Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen
#7703.64 adjusted 3.74 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1978 Reading commitment Low Michael Moorcock Last reviewed 2026-09-21
Overview
Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen is a standalone alternate-history novel by Michael Moorcock, loosely inspired by Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. Set in an alternate Elizabethan empire, Albion, it follows the thirteen-year reign of Queen Gloriana, whose vast, prosperous, peaceful realm has been engineered behind the scenes by her ruthless Lord Chancellor through morally compromised means, while Gloriana herself remains personally unfulfilled despite her power. The scheming spy Captain Arturo Quire, initially working to destabilize the court, becomes entangled with the Queen instead, in a story that subverts conventional romantic and fantasy tropes along the way.
Historical fantasy, Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen (1978) core · 3.64 (2,357 ratings); Standalone novel; no sequel. The original edition's ending was later revised by the author for subsequent editions; a 2004 edition presents both versions with the author's own note.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen? Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen finished? Complete (1978).
- How much reading does Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~496 pages).
- How is Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen ranked? #770 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,357 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #770?
Ranked #770 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.64 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (2,357 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #769, Novaria (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 2k ratings · Ranks #770 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (Best Novel), 1979: won: Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen
- John W. Campbell Memorial Award, 1979: won: Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen
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- The Isle in the Silver Sea Romantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.75
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.64 across 2,357 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen admitted accepted 2026-09-21
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen (Moorcock's Miscellany / moorcography.org bibliography) Tier 1
- Gloriana (novel) (English Wikipedia) Tier 2
- 1979 World Fantasy Awards (sfadb) Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-09-21
Rule: Core Canon is the single standalone novel, Gloriana, or the Unfulfill'd Queen (1978).