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The Maxus Cycle #2
Within the Weeping Eye
From the Burning Isle to the hellish depths of Zanzara, beyond the demon-haunted planets circling the Black Rim, only Maxus the Meddler may walk on worlds…and woe to any other who tries.
But now that Vashka, Scourge of Spatha, has risen and crushed the kingdoms of the east, it is only a matter of time until her forces arrive on the shores of Pathra. Maxus must turn away from the stars, back to a world he has commanded for centuries, and set his gaze on the only frontier to ever elude The Weeping Eye.
Lachmannon the Kael, Maxus’ sword arm and sole ally, has forsaken him. Now, to prevent the death of the world, the meddler must find new pawns to do his bidding, but good fools are hard to find.
John’s tales of swords, sorcery, and subversion have previously appeared in the pages of Weirdbook, Old Moon Quarterly, and New Edge Sword and Sorcery Magazine. Within the Weeping Eye picks up after the events of To Walk on Worlds, continuing the time-spanning Maxus Cycle.
But now that Vashka, Scourge of Spatha, has risen and crushed the kingdoms of the east, it is only a matter of time until her forces arrive on the shores of Pathra. Maxus must turn away from the stars, back to a world he has commanded for centuries, and set his gaze on the only frontier to ever elude The Weeping Eye.
Lachmannon the Kael, Maxus’ sword arm and sole ally, has forsaken him. Now, to prevent the death of the world, the meddler must find new pawns to do his bidding, but good fools are hard to find.
John’s tales of swords, sorcery, and subversion have previously appeared in the pages of Weirdbook, Old Moon Quarterly, and New Edge Sword and Sorcery Magazine. Within the Weeping Eye picks up after the events of To Walk on Worlds, continuing the time-spanning Maxus Cycle.
- GenresFantasySword and Sorcery
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 24, 2025
6 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Matthew John
24 books14 followersMatthew John is an English language arts teacher and employee of Monolith Games (Conan, Batman: Gotham City Chronicles). When time allows, he likes to write short fiction, waste time at the gaming table, and chat sword and sorcery on the Rogues in the House Podcast. His work has been published in Grimdark Magazine, Skelos (SkelosPress), Weirdbook (Wildside Press), and Robert E. Howard’s Conan the roleplaying game (Modiphius Games).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 26, 2025
The Maxus cycle is turning into a shambling beast of a series, but that is the design. There's a looseness to the setting that reflects both the world's tipping-point of decay and apocalypse and the fact that the axis character Maxus may in each story be an impostor or a clone or some other reflection of unreliability. Everything seems to be just barely in control or half-seen and there is a story arc at play as the world lurches towards one of several possible catastrophes. Lachmannon the Kael, Maxus's very reluctant ally, is at the center of this maelstrom and has a few opinions on the subject.
Things are almost certainly going to turn out well in the end.
Things are almost certainly going to turn out well in the end.
August 8, 2025
John delivers again. This collection of tales takes us through a plethora of different paths. Maxus the Meddler and the swordsman Lachmannon are back in action. The world is changing— a great threat is coming and these stories center loosely around that theme. Every story here was excellent in my opinion. And what an ending! The great warrior pulls a “shining star” from an ancient dead city in the clouds. Risking life and limb, losing an eye- for the love of his adopted daughter so she may have at least a little joy in the chaos.
John writes some seriously imaginative sword and sorcery type stories. His excellent use of language and subtle touches of goodness in a bleak setting really shine through in this one. One again, the excellent throwback cover art is an added bonus. I highly recommend this read!
John writes some seriously imaginative sword and sorcery type stories. His excellent use of language and subtle touches of goodness in a bleak setting really shine through in this one. One again, the excellent throwback cover art is an added bonus. I highly recommend this read!
August 7, 2025
Matthew John expands the cast of Maxus survivors in this new collection that is, I'm glad to report, all bangers. Aficionados of the indie sword & sorcery scene might be familiar with some of the material here (I'd already read "Beating Stars, Dying Hearts" and "Last Day on the Farm" in New Edge Sword & Sorcery and Old Moon Quarterly, respectively), but the new material is of no less quality.
Chief among these is "Bad Wings, Black Wine" - John's first novella-length tale bringing together Maxus, Lachmannon and Shel in an assault upon the keep of a rival meddler (John's term for dimension-and-body-hopping sorcerers). High-octane and fast paced, "Bad Wings" delivers the pulse pounding action typifying the best examples genre.
Perhaps this is simply my penchant for serving girls, but "We Who Walk on Worlds" was another stand-out, with Maxus making a somewhat less-than-powerful enemy in Maeve, a maid besotted with a prince who's currently in thrall to an otherworldly entity.
Action-horror right in my wheelhouse, with a couple of unexpected laughs along the way ("Get my pie, Lachmannon!"). Ayy, what more's a gal need?
Chief among these is "Bad Wings, Black Wine" - John's first novella-length tale bringing together Maxus, Lachmannon and Shel in an assault upon the keep of a rival meddler (John's term for dimension-and-body-hopping sorcerers). High-octane and fast paced, "Bad Wings" delivers the pulse pounding action typifying the best examples genre.
Perhaps this is simply my penchant for serving girls, but "We Who Walk on Worlds" was another stand-out, with Maxus making a somewhat less-than-powerful enemy in Maeve, a maid besotted with a prince who's currently in thrall to an otherworldly entity.
Action-horror right in my wheelhouse, with a couple of unexpected laughs along the way ("Get my pie, Lachmannon!"). Ayy, what more's a gal need?
October 16, 2025
Matt John has delivered again. A collection of tales that together build a world with one of S&S best villains (or is it anti hero), let’s say the lesser of two evils. Maxus is a brilliant creation and dominates this work more than the Conan figure I think Initially meant to be written. Lachmannon is a great character sure but he’s but a cog in the Maxus cycle - Swords - check, Sorcery - check, weird - check, other worlds - check. It has everything - more Elric than Conan
August 9, 2025
I liked the book, overall. I like the paperback format. It feels like the old sword & sorcery books by Ace, Lancer, Zebra, and the like. The cover artist does a great job of evoking that old-style Jeff Jones, David Blossom, or Frank Frazetta-style paperback cover art. The book feels right when reading it. It’s the perfect size.
“Black Wings, Bad Wine” is a great modern Sword & Sorcery story, well worth the price of the book, and it’s clear enough that you don’t have to have read the stories that preceded it.
There is a mild story arc connecting these stories together, as well as with the first book. In “Cries From a Sleeping City” in To Walk on Worlds, a demon or sorceress (I forget which) named Vashka has risen and is destroying the world, and there are comments throughout this novel that Maxus is trying to stop her but fails. It’s a vague arc, but it’s there. Vashka does not appear in this book, though. Maybe Maxus will face her in the next one.
I think any fan of Sword & Sorcery will like this book. You’ll find a gem in it. It may not be the same gem I found, but I am pretty sure you’ll find something wonderful here.
Here are some thoughts on the individual stories:
“Last Day on the Farm” is good and entertaining. Lachmannon is as acrimonious as normal. He does not like being spoken to, and assumes almost everyone is going to kill him, so he just kills them first. The bigger man was an interesting fight, the monsters were creepy, and the meddler (Matthew John’s word for “sorcerer”) smiles before letting himself be killed in typical Matt John manner. It was a good read, and I liked the characters. Lachmannon is a return character from Matthew John’s first book, so I like him even if he does kill people who aren’t really a threat and have a legitimate reason for approaching a crime scene.
“The God of Blueberries” begins with two adventurers traveling to a volcano to find the gift of Gallah. They run into some blue-painted cultists dragging a cross with a woman on it. The story was pretty good with a cool demon-creature at the end and a pair of enjoyable adventurers. It was a fun story. I hope to read more of the two main characters, set either before or after this adventure. They had a great dynamic, and showcased Matt John's ability to write convincing dialogue.
“Black Wings, Bad Wine” was one of the most perfect modern Sword & Sorcery stories I’ve read in a long while. One of the things I loved is how Matt John reminded me of the past stories without resorting to lengthy recaps or anything. I like the characters. I understand everyone’s motivations. Lachmannon is there, as acrimonious as always. Maxus is there too, and I know what he wants and he is all about getting what he wants. Great character. Shel is a wonderful character too, despite being an addict. Every one of Matt John’s characters in this story is flawed and wonderful at the same time. This story alone was worth the purchase price.
“Within the Weeping Eye” starts with a group of soldiers at a portal to Hell. It seems Maxus has hired them to accompany him into hell. Unfortunately, only one survives long enough to go in, one named Griss. Griss is given magic armor and weapons, then Maxus sends him out of Hell, telling him to never take the armor off. He meets the titan and the story just ends right when it got interesting and seemed to be going somewhere. Despite being the title story, I felt this one was a little weak. I simply don’t enjoy stories where I don’t know the plot or where the story is headed.
Not knowing character motivations can really ruin a story for me. It was a bunch of stuff happening until the writer decided he was done writing about the stuff happening. No satisfying conclusion to the story, just an abrupt termination of the story.
“We Who Walk on Worlds” was a much better story than the previous one. A maid has come to Maxus to ask for help for someone she loves who is possessed by a demon. Maxus sends her on a quest, and when she gets what he needs, he sends her to the demon’s planet or plane of existence so she can kill him. She does, and her loved one is saved. There’s a nifty twist of fate at the end for the maid, though. I liked this story a lot. This was the second-best story in this volume.
“Beating Stars, Dying Hearts” was the final story in the book, and it featured Lachmannon much in the future. One problem I have with this story is similar to my problem with a few others – I just don’t know the motivation of the character. Lachmannon is asked why he is going, but he refuses to say. It’s hard for me to root for him if I have no idea what he is doing. It ends up just being Lachmannon doing random things for an unknown purpose. At the end of the novel, when the "why" of it all was revealed, it felt underwhelming and underdeveloped. I didn't feel it because it lacked any kind of build-up. This was my least favorite story in the book. I loved the setting and the adventure itself, but I HATE wondering why characters are doing the things they are doing.
“Black Wings, Bad Wine” is a great modern Sword & Sorcery story, well worth the price of the book, and it’s clear enough that you don’t have to have read the stories that preceded it.
There is a mild story arc connecting these stories together, as well as with the first book. In “Cries From a Sleeping City” in To Walk on Worlds, a demon or sorceress (I forget which) named Vashka has risen and is destroying the world, and there are comments throughout this novel that Maxus is trying to stop her but fails. It’s a vague arc, but it’s there. Vashka does not appear in this book, though. Maybe Maxus will face her in the next one.
I think any fan of Sword & Sorcery will like this book. You’ll find a gem in it. It may not be the same gem I found, but I am pretty sure you’ll find something wonderful here.
Here are some thoughts on the individual stories:
“Last Day on the Farm” is good and entertaining. Lachmannon is as acrimonious as normal. He does not like being spoken to, and assumes almost everyone is going to kill him, so he just kills them first. The bigger man was an interesting fight, the monsters were creepy, and the meddler (Matthew John’s word for “sorcerer”) smiles before letting himself be killed in typical Matt John manner. It was a good read, and I liked the characters. Lachmannon is a return character from Matthew John’s first book, so I like him even if he does kill people who aren’t really a threat and have a legitimate reason for approaching a crime scene.
“The God of Blueberries” begins with two adventurers traveling to a volcano to find the gift of Gallah. They run into some blue-painted cultists dragging a cross with a woman on it. The story was pretty good with a cool demon-creature at the end and a pair of enjoyable adventurers. It was a fun story. I hope to read more of the two main characters, set either before or after this adventure. They had a great dynamic, and showcased Matt John's ability to write convincing dialogue.
“Black Wings, Bad Wine” was one of the most perfect modern Sword & Sorcery stories I’ve read in a long while. One of the things I loved is how Matt John reminded me of the past stories without resorting to lengthy recaps or anything. I like the characters. I understand everyone’s motivations. Lachmannon is there, as acrimonious as always. Maxus is there too, and I know what he wants and he is all about getting what he wants. Great character. Shel is a wonderful character too, despite being an addict. Every one of Matt John’s characters in this story is flawed and wonderful at the same time. This story alone was worth the purchase price.
“Within the Weeping Eye” starts with a group of soldiers at a portal to Hell. It seems Maxus has hired them to accompany him into hell. Unfortunately, only one survives long enough to go in, one named Griss. Griss is given magic armor and weapons, then Maxus sends him out of Hell, telling him to never take the armor off. He meets the titan and the story just ends right when it got interesting and seemed to be going somewhere. Despite being the title story, I felt this one was a little weak. I simply don’t enjoy stories where I don’t know the plot or where the story is headed.
Not knowing character motivations can really ruin a story for me. It was a bunch of stuff happening until the writer decided he was done writing about the stuff happening. No satisfying conclusion to the story, just an abrupt termination of the story.
“We Who Walk on Worlds” was a much better story than the previous one. A maid has come to Maxus to ask for help for someone she loves who is possessed by a demon. Maxus sends her on a quest, and when she gets what he needs, he sends her to the demon’s planet or plane of existence so she can kill him. She does, and her loved one is saved. There’s a nifty twist of fate at the end for the maid, though. I liked this story a lot. This was the second-best story in this volume.
“Beating Stars, Dying Hearts” was the final story in the book, and it featured Lachmannon much in the future. One problem I have with this story is similar to my problem with a few others – I just don’t know the motivation of the character. Lachmannon is asked why he is going, but he refuses to say. It’s hard for me to root for him if I have no idea what he is doing. It ends up just being Lachmannon doing random things for an unknown purpose. At the end of the novel, when the "why" of it all was revealed, it felt underwhelming and underdeveloped. I didn't feel it because it lacked any kind of build-up. This was my least favorite story in the book. I loved the setting and the adventure itself, but I HATE wondering why characters are doing the things they are doing.
August 16, 2025
WITHIN THE WEEPING EYE is an excellent sequel to the phenomenal "sword & sorcery" book TO WALK ON WORLDS. Much like the first book, this is a collection of short stories and a novella that weave together to tell the story of Maxus—a sorcerer otherwise known as a "meddler"—with a familiar cast of returning characters. And much like the first book, this one is a fun adventure that ranks among my favorite S&S books of all time. The prose is easy and enjoyable to read, the stories move along at a quick pace, and I was left wanting more stories from this universe. Highly recommended.
October 5, 2025
The short stories )especially the first two were well written. The long story in the middle was bit draggy.
September 17, 2025
I loved this second collection of stories about Maxus the Meddler and Lachmannon the Kael (and a growing stable of just as compelling secondary characters). It becomes clear that author Matt Johns has an overarching story for these characters. My only complaint is that we don't yet have a third volume.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews