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The Sword of Lankor
by
The Sword of Lankor
Take one alien planet somewhere in the heart of the Milky Way, and very much like Earth.
Take one brawny barbarian adrift in the capital city of that world's largest Bronze Age empire.
Take one "miracle" in the form of a golden globe descending from outer space to announce a contest and a quest in the name of the country's chief idol.
Mix them up and what y ...more
Take one alien planet somewhere in the heart of the Milky Way, and very much like Earth.
Take one brawny barbarian adrift in the capital city of that world's largest Bronze Age empire.
Take one "miracle" in the form of a golden globe descending from outer space to announce a contest and a quest in the name of the country's chief idol.
Mix them up and what y ...more
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Paperback, F-373, 158 pages
Published
1966
by Ace Books
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Start your review of The Sword of Lankor
A Heroic Fantasy tale with a Science Fiction twist.
"Mix them all up and what you get is a terrific science-fiction adventure of the Burroughs type." This is marketing clap-trap. Similarly this same stunt is pulled with George RR Martin's name in todays market. The Sword of Lankor isn't like any Burroughs I've read.
Our barbarian hero is all action and very little thought. His chance companion misses very little. Together they embark on a journey discovering demi-godhood, singing stones, crystal ...more
"Mix them all up and what you get is a terrific science-fiction adventure of the Burroughs type." This is marketing clap-trap. Similarly this same stunt is pulled with George RR Martin's name in todays market. The Sword of Lankor isn't like any Burroughs I've read.
Our barbarian hero is all action and very little thought. His chance companion misses very little. Together they embark on a journey discovering demi-godhood, singing stones, crystal ...more
While the book does have aliens in it, it's really a straight Barbarian tale... though the sci fi trappings that come into play at the end do give it a bit more depth than the typical Conan patstiche.
The main story could easily BE a Conan patstiche, though the main character, Thuron, doesn't like money nearly as much as Conan does. The story calls out much more to REH than Burroughs (who gets the advertisement in the back.. probably more due to the fact that it's an ACE book than it's similariti ...more
The main story could easily BE a Conan patstiche, though the main character, Thuron, doesn't like money nearly as much as Conan does. The story calls out much more to REH than Burroughs (who gets the advertisement in the back.. probably more due to the fact that it's an ACE book than it's similariti ...more
This is a weird little book. It reminds of Lin Carter's work, but with better prose. It has a plot that could have been lifted from Burroughs, but without as much reliance on coincidence. It reads like sword and sorcery, but without the savagery. The genre tropes are all there, including a damsel in distress, and yet the REAL plot involves intrigue and some thumbing-the-nose at superstition and religion.
I also liked the fact that the real hero of the book is NOT the guy with the quick and ready ...more
I also liked the fact that the real hero of the book is NOT the guy with the quick and ready ...more
The premise melds golden-era Science Fiction with something akin to a Conan pastiche (the cover misleads by name-dropping Burroughs, inappropriately in my mind). Conceptually it sort of works and even the execution has some diamonds in the rough, in the form of navigating intrigue between king and priesthood, and communication with a demanding god who doesn't act very godly.
Unfortunately, despite a promising start involving an arena battle with giant lobster/scorpion/hydra things, the story calm ...more
Unfortunately, despite a promising start involving an arena battle with giant lobster/scorpion/hydra things, the story calm ...more
May 27, 2011
K. Axel
rated it
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Recommends it for:
Sword and sorcery fans
Recommended to K. Axel by:
the title...
The Story...
The Sword of Lankor is the story about Thuron of Ulmekoor, an adventuring warrior (I wont go so far as call him barbarian, as he doesn't act like one) and Gaar, a Kend oracle and conjurer. The Kend, by the way, are furry beings from a land called Kendsahr. These two meet up one fateful night at an inn, when Thuron decides to help Gaar in a battle against a group of blue-skinned guards from the city of Taveeshe. That same day, a strange Golden Sphere also appears out of nowhere.
Th ...more
The Sword of Lankor is the story about Thuron of Ulmekoor, an adventuring warrior (I wont go so far as call him barbarian, as he doesn't act like one) and Gaar, a Kend oracle and conjurer. The Kend, by the way, are furry beings from a land called Kendsahr. These two meet up one fateful night at an inn, when Thuron decides to help Gaar in a battle against a group of blue-skinned guards from the city of Taveeshe. That same day, a strange Golden Sphere also appears out of nowhere.
Th ...more
A fine read in the Sword and Planet genre. You have an imposingly bulky hero with a named sword, the beautiful Princess, the slightly con man sidekick, a fat, oily Priest/enemy, a quest, battles with Pirates and Amazons.
A golden globe descends from the heavens and claims to be the Battle-God they all worship, saying he sent his son down many years ago in human form and didn't realize his identity. A tournament was to be held by all claimants.
And there were many. Blueskins, greys, Thuron our her ...more
A golden globe descends from the heavens and claims to be the Battle-God they all worship, saying he sent his son down many years ago in human form and didn't realize his identity. A tournament was to be held by all claimants.
And there were many. Blueskins, greys, Thuron our her ...more
A thrilling Sword and Sorcery adventure story, with great characters and an inventive world. I loved the sprinkling of alien words that were mixed in. There was one part, near the end, that the editor did not catch that broke continuity. It made me laugh and I was able to work it out myself, but it was a little jarring. Just changing part of one sentence would have fixed it.
What started as a halfway decent Sword & Sorcery story was ruined on page122 by a glaring inconsistency. I have no Idea how old Donald (Ace's editor at the time) missed that one.
...more
It was a good attempt to do something different with the Sword and Planet genre but I didn't think it worked all that well.
...more
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