
Phoenix in Obsidian
core novel 1970 The Eternal Champion
Record
| First published | 1970 |
|---|---|
| Original language | |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.83 (2,251 ratings, collected 2026-08-13) |
| Page count | 220 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781783291625 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
In this sequel to The Eternal Champion, Erekose is summoned into a new incarnation as Urlik Skarsol, a count living on a dying, ice-bound Earth beneath a fading sun. There he encounters two very different local leaders, Bishop Belphig, who has surrendered himself entirely to a life of hedonism, and the ascetic Shanosfane, who lives apart from Belphig's excesses. Urlik learns he has been summoned across the ages by Bladrak Morningstar to help humanity withstand an invasion by the Silver Warriors, a formidable enemy descending from the Moon itself. Wiser and more wary than in earlier incarnations after the costs of his past wars, Urlik must weigh uncertain alliances and possible betrayals while separated from Ermizhad, the woman he loves, and longing for a way back to her.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Eternal Champion
- Series: The Erekose Trilogy core; position 2 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Michael Moorcock
Notes
- From the series record (The Erekose Trilogy): John Daker, an ordinary 20th-century man, discovers he is the reincarnation of the ancient hero Erekose -- one of Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion incarnations, distinct from the already-admitted Elric Saga, Hawkmoon and Corum. Phoenix in Obsidian was retitled The Silver Warriors for its US edition (same text, not a separate work). No in-story crossover with Elric/Corum/Hawkmoon occurs within these 3 books themselves -- see the related_universes crossover entries instead, which record the meeting from Corum's own Core Canon side.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Erekose Trilogy: position 2 of 3: previous The Eternal Champion (1970) · next The Dragon in the Sword (1987)
- Internal chronology, within The Eternal Champion: position 9 of 30: previous The Queen of the Swords (1971) · next The City in the Autumn Stars (1986)
Sources
- Wikipedia: The Eternal Champion (novel)
- Wikipedia: The Dragon in the Sword
- Moorcography.org: Phoenix in Obsidian
- https://www.stevenhsilver.com/phoenix.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_in_Obsidian
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