Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone

Michael Moorcock's brooding albino, Elric of the Emerald Isle, represents a landmark of sword-and-sorcery fantasy to millions of readers worldwide - with Neil Gaiman among them! Heir to a legacy of tens of thousands of years, Elric sees the power of his decadent empire waning as the Young Kingdoms of humankind begin to stir. The 428th sorcerer-emperor to hold the ruby throne, he is unusually introspective and weak for his race - a combination that proves too tempting for his scheming cousin, Yyrkoon! As Elric is forced to call upon Arioch, Lord of Chaos and Duke of Hell, to rescue his beloved Cymoril from Yyrkoon's clutches, so too will fate lead him to Stormbringer - a bloodthirsty magic sword with a mind of its own - and a dimensions-spanning encounter with the Four Who Are One.