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Fragments of a Greater Darkness
Ahanu Foxcloud, expatriate of the Mahkah people, seeks answers to his past while forging his own future. The amber-eyed barbarian warrior ventures into the ruthless, fantastic world of Symbra. Enter with him now, in this collection of sword and sorcery adventures.
A creature of legend stalks the nighted woods. The promise of treasure leads the unwary to a horrible realization. Terror holds sway in a dark house looming on a lonely plain. These and other more weird and thrilling tales are all but...
Fragments of a Greater Darkness!
A creature of legend stalks the nighted woods. The promise of treasure leads the unwary to a horrible realization. Terror holds sway in a dark house looming on a lonely plain. These and other more weird and thrilling tales are all but...
Fragments of a Greater Darkness!
128 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2023
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 13, 2023
I’m an avid reader of Whetstone and Michael Burke’s Ahanu Foxcloud stories are usually some of my favorites in every issue. I was thrilled to see this character appear in TuleFog’s Sword & Heroes anthology. It was one of the best stories in that collection and better yet the forward mentioned the character was getting his own stand alone collection. Of course I had to pick it up.
So how is it? The short answer very good. The long answer below.
First of all, Fragments of a Greater Darkness is a great name. It just pops along with the cover art. Better yet the book prints in the classic paperback of yesteryear size. Everything just feels old school in the best ways. Not that this is pure pastiche or worship of well worn paths. There’s plenty of originality on display here balanced nicely with classic elements that keep it fun.
We get 6 fragments of the greater darkness here.
Certain Hungers - This story does an incredible job of building tension. Especially Ahanu not knowing the word of the crime committed and the way it all builds into the reveal. Stunning mastery of horror there. It’s also pretty original as Ahanu is a pre-teen in this story. So despite its darkness it almost feels like a YA story. Honestly, Burke could probably pioneer a genre mishmash here an and do well at it. I have to admit I have a bit of a quibble with the youth’s dialogue as it feels contemporary and a bit out of place compared to the rest of the dialogue in the book. But that’s just a pet peeve. Idk, this formula could really be spun out into its own thing and probably reach a new audience who don’t follow the genre.
The Sprit of the Hill - Ahanu’s debut from Whetstone. This is great bite-size story. It’s got a clever twist and a dark sense of humor to it. I enjoyed it two years ago when it debuted and it still holds up very well. Newcomers are in for a treat.
In Dust and Dead Desire - I love this story. It’s one of my favorites to ever appear in Whetstone. Maybe even my favorite. It just boils down the genre to its plutonic ideal. Its lusty, earthy, primal with hints of the ethereal in its conclusion. Just a real masterpiece of the short story format. My favorite in this collection. A must read.
One Not There - This story is also fantastic. It’s got great atmosphere building. The ending is quite unexpected. At first I was like “that’s where you’re going with this?” And the more it sat with me the more I appreciated it. Poetic and almost literary in its conclusions. It has Robert E Howard’s gift for philosophizing in bite-sized observations. It’s a surprise and a a very good one.
More Shadow Than Substance - Another Whetstone reprint. It’s a good story but admittedly clicks with me the least but is by no means disappointing. Just classic racy pulp fun.
House of the Dark One - This one is a good story and almost has an Imaro feel to it. Especially in the way it foreshadows the greater darkness. Really leaves you wanting more in a good way. There’s some really unnerving body horror here demonstrating Burke’a gift for horror.
I appreciate the novella length of this book. It’s a quick read and a page turner. There’s two Ahanu stories published not found here (one is advertised at the end. Appearing in the aforementioned Swords & Heroes) and another story mentioned in the introduction that is still being revised. So hopefully we’ll get a volume two soon.
This is a real treat for contemporary Sword and Sorcery fans. There’s enough Clonan here to feel comforting and enough originality to drawn in people wanting something fresh. Honestly, it’s a great balance. In Dust… and One Not There are in my opinion enough to push this to a must read and earn it a 5.
So how is it? The short answer very good. The long answer below.
First of all, Fragments of a Greater Darkness is a great name. It just pops along with the cover art. Better yet the book prints in the classic paperback of yesteryear size. Everything just feels old school in the best ways. Not that this is pure pastiche or worship of well worn paths. There’s plenty of originality on display here balanced nicely with classic elements that keep it fun.
We get 6 fragments of the greater darkness here.
Certain Hungers - This story does an incredible job of building tension. Especially Ahanu not knowing the word of the crime committed and the way it all builds into the reveal. Stunning mastery of horror there. It’s also pretty original as Ahanu is a pre-teen in this story. So despite its darkness it almost feels like a YA story. Honestly, Burke could probably pioneer a genre mishmash here an and do well at it. I have to admit I have a bit of a quibble with the youth’s dialogue as it feels contemporary and a bit out of place compared to the rest of the dialogue in the book. But that’s just a pet peeve. Idk, this formula could really be spun out into its own thing and probably reach a new audience who don’t follow the genre.
The Sprit of the Hill - Ahanu’s debut from Whetstone. This is great bite-size story. It’s got a clever twist and a dark sense of humor to it. I enjoyed it two years ago when it debuted and it still holds up very well. Newcomers are in for a treat.
In Dust and Dead Desire - I love this story. It’s one of my favorites to ever appear in Whetstone. Maybe even my favorite. It just boils down the genre to its plutonic ideal. Its lusty, earthy, primal with hints of the ethereal in its conclusion. Just a real masterpiece of the short story format. My favorite in this collection. A must read.
One Not There - This story is also fantastic. It’s got great atmosphere building. The ending is quite unexpected. At first I was like “that’s where you’re going with this?” And the more it sat with me the more I appreciated it. Poetic and almost literary in its conclusions. It has Robert E Howard’s gift for philosophizing in bite-sized observations. It’s a surprise and a a very good one.
More Shadow Than Substance - Another Whetstone reprint. It’s a good story but admittedly clicks with me the least but is by no means disappointing. Just classic racy pulp fun.
House of the Dark One - This one is a good story and almost has an Imaro feel to it. Especially in the way it foreshadows the greater darkness. Really leaves you wanting more in a good way. There’s some really unnerving body horror here demonstrating Burke’a gift for horror.
I appreciate the novella length of this book. It’s a quick read and a page turner. There’s two Ahanu stories published not found here (one is advertised at the end. Appearing in the aforementioned Swords & Heroes) and another story mentioned in the introduction that is still being revised. So hopefully we’ll get a volume two soon.
This is a real treat for contemporary Sword and Sorcery fans. There’s enough Clonan here to feel comforting and enough originality to drawn in people wanting something fresh. Honestly, it’s a great balance. In Dust… and One Not There are in my opinion enough to push this to a must read and earn it a 5.
May 27, 2023
Enjoyable and Diverting
Michael Burke shows us Ahanu, a warrior whose adventures you want to follow. Takes me back to those books when barbarians were barbarians, action was taken with fearless bravado, and a warrior code was followed that while not purely good, was straightforward and true.
Michael Burke shows us Ahanu, a warrior whose adventures you want to follow. Takes me back to those books when barbarians were barbarians, action was taken with fearless bravado, and a warrior code was followed that while not purely good, was straightforward and true.
May 13, 2023
Reminiscent of Saunders' character Imaro and hints of Howard's Conan adventures makes Burke's first collection of Ahanu Foxcloud's tales a must-read of current S&S writings. Weirdness and darkness flow from the pages as our warrior hero Ahanu is beset by all manner of horrific foes, with an even greater one hinted at in the final story.
"Certain Hungers" is a great introduction to our hero, who is as strong of heart and will-to-live as his sword arm is. Read and enjoy these grand adventures!
"Certain Hungers" is a great introduction to our hero, who is as strong of heart and will-to-live as his sword arm is. Read and enjoy these grand adventures!
May 15, 2023
After reading this book I now have a new author I shall be watching for. The world in these stories was well build and filled with warriors and amazing creatures loosely based on Native Americans. What I enjoyed the most was an ever present sense of magic in the stories and the writing itself. The hero Ahanu Foxcloud was no stereotype but rather felt like a real person with a strong sense of right and wrong. I would highly recommend this book for anyone with a love of fantasy.
I received an ARC and chose to leave this review.
I received an ARC and chose to leave this review.
October 22, 2023
Excellent collection of short sword and sorcery tales. A young warrior leaves his homeland seeking more….. Well he certainly finds it. Sorcery, creatures, and all forms of menace seem to find our protagonist. I can’t wait for more adventures.
June 12, 2024
Short collection of sword-&-sorcery short tales. Reminiscent of experiencing classic Marvel's 'Conan the Barbarian' comic in prose form.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews