The Runestaff
core novel 1969 The Eternal Champion
Record
| First published | 1969 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.88 (2,436 ratings, collected 2026-09-13) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780886772185 |
| Internal chronology | 4 |
Synopsis
The fourth and final book of the History of the Runestaff picks up immediately after The Sword of the Dawn, as Dorian Hawkmoon seeks the legendary Runestaff itself in the mythical city of Dnark while, back in Granbretan, the scheming Baron Meliadus plots to seize power from the ruling King-Emperor Huon. Hawkmoon presses on with allies including D'Averc and Count Brass, while the noblewoman Countess Flana finds herself caught between competing loyalties to the Empire and to those working against it. As Hawkmoon closes in on recovering the Runestaff from its guardians, Meliadus launches an open coup against the throne of Granbretan, and the series builds toward a final confrontation between a hero seeking mystical power to save Europe and a tyrant bent on seizing political dominion over it.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Eternal Champion
- Series: The History of the Runestaff core; position 4 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 4 of 4: previous The Sword of the Dawn (1968)
- Internal chronology, within The Eternal Champion: position 16 of 30: previous The Sailor on the Seas of Fate (1976) · next The Bull and the Spear (1973)
Sources
← The Eternal Champion dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.