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The Chronicles of Caylen-Tor
The Chronicles of Caylen-Tor Volume III
THE WOLF OF THE NORTH UNLEASHED!From a time-lost age of arcane legendry, the barbaric warrior-king Caylen-Tor rises once more to hack and hew his way to blood-spattered glory! In this, the third pulse-pounding volume of sword & sorcery tales by renowned Bal-Sagoth vocalist/lyricist Byron A. Roberts, the iron-thewed Lord of Wolves voyages across pirate-thronged seas in search of an ancient treasure, leads a warband of ferocious clansmen into battle against malefic sorcery, and ultimately faces his vengeful nemesis in the blighted depths of the netherworld itself!All hail Caylen-Tor... the mightiest monarch of a savage, antediluvian epoch!
- GenresSword and SorceryFantasy
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First published February 4, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 6, 2024
Chronicles of Caylen-Tor Volume III by Byron A. Roberts review
DMR Books
2024
Cover art by Bebeto Daroz
Interior art by Andrej Bartulovic
DMR starts the year off right with a new installment to one of my favorite series! Volume three has three stories, Lords of the Ensanguined Sea, The Wolf and the Eldrich Moon, and Vengeance of the White Queen. All three stories take place in different times of Caylen-Tor's life. Thankfully Roberts includes a table listing the correct reading order of the stories in the front of this volume.
Lords of the Ensanguined Sea takes place early in Caylen-Tor's career. In this story he has fallen in with some pirates. The captain is searching for a fabled treasure. A temple full of peril stands in the way. Recovering the treasure is just the beginning, and may spell the doom of everyone involved.
The Wolf and the Eldrich Moon is a story of Caylen-Tor as the king of a unified north. A messenger has arrived with ill tidings. A new tribal leader has been chosen in the far north. A new menace has also arisen. Caylen-Tor musters a company and heads out. A monster from beyond is attempting to breach the veil between worlds and only Caylen-Tor can confront this thing.
There are numerous personages seen in the stone when Caylen-Tor has his vision. I was unsure if they were paying homage to other author's characters or characters within this world.
The Vengeance of the Witch Queen is probably the latest story chronologically in the saga of Caylen-Tor. The monarch finds himself in the clutches of the Witch Queen he previously vanquished. His only choice is to face the Witch Queen's offspring in a wargame to the death.
Roberts has penned another collection that scratches that S&S itch. Blood and thunder throughout. Like the two previous volumes, be sure to keep your dictionary handy. Roberts certainly has a significant vocabulary. This is the first release from DMR Books this year, and this year looks to be a good one for sure.
DMR Books
2024
Cover art by Bebeto Daroz
Interior art by Andrej Bartulovic
DMR starts the year off right with a new installment to one of my favorite series! Volume three has three stories, Lords of the Ensanguined Sea, The Wolf and the Eldrich Moon, and Vengeance of the White Queen. All three stories take place in different times of Caylen-Tor's life. Thankfully Roberts includes a table listing the correct reading order of the stories in the front of this volume.
Lords of the Ensanguined Sea takes place early in Caylen-Tor's career. In this story he has fallen in with some pirates. The captain is searching for a fabled treasure. A temple full of peril stands in the way. Recovering the treasure is just the beginning, and may spell the doom of everyone involved.
The Wolf and the Eldrich Moon is a story of Caylen-Tor as the king of a unified north. A messenger has arrived with ill tidings. A new tribal leader has been chosen in the far north. A new menace has also arisen. Caylen-Tor musters a company and heads out. A monster from beyond is attempting to breach the veil between worlds and only Caylen-Tor can confront this thing.
There are numerous personages seen in the stone when Caylen-Tor has his vision. I was unsure if they were paying homage to other author's characters or characters within this world.
The Vengeance of the Witch Queen is probably the latest story chronologically in the saga of Caylen-Tor. The monarch finds himself in the clutches of the Witch Queen he previously vanquished. His only choice is to face the Witch Queen's offspring in a wargame to the death.
Roberts has penned another collection that scratches that S&S itch. Blood and thunder throughout. Like the two previous volumes, be sure to keep your dictionary handy. Roberts certainly has a significant vocabulary. This is the first release from DMR Books this year, and this year looks to be a good one for sure.
February 10, 2024
You know you’re going to get great sword and sorcery from Roberts with Caylen-Tor. This is the third volume in the series and it has been a glorious experience. Three stories are presented here at different points of Caylen-Tor’s life. Roberts provides brief informative commentary at the beginning and end of each story to help with the timeline. I can’t wait for volume 4. Highly recommend!
February 26, 2024
Get out your thesaurus it’s time for the awesome return of Caylen-Tor. The series continues with its eloquent and poetic usage of language overlaying the Conan-archetype. The three stories contained within are good fun. The final story being quite excellent. It leaves you wanting more and I hope we get volume IV sooner rather than later.
This volume didn’t quite grab me the way the previous one did. The second story I found a bit underwhelming. All in all it’s still an awesome time. It’s “Clonan” with no apologies and done with everything turned up to 11 and a beautifully antiquarian use of the English language. If you like Sword and Sorcery you’ll like this.
Keep them coming!!!
This volume didn’t quite grab me the way the previous one did. The second story I found a bit underwhelming. All in all it’s still an awesome time. It’s “Clonan” with no apologies and done with everything turned up to 11 and a beautifully antiquarian use of the English language. If you like Sword and Sorcery you’ll like this.
Keep them coming!!!
March 2, 2025
After the supremely action-packed and violent first two volumes, this one was a major letdown. The first novella was satisfyingly Lovecraftian, but too wordy. Second one was all about sorcerous diplomacy. Third one also had a severely restricted working (warring?) area for Caylen to wield his axe, compelling him to keep uttering oaths.
These may still count as good sword & sorcery tales. But in comparison to the first two volumes, they felt drab and rather exsanguinated.
These may still count as good sword & sorcery tales. But in comparison to the first two volumes, they felt drab and rather exsanguinated.
May 4, 2024
This is the third anthology in Roberts Caylen-Tor collection; as with the others it is strong sword & sorcery writing with a bit of an old Norse undertone. While I do not know that non-sword and sorcery fans will like it as much, I am pretty sure that Howard’s spirit was smiling and cheering at this collection. The language is beautiful, the action intense and fun, and the stories are immersive.
I think out of the stories I probably liked the second and third one best, though the first one, a bit of a pirate adventure, was fine too. Analyzing the three stories, I wonder if it’s because there is potential romantic tension. True, neither Ylfa nor Lejla are true romantic interests for our prot (Ylfa is more of a mentee and though both Lejla and Caylen have some clear interest in one another nothing will come of it as Caylen is happily married anyways) but I think just the potential of the presence of romantic tension ups a story? Just a thought. I would love either of these characters, by the way, to return in future Caylen stories or even their own.
A lot of the tone and motif are tributary to Howard, but I for one say that is a fine thing. There are some beautiful passages in regards to that:
“‘I have peered beyond the veil of shadow,’ the youth whispered gravely. ‘I have witnessed the futility of life and beheld the dark and terrible forces which seethe deep within the black heart of eternal night. The true lords of the universe are ancient and terrible to behold, twisted by timeless hatred and sustained by undying malice.’”
…
Caylen shook his head. ‘I do not fear the denizens of the dark, boy.’
“‘We are but men of flesh and blood, clansmen. Everything for which we strive, whether we be beggar or king, is ultimately striven for in vain.’
‘Aye, we are but men. But we fight on despite the black terrors ranged against us. All we can do is die a good death, honour our ancestors and compel the gods to take heed of our valour. It’s a truth I’ve learned to accept over the years.’
Vexus drew in a great draught of noisome air. ‘The kingdoms of men are fleeting and ephemeral, destined to become dust dispersed by the winds of eternity, disappearing forever beyond the reach of myth and memory.’
‘All empires rise only to fall,’ snapped Caylen, his patience wearing thin.”
Echoes of Howard’s boom and bust theory of civilization, I’d wager.
In the end this is a hard one to rate…for intent of what the author was aiming for, a strong sword & sorcery piece with some lyrical merit, I think I’m going to give it a 4 with caviots that those who do not like sword & sorcery are probably going to be less inclined to feel synergy for this work; but it’s a fine work and it’s meant to be enjoyed.
The number of Caylen stories grows and I for one am hoping there will be some sort of grand anthology with all of them collected eventually. In any event, looking forward to the fourth volume.
I think out of the stories I probably liked the second and third one best, though the first one, a bit of a pirate adventure, was fine too. Analyzing the three stories, I wonder if it’s because there is potential romantic tension. True, neither Ylfa nor Lejla are true romantic interests for our prot (Ylfa is more of a mentee and though both Lejla and Caylen have some clear interest in one another nothing will come of it as Caylen is happily married anyways) but I think just the potential of the presence of romantic tension ups a story? Just a thought. I would love either of these characters, by the way, to return in future Caylen stories or even their own.
A lot of the tone and motif are tributary to Howard, but I for one say that is a fine thing. There are some beautiful passages in regards to that:
“‘I have peered beyond the veil of shadow,’ the youth whispered gravely. ‘I have witnessed the futility of life and beheld the dark and terrible forces which seethe deep within the black heart of eternal night. The true lords of the universe are ancient and terrible to behold, twisted by timeless hatred and sustained by undying malice.’”
…
Caylen shook his head. ‘I do not fear the denizens of the dark, boy.’
“‘We are but men of flesh and blood, clansmen. Everything for which we strive, whether we be beggar or king, is ultimately striven for in vain.’
‘Aye, we are but men. But we fight on despite the black terrors ranged against us. All we can do is die a good death, honour our ancestors and compel the gods to take heed of our valour. It’s a truth I’ve learned to accept over the years.’
Vexus drew in a great draught of noisome air. ‘The kingdoms of men are fleeting and ephemeral, destined to become dust dispersed by the winds of eternity, disappearing forever beyond the reach of myth and memory.’
‘All empires rise only to fall,’ snapped Caylen, his patience wearing thin.”
Echoes of Howard’s boom and bust theory of civilization, I’d wager.
In the end this is a hard one to rate…for intent of what the author was aiming for, a strong sword & sorcery piece with some lyrical merit, I think I’m going to give it a 4 with caviots that those who do not like sword & sorcery are probably going to be less inclined to feel synergy for this work; but it’s a fine work and it’s meant to be enjoyed.
The number of Caylen stories grows and I for one am hoping there will be some sort of grand anthology with all of them collected eventually. In any event, looking forward to the fourth volume.
September 20, 2025
This book, much like the others, is another very
good read from a lesser known author. I feel that many people are blinded one way or another by the fact that he is/was the frontman for a niche though very beloved and very, very good metal band. I am a Bal-Sagoth fan, but I feel it would be insulting to the author to let that colour my view of the book so I will be honest.
To begin with, Roberts has a lot of talent as an author. He always had a penchant for it dating back to the Multiverse he created for Bal-Sagoth and in the lyrics booklets that came with their albums. I had no doubt going into this series that it was going to be full of excitement and “epicness”. What is perhaps more surprising is that though he seems to do it little, I feel like he could, if he were so inclined, flesh out a character well. It isn’t really the point of these books, but even with the limited scope he gives them there have been a few characters that piqued my interest. He also keeps you interested in the story, keeps a good pace, and despite not really delving into Caylen Tor too much as a person, he does come alive in these stories.
I do need to have one main gripe though, and though it is in some ways the calling card of Byron Roberts as an author, it is becoming more of a hurdle than anything else. The purple prose, I generally have always been a fan of it, but in the middle story in this book in particular for some reason it became an obstacle to enjoyment of the book. There is a line to be towed surely where you can use unique words, but I found a few times that a word that did not really fit. It felt shoved in for the sake of it being more esoteric than a simpler word that had the full correct meaning of what he was saying. It took me out of the story because the word didn’t fit and it seemed like the whole story had been shoved into a digital thesaurus. I feel like toning it down while still using his trademark lush language would really help these books.
I doubt it is a spoiler to say that at the end of the book itself it is confirmed that a part four is on the way of the Chronicles of ol’ Caylesy, and I am very glad to see it. To be honest I would be more surprised to see an actual ending written, but that’s fine with me. Keep them coming! I am curious to see the next adventures, and perhaps if Roberts decides to really open up his writing a little more. I have seen others complaining that Caylen is one-dimensional, but I also understand that it is kind of the point of his style of writing in a way. Still, the thought of fleshing him out a little more and those around him is interesting. Byron Roberts clearly has the skill to do it. Honesty I feel like as an author he has his niche which he is exceptional at, but if he took a leap and opened his writing up the sky would be the limit.
I recommend this book heartily, this is as good as the others and absolutely worth your time and money. The stories are not in chronological order because… I don’t really know (I think so when an idea comes, Roberts can add more to Caylen’s life in-between events later). But, it’s easy enough to figure out where you are. Definite four star book.
good read from a lesser known author. I feel that many people are blinded one way or another by the fact that he is/was the frontman for a niche though very beloved and very, very good metal band. I am a Bal-Sagoth fan, but I feel it would be insulting to the author to let that colour my view of the book so I will be honest.
To begin with, Roberts has a lot of talent as an author. He always had a penchant for it dating back to the Multiverse he created for Bal-Sagoth and in the lyrics booklets that came with their albums. I had no doubt going into this series that it was going to be full of excitement and “epicness”. What is perhaps more surprising is that though he seems to do it little, I feel like he could, if he were so inclined, flesh out a character well. It isn’t really the point of these books, but even with the limited scope he gives them there have been a few characters that piqued my interest. He also keeps you interested in the story, keeps a good pace, and despite not really delving into Caylen Tor too much as a person, he does come alive in these stories.
I do need to have one main gripe though, and though it is in some ways the calling card of Byron Roberts as an author, it is becoming more of a hurdle than anything else. The purple prose, I generally have always been a fan of it, but in the middle story in this book in particular for some reason it became an obstacle to enjoyment of the book. There is a line to be towed surely where you can use unique words, but I found a few times that a word that did not really fit. It felt shoved in for the sake of it being more esoteric than a simpler word that had the full correct meaning of what he was saying. It took me out of the story because the word didn’t fit and it seemed like the whole story had been shoved into a digital thesaurus. I feel like toning it down while still using his trademark lush language would really help these books.
I doubt it is a spoiler to say that at the end of the book itself it is confirmed that a part four is on the way of the Chronicles of ol’ Caylesy, and I am very glad to see it. To be honest I would be more surprised to see an actual ending written, but that’s fine with me. Keep them coming! I am curious to see the next adventures, and perhaps if Roberts decides to really open up his writing a little more. I have seen others complaining that Caylen is one-dimensional, but I also understand that it is kind of the point of his style of writing in a way. Still, the thought of fleshing him out a little more and those around him is interesting. Byron Roberts clearly has the skill to do it. Honesty I feel like as an author he has his niche which he is exceptional at, but if he took a leap and opened his writing up the sky would be the limit.
I recommend this book heartily, this is as good as the others and absolutely worth your time and money. The stories are not in chronological order because… I don’t really know (I think so when an idea comes, Roberts can add more to Caylen’s life in-between events later). But, it’s easy enough to figure out where you are. Definite four star book.
February 22, 2024
If you have not read any of the The Chronicles of Caylen-Tor books this is as good a place to start as any. The amazing writing style of Byron A. Roberts features the writing skills and vocabular style of Clark A. Smith, The building of eldritch horror comparable to H.P. Lovecraft, and the power and depths of Robert E. Howard'
Yet Mr. Roberts has a voice all his own which brings me back to the first times reading Howard, Wagner, Smith, and other greats.
Yet Mr. Roberts has a voice all his own which brings me back to the first times reading Howard, Wagner, Smith, and other greats.
March 27, 2024
This third volume was a fun read in the vein of classic Conan. It's a collection of three short stories from different eras in the life of northern barbarian Caylen-Tor. They're stand-alone, so you don't have to worry about reading the short stories in the previous two volumes. If you like pirates, undersea eldritch deities, horrors from other planes of existence, undead armies, and tales of revenge, this is a good collection of sword and sorcery for you.
November 19, 2024
As usual, Byron A. Roberts delivers. The stories are great and captivating. They are not written in chronological order (like the other two books from the series), which gives you a clear picture of how Caylen-Tor (the main protagonist) develops as a character throughout the ages. The style remains punchy and reminiscent of old fiction and sword and sorcery writers. Very atmospheric and evocative.
If you are into sword and sorcery and fantasy, then this book is for you.
If you are into sword and sorcery and fantasy, then this book is for you.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews