The Heroic Legends Series - Solomon Kane: The Lair of the Mari Lwyd

The Heroic Legends Series

by Shaun Hamill

It's Christmas eve, but there's no cheer in Tywyllwch, Wales. Four children have disappeared. The mysterious stranger in black garb might be the culprit. What does he know? Did he really see the Mari Lywd?

Always ready to stop the unbelievable and profane, Solomon Kane has a problem to solve. How do you fight a folk tale?

Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Historical Fantasy

53 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2025

Reviews

[Jim Kuenzli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short chilling Kane Christmas tale! Children are turning up missing on a small Welsh village. Could it be the Mari Lwyd , out of their own yule time tradition? Then a wounded, unconscious Kane is found in the woods. What will happen on this Christmas Eve?

[Jim Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Solomon Kane story set during Christmas gives background on the character's Puritan beliefs and mixes sword & sorcery with Welsh folklore really well. What a fun read.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

patting myself on the back

I wrote this story and I’m really proud of it. I mean, c’mon, am I gonna not give myself a good grade?

[Henry Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Solid Solomon Kane story.

This very short story was very well-told and had all the elements of a Solomon Kane story. To his credit, Shaun Hamill doesn't try to emulate Robert E. Howard's style. Instead, he displays his own ability to write bursts of action with a tight plot.

While this was a very short story, Hamill still manages to portray Kane and his Puritan upbringing with a few short sentences, enough to convey his beliefs without slowing the pace of the story.

The only negative of the story is due to its brevity. The tale ends with unanswered questions, though it didn't detract much from my enjoyment, as it does end conclusively.

If this short story is any indication, we're in for a treat next month when Hamill's Solomon Kane novel is released.

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't good. The words were okay. The characters had no time to breathe and become characters. Kane is religiously intolerant, which is historically accurate, but has not other real character. The setting/time period is shortchanged. Kane is shortchanged. The monster gets no explanation or reason. It's just 'guy kills monster'.

I thought it was a good idea to do these shorter pastiches, but either I was wrong or authors aren't comfortable at the shorter lengths or the editorial hand is too heavy. Not sure.

[Eduardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another short Solomon Kane novella-type-thing–in this one, Kane encounters what appears to be Mari Lwyd, the Welsh horse-faced Christmas ghost… thing, and it’s kidnapping children. Spoiler alert–it’s not Mari Lwyd, but another creature impersonating it to get close to kids.

This one emphasizes something that we don’t see come up in pop culture a lot: Puritans don’t celebrate Christmas. So Kane is not only unfamiliar with Mari Lwyd because he’s not Welsh (and has to have it explained to him), but also because Christmas just isn’t his thing, and the story doesn’t really judge him for that.

And obviously, being an Englishman, showing up in a Welsh town when kids are disappearing, and Kane is the first suspect by the townspeople, because, well, let’s face it: the English do not have great history with the Welsh.

It’s not deep, but it is a nice little Solomon Kane story. It treats the Mari Lwyd a lot more authentically than “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla”, that’s for sure.

[Rubin Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tale

Solomon Kane is my favorite of Robert E Howard's characters
This exceptionally well done short story is so well told it feels longer than it is
It's one that makes you want to continue reading about Solomon Kane
taking place at Christmas time makes this a something of darker Christmas story but with Holiday cheer,hopes, and wishes mixed in
to make it a very enjoyable read
Bravo Mr Hamil Bravo you've captured this character perfectly

[Bob Finegold · Rating 3 out of 5]

An additional tale of the epic life of Solomon Kane is always welcome. "The Lair of the Mari Lwd" is a staid example, enjoyable, especially in the addition of its Welsh Folkloric and language elements. The tale does not rise to the emotional resonance and engagement of an REH tale, which, admittedly, is a challenge for any author, or provide new insights to the character.

[Brontesrule · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short (and atmospheric) monster story set in Wales during Christmas.