #1-6 (adapts Elric: The Vanishing Tower)

1987-1988 The Chronicles Of Corum #1-12 (adapts The Knight of Swords, The Queen of Swords, and The King of Swords)

1987-1988 Hawkmoon The Sword of the Dawn #1-4 (adapts The Sword of the Dawn)

1988 Hawkmoon The Runestaff #1-4 (adapts The Runestaff)

1988-1989 Elric The Bane of the Black Sword #1-6 (adapts Elric: The Bane of the Black Sword)

1989 Corum The Bull and the Spear #1-4 (adapts Corum: The Bull and the Spear)

1989-1990 The Saga of the Man-Elf #1-5 (based on characters and concepts created by Moorcock)

1997 Elric Stormbringer #1-7 (adapts Stormbringer)

2011-2012 Elric the Balance Lost #0-12 (original story based on concepts and characters created by Moorcock)

2014-2015 Elric #1-2 (adaptations of The Ruby Throne and Stormbringer)

Other Media

Novels

Due to the fact that Moorcock constantly rewrites his older work, the preferred text for any of his novels is nearly always the most recent printing. Most of his shorter novels and novellas have been reissued in omnibus form which I have noted, and for ease of perusal, I have grouped his novels by major character rather than chronologically.

Between The Wars

1981 Byzantium Endures

1984 The Laughter Of Carthage

1992 Jerusalem Commands

2006 The Vengeance Of Rome

Corum

The Swords Of Corum

- 1971 The Knight Of The Swords

- 1971 The Queen Of The Swords

- 1971 The King Of The Swords

- 2002 (Omnibus) Corum: The Prince In The Scarlet Robe

The Chronicles Of Corum

- 1973 The Bull And The Spear

- 1973 The Oak And The Ram

- 1974 The Sword And The Stallion

- 1999 (Omnibus) Corum: The Prince With The Silver Hand

Doctor Who

2010 The Coming Of The Terraphiles

The Eternal Champion

1970 The Eternal Champion

1970 Phoenix In Obsidian

1986 The Dragon In The Sword

1994 (Omnibus) The Eternal Champion

Hawkmoon

The Chronicles Of Castle Brass

- 1973 Count Brass

- 1973 The Champion Of Garathorm

- 1975 The Quest For Tanelorn

The History Of The Runestaff

- 1967 The Jewel In The Skull

- 1968 The Mad God's Amulet

- 1968 The Sword Of The Dawn

- 1969 The Runestaff

-1979 (Omnibus) The History Of The Runestaff

Jerry Cornelius

1968 The Final Programme

1971 A Cure For Cancer

1972 The English Assassin

1977 The Condition Of Muzak

1976 (Short Story Collection) The Lives And Times Of Jerry Cornelius

1981 The Entropy Tango

1975 The Distant Suns

1976 The Adventures Of Una Persson And Catherine Cornelius In The Twentieth Century

1980 The Great Rock 'n Roll Swindle

1986 (Omnibus) The Cornelius Chronicles Vol. 2

1987 (Omnibus) The Cornelius Chronicles Vol. 3

1988 (Omnibus) The Cornelius Chronicles: Book One

1988 (Omnibus) The Cornelius Chronicles: Bok Two

1993 (Omnibus) A Cornelius Calendar

1993 (Omnibus) The Cornelius Quartet

2003 (Omnibus) The Lives And Times Of Jerry Cornelius: Stories Of The Comic Apocalypse

2014 (Omnibus) Jerry Cornelius: His Lives And His Times

Jerry Cornell

1970 The Chinese Agent

1980 The Russian Intelligence

2005 (Omnibus) Jerry Cornell's Comic Capers

Karl Glogauer

1969 Behold The Man

1972 Breakfast In The Ruins

Oona Von Beck

2001 The Dreamthief's Daughter

2003 The Skrayling Tree

2005 The White Wolf's Son

Oswald Bastable

1971 The Warlord Of The Air

1974 The Land Leviathan

1981 The Steel Tsar

1982 (Omnibus) The Nomad Of Time

The Second Ether Trilogy

1995 Blood

1995 Fabulous Harbours

1996 The War Amongst The Angels

Elric Of Melnibone

1965 Stormbringer

1970 (Short Story Collection) The Singing Citadel

1971 The Sleeping Sorceress

1972 Elric Of Melnibone

1976 The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate

1977 (Short Story Collection) The Weird Of The White Wolf

1977 The Bane Of The Black Sword

1984 (Short Story Collection) Elric At The End Of Time

The Elric Saga Omnibus

- 1984 (Omnibus) The Elric Saga: Part One

- 1984 (Omnibus) The Elric Saga: Part Two

1989 The Fortress Of The Pearl

1991 The Revenge Of The Rose

1993 (Omnibus) Elric Of Melnibone

1993 (Omnibus) Stormbringer

2001 (Omnibus) Elric

2003 (Omnibus) The Elric Saga: Part Three

The Chronicles Of The Last Emperor Of Melnibone

- 2008 (Short Story Collection) Elric: The Stealer Of Souls

- 2008 (Short Story Collection) Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn

- 2008 (Omnibus) Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress

- 2009 (Omnibus) Duke Elric

- 2009 (Omnibus) Elric: In The Dream Realms

- 2010 (Omnibus) Elric: Swords And Roses

2013 (Short Story Collection) Elric Of Melnibone And Other Stories

2013 (Short Story Collection) Elric: The Sailor On The Seas Of Fate

2013 (Short Story Collection) Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress

2014 (Short Story Collection) Elric: The Revenge Of The Rose

The End Of Time

Tales From The End Of Time

- 1976 (Short Story Collection) Legends From The End Of Time

- 1977 The Transformation Of Miss Mavis Ming

- 1989 (Omnibus) Tales From The End Of Time

- 1997 (Omnibus) Legends From The End Of Time

The Dancers At The End Of Time

- 1972 An Alien Heat

- 1974 The Hollow Lands

- 1976 The End Of All Songs

- 1981 (Omnibus) The Dancers At The End Of Time

The Sanctuary Of The White Friars

2015 The Whispering Swarm

The Hawklords

1976 The Time Of The Hawklords

Von Bek

1981 The War Hound And The World's Pain

1982 The Brothel In Rosenstrasse

1986 The City In The Autumn Stars

1992 (Omnibus) Von Bek

1995 (Omnibus) Von Bek

2013 (Omnibus) Von Bek

Warrior Of Mars

1965 Warriors Of Mars (Written as Edward P. Bradbury)

1965 Blades Of Mars (Written as Edward P. Bradbury)

1965 Barbarians Of Mars (Written as Edward P. Bradbury)

1981 (Omnibus) Warrior Of Mars

Corsairs Of The Second Ether

1992 Corsairs Of The Second Ether 1 - 3 (Written as Warwick Colvin Jr.)

M. Zenith The Albino

2012 Curare

Sexton Blake

1962 Sexton Blake Series 4 A Caribbean Crisis (Written as Desmond Reid)

Sojan The Swordsman

1957 Sojan The Swordsman

1957 Sojan, Swordsman Of Zylor!

1958 Sojan And The Sea Of Demons

1958 Sojan And The Plain Of Mystery

1958 Sojan And The Sons Of The Snake-God

1958 Sojan And The Devil Hunters

Thackery T. Lambshead

2011 Shamalung (The Dimunitions)

Nick Allard

1965 The LSD Dossier (Written as Roger Harris)

1966 Somewhere In The Night (Written as Bill Barclay)

1966 Printer's Devil (Written as Bill Barclay)

Non-Series Novels

1965 The Fireclown (Retitled: The Winds Of Limbo in 1969)

1965 The Sundered Worlds (Retitled: The Blood Red Game in 1965)

1966 The Twilight Man (Retitled: The Shores Of Death in 1966)

1967 The Wrecks Of Time (Retitled: The Rituals Of Infinity in 1971)

1969 The Black Corridor

1969 The Ice Schooner

1978 Gloriana Or The Unfulfill'd Queen

1979 The Golden Barge: A Fable

1988 Mother London

2000 King Of The City

2014 Elric: Stormbringer

Collaborations

1969 The Black Corridor with Hilary Bailey

1975 The Distant Suns with James Cawthorn

1976 The Time Of The Hawklords with Michael Butterworth

1980 The Adventures Of Jerry Cornelius: The English Assassin with M. John Harrison

2000 Silverheart with Storm Constantine

2011 The Sunday Books with Mervyn Peake

Short Story Collections

1966 The Deep Fix (Written as James Colvin)

1969 The Time Dweller

1976 Moorcock's Book Of Martyrs

1977 Sojan

1978 Dying For Tomorrow

1980 My Experiences In The Third World War

1981 The Entropy Tango

1984 The Opium General

1989 Casablanca

1993 Earl Aubec And Other Stories

1995 Lunching With The Antichrist

1997 Tales From The Texas Woods

1999 Earl Aubec

2001 London Bone

2007 The Metatemporal Detective

2009 The Best Of Michael Moorcock

2011 The Sunday Books

Non-Fiction

1978 Epic Pooh

1983 The Retreat From Liberty: The Erosion Of Democracy In Today's Britain

1986 Letters From Hollywood

1987 Wizardry And Wild Romance: A Study Of Epic Fantasy

1988 Fantasy: The 100 Best Books (With James Cawthorn)

2010 Into The Media Web: Selected Short Non-Fiction, 1956-2006

2012 London Peculiar And Other Nonfiction (With Allan Kausch)

As Editor

1964 - 1969 New Worlds Magazine

1965 The Best Of New Worlds

1967 - 1974 The Best S.F. Stories From New Worlds 1 - 8

1971 - 1973 New Worlds Quarterly 1 - 6

1959 - 1960 Vector 5 - 7

1966 SF Reprise 1

1966 SF Reprise 2

1966 SF Reprise 5

1968 The Traps Of Time

1969 The Inner Landscape

1971 The Nature Of Catastrophe (With Langdon Jones)

1975 Before Armageddon

1977 England Invaded

1983 New Worlds: An Anthology

1993 The New Nature Of The Catastrophe (With Langdon Jones)

2010 Sojan The Swordsman/Under The Warrior Star (With Joe R. Lansdale)

Audiobooks

2006 Elric volume 1: Elric of Melnibone

2011 Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles

2016 The Whispering Swarm (The Sanctuary of the White Friars)

Video Games

In 2000 Moorcock wrote an outline for a video game that was never produced. The outline was fleshed out by Storm Constantine into the novel Silverheart.

Music

Moorcock has been involved with rock music like almost no other novelist. His works have regularly served as inspiration for bands from Pink Floyd to Tygers of Pan Tang. He has long been associated with the band Hawkwind, occasionally writing lyrics for them and playing several instruments for the band across many different albums. Possibly most notably, Moorcock co-wrote the songs: The Great Sun Jester, Black Blade, and Veteran of the Psychic Wars with Blue Oyster Cult. He also has his own band Deep Fix, which is an on again, off again project that he shoehorns into his busy writing schedule. Deep Fix actually released one album, New World's Fair in 1975.

Movies and Television

1973 The Last Days Of Man On Earth (Adapted from the novel The Final Programme)

1974 The Land That Time Forgot (Screenplay)

Awards

Nebula Awards

1969 Best Novella Behold the Man

August Derleth Awards

1972 The Knight of the Swords

1973 The King of the Swords

1975 The Sword and the Stallion

1976 The Hollow Lands

Guardian Fiction Prize

(Sponsored by The Guardian Newspaper in Manchester, the award recognized one novel each year. The award was changed in 1999 to include non-fiction.)

1977 The Condition of Muzak

John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best science fiction novel

1979 Gloriana

World Fantasy Award

1979 Gloriana

2000 Lifetime Achievement

Bram Stoker Award

2004 Lifetime Achievement

SFWA Award

2008 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award