Kothar and the Wizard Slayer (Kothar, #5) in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Feb 01, 2009 Derek rated it it was ok

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery, appendix-n

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I think that the narrator's statement at the fourth to last page (152) says it all: "This is the way he had always wanted her."

This is the conclusion of an interesting rivalry-slash-war between the barbarian-warrior-thief Kothar and his counterpart, the evil witch-seductress Red Lori. Despite the fireworks and the vows of vengeance (Red Lori) and protestations over being controlled (Kothar), there's this undercurrent between them which in a romantic comedy movie would mean twoo wuv in the making I think that the narrator's statement at the fourth to last page (152) says it all: "This is the way he had always wanted her."

This is the conclusion of an interesting rivalry-slash-war between the barbarian-warrior-thief Kothar and his counterpart, the evil witch-seductress Red Lori. Despite the fireworks and the vows of vengeance (Red Lori) and protestations over being controlled (Kothar), there's this undercurrent between them which in a romantic comedy movie would mean twoo wuv in the making.

But at the same time their relationship is all about domination and control. Kothar is unmanned around her, as she somehow manages to get him to follow along with whatever scheme she has in mind and he slides into some passive servant/bodyguard role, a powerlessness he fears and rejects. And by the same token he had taken away Red Lori's magic, had imprisoned her in a silver cage in some palace, and had sealed her in a dead wizard's tomb, all of which are not just destructive or imprisoning but disempowering.

This part of their story together reaches a new low, in that Red Lori finally uses her body to get compliance from Kothar (though it is implied that despite the multiple-loss of her abilities she is magically making him catch the Idiot Ball and stuff it down his loincloth *) and uses that hold to wheedle him along.

Finally, however, the game comes to a sudden end: a friendly (?) wizard cuts her off not just from her powers, but her memories as well, leaving her a compliant, meek woman. The woman that Kothar might actually marry. The one he had always wanted.

It's a disappointing end, an end that speaks to adolescent male power fantasies of meek, available women who are in no way the man's equal. An end which is supposed to be triumphant but is instead some sort of sick victory, where a noble competitor is not just beaten, but humiliated.

I could have seen them bicker forever. Their enmity was much more interesting.

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* : Red Lori just so happens to be trapped in the isolated, lost, sealed, and hidden tomb he was searching for? Red Lori, last known to be unbreakably imprisoned and abandoned? And she's overjoyed to see him? And is finally acting upon an attraction to him? And is willing to help him? Really? ...more

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Jul 01, 2009 Charles rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I think this is the fifth in the Kothar heroic fantasy series. All these are pretty much the same but they're enjoyable reads. The first one was the best, although I didn't like the "magic sword" that Kothar has. ...more

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Jan 29, 2019 Anthony rated it did not like it

Shelves: gardner-fox

Anachronisms abound in this uninspired, puerile fantasy. Worse, it's chock full of misogynistic sentiments that are too pervasive to be shunted off as mere depictions of the male protagonist's state of mind. JLA fans beware: this slice of cash-minded crap might sour your opinion of Gardner Fox's other works. ...more

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