Book picks similar to
Elric by Michael Moorcock


fantasy
fantasy-masterworks
fiction
sword-and-sorcery

Lord Foul's Bane


Stephen R. Donaldson - 1977
    He had been sick; now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land's greatest hero--Berek Halfhand--armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of Despiser, Lord Foul. Only...Covenant had no idea of how the power could be used!Thus begins one of the most remarkable epic fantasies ever written...

Elric: Tales of the White Wolf


Richard GilliamE. Gary Gygax - 1996
    He is one of just a handful of characters in sword-and-sworcery fiction who have had a seminal impact on the entire genre, and his compelling tale and tortured conscience have inspired countless rendering by artists both famed and unknown. Elric has even inspired songs from groups as diverse as Hakwind and Blue Oyster Cult to Cirith Ungol and the Tygers of Pan Tang.

The Darkness That Comes Before


R. Scott Bakker - 2003
    Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series creates a world from whole cloth-its language and classes of people, its cities, religions, mysteries, taboos, and rituals. It's a world scarred by an apocalyptic past, evoking a time both two thousand years past and two thousand years into the future, as untold thousands gather for a crusade. Among them, two men and two women are ensnared by a mysterious traveler, Anasûrimbor Kellhus - part warrior, part philosopher, part sorcerous, charismatic presence - from lands long thought dead. The Darkness That Comes Before is a history of this great holy war, and like all histories, the survivors write its conclusion.

The First Law Trilogy


Joe Abercrombie - 2008
    The three volume edition collecting:The Blade ItselfBefore They Are HangedThe Last Argument of Kings

Black Gods and Scarlet Dreams


C.L. Moore - 2002
    She wielded her bright sword against mighty armies, the sinister magic of evil sorcerers and fearsome castles guarded by the dead, even daring to descend into Hell itself... Northwest Smith, the scarred and weathered outlaw, the legendary hero of the spaceways, forced to confront the terrible mysteries, the terrifying, mythic monsters of the universe... Jirel of Joiry and Northwest Smith are C.L. Moore's greatest creations and she used them not only to spin spellbinding tales but also to explore the mysteries of the human psyche.Contents:1 • Black Gods • [Jirel of Joiry] • (1969) • collection by C. L. Moore (variant of Jirel of Joiry)3 • Jirel Meets Magic • [Jirel of Joiry] • (1935) • novelette by C. L. Moore39 • Black God's Kiss • [Jirel of Joiry] • (1934) • novelette by C. L. Moore69 • Black God's Shadow • [Jirel of Joiry] • (1934) • novelette by C. L. Moore97 • The Dark Land • [Jirel of Joiry] • (1936) • novelette by C. L. Moore126 • Hellsgarde • [Jirel of Joiry] • (1939) • novelette by C. L. Moore163 • Scarlet Dreams • [Northwest Smith] • (1981) • collection by C. L. Moore (variant of Scarlet Dream)165 • Shambleau • [Northwest Smith] • (1933) • novelette by C. L. Moore196 • Black Thirst • [Northwest Smith] • (1934) • novelette by C. L. Moore234 • The Tree of Life • [Northwest Smith] • (1936) • novelette by C. L. Moore263 • Scarlet Dream • [Northwest Smith] • (1934) • novelette by C. L. Moore288 • Dust of Gods • [Northwest Smith] • (1934) • novelette by C. L. Moore (variant of Dust of the Gods)316 • Lost Paradise • [Northwest Smith] • (1936) • novelette by C. L. Moore342 • Julhi • [Northwest Smith] • (1935) • novelette by C. L. Moore375 • The Cold Gray God • [Northwest Smith] • (1935) • novelette by C. L. Moore404 • Yvala • [Northwest Smith] • (1936) • novelette by C. L. Moore436 • Song in a Minor Key • [Northwest Smith] • (1940) • shortstory by C. L. Moore

The Spell Sword


Marion Zimmer Bradley - 1974
    Most of the planet's wild terrain was unexplored...and many of its peoples seclusive and secretive.But for Andrew Carr there was an attraction he could not evade. Darkover drew him, Darkover haunted him--and when his mapping plane crashed in unknown heights, Darkover prepared to destroy him.Until the planet's magic asserted itself--and his destiny began to unfold along lines predicted only by phantoms and wonder workers of the kind Terran science could never acknowledge.THE SPELL SWORD is a Darkover novel to stand with the great ones of the series.

Legend


David Gemmell - 1984
    His skill in battle has earned him a fearsome reputation throughout the world and the stories of his life are told everywhere. But the grizzled veteran has spurned a life of fame and fortune and has retreated to the solitude of his mountain lair to await his old enemy, Death.Meanwhile, barbarian hordes of the Nadir are on the march, conquering all before them. All that stands before them and victory is the legendary six-walled fortress of the Drenai empire, Dros Delnoch. If the fortress falls, so do the Drenai. Druss reluctantly agrees to come out of retirement. But can even Druss live up to his own legends?Held by many to be Gemmell's most iconic work, the book is considered a classic in the heroic fantasy genre.

The Variable Man


Philip K. Dick - 1953
    The computers of the future can tell you if you’re going to win a war before you fire a shot. Unfortunately they’re predicting perpetual standoff between the Terran and Centaurian Empires. What they need is something unpredictable, what they get is Thomas Cole, a man from the past accidently dragged forward in time. Will he fit their calculations, or is he the random variable that can break the stalemate? – The Variable Man first appeared in the September, 1953 issue of Space Science Fiction magazine.Approx. 3 hours

Among Thieves


Douglas Hulick - 2011
    But when an ancient book falls into his hands, Drothe finds himself in possession of a relic capable of bringing down emperors-a relic everyone in the underworld would kill to obtain.

A Cavern of Black Ice


J.V. Jones - 1999
    Jones's Sword of Shadow seriesAs a newborn Ash March was abandoned--left for dead at the foot of a frozen mountain. Found and raised by the Penthero Iss, the mighty Surlord of Spire Vanis, she has always known she is different. Terrible dreams plague her and sometimes in the darkness she hears dread voices from another world. Iss watches her as she grows to womanhood, eager to discover what powers his ward might possess. As his interest quickens, he sends his living blade, Marafice Eye, to guard her night and day.Raif Sevrance, a young man of Clan Blackhail, also knows he is different, with uncanny abilities that distance him from the clan. But when he and his brother survive an ambush that plunges the entire Northern Territories into war, he yet seeks justice for his own . . . even if means he must forsake clan and kin.Ash and Raif must learn to master their powers and accept their joint fate if they are to defeat an ancient prophecy and prevent the release of the pure evil known as the End Lords.

The Color of Magic


Terry Pratchett - 1983
    This is where it all begins -- with the tourist Twoflower and his wizard guide, Rincewind.On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There's an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE of the planet...

Time of the Twins


Margaret Weis - 1986
    Featuring the stunning art and design that graced the cover of the paperback edition, this new version is a follow-up to the release of the Dragonlance novels Chronicles trilogy in hardcover in 2003. It also continues the planned release of all of the core Weis & Hickman titles in trade hardcover, allowing fans and collectors alike the chance to obtain the entire set in hardcover.

The Malloreon, Vol. 1: Guardians of the West / King of the Murgos / Demon Lord of Karanda


David Eddings - 2005
    Now the first three Malloreon books appear in a single volume, taking us on an epic quest across strange lands among gods, kings, sorcerers, and ordinary men. It is a gripping tale of two ancient warring destinies fighting a battle of good against evil.Garion has slain the evil God Torak and is now the King of Riva. The prophecy has been fulfilled–or so it seems. For there is a dire warning, as a great evil brews in the East. Now Garion once again finds himself with the fate of the world resting on his shoulders. When Garion’s infant son is kidnapped by Zandramas, the Child of Dark, a great quest begins to rescue the child. Among those on the dangerous mission are Garion and his wife, Queen Ce’Nedra, and the immortal Belgarath the Sorcerer and his daughter, Polgara. They must make their way through the foul swamps of Nyissa, then into the lands of the Murgos. Along the way, they will face grave dangers–captivity, a horde of demons, a fatal plague–while Zandramas plots to use Garion’s son in a chilling ritual that will make the Dark Prophecy supreme. . .

La Dynastie Dent de Lion - tome 1 La Grâce des rois (1)


Ken Liu - 2015
    Yet, in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods. Once the emperor has been overthrown, however, they each find themselves the leader of separate factions—two sides with very different ideas about how the world should be run and the meaning of justice.Fans of intrigue, intimate plots, and action will find a new series to embrace in the Dandelion Dynasty.

To Green Angel Tower, Part 1


Tad Williams - 1993
    Replete with war, deception, adventure, sorcery, and romance, To Green Angel Tower brings to a stunning and surprising conclusion Tad Williams' monumental tale of a magical conflict which fractures the very fabric of time and space, turning both humans and Sithi against those of their own blood.As the evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King prepare for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries and King Elias is drawn ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell-spun world, the loyal allies of Prince Josua desperately struggle to rally their forces at The Stone of Farewell. And with time running out, the remaining members of the now-devastated League of the Scroll have also gathered there to unravel mysteries from the forgotten past. For if the League can reclaim these age-old secrets of magic long-buried beneath the dusts of time, they may be able to reveal to Josua and his army the only means of striking down the unslayable foe.But whether or not the League is successful in its quest, the call of battle will lead the valiant followers of Josua Lackhand across storm tossed seas brimming with bloodthirsty kilpa...through forests swarming with those both mind- and soul-lost... through ancient caverns built by legendary Dwarrows...to the haunted halls of Asu'a itself—the Sithi's greatest stronghold!