The Warrior of World's End

World's End #2

by Lin Carter, Vincent Di Fate (Illustrator)

"I see Gondwane as it shall be in the untold ages of dim futurity, near the time when the Earth shall be man s habitation no more, and the great night shall enfold all, and naught but the cold stars shall reign. The first sign of the end ye shall see in the heavens, for Lo! the moon is falling, falling. And there shall come a man into the lands, a man not like other men, but sent from Galendil . . ." The name of the man is Ganelon Silverman and this is the first of the classic science fantasy adventure series by Lin Carter!

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Sword and Sorcery, Dying Earth, Pulp, Science Fiction Fantasy

160 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1974

About the author

Lin Carter was an American author, editor, and critic best known for his influential role in fantasy literature during the mid-20th century. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, he developed an early passion for myth, adventure stories, and imaginative fiction, drawing inspiration from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and J. R. R. Tolkien. After serving in the U.S. Army, Carter attended Columbia University, where he honed his literary skills and deepened his knowledge of classical and medieval literature, myth, and folklore — elements that would become central to his work.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.

Reviews

[Michael Jandrok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year I made a point of rereading one of my favorite fantasy series from my early years as a reader, Lin Carter’s five volume “Green Star” epic. That particular set of books was less pastiche and more an homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs. I have gone over Lin Carter’s abilities as a writer in past reviews, so I’ll take the short road here. Carter’s true strengths were in editing and literary criticism, though he was also a prolific writer of various adventure series and short fiction in the science-fiction and fantasy genres. The man put out an impressive volume of work during his lifetime. You can catch his full life story here on his Wiki page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Carter

This year I thought it would be fun to take on another of Carter’s formidable fantasy series, specifically the “Gondwane Epic,” or the “World’s End” series as it is often referred to. This six volume set is somewhat unique in the Carter oeuvre in that it really doesn’t fit into the pastiche category at all. The Gondwane books are surely derivative, but they are not imitative of any other authors. I think that this was Carter’s attempt to set out on his path as a writer and see what he could produce using his own unique wordsmithing. The Gondwane Epic is also a bit different in that the actual concluding volume, “The Giant of World’s End,” was actually written in 1969, well BEFORE the other books in the series were authored. This often creates confusion, as DAW books only released the five volumes that were produced in the 1970s. To get the full six volume series you will need to seek out the 1969 Belmont Books paperback printing of the concluding volume.

So now you will also get my quick appreciation for how well the DAW paperbacks have held up over the years. I’m big on aesthetics and cover art when it comes to my pulp paperbacks, and DAW never cut corners were these things were concerned. Vincent DeFate provided the great cover art for the first installment of the series, “The Warrior of World’s End,” as well as a black and white splash page illustration pulled right from the story.

THE PLOT THUS FAR: The Earth is in its final stages of life, an era known as the Eon of the Falling Moon. All of the continents have once again come together to form the supercontinent Gondwane. This massive landmass is home to various human and non-human species that have evolved over time. The laws of nature have become warped over the centuries so that things like magic and science work hand in hand in this era.

A traveling maker of idols and his wife are holed up in a makeshift cave after they are trapped by a mysterious blue rain, when they discover an enormous naked man wandering about in the storm. They take him in and soon find out that although his physical development is advanced, he has the mind of an infant. They make the decision to adopt the wayward giant and take him on to their next stop, where they become successful beyond their wildest dreams. They name him Ganelon. The giant manchild can learn, and is soon developing his mental faculties in a more or less normal fashion. When the hegemony they have settled in is threatened by a barbarian horde, it falls to Ganelon to almost single-handedly wipe out the threat.

Here his true nature is revealed. Ganelon’s adoptive father is friends with a mysterious Illusionist who reveals that Ganelon is really a Construct placed into hiding by the long-gone Time Gods in order to stave off some future disaster. Furthermore, Ganelon has been awakened BEFORE he was supposed to be, so no one really knows his true nature or function on Earth. Ganelon is pressed into service to the Illusionist as an apprentice, and they head off to the Illusionist’s palace where Ganelon is introduced to a whole new world of magic and mystery.

From here the book takes on an episodic sort of quality, as Ganelon as his new master set out on a series of adventures. They acquire a sentient vehicle in the form of the bronze Bazonga Bird, and this allows them unlimited travel over the supercontinent. It isn’t long before Ganelon gets into trouble at a stop and acquires the companionship of a lady barbarian named Xarda. Our band of adventurers complete, I won’t give you any more plot or spoilers. Just read the book if you want to find out how all of this craziness ends.

I personally dig the Gondwane Epic quite a bit. It’s humorous and good-natured without becoming a straight-up comedy, and it hits the mark in terms of pacing and character development. And you get the Bazonga Bird. Say that with me...The Bazonga Bird. It really doesn’t get any better than that, guys. If you enjoy your fantasy with a healthy dose of fun, then you have arrived at the right place. Ganelon himself is an engaging main character, and he has enough depth that he keeps surprising everyone along the way. The Illusionist and Xarda are a great supporting cast, and the mighty Bazonga Bird usually provides some comic relief in times of high tension. It’s a neat and tidy read at 151 pages and sets the stage for the second novel without the cliched use of a cliffhanger. It is also quite obvious that Carter really enjoyed the task of world building in “The Warrior of World’s End.” He dotes over every detail that he can think of and really strives to create a consistent and logical set of physical conditions for his characters to inhabit.

Look, the Gondwane Epic isn’t anything than what it is supposed to be. It’s pulp fantasy for those who like that sort of thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love the big, serious stuff too. Lord of the Rings? Hell, yeah!! Thomas Covenant? Bring him on!! But every now and again I want something light that I don’t have to put much thought into, and Carter’s books usually do the trick for me. Fans of Jack Vance’s “Dying Earth” series will see some similarities here, but this certainly isn’t a pastiche of Vance in any way, shape, or form. Carter seemed to go out of his way here to produce a set of books that could stand on their own as originals, and I applaud him for taking that tack. I love Carter as an author, and I wish he had gotten more exposure when he was alive. His books always sold well enough to get him published, but he had a limited fan base and couldn’t get past the idea that he was more or less a hack aping other authors. When he was on he was ON, though, and the World’s End books are proof of that.

Hopefully these reviews get enough attention that they turn a few more people on to these golden nuggets of forgotten fantasy. I hate to think of these books wasting away in some used book store, overlooked in favor of less deserving fare. If a solid story and massive, sweaty thews are your thing, then you should run out and get you some of this action. What are you waiting for?

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

DAW Collectors #125

Cover Artist: Vincent DiFate

Name: Carter, Linwood Vrooman, Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, (09 June 1930 - 07 February 1988)

Alternate Names: L. Carter, Lin(wood) Carter, H. P. Lowcraft, Grail Undwin

Ganelon Silvermane is first discovered wandering naked in the blue rain, by Phlesco, an itinerant Godmaker periaptist, and Iminix, his psuedo woman wife as they journey towards the Realm of the Nine Hegemons, north of the Crystal Mountains. They ride ornithohippus bird-horses as ‘evolution had continued its subtle, invisible surgery amid the gene pool of Terrene life-forms, and many new races of beasts as well as sentient humanoids had arisen.’ These other forms include halfmen, Deathdwarfs, Stone Heads and Green Wraiths. Initially assumed to be a lumbering mindless lout, the kindly couple take the giant to the city of Zermish to cater to his needs. The city, dating back only thirty-two thousand years, was considered rather youngish, according to the expectations of the time. It is here that Magister Narelon the Illusionist – alerted by the haruspex Slunth, first suspects Ganelon’s true identity. That he is both two-hundred million years old, and yet was barely seven hours alive at the time of his discovery.

"Giant of World’s End" came out in 1969, five years before this one did.

Robert M. Price, Carter's literary executor, wrote that "[t]he "World's End" books are compounded of about equal parts of A. E. van Vogt's The Book of Ptath, Jack Vance's The Dying Earth, Clark Ashton Smith's "Zothique" tales.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can't go home again. This was the second of Lin Carter's books that I had read, after Tower at the Edge of Time, and the combination had cemented his books on my TBR list for far too long.

Rereading, many years later...Okay, it's not all that. It flops back and forth between a very earnest narration of the weird world of Seven Hundred Million AD--the Eon of the Falling Moon--and scenes of interaction between the strange characters of this time, farcical banter delivered with a slightly sneering, ironic tone. The second of these has the miasma of someone trying to be witty and lighthearted, and not really succeeding. That tone consumes the storytelling as the series progresses.

[Steve Goble · Rating 2 out of 5]

Put Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Star Wars and Harry Potter in a blender. set on high for two minutes, then pour mixture into a very episodic plot that just kind of bounces around. Sprinkle in a lot of verbosity. The result is sort of fun, but easily forgettable.

[Dartharagorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started slow then got pretty fun.

Like the title says started kinda slow and I thought a little boring. Then it picked up and by the end was fun. This is one of the Appendix N recommend reads from the 1st edition Dungeon Master's Guide. I'm trying to read all the books on that list and I would recommend this one. A sword and sorcery fun time!

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I wouldn’t call this great fantasy literature, it was so weird that I couldn’t help but enjoy it. For every standard trope, there was something entirely bizarre; well, there’s the spunky warrior woman, but now here’s an interdimensional lobster-man. A brawny mighty-thewed champion? Sure, but when you first meet him he has the brain of toddler.

[Mike Nusbaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable dying Earth gonzo science-fantasy book. Carter draws heavily from Jack Vance's Dying Earth series to create a far future Earth populated with strange creatures, cultures and rules of physics which allow magic to exist alongside ancient technology. This book follows the adventures of Ganelon Silvermane, a genetic superman created eons ago for an unknown purpose. Apparently awoken from the vault his ancient creators stored him in deep underground before he could be fully completed, he is raised by a human artisan father and plant-based humanoid mother and eventually discovers his purpose when he rallies the faltering forces defending their city-state by an advancing ape species hell-bent on destroying it. Later taken on by a powerful magician, under the role of apprentice, to study Ganelon and determine if he can learn more of the hero's ultimate purpose. Their adventures find them bouncing from situation to situation without a real overall purpose until the end when they decide to stop a group of religious zealots called the Sky Masters who have been terrorizing a race of sentient tiger humanoids. I'm hoping the series will focus more on Ganelon and his mission to save humanity from some earth shaking fate, something the ancients have done in the past with other "constructs" like him. Ganelon breaks the Conan mold by being a good person interested in helping others without a real agenda of his own at this point, making him a blank slate for the series to build on.

[Jamie Huston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carter does some excellent world building here...but he'd have to, since every page is packed with as many new names, places, and creatures possible while still keeping a coherent story line. There are amazing ideas and set pieces here...but there is also plenty of dreck. One character is named Vloob Atz. *cringe*

The biggest failure here is that, with an incredible storytelling world all set up and ready to go, this story never really does go anywhere. The big conflict isn't all that big, not worthy of the setting at all. Meh.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eminently readable. I made it through section 1, about 20% of the book, and the setting is pretty fascinating - it reminded me of ... is it Numenera, the Monte Cook Games setting that's set like 9 billion years in the future? I'm sure it probably shares more in common w/Jack Vance, but I could never get through Vance. Anyway, I read enough of it to know that, while I didn't HATE it, I just had no real interest in reading farther. I'm trying to give a lot of older pulp writers a shot. It's a really interesting mix.

[Joel Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel starts out as though it's a fairy tale, hints that it might actually be an epic legend ( a muscular naked seven-foot man striding out of a storm with the developed intelligence of a baby), shifts into Swiftian satire, veers into Baum-like Oz territory with a talking flying ship, and then closes with an epic and gory battle.

The odd conglomeration isn't seamless but it almost works. Carter tends to lean so heavily on his influences that many of his tales are almost pastiches but this brings so many elements together that it becomes something wholly unique.

[Glenn Bresciani · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fantasy world is absolute bonkers! If you can imagine the love child between the Wizard of OZ and Saturday morning cartoons, such as Thundarr the Barbarian or Master of the Universe, then you have imagined this book. The story is also similar to Jack Vance's Dying Earth series as it is set in a futuristic earth that is doomed to destruction due to the falling moon on a collision course with earth. I really wish these gonzo fantasy novels, written in the 60's and 70's had become the standards for the genre and not Tolkien.

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the last Carter story I read takes place in a prehistoric world, this one is set on a post-apocalyptic future Earth. That said, there are some similarities between these settings, both of them heavy in magic and monsters, the explanation being that the laws of physics have changed over time. Futuristic technology appears as well, although it's part of the distant past to the characters. On the last remaining continent of Gondwane, named after the ancient landmass of Gondwanaland, the titular warrior, a creation of the ancient Time Gods, joins two wizards in battling malicious forces. I don't really recall the plot so well, but it's a fun read with some entertaining creations, including tiger-men and the mechanical Bazonga Bird. As Carter wrote some Oz stories and referenced the series in the Terra Magica books, it's not too surprising that the bird comes across as pretty similar to some of L. Frank Baum's magically animated constructs. There are also places called Sky Island and YamaYamaLand, and a god called Galendil the Good. The warrior is named Ganelon, also the name of a character in Robert Zelazny's Amber series, which I've been reading recently. It's also that of a villain in the saga of Roland, and one of the CD-i Zelda games is the similar The Wand of Gamelon. I'll probably read the rest of this series eventually.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most of Lin Carter's work the literary roots of this series are not hard to spot. This is Jack Vance/Dying Earth with a splash of Pulpy Warrior Guy thrown in. I liked it. It sagged in the middle. He spent a lot of time getting from one place to another, but it's a short, quick read and it didn't slow me up for long.
Now, as well as being, as a writer, very derivative, LC had a habit of turning out a solid first book and then losing the thread. I'm not ready to dive right into another one, but it's on my list of things to do.

[Heiki Eesmaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Appendix N book. I have decided I'll limit myself to one book per author. They are consistently better than I expect but still there's a limit to pure sword-swinging and spell-slaying I can stomach.

So Lin Carter is much maligned in sword-and-sorcery history for his editorial work. At the same time, this is a very competent sword-and-sorcery tale with Vancian worldbuilding and some sci-fi elements. A jolly read.

[Oliver Brackenbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains a sentient metal bird called a "Bazonga" and a chapter called "Flight of the Bazonga", to give you an idea.

It's fun and dumb and yes.

[Jorgon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely ridiculous yet strangely entertaining. Quite dated, but was anachronistic even 50 years ago when it was first published.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun. Lin Carter was one of my favorite authors as an adolescent. As an adult, perhaps not as much.

[Justin]

lightweight pastiche of vance dying earth with hints of dunsany and e. r. eddison's 'the worm ourooboros'. which, as snack food goes, is not bad. The title is deceptively bland and anonymous. not quite as weirdly detailed and imaginative an example of this as michael shea, but still in that direction. it's about a giant foundling with metal hair and no memory that gets raised by a wizard and his pseudo-human wife in a place called yama yama land and then goes on a picaresque trip through various places. has things like special paint that keeps out screaming insanity-ghosts of people that died of a laughing plague and taunt the unlucky with hallucinations of their bone marrow melting. it doesn't take itself that seriously but is non formulaic enough to be fun and cares about using language to be evocative more than most pulp fantasy. lots of strange evocative nonsense gets causally tossed around in dialogue and never appears again which i'm kind of a sucker for. doesn't give you time to be bored. almost tv episode paced (this book would read like 4 episodes) or a short road trip instead of months of wandering. kind of purposely frivolous but the tone is good, like an entertaining daydream. i haven't seen a lot of humorous fantasy that isn't obnoxiously bad (piers anthony is my go to example of terrible) or trying too hard, but this is one of the few examples.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at FanLit.

Lin Carter wrote derivative pulpy adventure stories in the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, and others. I think of these as second-rate but I pick them up when I find them cheap at Audible — they’re short fast-moving stories with imaginative scenery and lots of action. In a Lin Carter novel you’re sure to find a sword-wielding man with sweaty “thews,” a scantily-clad girl who needs to be saved, and lots of scary monsters. Usually this takes place in some fascinatingly impossible setting such as on the boughs of gigantic trees, under a volcano, in a lost city, or on an uncharted planet.

In The Warrior of World’s End, a down-and-out godmaker and his wife are traveling through a desert when they find a large... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Kat Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lin Carter wrote derivative pulpy adventure stories in the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, and others. I think of these as second-rate but I pick them up when I find them cheap at Audible — they’re short fast-moving stories with imaginative scenery and lots of action. In a Lin Carter novel you’re sure to find a sword-wielding man with sweaty “thews,” a scantily-clad girl who needs to be saved, and lots of scary monsters. Usually this takes place in some fascinatingly impossible setting such as on the boughs of gigantic trees, under a volcano, in a lost city, or on an uncharted planet.

In The Warrior of World’s End, a down-and-out godmaker and his wife are traveling through a desert when they find a large... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lin Carter wrote derivative pulpy adventure stories in the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, and others. I think of these as second-rate but I pick them up when I find them cheap at Audible — they’re short fast-moving stories with imaginative scenery and lots of action. In a Lin Carter novel you’re sure to find a sword-wielding man with sweaty “thews,” a scantily-clad girl who needs to be saved, and lots of scary monsters. Usually this takes place in some fascinatingly impossible setting such as on the boughs of gigantic trees, under a volcano, in a lost city, or on an uncharted planet.

In The Warrior of World’s End, a down-and-out godmaker and his wife are traveling through a desert when they find a large... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world is often creative. Example: a race of catmen enslave people to mine oxygen crystals, which supply the catmen dome cities, which are threatened by cloud-people who use an atmosphere-destroying weapon.

The characters, and the way they resolve the big struggles of the novel, are not so interesting. The leading man is a giant cyborg of some sort who's good at punching things. The leading lady is a warrior woman who's good at stabbing things. Most problems in the novel are solved by the character's skills at violence. There's nothing wrong with that in theory, except that fantasy authors who create main characters possessed of exceptional murderous skill usually fail at making the violence interesting(!), and Carter is no exception.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the weakest series by Carter, in my opinion. I give this particular book two stars. It's the first of the series.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece of Science-Fantasy, unlike any other Sci-fi or Fantasy novel available.