Erekose / The Eternal Champion
#5073.84 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 1970–1987 Reading commitment Low Michael Moorcock Last reviewed 2026-08-13
Overview
John Daker, an ordinary 20th-century man, is pulled through time to discover he is the reincarnation of Erekose, an ancient hero bound to fight in an endless war between humanity and the alien Eldren, one of Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion incarnations, alongside Elric of Melniboné, Dorian Hawkmoon, and Corum Jhaelen Irsei.
Sword & sorcery · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Erekose Trilogy Michael Moorcock
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Eternal Champion | 1970 | 1 | core | 3.84 (2,337 ratings) |
 | Phoenix in Obsidian | 1970 | 2 | core | 3.83 (2,251 ratings) |
 | The Dragon in the Sword | 1987 | 3 | core | 3.87 (1,055 ratings) |
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.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Erekose / The Eternal Champion? Erekose / The Eternal Champion's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Erekose / The Eternal Champion? Publication order, starting with The Eternal Champion. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Erekose / The Eternal Champion finished? Complete (1970–1987).
- How much reading does Erekose / The Eternal Champion take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~680 pages).
- How is Erekose / The Eternal Champion ranked? #507 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 5,643 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #507?
Ranked #507 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.84 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (5,643 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.04 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #506, Winter Rose (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 3 books · Complete · 6k ratings · Ranks #507 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment sword-and-sorcery universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Phoenix in Obsidian (1970)
- The Eternal Champion (1970)
- The Dragon in the Sword (1987)
Documented internal/story order
- The Eternal Champion (1970)
- Phoenix in Obsidian (1970)
- The Dragon in the Sword (1987)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
Related universes
- Crossover The Elric Saga: Corum's own Swords Trilogy (1971) includes an in-story meeting between Corum, Elric of Melnibone, and Erekose at the city of Tanelorn -- three of Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion incarnations. This is within Corum's own Core Canon books (already noted on the Elric Saga's and Corum's own records at ); recorded here on Erekose's side too, now that Erekose has its own universe record. See and.
- Crossover Corum: Corum's own Swords Trilogy (1971) includes an in-story meeting between Corum, Elric of Melnibone, and Erekose at the city of Tanelorn -- three of Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion incarnations. This is within Corum's own Core Canon books (already noted on Corum's own record at ); recorded here on Erekose's side too, now that Erekose has its own universe record. See and.
- Same author Hawkmoon: The History of the Runestaff: Both Erekose and Hawkmoon are incarnations of Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion, confirmed separate continuities -- no in-story crossover within either's own Core Canon books (Hawkmoon and Erekose are reported to meet in Hawkmoon's later, not-yet-researched 'Chronicles of Castle Brass' sequel trilogy -- not yet a registered connection).
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Erekose / The Eternal Champion and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Dying Earth Sword & sorcery · Complete · Low commitment · 3.99
- The Morgaine Cycle Sword & sorcery / Portal fantasy · Unfinished · Low commitment · 3.99
- Thieves' World Sword & sorcery · Ongoing · Low commitment · 3.85
- Dilvish, the Damned Sword & sorcery · Complete · Low commitment · 3.81
Official resources
- Wikipedia: The Eternal Champion (novel)
- Wikipedia: The Dragon in the Sword
- Moorcography.org: Phoenix in Obsidian
- Multiverse: the official Michael Moorcock site
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.84 across 5,643 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Erekose / The Eternal Champion admitted; Core Canon = the 3-book Erekose trilogy accepted 2026-08-13
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Eternal Champion (novel) Tier 2
- Moorcography.org: Phoenix in Obsidian Tier 2
- Moorcock's Miscellany Tier 1
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13
Rule: Core = the 3-book Erekose trilogy. A fourth Eternal Champion incarnation admitted as its own universe, exactly as Elric, Hawkmoon, and Corum were each admitted separately rather than folded into one shared-multiverse record. Phoenix in Obsidian was retitled The Silver Warriors for its US edition, same text, not double-registered.