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zare_i's review
5.0
Kane, immortal wanderer, man punished to never-ending servitude for crime he committed. Although he tries to remain human, although he longs for love, for chance to lead men [into whatever he desires] he is forbidden to enjoy fruits of his own efforts. He is an eternal wanderer, man without land or family, treated well by high-lords when he leads their mercenary bands and subjugates their enemies but more than feared when he tries to establish himself as a ruler and a leader (interestingly this almost always unites his enemies even those very unlike to ever fight side by side).[return]Wagner s Kane is a man seeking fortune and wealth (not unlike Conan or other barbarians of similar adventure tales & well, to be honest not unlike any man I ever knew) but he suffers from something that was depicted so many times as a main flaw in character of many a member of ancient Greek pantheon he is immortal and gets bored very soon he sees no joy in everyday things, he always seeks more, aspires to higher position, more adventures and more power. He is a terrifying force on a battlefield, fearsome warrior and general but also a scholar and possesses intimate knowledge of arcane lore and ancient knowledge (that came together with Elders from the stars when Earth was young). He doesn t feel much toward human race, since he was expelled from it and every man fears him and/or hates him so is it so strange that he treats them like a cannon fodder for his political and military machinations (as Wagner says so often in this book why is Kane so different from all dictators and warlords that destroy everything in front of them and bring nothing more than chaos and death to newly conquered lands; why is he so different from members of the cult that use human sacrifice for their own magic and spread their teaching in not so humane way). [return]In search for power Kane awakens an ancient self-aware weapon that has landed eons ago from the stars only to end up used as a pawn by that same alien intelligence he breaks from this bond (freed by the affection and love from the most unexpected source) and does the right thing by destroying this evil entity and again fades into legend just to come out on some other place where he is not known so well.[return][return]Excellent book, highly recommended. I am currently searching for other books in the series.
dantastic's review
4.0
When a bloodstone ring winds up in Kane's possession, he launches a plan of conquest. But does Bloodstone serve Kane or does he serve it?
I last read this about fifteen years ago so it was a mostly new reading experience. This is the kind of fantasy novel I wish they still made. It's 200 pages and denser than one would think. Karl Edward Wagner had a gift with language, reminding me of both Robert E Howard and Raymond Chandler at times.
The story is some bad ass fantasy fare. An evil from beyond the world, the degenerate remnants of an ancient civilization, and the outcast warrior wizard Kane in the middle of everything. I once said Kane was like if Conan and Elric were able to mate successfully. I still feel that way. Kane's origins are only hinted at in this volume but he's a nigh immortal being that's lived for centuries after being cast out of paradise by mad god and doomed never to find a home for long.
Since this was my second read I had a good idea how thing ended but it was still a hell of a ride getting there. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
I last read this about fifteen years ago so it was a mostly new reading experience. This is the kind of fantasy novel I wish they still made. It's 200 pages and denser than one would think. Karl Edward Wagner had a gift with language, reminding me of both Robert E Howard and Raymond Chandler at times.
The story is some bad ass fantasy fare. An evil from beyond the world, the degenerate remnants of an ancient civilization, and the outcast warrior wizard Kane in the middle of everything. I once said Kane was like if Conan and Elric were able to mate successfully. I still feel that way. Kane's origins are only hinted at in this volume but he's a nigh immortal being that's lived for centuries after being cast out of paradise by mad god and doomed never to find a home for long.
Since this was my second read I had a good idea how thing ended but it was still a hell of a ride getting there. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
cheezvshcrvst's review
3.0
Let’s face it: Wagner is a force to be reckoned with. His prose, as most and many have often and always repeated noted, is intensely descriptive and flows dynamically and wonderfully. His characters leap off the page, even when they respond to the story in ways that will make you groan. But that’s because you know this novel, Bloodstone, in a bajillion things that have been written since. Whatever tropes predate the ones Wagner wields here with style are just as tired then as now. Bloodstone is worth reading, and it is often page-turning and groovy as hell. Kane is a bastard of an antagonist masquerading as his own protagonist. You want to root for him, nearly as much as you will root against him. If Bloodstone could have been trimmed a bit, it would’ve lost Wagner’s flair for writing, but maybe been a better book. Still, points for a relatively strong female lead and for being so clearly influential on a ton of epic fantasy novels since and still to come.
jonmhansen's review
4.0
Interesting. Hero's a cross between Conan the Barbarian, Elric, and the biblical Cain, and reads like he's the villain of the story. Quite a trick.
arthurbdd's review
4.0
Mostly solid ethical inversion of the sword and sorcery model, in which the big macho protagonist is in fact the villain, let down by shaky-to-miserable handling of female characters. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/the-reading-canary-tackles-the-mystic-swordsman/
tbr_the_unconquered's review
4.0
The world of this book is one where forces of darkness lie just beyond the visible horizon. At those places where the light doesn’t reach, things stir in anticipation for the carnage to come. Monsters lurk there and the magic at play in those realms conjure up things that are best left unsaid. When this tale begins, these forces are known to all and like the legends are not much of a threat to anyone. The kind of tales to say around a fire at night or to scare children with. Just when the people of the world had forgotten all of this and gotten into their petty little squabbles and power struggles, a man appears in their midst. He is an enigma but in a time when brutality determined status in society, he was far more ruthless than those around him with any weapon that he chose to fight with. And so we are introduced to Kane who among other things is an immortal and is pretty good in anything that he does. Kane’s ambitions are beyond what the mere mortals think and he unleashes a force that the world had all but forgotten eons ago. Bloodstone is the story of a small but overwhelmed group of people fighting an alien evil and a man whose mind is far beyond their comprehensions.
While anti heroic characters are all the rage in fantasy now, Kane is not someone who will fit into the hero bracket even on such scales. He is well and truly the antagonist and the chief trouble maker of the tale. Being an immortal, Kane transcends good and bad of the normal human thought process and appears to be a totally nefarious entity when you consider his plans. There are occasional glimpses of love, tenderness and affection in him but they are all brushed away in the grander scheme of things. His is a wretched existence knowing that he would outlive everyone and everything and is doomed to an existence of watching humanity perish like mayflies against the ravages of time. It is precisely this attached detachment that makes Kane an interesting character study. Having been written in 1970’s the story is atmospherically heavier than its focus on character development. The places, the magic and the geography tends to get a preferential treatment when compared to the growth and development of the characters themselves. While Kane is an interesting enough character, Wagner keeps Kane mostly in the darkness under a cloak (literally and figuratively) and only gives us glimpses of him in this book.
Read it as a start to a series that defined heroic fantasy in the early days but if you read and judge it with an eye for fantasy of the present day then it might not be enjoyable. Recommended !
While anti heroic characters are all the rage in fantasy now, Kane is not someone who will fit into the hero bracket even on such scales. He is well and truly the antagonist and the chief trouble maker of the tale. Being an immortal, Kane transcends good and bad of the normal human thought process and appears to be a totally nefarious entity when you consider his plans. There are occasional glimpses of love, tenderness and affection in him but they are all brushed away in the grander scheme of things. His is a wretched existence knowing that he would outlive everyone and everything and is doomed to an existence of watching humanity perish like mayflies against the ravages of time. It is precisely this attached detachment that makes Kane an interesting character study. Having been written in 1970’s the story is atmospherically heavier than its focus on character development. The places, the magic and the geography tends to get a preferential treatment when compared to the growth and development of the characters themselves. While Kane is an interesting enough character, Wagner keeps Kane mostly in the darkness under a cloak (literally and figuratively) and only gives us glimpses of him in this book.
Read it as a start to a series that defined heroic fantasy in the early days but if you read and judge it with an eye for fantasy of the present day then it might not be enjoyable. Recommended !
blchandler9000's review
3.0
A relatively epic sword and sorcery novel. Kane, a brooding immortal, uncovers an ancient ring that links him with a powerful cosmic device. There's political intrigue, a dash of romance, lots of frogmen, and bloodshed.
On the whole, the book was enjoyable. The stakes are high, the drama is intense. There's a few nice twists and cool plot points that intrigue and reward the reader. Wagner's prose is rich, bordering on a delicious shade of purple, though the author does rely on certain words heavily. If I had a dollar for every time he used the word "coruscant," I could have bought a half-dozen more copies of the book for a S&S book club.
But the story is pretty bloody and ultimately nihilistic. Even the most hot-blooded moments are wrapped with cynicism. Lives are cheap and the characters are not altogether likable—interesting, yes, but not very likable. I wouldn't want to meet any of them over dinner, which means this will likely be the last Kane book I read.
On the whole, the book was enjoyable. The stakes are high, the drama is intense. There's a few nice twists and cool plot points that intrigue and reward the reader. Wagner's prose is rich, bordering on a delicious shade of purple, though the author does rely on certain words heavily. If I had a dollar for every time he used the word "coruscant," I could have bought a half-dozen more copies of the book for a S&S book club.
But the story is pretty bloody and ultimately nihilistic. Even the most hot-blooded moments are wrapped with cynicism. Lives are cheap and the characters are not altogether likable—interesting, yes, but not very likable. I wouldn't want to meet any of them over dinner, which means this will likely be the last Kane book I read.
sammystarbuck's review
3.0
This was ok, but failed to really grab me. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just felt like something was missing...
Kane is a great character though. I like that he isn't your typical overly good and honourable fantasy hero. Instead he seems to inhabit a grey area, often crossing right to the dark side, and that anti-hero quality makes him all the more interesting, IMO.
Kane is a great character though. I like that he isn't your typical overly good and honourable fantasy hero. Instead he seems to inhabit a grey area, often crossing right to the dark side, and that anti-hero quality makes him all the more interesting, IMO.
akirathelemur's review
4.0
Pure, ridiculous sword and sorcery. Unlike Leiber or Moorecock, Wagner is uninterested in adding anything more to the story, whether sly humor or gothic gloom. Just straight up, purple-prosed silliness that is deeply entertaining. It's like watching Heavy Metal or listening to Manowar: pure enjoyment.
drozdal's review
3.0
Better than the first one. I remember liking it more when I read it the first time is high school.
I love the post apocalyptic world where humans are new race who lifted themselves from darkness by pillaging remains of ancient races who once inhabited the world. Cool old technology, some vile and forbidden magics. Story is mediocre but setting is where it's at. Worth reading if you yearn some something of the Sword and Sorcery genre.
I love the post apocalyptic world where humans are new race who lifted themselves from darkness by pillaging remains of ancient races who once inhabited the world. Cool old technology, some vile and forbidden magics. Story is mediocre but setting is where it's at. Worth reading if you yearn some something of the Sword and Sorcery genre.