<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

British writer Michael Moorcock (b. December 18, 1939) is better known for his fantasy than his SF, although he has written extensively in both genres. His more recent work often blurs the distinction between the two and is difficult to categorize. His biggest contribution to SF may be as editor of New Worlds magazine during the years of the "New Wave" experiments, when nonlinear storytelling, surrealism, and other unusual literary devices were used extensively to test the limits of the genre.

Moorcock wrote for the fan press for several years before turning professional, and some of his early work was later reprinted, although it does not measure up to his mature output. He began writing suspense and SF during the 1960s, the latter being predominantly complex and imaginative space operas. He also created a trilogy of pastiches of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the first of the Elric fantasy stories. Elric is a noble warrior in a typical fantasy world; his magic sword is actually the focus of a demonic force which compels its wielder to kill. The first two book titles in the Elric series were Stormbringer (1965) and The Stealer of Souls (1967), but the short stories have been recombined under different titles. Moorcock has added to the series periodically ever since, although the tone of the later novels has considerably altered.

Another series began with The Final Programme (1965) whose protagonist, Jerry Cornelius, is an amoral secret agent in a decadent future. Moorcock wrote several additional adventures, increasingly surrealistic, and allowed other writers to use his character. The first novel became a very disappointing motion picture. Several other fantasy series were launched during the 1960s and 1970s, and Moorcock began to suggest that all of his heroic protagonists were different incarnations of the same person, an "eternal champion" who appears whenever humanity requires his assistance.

Moorcock continued to write excellent standalone novels, including The Ice Schooner (1969), The Black Corridor (1969), Behold the Man (1969), expanded from the Nebula-winning shorter version, and Gloriana (1978). The Bastable series, pastiches of late 19th-century SF, started with The Warlord of the Air (1971). Another sequence set in the very distant future debuted with An Alien Heat (1972). Most of his recent novels. such as Blood (1994) and White Wolf's Son (2005), are much more consciously literary and explore the concept of the Multiverse, a diverse reality that encompasses universes where magic works as well as those ruled by technology.

During the course of his career, Moorcock has made use of an impressive range of styles and subject matter, and has produced at least one significant mainstream novel, Mother London (1988).