Elric Books in Order
Michael Moorcock has written 23 Elric books, published between 1970 and 2022: 16 in the 2 main-line series and 7 related titles. The first book is The Singing Citadel (1970) and the newest main-line book is The Citadel of Forgotten Myths (2022). Publication order is the reading order below.
Also searched as Elric Saga.
- Books
- 23
- Published
- 1970–2022
- Pages on record
- 2,667 in 14 of 23 books
- Reading time
- 44–67 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,667 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 14 of 23 titles with a page count on record.
Elric of Melnibone is an albino swordsman, and the saga Michael Moorcock built around him is epic fantasy. The catalogue holds 23 titles across prose, short fiction and graphic novels, opening with The Singing Citadel (1970) and taking in Stormbringer (1977) and The Weird of the White Wolf. Many of the books circulate under two names. The Citadel of Forgotten Myths appeared in 2022, and nothing has followed.
How many Elric books are there?
Elric has 23 books, released between 1970 and 2022. 16 of them belong to the 2 main-line series (Elric Saga, Elric: The Moonbeam Roads), and 7 related titles sit outside it: graphic novels and short stories and novellas.
Elric Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 23 Elric books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119701252/4
- 21970–2/4
- 31972–2/4
- 41973752/4
- 51973202/4
- 619761602/4
- 719771602/4
- 81977–2/4
- 919771602/4
- 10Elric at the End of Time: The Graphic NovelElric Saga Graphic Novels #11987 · 120 pages · confirmed 2/419871202/4
- 111989–2/4
- 1219912562/4
- 1320013432/4
- 1420052082/4
- 1520054322/4
- 1620111282/4
- 172011–2/4
- 1820111282/4
- 192013–2/4
- 202013–2/4
- 212013–2/4
- 2220133522/4
- 232022–2/4
Elric Books in Chronological Order
In story order, Elric of Melniboné / The Dreaming City comes first and The Citadel of Forgotten Myths comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 11 books of the Elric Saga series with a recorded story position run in that sequence below.
- 2Elric of Melniboné / The Dreaming City1972 · confirmed 2/41972–2/4
- 7The Fortress of the Pearl1989 · confirmed 2/41989–2/4
- 3The Sailor on the Seas of Fate1976 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/419761602/4
- 6The Weird of the White Wolf / The White Wolf1977 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/419771602/4
- 1The Vanishing Tower / The Sleeping Sorceress1970 · confirmed 2/41970–2/4
- 8The Revenge of the Rose1991 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/419912562/4
- 4The Bane of the Black Sword / Song of the Black Sword1977 · 160 pages · confirmed 2/419771602/4
- 5Stormbringer1977 · confirmed 2/41977–2/4
- 9The Dreamthief's Daughter2001 · 343 pages · confirmed 2/420013432/4
- 10The White Wolf's Son2005 · 432 pages · confirmed 2/420054322/4
- 11The Citadel of Forgotten Myths2022 · confirmed 2/42022–2/4
Do you have to read Elric books in order?
You should read the 2 main-line series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 7 related titles (graphic novels and short stories and novellas) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each Elric book also stands alone.
Where to start with Elric
Start with The Singing Citadel (1970), the earliest published book in the 2 main-line series. In the chronological order, Elric of Melniboné / The Dreaming City comes first.
What is the newest Elric book?
The Citadel of Forgotten Myths (2022) is the newest book in the 2 main-line series.
Is there a new Elric book coming?
No next Elric book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Elric has won
Wikidata records 1 award and 4 nominations for Elric. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- British Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction1974Wonfor The Jade Man's Eyes
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel2002Shortlistedfor The Dreamthief's Daughter
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel1992Shortlistedfor The Revenge of the Rose
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel1990Shortlistedfor The Fortress of the Pearl
- World Fantasy Award for Best Novel1977Shortlistedfor The Sailor on the Seas of Fate
Elric at a glance
- Paused
- No new main-line Elric title has appeared for 4 years. The last was The Citadel of Forgotten Myths (2022).
- Release pace
- Elric books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 2,667 pages across the 14 of 23 books with a recorded length, a median of 160 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Elric books, 9 of 23, were published in the 1970s.
What the Elric books are about
17 of the 23 Elric books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy, epic is tagged on 10 of 17. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fantasy, epic 10 of 17 books
- Melnibone (imaginary place) 10 of 17 books
- Fantasy 7 of 17 books
- Albinos and albinism 4 of 17 books
- Swordsmen 4 of 17 books
- Comics & graphic novels, fantasy 3 of 17 books
- Science fiction 2 of 17 books
More books by Michael Moorcock
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Michael Moorcock books in order 160 books