Beastmaster: Myth

by Richard A. Knaak, Sylvio Tabet

A CONTINUATION OF THE CLASSIC BEASTMASTER SAGA...

In an epic journey across the mystical lands of Ancor, a lone warrior confronts a sinister power from beyond the stars -- forced to stake his very survival on the aid of his a soaring eagle, a fearsome tiger, and two cunning, quick ferrets.

BEASTMASTER MYTH

Blessed with an extraordinary gift to commune with animals, yet haunted by his own legacy and tragic past, Dar has become champion of his world and its natural riches. But when an unyielding force of evil and carnage descends upon his gentle existence, he must emerge from a spiritual journey and embark upon a dreadful voyage. Will Dar become the savior Ancor so desperately needs, or will his world be subjected to an evil that leaves no innocent unharmed -- human or beast? And when a striking figure from Dar's past reappears, can she help him salvage his broken spirit?

Genres: Fantasy

400 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2009

About the author

Richard A. Knaak is the bestselling author of Dragonlance novels, the Dragonrealm and Black City Saint series (his own creations), six novels for Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series, and six works in the Warcraft universe. He has also written several non-series fantasy books.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the '80's I watched Beastmaster numerous times. As a kid it was a terrific movie because of the action, monsters, and nudity. I recently came across Beastmaster Myth, acquired a copy and couldn't wait to begin reading. The cover by Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell cinched the deal, reminiscent of many old paperbacks on my shelves. Alas, this was a terrible sequel or continuation of the series. Much like a bad pastiche of any character, this story had the name but not the feel. This was a typical fantasy story in which the sage/wizard/wise one sends the hero into the thick of it. The hero is then expected to thwart the evil that has engulfed the world. In this case it was invaders from space. Additionally, Dar constantly flies into the fray all the while begging his companions to remain behind and safe. This is irritating. The few times he doesn't do this, Tara does this. My final complaint is the fact that Dar is a white barbarian, travelling through his home Jungles, searching for mandalas to open his chakras. I don't feel like those three things jive. So in summary, you have a classic sword and sorcery character cast into a typical fantasy quest story, fighting aliens, all the while searching high and low for sages to attain mandalas to open his chakras. Not impressed and I do not recommend.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although only passingly familiar with the BEASTMASTER universe, I couldn't help but be curious about this book after seeing it on Amazon. I mean, who wouldn't want to read a brand new novel based on a series of low-budget '80s fantasy movies? A novel with a cover as gloriously nerdy as anything those guys over at DUNGEONS & DRAGONS could hope to come up with? A novel co-written by one of the directors/producers of the original films?
BEASTMASTER: MYTH stays true to its B-movie roots while ramping up the action to surprisingly epic levels. It's obvious that Mr. Sylvio Tabet reveled in the chance to tell a BEASTMASTER story without all the budgetary and technological constraints of the film/TV medium. Also surprising is how seriously this book takes itself, considering the absurd nature of its plot, which sees our hero collecting magical mandala tattoos in order to unlock an ancient magical fountain and repel a host of alien mutant cyborg creatures dead-set on doing to the Beastmaster's planet what Sauron intended for Middle Earth. It reminded me--in a good way, of course--of a cross between HEAVY METAL 2000 and David Carradine in CIRCLE OF IRON, with just a pinch of LORD OF THE RINGS thrown in for good measure.
Richard A. Knaak is the perfect person to bring Tabet's vision to life, in that he manages to explore some deep philosophical terrain without ever slowing down the story's momentum or taking away from the trashy fun (though he's certainly guilty of overusing the words "orb" and "avian").
BEASTMASTER: MYTH is a hard book to rate because, while I had a blast reading it, there are definitely a good many things I could nit-pick about it should I be so inclined. For example, I found the blending of Indian mysticism with traditional sword-and-sorcery to be awkward at best. In my opinion, a book like BEASTMASTER is a strange place to make frequent use of concepts like mandalas, chakras, and third eyes. But the strength of this book lies in the fact that, by the end, I was having so much fun that none of the book's obvious flaws ever really bothered me. Long live the Beastmaster!

[William Bentrim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beastmaster Myth by Richard A Knaak and Sylvio Tabet

Dar communicates with beasts. His world is under attack by a technological devil. How Dar, his animals and his allies fare against a technological juggernaut is the meat of the story.

I generally enjoy this type of book. I wasn’t impressed with this book. The action was good and the evil was palatable. Maybe it was style but I just didn’t warm up to the book. I actually considered not finishing it. The characters were just too two dimensional. There is almost a cult following of the Beast Master so I must be missing something. I finished it and it wasn’t too bad.

[Barry · Rating 1 out of 5]

A continuation of the movie and tv show. I hoped for something based on Andre Norton's Beastmasters.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story wasn't too bad. There were parts that dragged and parts that didn't really make a difference to the story. Overall the plot was good and interesting.