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bjswann's review
5.0
The first Kane the Wanderer book. Kane is a ruthless and amoral killer cursed with immortality. He spends his time seeking power, pleasure, and trying to soothe his relentless ennui. Bloodstone sees him on a quest to unearth terrifying eldritch might, which comes in the form of the titular Bloodstone, a seemingly magical ring that turns out to be much more. The book is very obviously inspired by Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer. Kane is mostly a mysterious figure who impacts the lives of others, and has relatively few POV scenes. The main character is really Kane’s enemy-turned-lover-turned-enemy again, a woman called Teres. One of the coolest fantasy heroines I've encountered, Teres the ‘she-wolf’ is a kind of super tomboy who’s been raised to succeed her father, king of a violent patriarchal society. She falls for Kane, then stands against him when his demented quest for power becomes an obvious threat to all human life.
Verdict – this book is very good, almost great. Kane and Teres are awesome characters. Unfortunately a lot of the more minor characters are a bit beige and forgettable, except for Teres’ father. There are some really tense and exciting moments, mostly featuring Teres, who as a mere mortal is more vulnerable than Kane. The dialogue is more naturalistic than that in the Elric or Conan stories for example, but is still a bit too ornate and stylized, and often sounds exactly like the narrator’s prose. Some of the monsters are very cool, especially the undead creatures brought back by Bloodstone, which, after being chopped apart, re-form themselves into hybrid horrors. Unfortunately some of the battle scenes become boring due to an abundance of holistic descriptions. Which just goes to show that battle scenes are almost always better when told from a specific POV. There is a lot of stuff about political and military maneuvering which also gets a bit boring, mostly because one of the main characters is exceedingly bland. Can’t even remember his name. The baddy – Bloodstone – is basically an eldritch Lovecraft-type monster with a twist – he’s an alien supercomputer that has self-awareness and wants to team up with his buddies to take over the cosmos. The plot is grand and far-reaching, but the story is actually at its best and most compelling when it’s not being epic at all. The best moments deal with simpler, more intimate situations. Which just goes to show that a story, no matter how grand, always has to foreground the intimate lives of its heroes, down to all the gritty details.
Verdict – this book is very good, almost great. Kane and Teres are awesome characters. Unfortunately a lot of the more minor characters are a bit beige and forgettable, except for Teres’ father. There are some really tense and exciting moments, mostly featuring Teres, who as a mere mortal is more vulnerable than Kane. The dialogue is more naturalistic than that in the Elric or Conan stories for example, but is still a bit too ornate and stylized, and often sounds exactly like the narrator’s prose. Some of the monsters are very cool, especially the undead creatures brought back by Bloodstone, which, after being chopped apart, re-form themselves into hybrid horrors. Unfortunately some of the battle scenes become boring due to an abundance of holistic descriptions. Which just goes to show that battle scenes are almost always better when told from a specific POV. There is a lot of stuff about political and military maneuvering which also gets a bit boring, mostly because one of the main characters is exceedingly bland. Can’t even remember his name. The baddy – Bloodstone – is basically an eldritch Lovecraft-type monster with a twist – he’s an alien supercomputer that has self-awareness and wants to team up with his buddies to take over the cosmos. The plot is grand and far-reaching, but the story is actually at its best and most compelling when it’s not being epic at all. The best moments deal with simpler, more intimate situations. Which just goes to show that a story, no matter how grand, always has to foreground the intimate lives of its heroes, down to all the gritty details.
deimosremus's review
4.0
Bloodstone is my first jump into the works of Karl Edward Wagner, who has been often described as one of the fathers of dark fantasy, if not its foremost figure in the genre's formative years. Wagner’s chief invention is that of the character Kane, an iconic antihero who has equally violent and scholarly aspirations.
Bloodstone is written in a style reminiscent of one of Wagner’s biggest influences— strange fiction authors such as Lovecraft, Derleth, etc. The prose is both purple and pulpy, sometimes rather eloquent and while largely very well written, definitely feels its length. That said, it manages to craft a story that’s compelling and thrilling, and the character at the center of it goes through many intriguing changes as an amoral, double-crossing and selfish protagonist-to-antagonist. It blends heroic fantasy with cosmic horror well and the imagery described within it is definitely memorable. It even has a good attempt at a well-rounded and perhaps subversive (for the time) heroic female character in Teres, which is exceedingly rare in both this genre and the era it was written in.
I’ll likely be visiting more of Wagner’s works in the future after I cull through my reading list.
Bloodstone is written in a style reminiscent of one of Wagner’s biggest influences— strange fiction authors such as Lovecraft, Derleth, etc. The prose is both purple and pulpy, sometimes rather eloquent and while largely very well written, definitely feels its length. That said, it manages to craft a story that’s compelling and thrilling, and the character at the center of it goes through many intriguing changes as an amoral, double-crossing and selfish protagonist-to-antagonist. It blends heroic fantasy with cosmic horror well and the imagery described within it is definitely memorable. It even has a good attempt at a well-rounded and perhaps subversive (for the time) heroic female character in Teres, which is exceedingly rare in both this genre and the era it was written in.
I’ll likely be visiting more of Wagner’s works in the future after I cull through my reading list.
boyblue's review
2.0
It would be completely iniquitous of me to proclaim this book's effulgence.
I went in thinking I was going to read a story about an immortal and amoral bad guy.
Imagine Sauron's account of his rise to power. Maybe some wisdom of the ages distilled into witty ripostes, a few cunning schemes, and some ungodly battle prowess. What disappointment to find I'm reading Saruman's rise to power instead and told mostly from the perspective of his would be lover come Valkyrie Jean d'Arc.
We hear that Kane is immortal and has been wandering the land since time immemorial, we hear of his fierce countenance and that's about it. He's an immortal, amoral Conan. Or so people say. But it's Kane's characterisation that lets the whole novel down. While we hear him trash other's philosophies of life, his own is never quite explained except that he's lived a long time and is therefore bored and likes adventure. Yes he outlived his friends and family but we don't really feel that. Despite knowing some of the Elder knowledge and being a little bit tough in a fight, he doesn't demonstrate how he's any different to an accomplished mortal. The blurb says he "SCHEMES TO RULE THE WORLD HIMSELF". What a let down. Also on the cover he's in his skimpy speedos with what looks like a WWE belt, neither of these make an appearance, how very misleading.
This book reminded me a lot of the fireworks we used to buy on Guy Fawkes with names like Blazing Tiger Fireball that really turned out to be more like a Glowing Scared Kitten.
The best part was the world Wagner created, the Elder races sounded fascinating as did the science of alien races mixing with the sorcery of earth. It's a shame that element wasn't explored in more depth because it was far more interesting than the actual plot.
As for the first sentence, iniquity and effulgence were used more regularly in Bloodstone than I have seen them used in the last 20 years of reading.
I went in thinking I was going to read a story about an immortal and amoral bad guy.
Imagine Sauron's account of his rise to power. Maybe some wisdom of the ages distilled into witty ripostes, a few cunning schemes, and some ungodly battle prowess. What disappointment to find I'm reading Saruman's rise to power instead and told mostly from the perspective of his would be lover come Valkyrie Jean d'Arc.
We hear that Kane is immortal and has been wandering the land since time immemorial, we hear of his fierce countenance and that's about it. He's an immortal, amoral Conan. Or so people say. But it's Kane's characterisation that lets the whole novel down. While we hear him trash other's philosophies of life, his own is never quite explained except that he's lived a long time and is therefore bored and likes adventure. Yes he outlived his friends and family but we don't really feel that. Despite knowing some of the Elder knowledge and being a little bit tough in a fight, he doesn't demonstrate how he's any different to an accomplished mortal. The blurb says he "SCHEMES TO RULE THE WORLD HIMSELF". What a let down. Also on the cover he's in his skimpy speedos with what looks like a WWE belt, neither of these make an appearance, how very misleading.
This book reminded me a lot of the fireworks we used to buy on Guy Fawkes with names like Blazing Tiger Fireball that really turned out to be more like a Glowing Scared Kitten.
The best part was the world Wagner created, the Elder races sounded fascinating as did the science of alien races mixing with the sorcery of earth. It's a shame that element wasn't explored in more depth because it was far more interesting than the actual plot.
As for the first sentence, iniquity and effulgence were used more regularly in Bloodstone than I have seen them used in the last 20 years of reading.
jeremyjfloyd's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pa11av's review
4.0
I lost this book somewhere, but till the point that i read it, it was a gripping tale. I need to find another copy.
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