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Stealer of Flesh (Kormak the Guardian #1)

William King

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What Members Thought

Oct 05, 2015 Lee Broderick rated it it was ok

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

Look. Stop. Breathe. Stop. Read. Stop. I'd heard of William King. He's the author of Gotrek & Felix. This is his first book that I've read. It starts with very short sentences. It's jarring. It's at odds with the content.

Short sentences are an effective device for increasing tension. Overused they're just irritating. Using them for exposition is a terrible decision.

Authors are often accused of overwriting and told to keep it simple; what's less often acknowledged is that it's possible to go too ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 20, 2015 S.E. Lindberg rated it liked it

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery, reviewed-by-se

Stealer of Flesh by William King
This short set of tales introduces us to Kormak, a Guardian who is essentially an assassin of dark creatures. He is hunting a Ghul across four tales. This begins a series which extends to at least 7 entries. This is Sword & Sorcery with a Warhammer feel. It has a lot of ingredients that I adore: mysterious undead creatures, intelligent banter, gritty warfare. It also had a knack for building up great potential only to not capitalize on it or to nullify it. I'll ex ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 01, 2013 Robin rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

The first book in the Kormak Saga, Stealer of Flesh consists of four linked sword & sorcery novellas. While there is currently quite a glut of low-cost self-published fantasy ebooks, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the quality of this work.

The story focuses on the adventures of Kormak--a Guardian equipped with a dwarf-forged sword and monastic martial training--and his efforts to track down and destroy a demonic body-stealing Ghul. While Serious Guy Slays Monsters is well-trodden fantasy gro The first book in the Kormak Saga, Stealer of Flesh consists of four linked sword & sorcery novellas. While there is currently quite a glut of low-cost self-published fantasy ebooks, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the quality of this work.

The story focuses on the adventures of Kormak--a Guardian equipped with a dwarf-forged sword and monastic martial training--and his efforts to track down and destroy a demonic body-stealing Ghul. While Serious Guy Slays Monsters is well-trodden fantasy ground, I appreciated the execution. Setting details and other exposition aren't presented to the reader in big info dumps, but rather handed out a tidbit at a time. Not much is disclosed about either the Guardians or their Ghul enemies, but what is disclosed is interesting. And while at first glance Kormak himself could come across as a grim two-dimensional character, King fleshes him out in a subtle and interesting manner. Despite his heroic drive, there are a number of instances where Kormak questions his own motives and whether or not his quest has a point at all. And despite his apparent monk-like dedication to his cause, it doesn't take too much pushing for him to dally with women he'd be best off avoiding. There's more to both the world and the protagonist than what's revealed at first glance.

I also enjoyed the linked novella format. Compared to other fantasy subgenres, sword & sorcery lends itself extremely well to shorter formats. King doesn't draw things out to fill out page count; he sets up an interesting premise and immediately gets down to business. My only complaint is (view spoiler), but the concluding story was extremely satisfying, even if the ending was a little abrupt.

I'm not as familiar with the current sword & sorcery authors as I am with the classic ones, but King strikes me as a writer to watch. I look forward to reading more Kormak tales. ...more

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Oct 29, 2015 S.E. Lindberg added it · review of another edition

Lots of undeveloped potential - Decent Adventure Stealer of Flesh by William KingThis short set of tales introduces us to Kormak, a Guardian who is essentially an assassin of dark creatures. He is hunting a Ghul across four tales. This begins a series which extends to at least seven entries. This is Sword & Sorcery with a Warhammer feel. It has a lot of ingredients that I adore: mysterious undead creatures, intelligent banter, gritty warfare. It also had a knack for building up great potential o ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 24, 2012 Joseph rated it liked it

Sword & sorcery in the classic mode -- a series of linked novellas about Kormak, a warrior who belongs to an order dedicated to killing ancient evils. Kormak is chasing a demon that moves from body to body (hence the title). Very enjoyable with zero padding.

1 like · Like · see review