Death Angel's Shadow in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Sep 09, 2018 Joseph rated it really liked it

Point of clarification: I'm reading the Centipede Press edition, which includes the contents of the original 1973 Warner paperback of the same title, and pairs them with an assortment of Kane stories primarily from later in Wagner's career in the 1980s & early 1990s. It's not an entirely easy joining.

The original Warner paperback had three stories: "Reflections for the Winter of My Soul", "Cold Light" and "Mirage". The first two I'm guessing are each novella-length -- 100+ pages each in the book Point of clarification: I'm reading the Centipede Press edition, which includes the contents of the original 1973 Warner paperback of the same title, and pairs them with an assortment of Kane stories primarily from later in Wagner's career in the 1980s & early 1990s. It's not an entirely easy joining.

The original Warner paperback had three stories: "Reflections for the Winter of My Soul", "Cold Light" and "Mirage". The first two I'm guessing are each novella-length -- 100+ pages each in the book. In "Reflections", Kane finds himself snowed in in an isolated castle while a werewolf (whose depredations, by coincidence(?), began around the same time Kane arrived). It's arguably one of the highlights of the entire Kane series, and brings a pretty substantial Hammer horror film vibe to the series. In "Cold Light", Kane has gone into exile in the plague-ravaged land of Demornte, and would be just as happy to stay there minding his own business, but one Gaethaa the Avenger leads a band of mercenaries there in an effort to rid the world of the evil that is Kane. (Which, to be clear, Kane is often pretty darned evil.) Needless to say, it doesn't go according to plan ... And in "Mirage", Kane finds himself in a castle being seduced by its mistress and again, needless to say, it doesn't go according to plan.

These stories are all first-rate -- Wagner was a master of mood and description and action (although there were far too many exclamation points! But, based on an essay from later in the book, those might have been added by the editors! Which, if true, was a mistake!), and are very much recommended.

The other stories, the ones new to this edition, are something of a miscellany -- there are a couple of more conventional Kane sword & sorcery stories written after the five-book Warner series had wrapped up in 1975 or so; there's "The Gothic Touch", taken from a tribute anthology to Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné (in which the Doomed Albino Prince meets, and is much confused by, a certain gigantic, red-haired wanderer); and there are several stories of varying length (including the long and possibly autobiographical "At First Just Ghostly") which bring Kane into the present day, and which seem to involve a fair amount of heavy drinking and cocaine. (From internal textual clues, and from other interviews, etc., with Wagner that I've read, it feels like these would have been pieces of some larger whole, had Wagner been with us longer.) These modern stories are all quite good (in a sort of nasty small-press horror magazine sort of way) -- Wagner's writing had only gotten better -- but it's also kind of jarring to have the same character transition from imaginary world sword & sorcery to buying out a London publishing house so that he can chat up a hard-drinking horror writer on the eve of a Worldcon.

Oh, and there's also a 1975-vintage essay about the origins of Kane that's quite interesting in terms of laying out Wagner's influences.

Recommended, although if the only version you can find is the original (which is also the eBook version currently available), then don't feel too bad about missing out on the more recent stories. ...more

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Dec 26, 2015 Karl marked it as to-read

Shelves: centipede-milipede-own, 2015-12-books-bought

This is copy 40 of 300 signed and numbered copies. Facsimile signed by Karl Edward Wagner and signed by artist Les Edwards.

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Dec 02, 2013 Jason Waltz rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, keeper, heroic, fantastical, s-s, awesome-characters, favorite-authors

This is pretty much my favorite collection of Wagner's Kane. If it held my favorite Kane story "Two Suns Setting" it would be a textual bound heaven!

"Reflections for the Winter of My Soul" is my second favorite Kane tale - and such a great story! A little overwritten here and there in the early stages, and an overly loquacious villain at the close, but Kane and the mystery are beyond superb. "Cold Light" is a great follow-up and such a diabolically good tale. Both sides in the eternal war betwee This is pretty much my favorite collection of Wagner's Kane. If it held my favorite Kane story "Two Suns Setting" it would be a textual bound heaven!

"Reflections for the Winter of My Soul" is my second favorite Kane tale - and such a great story! A little overwritten here and there in the early stages, and an overly loquacious villain at the close, but Kane and the mystery are beyond superb. "Cold Light" is a great follow-up and such a diabolically good tale. Both sides in the eternal war between evil and good display variants of evilness, though frankly the 'good' guys are horrifically evil. Kane is larger than life here, and one of my favorite scenes is his ridding himself of the sorcerer by bum-rushing him into the demon's arms - love it! Whenever I need a rejuvenation of the soul via powerful prose, I simply pick up Wagner and reunite with Kane. "Cold Light" is quite simply a most powerful tale wonderfully told. A storyteller's masterpiece that examines much and shares much more of import, all while gifting us the spellbinding and awe-inspiring mystique of an unparalleled immortal warrior. The only possible quibble: the unnecessary denouement. "The Gothic Touch" is just plain fun. It's like Wagner is writing tongue-in-cheek and just letting Kane play with Elric. It's my favorite Elric story by far. (ha!)

I long avoided 2 modern Kane stories. Based upon all I'd heard of them, I'd been perfectly content to stick with the Kane I knew & enjoyed. I took my time savoring the Centipede Press DEATH ANGEL'S SHADOW, knowing I'd finally reach them...Wish I'd still never read 'em. I read both the same evening after watching THE LAST WOLF KEW documentary. Thought about 'em all day. Looked up the dates of their publication and when Babs left him...and that confirmed my reaction. Those are not Kane stories; they're stories with Kane appearances. They are bitter, stupid stories that could even be considered anti-woman. I'm saddened by now truly knowing these Wagner writings. I'd read "At First Just Ghostly" once long ago and mostly let myself forget it as an anomaly in the Kane saga. It's ok but certainly not the style of storytelling I associate and enjoy with Kane, nor is it a Kane I would have followed through his stories. I am very glad the vast majority of Kane's stories are NOT in modern times.

And it is always good to read Wagner's words and thoughts through "The Once and Future Kane." I embrace much of what he expounds upon and appreciate very much his views, most especially his disdain for the mis-use of 'antihero.' I'm also reading the PHANTASMAGORIA KEW Special and John F. Mayer gives the following terrific statement in his interview: "It occurs to me that Karl himself might have been described as Luciferian in the sense advocates use the term. Also, Karl despised the term antihero as it is commonly used today; antihero refers to one with *no* heroic qualities, lacking both courage and forcefulness, meaning neither Venom, Deadpool or Kane would be properly termed antiheroes in the original sense of the word. Karl preferred Byronic hero or villain-hero, but I think Luciferian hero might be a worthwhile term. 'Antihero' is already taken, referring to nebbish protagonists such as Woody Allen characters, Willy Loman, Tubby Tompkins..." I, too, like the implications of Luciferian hero, and it might be better employed by today's masses as easier to understand than the now distant and largely unknown term Byronic. ...more

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Jan 17, 2012 David rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites, fantasy, sword-sorcery, collections

I'm not a guy that generally roots for villain for bad guys. I like likable characters. It's too Wagner's credit that I don't even think about that stuff when I'm reading Kane. I love him even when he's being horrible. I always want him to win.

This is another winning collection and a triumph for Wagner. The Kane short pieces are were the character shines the brightest and all 3 of the stories here are wonderful examples of Sword and Sorcery at it's pinnacle.
Another book to add to my All-Time F ...more

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Nov 24, 2023 Jim Kuenzli rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, horror-macabre-dark

Three superb Kane stories comprise this volume. The first story was also in The Book of Kane, but it’s so good I read it again. The last story is probably my favorite. Wagner’s chaotic mind dreamed up a vampire story that intrigues long after reading. Highly recommend.

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Jul 17, 2008 Charles rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

My second favorite collection of Wagner's Kane stories, after Night Winds. Kane is a fascinating character, a true anti-hero. ...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Steven Harbin rated it it was amazing

New edition of book (with extra stories) published by Centipede.

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Dec 27, 2008 Derek rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery

Kane is a fascinating figure, a dark wanderer cursed to forever wander, to forever seek strife and cause conflict. Whether the last two are inherent in the curse or part of his way of dealing with it is unclear. His sophistication is a paradoxical companion to the brutality he lives with. And the fact that things tend to turn out badly for him makes the stories more interesting; it's dull when you're certain that the 'hero' will always win.

There's something about the sword and sorcery genre that Kane is a fascinating figure, a dark wanderer cursed to forever wander, to forever seek strife and cause conflict. Whether the last two are inherent in the curse or part of his way of dealing with it is unclear. His sophistication is a paradoxical companion to the brutality he lives with. And the fact that things tend to turn out badly for him makes the stories more interesting; it's dull when you're certain that the 'hero' will always win.

There's something about the sword and sorcery genre that lends itself to shorter fiction. Not every story has to be an epic, and sometimes there is more clarity in a precisely told brief tale than in a sprawling trilogy.

In all, these stories were quite servicable. They all play heavily into well-used tropes: an isolated group of people being hunted, haunted-house style; a morality play of a megalomaniacal crusader whose cure is worse than the disease, whose lieutenant comes to doubt his methods; an offer one can't refuse by the lady who doesn't want you to leave.

I'm hard pressed to pick a favorite but "Cold Light" comes closest, simply from the unique setting, a ruined city in a shunned nation emptied by plague, the spiritually-broken inhabitants eking out a dull and morose existence.

Wagner's writing is occasionally problematic. The dialog comes off as conspicuously modern. While spruced-up language by way of various old-timey affectations is quite annoying (especially reversed word order in randomly-chosen sentences), the characters shouldn't be using recognizably modern idioms.

Also, Wagner has apparently taken Robert E Howard's Hyborean Age essay to heart. The stories drip with worldbuilding, and while some of it (such as the introduction to "Reflections...") provides necessary context, sometimes it just clogs the story. In "Cold Light" particularly, Wagner talks about the nationalities of the antagonist group and their back history, but without an immediate reason why the reader should care, it's just heavy and unnecessary detail. In any case it's never clear if this was part of a larger plan or if Wagner is just winging it from story to story. ...more

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Oct 02, 2016 Lee Broderick rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-fantasy, fiction, fiction-short-stories

It seems churlish to complain that the first of the three short stories contained in this brief volume, and the second longest, is included in another, earlier in the chronology. Churlish because, although Death Angel's Shadow is the last in the series, it was the first published. Nevertheless, reading it chronological order, I'd already read Reflections for the Winter of My Soul in The Book of Kane (incidentally, if anyone's reading this review first, my advice is to skip that book and ...more

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Sep 20, 2008 David added it · review of another edition

Shelves: sword-sorcery

True confession, when the first Kane novel I read, Dark Crusade, did not impress me all that much. But I kept hearing from others just how good a writer Karl Edward Wagner was. So I gave it another try. I am glad I did!

http://fireandsword.blogspot.com/2009... ...more

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