The Jewel in the Skull
core novel 1967 The Eternal Champion
Record
| First published | 1967 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.84 (3,859 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780583113687 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
The Jewel in the Skull is set in a shattered future Europe still recovering from a catastrophic event known as the Tragic Millennium, under the rule of the evil, insect-armored Dark Empire of Granbretan, whose armies have conquered most of the continent through terror and dark science. It follows Dorian Hawkmoon, the last Duke of Köln, who after his defeat and capture by Granbretan's forces is implanted with a mind-controlling black jewel in his skull and dispatched by his captors to infiltrate a rebel stronghold on their behalf, his own will subordinated to theirs through the jewel's influence. Struggling against the device even as it threatens to consume his mind entirely, Hawkmoon must find a way to resist Granbretan's control while carrying out, or subverting, the mission forced upon him.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Eternal Champion
- Series: The History of the Runestaff core; position 1 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Michael Moorcock
Notes
- From the series record (The History of the Runestaff): Original title of book 2 was "Sorcerer's Amulet"; original title of book 4 was "The Secret of the Runestaff" -- both since retitled in reprints under the titles used here.
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 History of the Runestaff: position 1 of 4: next The Mad God's Amulet (1968)
- Internal chronology, within The Eternal Champion: position 2 of 30: previous Elric of Melniboné (1972) · next The Knight of the Swords (1971)
Sources
- Wikipedia: The History of the Runestaff
- https://www.stevenhsilver.com/jewelintheskull.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jewel_in_the_Skull
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