It’s back to sword and sorcery I go with “The City of the Black Flame”, the second novella in Steve Dilks’ GUNTHAR—WARRIOR OF THE LOST WORLD. In this one, Gunthar and two companions—a pirate who has a grudge against him and a female warrior—are hired to cross a desert and an inland sea and then penetrate an untamed jungle to a lost city where the secret of eternal life can be found. Along the way they pick up an ally, a mutant “reptiloid”, evidently part man and part snake and a further indication that these Gunthar stories are set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, long after some sort of nuclear war or disaster.
But as in the previous story, “Priestess of the
Fire-Gods”, Dilks never allows his world-building and back-story to
interfere with the headlong pace of the action. Gunthar and his
companions face all sorts of dangers in the ruined city, which is a
little reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Opar, and everything
builds up to a pretty explosive climax. (The lost city is built next
to a volcano, if that gives you any ideas.)
Gunthar is just a
really likable protagonist, young and a little inexperienced but
plenty tough. Dilks gives us a little more of his background in this
story. The supporting cast is excellent all around, the villain is
suitably despicable, and there are even a few poignant moments to go
along with the slam-bang action. Dilks’ writing style is a blend of
Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, Gardner Fox, and John Jakes
(the Brak stories). Reading these first two Gunthar stories has given
me a real sense of nostalgia. This is sword and sorcery in the
classic mold and done very well. It's available on Amazon in paperback and e-book editions.
No comments:
Post a Comment