Von Bek Series by Michael Moorcock

"The forest flourished, a lush and spreading refuge from the Wars, coolly green and welcoming. Beyond its borders the land burned flame red, blood red, ghastly black. Men and women, hacked to death, choked the paths and streams as the Armies of Religion clashed and slaughtered. Carrion-hung gibbets loomed starkly through the smoke and all the land was desolate. The forest was a refuge. Yet silent, utterly silent and without life, as through it wearily rode the War Hound, Graf Ulrich von Bek... more"The forest flourished, a lush and spreading refuge from the Wars, coolly green and welcoming. Beyond its borders the land burned flame red, blood red, ghastly black. Men and women, hacked to death, choked the paths and streams as the Armies of Religion clashed and slaughtered. Carrion-hung gibbets loomed starkly through the smoke and all the land was desolate. The forest was a refuge. Yet silent, utterly silent and without life, as through it wearily rode the War Hound, Graf Ulrich von Bek. To come suddenly on a castle." less

An old man remembers, the past flooding back, richly powerful. Memories of Alexandra, sixteen-year-old mistress, hungry for all experience. Memories of their time together in Mirenburg, where time and place marked the heyday of high European style; gracious, mannered and opulent, where the influences of Vienna, Paris and St Petersburg jostled, collided and complemented... moreAn old man remembers, the past flooding back, richly powerful. Memories of Alexandra, sixteen-year-old mistress, hungry for all experience. Memories of their time together in Mirenburg, where time and place marked the heyday of high European style; gracious, mannered and opulent, where the influences of Vienna, Paris and St Petersburg jostled, collided and complemented.A city and society symbolised by the flamboyantly discreet brothel in Rosentrasse where fantasy is realised and reality unimaginable. A doomed and gilded world of exquisite decadence where the prodigal pair play out their intricately sexual rituals.And all the while the unadorned, styleless reality of civil war closes in on them. A reality that will uncomprehendingly destroy for all time the decorative sensuality that is fin de siècle society in Mirenburg. less

THE LAST BATTLEEnemies become allies and allies enemies as the races struggle for possession of the Earth. Yet only Prince Corum of the Scarlet Robe can save them from a doomed fate. With the spear of Llaw Ereint in his silver hand, Corum must face the Cold Gods in a final battle that will defeat the forces of Chaos - or deliver the world to evil unending...Cover Illustration: Robert Gould

This volume of Moorcock's dark fantasy contains The Warhound and the World's Pain, The City in the Autumn Stars, The Pleasure Gardens of Felippe Sagittarious, and The Dragon in the Sword. In order to reclaim his lost soul, Captain Graf Ulrich von Beck must obtain for Lucifer the Holy Grail, the Cure for the World's Pain.

The sequel to The Warhound and the World's Pain, The City in the Autumn Stars continues the story of the German prince Manfred von Bek and his search for the devil--for the causes of evil in mankind. "A glorious tapestry of late-18th-century historical fantasy".--Fantasy Review

The third novel in the History of John Daker, The Eternal Champion.

The Sundered Worlds (retitled The Blood Red Game): The main attraction of this story is the ideas with which it's packed... moreThe Sundered Worlds (retitled The Blood Red Game): The main attraction of this story is the ideas with which it's packed. The Shifter System of eleven planets orbiting around a sun traveling transversely thru the dimensions of the multiverse, phasing into normal space-time for brief periods over many years, a refuge for criminals & others who wish to escape; Roth, the ragged planet, part of the Shifter System, sections of which orbit thru the multiverse in different directions to the others; the Blood-Red Game, a ritual contest of sickness & self-revulsion, played for the highest stakes between humans & aliens of another dimension. Unfortunately the ideas tend to get slightly in the way of the story. At times the natural flow of the action is stopped completely to examine the implications of a situation. This tends to lead to overemphasis on certain parts of the plot, which otherwise, would have been less important. Nonetheless, this book sparkles with ideas & makes interesting reading. We see too that the multiverse of Moorcock has much in common with the inner world of Sellings' The Silent Speakers. These books both show that in sf, the macrocosm ultimately turns out to be identical to the microcosm. Inner space & outer space are in reality the same.--Langdon Jones, New Worlds (edited). 'Renark was born to wander under the diamond glare of a myriad suns. He was never alone because he sensed the power of unseen hands which guided the ebb & flow of the universe. Then, after two years of watching & waiting, he was ready for the great journey to the galactic rim & beyond. There he found himself in the arena of the Blood Red Game. Stakes were high. For the human race it meant extinction or rebirth.' less