The Weird of the White Wolf

You expect the heros of epic fantasy to be the "love 'em and leave 'em" sort, but here Elric proves to be the "love 'em and leave 'em dead" sort. His runesword, Stormbringer, must have its souls, and when Elric fights his evil cousin Yyrkoom, Stormbringer also requires the life of Elric's love Cymoril. (If this didn't all happen in the first chapter, I suppose it would count as a spoiler.) Elric is devasted, and in his escape from the flaming city of Imrryr, he must also abandon his friends to death by dragon in order to save his own ship. Our hero is not making friends.

The rest of the novel takes place in one of the Young Kingdoms, where the queen enlists Elric to contain the power of a being from the realm of Chaos who has set up shop in the countryside. Reaching this creature's castle involves some pretty ordinary adventures, but the castle itself and the sort of court jester from the Realm of Chaos who rules its are both among Moorcock's better creations.

This time out we get a clearer picture of what our morose hero is searching for. His world is ruled by the Lords of Law and Chaos, and there should be a regulator that keeps things in balance, This regulator has not been doing much of a job of late, and Elric wants to know if there is not some greater power that can supersede the delicate balance and ongoing battles he confronts. This could all turn into a kind of Herman Hesse novel, but Moorcock knows when to bring on the monsters and the big battle scenes.

By the end, Elric has left behind another lovestruck paramour and headed off into the land that is the very heart of sorcery.