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War of the Gods on Earth #2
Shadows Out Of Hell
Wielder of the god-sword, bearer of the god-bonds--Jarik Blacksword knew no peace...
...except the peace born of the heat of battle-rage! And this he would find aplenty on his god-sent quest past world's end, where Jarik found the warrior-sister who would be his future--and the knowledge that would bind his fate...
...except the peace born of the heat of battle-rage! And this he would find aplenty on his god-sent quest past world's end, where Jarik found the warrior-sister who would be his future--and the knowledge that would bind his fate...
165 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1980
3 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Andrew J. Offutt
209 books72 followersAndrew Jefferson Offutt was an American science fiction and fantasy author. He wrote as Andrew J. Offutt, A.J. Offutt, and Andy Offut. His normal byline, andrew j. offutt, had his name in all lower-case letters. His son is the author Chris Offutt.
Offutt began publishing in 1954 with the story And Gone Tomorrow in If. Despite this early sale, he didn't consider his professional life to have begun until he sold the story Blacksword to Galaxy in 1959. His first novel was Evil Is Live Spelled Backwards in 1970.
Offutt published numerous novels and short stories, including many in the Thieves World series edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey, which featured his best known character, the thief Hanse, also known as Shadowspawn (and, later, Chance). His Iron Lords series likewise was popular. He also wrote two series of books based on characters by Robert E. Howard, one on Howard's best known character, Conan, and one on a lesser known character, Cormac mac Art.
As an editor Offutt produced a series of five anthologies entitled Swords Against Darkness, which included the first professional sale by Charles de Lint.
Offutt also wrote a large number of pornographic works under twelve different pseudonyms, not all of them identified. Those known include John Cleve, J.X. Williams, and Jeff Douglas. His main works in this area are the science fiction Spaceways series, most of whose volumes were written in collaboration, and the historical Crusader series.
Offutt began publishing in 1954 with the story And Gone Tomorrow in If. Despite this early sale, he didn't consider his professional life to have begun until he sold the story Blacksword to Galaxy in 1959. His first novel was Evil Is Live Spelled Backwards in 1970.
Offutt published numerous novels and short stories, including many in the Thieves World series edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey, which featured his best known character, the thief Hanse, also known as Shadowspawn (and, later, Chance). His Iron Lords series likewise was popular. He also wrote two series of books based on characters by Robert E. Howard, one on Howard's best known character, Conan, and one on a lesser known character, Cormac mac Art.
As an editor Offutt produced a series of five anthologies entitled Swords Against Darkness, which included the first professional sale by Charles de Lint.
Offutt also wrote a large number of pornographic works under twelve different pseudonyms, not all of them identified. Those known include John Cleve, J.X. Williams, and Jeff Douglas. His main works in this area are the science fiction Spaceways series, most of whose volumes were written in collaboration, and the historical Crusader series.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 28, 2020
Here's a weird little bit of trivia about this book: according to a story by Dave Goldiner of the New York Daily News from April of 2003, the original cover painting by Rowena was one of two found hanging in "the love shack" of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad. (The other one was the cover she did for King Dragon, also by offutt.) The book itself is a pretty good fantasy adventure which tells a pretty interesting story but doesn't do much towards resolving the challenges set up in the first volume of the trilogy. The first volume was published by Jove, this one by Berkley, and the concluding volume appeared from Ace, which is very unusual and makes me suspect the books didn't get much publisher support as a result.
May 26, 2013
I come out of this book feeling deeply ambivalent about the series and about pursuing its conclusion, and I'm left with no sense of where any of this is going. Offutt may have sown the seeds here and in The Iron Lords, but it's clear that the major revelations are going to be left for The Lady of The Snowmist. After two books of wondering, I can't help but think that the big reveal simply won't meet expectations.
Offutt curiously recaps the entire events of the first book in the first 28 pages of this one, which struck me as ridiculously extravagant when working with a slender 165 pages in total. Still, it was framed as a telling of tales to a traveling companion, whose reaction acted as sort of Greek chorus. It was an interesting device.
Offutt curiously recaps the entire events of the first book in the first 28 pages of this one, which struck me as ridiculously extravagant when working with a slender 165 pages in total. Still, it was framed as a telling of tales to a traveling companion, whose reaction acted as sort of Greek chorus. It was an interesting device.
May 21, 2020
The first two chapters are an awkward retelling of the events of the first book. Awkward because part of the story is the main character rehashing the events of his life up until the current moment in time to another character, who actually already knows his background. The other half of that backstory is an inner monologue for the sake of the reader. I guess it's supposed to fit the young, brooding, proud warrior who is the main character but it seems like it could have been shorter and worked into the story better.
Jarik is 'The Man Who Is Two', but I don't recall ever reading about the second personality in this story who only becomes 'active' when someone is seriously injured. (Like the woman Jarik was interested in who was stabbed in front of him...?).
There was a weird tangent when his spirit guide was attempting to help Jarik and explains the Big Bang. The guide asks if Jarik understands, Jarik responds in the negative. So the guide uses a creation story to explain Everything (™) to which Jarik enthusiastically responds that he understands that one and the guide says: 'Well, then your people will have religion.'
The main character finally finds love (presumably*) in a female warrior (Amazon clone) only he could defeat.
There are also quite a few repeated phrases by the author which cynically makes me wonder if it was just to increase word count. More charitably, perhaps it wasn't well edited?
It's a quick read at 165 pages, but I think there are more engaging stories out there.
* Happens at the end of the book and I'm assuming there will be some sort of romance since the woman gave up her entire culture to sail off with Jarik. Although she'll probably be killed like every other woman he's been attracted to in these books.
Jarik is 'The Man Who Is Two', but I don't recall ever reading about the second personality in this story who only becomes 'active' when someone is seriously injured. (Like the woman Jarik was interested in who was stabbed in front of him...?).
There was a weird tangent when his spirit guide was attempting to help Jarik and explains the Big Bang. The guide asks if Jarik understands, Jarik responds in the negative. So the guide uses a creation story to explain Everything (™) to which Jarik enthusiastically responds that he understands that one and the guide says: 'Well, then your people will have religion.'
The main character finally finds love (presumably*) in a female warrior (Amazon clone) only he could defeat.
There are also quite a few repeated phrases by the author which cynically makes me wonder if it was just to increase word count. More charitably, perhaps it wasn't well edited?
It's a quick read at 165 pages, but I think there are more engaging stories out there.
* Happens at the end of the book and I'm assuming there will be some sort of romance since the woman gave up her entire culture to sail off with Jarik. Although she'll probably be killed like every other woman he's been attracted to in these books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2023
A roadside pickup with books being thrown out….a Christmas present for my daughter, yes really, and this volume of retro adventure fantasy. It took me a while to get into, as the story seemed to start mid stride – even at the end I checked again that this was the first in the series. But it picked up again when I picked it up again as the hero became embedded into the main mission. There are some strange but necessary internal dialogues which accompany a plot which was relatively straightforward. Some of this was the hero’s memories, others his reflection on present circumstances and yet others the voices of the apparently supernatural god/s who had commissioned his quest. The latter aspect left me intrigued as to whether this was a fantasy (i.e. magic) or scifi (advanced technology superimposed on a primitive society). Interesting enough but I don’t know if the next volumes are available – I should have grabbed the set when they were on the verge!
January 29, 2016
A good 2nd book in the trilogy. I enjoyed this one a bit more than the first, probably because the plot was not as predictable. Good fantasy read. Recommended
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews