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Horseclans #8
The Death of a Legend
OUT OF THE JAWS OF DESTRUCTION
When the Witchmen caused the earth to move and called forth the fires from the mountain's inner depths, the Moon Maidens, Ahrmehnee, and Thoheeks Bili's troops barely escaped with thier lives. Driven by the flames into territory said to be peopled by monstrous half-humnas, Bili was forced to choose between braving the dangers of nature gone mad or fighting the savage natives on their own ground. But before he could decide, his troops were spotted by the beings who claimed this eerie land as their own and would use powerful spells of magic and illusion to send any intruders to their doom...
Cover image Copyright Ken Kelly
UK variant cover from Luis Royo
185 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1981
13 people are currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Robert Adams
74 books68 followersFranklin Robert Adams (August 31, 1933 - January 4, 1990) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, formerly a career soldier. He is best known for his "Horseclans" books. He wrote as Robert Adams, an abbreviated form of his full name.
Adams was an early pioneer of the post-holocaust novel. His Horseclans novels are precursors to many of today's attempts at this type of story, many of which do not exhibit his painstakingly detailed world view or extraordinary plot follow-through (many of his Horseclans books are so interlinked that they make sense only when read in order; he did not create many "stand alone" books in the series).
Hallmarks of Adams' style include a focus on violent, non-stop action, meticulous detail in matters historical and military, strong description, and digressions expounding on various subjects from a conservative and libertarian viewpoint.
Adams was an early pioneer of the post-holocaust novel. His Horseclans novels are precursors to many of today's attempts at this type of story, many of which do not exhibit his painstakingly detailed world view or extraordinary plot follow-through (many of his Horseclans books are so interlinked that they make sense only when read in order; he did not create many "stand alone" books in the series).
Hallmarks of Adams' style include a focus on violent, non-stop action, meticulous detail in matters historical and military, strong description, and digressions expounding on various subjects from a conservative and libertarian viewpoint.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 7, 2019
This novel centres on Bili Morguhn and the events just after those related in "The savage mountains" the earthquake has hit and everyone was running for their lives.
Bili is now dying and is journeying in his mind to over 70 years back to that time and how after he and his band joined Prince Byruhn and his crew of half man, half giants. Aid is given in the aftermath of the quake but is it free or does Byruhn want something off Bili in return...?
Bili is now dying and is journeying in his mind to over 70 years back to that time and how after he and his band joined Prince Byruhn and his crew of half man, half giants. Aid is given in the aftermath of the quake but is it free or does Byruhn want something off Bili in return...?
October 29, 2010
Bili the Axe again. Can't get enough.
November 14, 2024
Despite having some of the best worldbuilding in its genre, Robert Adams' Horseclans novels are awash in "unconventional" storytelling decisions. Arguably the biggest of those shortcomings is Adams' bizarre tendency to skip past major plot events. Huge battles, significant character moments, and even deaths occur off-page, only to be repeatedly referenced after a sudden time jump. Extremely frustrating. At least across the first seven volumes in the series, easily the biggest such omission was the fate of Bili Morguhn's company in the western wilderness, as left unresolved at the end of The Savage Mountains. Bili obviously survived, as a much older version of our hero appears in The Patrimony, but we're left wondering how Bili, the Moon Maiden Rahksahnah (Bili's future wife), and their followers made their way back to the Confederation. Thankfully, The Death of a Legend finally begins to provide readers with the details of Bili's western expedition. One of the more satisfying Horseclans novels up to this point, even if it adopts an unusual framing and continues to be hampered by many of Adams' idiosyncrasies.
Technically, The Death of a Legend is set several decades after The Patrimony, with an elderly Bili Morguhn lying on his deathbed after a hunting accident. That being said, the bulk of the plot takes the form of extended flashbacks, with a feverish Bili vividly recalling the events of his most famous campaign. This takes us back to the days immediately following the volcanic explosion at the end The Savage Mountains. Bili, the Moon Maidens, and their allies are separated from the rest of the Confederation army, and are forced to find new friends in the region while avoiding Muhkohee raids. Encountered along the way are a hidden fiefdom ruled by exiled Middle Kingdom noblemen, as well as a race of Sasquatch-like telekinetic giants. The biggest peculiarity here is that much of the novel's first-third is devoted to recounting various battles that were already depicted (from a different POV) in A Cat of Silvery Hue and The Savage Mountains.
The fact that The Death of a Legend fills the biggest plot gap in the series automatically makes it an above-average Horseclans novel. Its core plot, with its relatively narrow focus upon Bili, Rahksahnah, and company, is also consistently engaging. And special kudos to the giant Teenéhdjook as Adams' best worldbuilding addition since the earliest volumes of the series. Unfortunately, The Death of a Legend is kept from greatness but a handful of (easily fixable) decisions, ultimately preventing more than a 3-star rating. For starters, although Adams' prose has significantly improved over the years, he continues to spend far too much time on unnecessary detail and can be difficult to follow. The fever dream framing of the story is also wholly unnecessary, especially since Adams had already abandoned a linear chronology on Horseclans Odyssey. Why not simply write a proper sequel to The Savage Mountains? Still, easily my biggest issue is Adams' decision to spend 30-40 pages recapping events from A Cat of Silvery Hue to The Savage Mountains. Either Adams was desperate to fill out his standard page length, or was worried that readers had forgotten important details from those stories.
All of this implies that The Death of a Legend is a mixed bag, and I suppose that's true, but it's a mixed bag that the average Horseclans fan should enjoy. If you've gotten this far in the series, there's really no reason to stop here. And given that the "extended flashback" structure of this novel continues in The Witch Goddess, you'll probably finish the book eager to read more.
Technically, The Death of a Legend is set several decades after The Patrimony, with an elderly Bili Morguhn lying on his deathbed after a hunting accident. That being said, the bulk of the plot takes the form of extended flashbacks, with a feverish Bili vividly recalling the events of his most famous campaign. This takes us back to the days immediately following the volcanic explosion at the end The Savage Mountains. Bili, the Moon Maidens, and their allies are separated from the rest of the Confederation army, and are forced to find new friends in the region while avoiding Muhkohee raids. Encountered along the way are a hidden fiefdom ruled by exiled Middle Kingdom noblemen, as well as a race of Sasquatch-like telekinetic giants. The biggest peculiarity here is that much of the novel's first-third is devoted to recounting various battles that were already depicted (from a different POV) in A Cat of Silvery Hue and The Savage Mountains.
The fact that The Death of a Legend fills the biggest plot gap in the series automatically makes it an above-average Horseclans novel. Its core plot, with its relatively narrow focus upon Bili, Rahksahnah, and company, is also consistently engaging. And special kudos to the giant Teenéhdjook as Adams' best worldbuilding addition since the earliest volumes of the series. Unfortunately, The Death of a Legend is kept from greatness but a handful of (easily fixable) decisions, ultimately preventing more than a 3-star rating. For starters, although Adams' prose has significantly improved over the years, he continues to spend far too much time on unnecessary detail and can be difficult to follow. The fever dream framing of the story is also wholly unnecessary, especially since Adams had already abandoned a linear chronology on Horseclans Odyssey. Why not simply write a proper sequel to The Savage Mountains? Still, easily my biggest issue is Adams' decision to spend 30-40 pages recapping events from A Cat of Silvery Hue to The Savage Mountains. Either Adams was desperate to fill out his standard page length, or was worried that readers had forgotten important details from those stories.
All of this implies that The Death of a Legend is a mixed bag, and I suppose that's true, but it's a mixed bag that the average Horseclans fan should enjoy. If you've gotten this far in the series, there's really no reason to stop here. And given that the "extended flashback" structure of this novel continues in The Witch Goddess, you'll probably finish the book eager to read more.
April 5, 2019
This novel centres on Bili Morguhn and the events just after those related in "The savage mountains" the earthquake has hit and everyone was running for their lives...
Bili is now at the end of his days and is journeying back in his mind to over 70 years before to the time of that quake and how afterwards he and his band joined Prince Byruhn and his crew of half man, half giant.
Aid is given in the aftermath of the quake but is it freely given or does Byruhn want something off Bili in return...?
Bili is now at the end of his days and is journeying back in his mind to over 70 years before to the time of that quake and how afterwards he and his band joined Prince Byruhn and his crew of half man, half giant.
Aid is given in the aftermath of the quake but is it freely given or does Byruhn want something off Bili in return...?
June 3, 2023
10/20.
August 1, 2013
(There are 18 books, and I read until Book 10, Bili the Axe)
I read a bunch of these books, and eventually I got bored of it, but man, what a ride. The story is set in a post-apocalypse world. Everything has gone wrong, from nuclear warfare to plagues, so nothing remains from our time. This new world is run by barbarians and swords. In the new world, there are a few changes. Some clans have the ability to mindspeak to a few select animals, such as big cats (which are more like panthers), and a select few have the power of immortality. Such as our main character, the Undying High Lord Milo!
Milo starts up as a small clan leader, and eventually his clan starts growing bigger as the novels progress.
The series is a manly fantasy story with none of the silly dancing elves stuff. Every few pages, someone gets either killed or raped, and the good guys usually are responsible for both. There isn’t a really strong plot or characters to speak off, but if you have to want to pretend you are a man and raping some villagers and chopping off heads, then it can be fun.
I read a bunch of these books, and eventually I got bored of it, but man, what a ride. The story is set in a post-apocalypse world. Everything has gone wrong, from nuclear warfare to plagues, so nothing remains from our time. This new world is run by barbarians and swords. In the new world, there are a few changes. Some clans have the ability to mindspeak to a few select animals, such as big cats (which are more like panthers), and a select few have the power of immortality. Such as our main character, the Undying High Lord Milo!
Milo starts up as a small clan leader, and eventually his clan starts growing bigger as the novels progress.
The series is a manly fantasy story with none of the silly dancing elves stuff. Every few pages, someone gets either killed or raped, and the good guys usually are responsible for both. There isn’t a really strong plot or characters to speak off, but if you have to want to pretend you are a man and raping some villagers and chopping off heads, then it can be fun.
June 16, 2011
I'd like to give this 3.5 stars. The original parts are very good but too much is cut and paste from earlier books. This may not have been as much of a problem when you had a couple years between book releases and were reading them as they came out, but it's really irritating when you read them back to back going through the series.
November 17, 2014
I think this was the one that dealt with the death of Bili The Axe, but I'm going from memory of a series read decades ago. They are all more of a fantasy work than anything else. The stories fall into the ripping tales sort of genre, but I really enjoyed them at the time.
January 22, 2016
The Horseclans series is probably the best blend of fantasy and SiFi I have ever read. Pretty much something for everyone in these books. Great characters, epic storyline, fantastic writings. My highest recommendation
August 18, 2020
Good but not the best
This book is good but not the best in series. Needed more polishing and focus. Too many diversions just ads things are getting interesting story shifts to another point
This book is good but not the best in series. Needed more polishing and focus. Too many diversions just ads things are getting interesting story shifts to another point
July 26, 2010
My second favorite Horseclans book, although very very close to Bili the Axe. I loved it. This one kind of made me tear up a bit.
February 3, 2024
a lot of re-telling and a lot of info-dump...
October 30, 2008
The Bili books were not my favorites.
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January 17, 2016Horseclans
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews