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Thoroughly enjoyable. While in the vein of Conan the Barbarian, it is fortunately not a pastiche: Wagner wisely distances himself from the original and creates a dark reflection of the Cimmerian. While both characters are larger than life, Kane is driven by dark passions towards incomprehensible goals, and while capable of berzerk bloodlust, for the most part he regards the world with the clinical detachment of a man who has seen too much and lived entirely too long.
He seems intent upon forging ...more
He seems intent upon forging ...more
Third & last of Karl Edward Wagner's Kane novels; and with rather less Kane than you might expect.
As in the previous two novels (Darkness Weaves & Bloodstone), Kane is very explicitly Not a Good Guy. He makes an alliance with (in this case) Ortak ak-Ceddi, bandit leader turned prophet of a dark & ancient god and leads the Dark Crusade on a path of conquest & destruction through the southern kingdoms; but both he and Ortak know that theirs is an entirely utilitarian alliance of convenience, to be ...more
As in the previous two novels (Darkness Weaves & Bloodstone), Kane is very explicitly Not a Good Guy. He makes an alliance with (in this case) Ortak ak-Ceddi, bandit leader turned prophet of a dark & ancient god and leads the Dark Crusade on a path of conquest & destruction through the southern kingdoms; but both he and Ortak know that theirs is an entirely utilitarian alliance of convenience, to be ...more
The last part of the book was a five star masterpiece. Kane battles and wanders through a series of psychological torments and eldritch horrors as he battles a demon akin to a Clark Ashton Smith piece. The first 90 percent of the book was fairly weak. Endless filler large scope battles, weak, bland adversaries- nowhere near as good as Bloodstone.
Dec 26, 2015
Karl
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
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This is copy 40 of 300 signed and numbered copies. Facsimile signed by Karl Edward Wagner and signed by Tom Kidd.
Finished Re-reading this book a few days ago. Just as enjoyable as the first time many years ago. Next to Robert E Howard's Conan and Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouser I like Wagner's Kane the most in the Sword and Sorcery genre. Kane is a bit different from the other characters because he is as more a villain than a hero.
This particular novel bears some similarities to "Darkness Weaves" another Kane story. This one features Kane as leading an army of a criminal who has been possessed by an ...more
This particular novel bears some similarities to "Darkness Weaves" another Kane story. This one features Kane as leading an army of a criminal who has been possessed by an ...more
Fantasy masterpiece. A classic that demands to be read by the current generation of Fantasy fans.
If I were to rank the Kane novels in order of my preference, I'd name DARKNESS WEAVES as the best novel with DARK CRUSADE in second and BLOODSTONE third place. Ask me again in 5 years and I might reverse the order. ...more
If I were to rank the Kane novels in order of my preference, I'd name DARKNESS WEAVES as the best novel with DARK CRUSADE in second and BLOODSTONE third place. Ask me again in 5 years and I might reverse the order. ...more
A book about the character Kane. Some of the best Sword & Sorcery out there.
Sep 18, 2011
Matthew Pridham
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Mar 04, 2012
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Dec 06, 2012
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Jon
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Charles Hornaday
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