The Knight of the Swords
core novel 1971 The Eternal Champion
Record
| First published | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.90 (4,258 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| Page count | 176 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780583118606 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
The Knight of the Swords, published in 1971, introduces Corum Jhaelen Irsei, the last surviving member of the Vadhagh race, an ancient and now nearly extinct people being systematically exterminated by the invading, more brutal Mabden under the command of Glandyth-a-Krae. Early in the story Corum, having lost his family to the Mabden's cruelty, is captured and mutilated, losing his left hand and right eye in an act of deliberate torment, setting him on a path of vengeance against Glandyth and the forces behind the Vadhagh's destruction. His quest for retribution draws him into a far larger cosmic conflict as an aspect of the Eternal Champion, entangling him with the struggle between the forces of Law and Chaos and with Arioch, the first of the Chaos Lords known as the Sword Rulers, who holds sway over his fate.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Eternal Champion
- Series: The Swords Trilogy core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Michael Moorcock
Notes
- From the series record (The Swords Trilogy): Corum Jhaelen Irsei's first trilogy; includes an in-story meeting with Elric of Melnibone and Erekose at the city of Tanelorn (within these books themselves, not a separately-published crossover title).
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 Swords Trilogy: position 1 of 3: next The Queen of the Swords (1971)
- Internal chronology, within The Eternal Champion: position 3 of 30: previous The Jewel in the Skull (1967) · next The Eternal Champion (1970)
Sources
← The Eternal Champion dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.