The History of the Runestaff : The Jewel in the Skull', 'the Mad God's Amulet', 'the Sword of the Dawn', 'the Runestaff (Fantasy Masterworks)

SUMMARY: Those who dare swear by the Runestaff must then benefit or suffer from the consequences of the fixed pattern of destiny that they set in motion. Several such oaths have been sworn in the history of the Runestaff's existence... - The High History of the Runestaff. Dorian Hawkmoon, late the Duke of Koln, fell under the power of the Runestaff, a mysterious artifact more ancient than Time itself. His destiny, shaped by a vengeful oath sworn by the maddened Baron Meliadus of the Dark Empire, pitted Hawkmoon in battle against his own allies and forced him, by the Black Jewel embedded in his skull, to betray his very heritage. From Publishers Weekly This classic sword and sorcery novel from 1967 finds a shattered future Europe recovering from the Tragic Millennium spent under the control of the overtly evil Dark Empire of Granbretan. The reclusive Count Brass, lord of the former French region Kamarg, enrages the empire when he spurns an offer of alliance. Imperial envoy Baron Meliadus sends defeated rebel Dorian Hawkmoon to kidnap Brass's daughter, Yisselda, but Hawkmoon's inherent morality, his own infatuation with Yisselda, and Brass's kindness lead Hawkmoon to ally with Brass though he knows it spells his own doom. This novel is quite short by modern standards, giving the story a compressed and distilled effect. There is little space for nuanced politics or any depth of characterization, but the action is extremely fast-paced, and Moorcock fits more plot into 224 pages than other authors manage in a dozen volumes. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review "The greatest writer of post-Tolkien British fantasy." --Michael Chabon, _New York Times bestselling author of The Yiddish Policemen's Union _"If you are at all interested in fantastic fiction, you must read Michael Moorcock. He changed the field single-handedly: he's a giant. He has kept me entertained, shocked, and fascinated for as long as I have been reading." --Tad Williams, New York Times bestselling author of the Otherland series General,Fantasy,Fiction,Fantasy Fiction,Epic,Hawkmoon; Dorian (Fictitious character),Masterwork

Fantasy legend Michael Moorcock won hundreds of thousands of readers with his vast and imaginative multiverse, in which Law and Chaos wage war through endless alternative universes, struggling over the fundamental rules of existence.

Moorcock's heroes of the multiverse have been lauded as some of the most influential characters in fantasy. Among the Eternal Champions, Dorian Hawkmoon is one of the most loved. In the far future, Hawkmoon is pulled unwillingly into a war that will eventually pit him against the ruthless Baron Meliadus and the armies of the Dark Empire. Antique cities, scientific sorcery, and crystalline machines serve as a backdrop to this high adventure.

Dorian Hawkmoon, the last Duke of Koln, swore to destroy the Dark Empire of Granbretan.  But after his defeat and capture at the hands of the vast forces of the Empire.  Hawkmoon becomes a puppet co-opted by his arch nemesis to infiltrate the last stronghold of rebellion against Granbretan, the small but powerful city of Kamarang. He's been implanted with a black jewel, through whose power the Dark Empire can control his every decision. But in the city of Kamarang, Hawkmoon discovers the power inside him to overcome any control, and his vengeance against the Dark Empire is filled with an unrelenting fury.

The Earth Has Grown Old, Her Landscapes Mellow, Her People Lost In Abrooding Dream. It Is An Age Of Antique Cities, Scientific Sorcery, Crystal Machines, Great Flying Engines With Mechanical Wings. And The Armies Of The Dark Empire Are Relentlessly Taking Over The Once-peaceful City States, Ravaging And Destroying As They Advance, Mile By Brutal Mile ... The Dark Empire Has Humiliated And Multilated Dorian Hawkmoon, But It Cannot Rob Him Of His Two Consuming Passions: His Love For Yisselda Of Brass And His Hatred Of Her Ruthless Suitor Meliadus. But Before He Can Defy The Dark Empire And Win The Beauteous Yisselda, He Must Seek The Runestaff, A Quest That Will Send Him Into Barbaric Wonder And Perverse Evil ... And Only If He Succeeds Will Her Avert The Doom Of All The World ... Dorian Hawkmoon, the last Duke of Koln, has been co-opted by his arch nemesis to infiltrate the last stronghold of rebellion against Granbretan, the small but powerful city of Kamarang. Implanted with a black jewel, through whose power the Dark Empire can control his every decision, Hawkmoon soon discovers the power inside him to overcome any control The founders of modern literary fancy deserve their own place in the light. The Borealis Legends line is a tribute to the creators of the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres as we know them today. Contents: The jewel in the skull -- The mad god's amulet -- The sword of the dawn -- The runestaff. Dorian Hawkmoon, mutilated and humiliated, must seek the mysterious Runestaff if he is to stand against the evil might of the Dark Empire ...