Michael Moorcock - Elric Swords and Roses

Praise for Michael Moorcock and the Elric series

A mythological cycle highly relevant to the twentieth century The figure of Elric often resembles many purely contemporary figureheads from Charles Manson to James Dean.
Time Out

Elric is back! Herald the event!
Los Angeles Daily News, on The Fortress of the Pearl

[The Elric] novels are totally enthralling.
Midwest Book Review

Among the most memorable characters in fantasy literature.
Science Fiction Chronicle

If you are at all interested in fantastic fiction, you must read Michael Moorcock. He changed the field single-handedly: He is a giant.
T AD W ILLIAMS

A work of powerful and sustained imagination The vast, tragic symbols by which Mr. Moorcock continually illuminates the metaphysical quest of his hero are a measure of the authors remarkable talents.
J. G. B ALLARD , author of Crash

A giant of fantasy.
Kirkus Reviews

A superb writer.
Locus

Elric: Swords and Roses is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

A Del Rey Trade Paperback Original

Copyright 2010 by Michael Moorcock and Linda Moorcock
Foreword copyright 2010 by Tad Williams
Illustrations copyright 2010 by John Picacio

All rights reserved.

Cover design: David Stevenson

Cover illustration: John Picacio

Published in the United States by Del Rey, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

D EL R EY is a registered trademark and the Del Rey colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

The stories contained in this work originally appeared in various science fiction magazines and books, as noted on the following acknowledgments page.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moorcock, Michael.
Elric : swords and roses / Michael Moorcock.
p. cm.(Chronicles of the last emperor of Melnibon; 6)
eISBN: 978-0-345-51898-9
1. Elric of Melnibon (Fictitious character)Fiction. I. Title.
PR6063.O59E459 2010
823.914dc22
2010039723

www.delreybooks.com

Cover design: David Stevenson
Cover illustration: John Picacio

v3.1

The Revenge of the Rose was first published in the UK by Grafton Books in 1991. Stormbringer: First Draft Screenplay appears here for the first time.

Black Petals first appeared in Weird Tales magazine (edited by Stephen H. Segal and Ann VanderMeer) No. 349, March/April 2008.

Aspects of Fantasy (conclusion) first appeared in Science Fantasy magazine (edited by John Carnell) No. 64, April 1964. The introduction to The Skrayling Tree was first written for Borders, Inc., 2003. The introduction to the French edition of Elric first appeared in Le Cycle dElric, ditions Omnibus, France, 2006.

Elric: A New Readers Guide, by John Davey, appears (in this form) here for the first time.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material:

La Revanche de la Rose, Pocket Books, cover artwork 2006 by Marc Moreno; La Forteresse de la Perle, Pocket Books, cover artwork 2005 by Marc Moreno; and Elric et la Porte des Mondes, Fleuve Noir Books, cover artwork 2006 by Guillaume Sorel. Reprinted by permission of Univers Poche.

(Empire [of] Melnibon) map by H. , 1992, appeared in (The Dreaming City/The Sleeping Sorceress), Terra Fantastica, 2001. Artwork reprinted by permission of Maureen Bell on behalf of James Cawthorn.

The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, Yanshuf Books, cover artwork 2005 by Yael Bar-Dayan. Reprinted by permission of Yanshuf Publishing.

Cover artwork by Howard V. Chaykin, for Elric, self-published portfolio, 1975. Reprinted by permission of Howard V. Chaykin.

Elric portrait for Star*Reach Greatest Hits cover 1979, 2009 by Frank Brunner. Reprinted by permission of Frank Brunner.

A page from The Green Empress of Melnibon, by Barry Windsor-Smith and Roy Thomas, first appearing in Conan the Barbarian Nos. 14 and 15, March and May 1972. Conan and 1972 Conan Properties International LLC. Reprinted by permission of Conan Properties International LLC.

The World of Elric map by John Collier and Walter Romanski, 1976, first published in Elric of Melnibon. Elric in the Young Kingdoms map by John Collier, 2009. These corrected versions, previously unpublished, reprinted by permission of John Collier.

Interior artwork and Lre des Jeunes Royaumes map, both by Philippe Druillet, from Elric le Necromancien, ditions Opta, 1969. Reprinted by permission of Philippe Druillet.

The Revenge of the Rose, Ace Books, cover artwork 1991 by Robert J. Gould. Reprinted by permission of Ace Books.

Various Elric artworks by James Cawthorn reprinted by permission of Maureen Bell on behalf of James Cawthorn.

Dream of a Doomed Lord 1978 by James Cawthorn, first published in Something Else No. 1, edited by Charles Partington, Spring 1980. Reprinted by permission of Charles Partington.

Cover artwork for Crucified Toad No. 4, edited by David Britton, Winter 1974, and a page from Stormbringer, graphic adaptation, Savoy Books, 1976, both by James Cawthorn. Reprinted by permission of David Britton, Savoy Books.

ALSO BY MICHAEL MOORCOCK

Behold the Man
Breakfast in the Ruins
Gloriana
The Metatemporal Detective

C HRONICLES OF THE L AST E MPEROR OF M ELNIBON
Elric:The Stealer of Souls
Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn
Elric: The Sleeping Sorceress
Duke Elric
Elric: In the Dream Realms

T HE C ORNELIUS Q UARTET
The Final Program
A Cure for Cancer
The English Assassin
The Condition of Muzak

B ETWEEN THE W ARS: T HE P YAT Q UARTET
Byzantium Endures
The Laughter of Carthage
Jerusalem Commands
The Vengeance of Rome

And many more

In Memoriam
Jim Cawthorn
December 21, 1929December 2, 2008

Michael Moorcock is my religion.

Ill explain that, I promise. It may take me a few minutes