'Dark Crusade' – Karl Edward Wagner

Because sometimes you want what you're reading to reflect how the world can be, in all its nasty glory. That way, you can put the book down when it all gets a bit too much, something that's a little more difficult to do in real life. If you've read 'Dark Crusade', you can guess how I see the world right now...

Also, sometimes it's nice to step back from the rat race of keeping up with what's new and going back to old favourites. When I was a lot younger (like a lot younger), I picked this book in a market and have had a copy with me, in one form or another, ever since. It's an electronic copy at the moment, thanks for asking ;o) I lost the last hard copy that I owned and I suspect that will be the last hard copy that I ever own, given how much Karl Edward Wagner's books seem to go for these days (seriously, look it up). Thank the god of your choice then for the Kindle and Gollancz' efforts to bring loads of classic sci-fi and fantasy back into the spotlight via the SF Gateway.

Lets have a look at 'Dark Crusade', shall we...?

The Mystic Swordsman battles the prophet of an ancient cult of evil that began before the birth of Man.

Out of the blackness of an almost forgotten past, the cruel cult of Sataki has come to life again. A daring outlaw, Orted, is its prophet. He draws thousands of converts to his Dark Crusade - TO DESTROY MANKIND.

Orted's bloody cohorts conquer Shapeli, but when they drive to vanquish the southern kingdoms they know they must have Kane. Kane is the one man who can command the conquest. But Kane's battle will be against all the diabolic forces of Orted's primeval sorcery...

'Dark Crusade' is the rare kind of sword and sorcery where the kids playing in the street (with the head of one of their MOTHERS) are utter bastards as a minimum. There is a word that would adequately describe any of the main characters but I will not say it here, they are though. And that's not taking Kane himself into account, the swear word hasn't been invented to describe Kane but he's not evil, just really really bored because he is cursed to live forever. Here's a guy who will betray you because it's a Thursday and there's nothing worth doing until the weekend when the neighbouring kingdom are due to invade... Kane will ruin you but it's nothing personal, not at all. This generally dispassionate nature of his makes Kane an oddly compelling character where you follow him because he will do anything because ultimately, none of it matters.

So we're not even into the story itself and already, we're looking at evildoers doing evil against a backdrop so harsh (more on that in a bit) so that anyone remotely law abiding died in the first couple of chapters. It's 'grimdark' way before the days of Glen Cook and the Black Company. The obvious question springs to mind, why carry on reading? Doesn't it all get just a bit boring and repetitive? It can do but for me, Wagner escapes the pitfalls and traps here. My first answer, all those years ago, would have been that I'd never read anything quite like this so of course I was going to keep reading. Having read the book yesterday my answer this time round is that Karl Edward Wagner is a very good storyteller.

Basically, we're talking 'Game of Thrones' level intrigue all rolled up into one book. Everyone is on the take and wants all the power to themselves. What you get then is a story that is entirely at the mercy of its characters. If they misbehave, and they do, then pivotal events can occur totally without warning. Seriously, one of the main, city levelling, events of the book occurs because of a misunderstanding, not only does Wagner masterfully pluck at the strings of the plot here but I've also got a lot of time for someone who is quite happy to throw events up in the air and see what lands. If that wasn't enough, Wagner throws the armies of nations at each other and is more than happy to give fantasy fans the kind of spectacle that we all want; thousands of warriors killing each other against that harsh, yet strangely beautiful, backdrop I was talking about. Kane's world really is one where what you can take, and how long you can keep it, really depends on your skill with a blade.

'Dark Crusade' is probably a little too dark for some, as a result of Wagner's need to focus on the darkness in people at the expense of all else, but if you like your fantasy dark then this is what you need to be reading, make no mistake about it. Now I need to go and read something bright and cheery to balance things out a bit...