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Khlit the Cossack #5
The Mighty Manslayer
Stated First Edition. A near fine copy in a VG+ dust jacket. The dust jacket has rubs to the folds and corners. Dust spotting to the rear panel.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
230 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 1918
1 person is currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Harold Lamb
129 books161 followersHarold Albert Lamb was an American historian, screenwriter, short story writer, and novelist.
Born in Alpine, New Jersey, he attended Columbia University, where his interest in the peoples and history of Asia began. Lamb built a career with his writing from an early age. He got his start in the pulp magazines, quickly moving to the prestigious Adventure magazine, his primary fiction outlet for nineteen years. In 1927 he wrote a biography of Genghis Khan, and following on its success turned more and more to the writing of non-fiction, penning numerous biographies and popular history books until his death in 1962. The success of Lamb's two volume history of the Crusades led to his discovery by Cecil B. DeMille, who employed Lamb as a technical advisor on a related movie, The Crusades, and used him as a screenwriter on many other DeMille movies thereafter. Lamb spoke French, Latin, Persian, and Arabic, and, by his own account, a smattering of Manchu-Tartar.
From Wikipedia
Born in Alpine, New Jersey, he attended Columbia University, where his interest in the peoples and history of Asia began. Lamb built a career with his writing from an early age. He got his start in the pulp magazines, quickly moving to the prestigious Adventure magazine, his primary fiction outlet for nineteen years. In 1927 he wrote a biography of Genghis Khan, and following on its success turned more and more to the writing of non-fiction, penning numerous biographies and popular history books until his death in 1962. The success of Lamb's two volume history of the Crusades led to his discovery by Cecil B. DeMille, who employed Lamb as a technical advisor on a related movie, The Crusades, and used him as a screenwriter on many other DeMille movies thereafter. Lamb spoke French, Latin, Persian, and Arabic, and, by his own account, a smattering of Manchu-Tartar.
From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 13, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It contains 5 stories originally published in the pulps in circa 1916 or so. Harold Lamb got his start as a historical fiction writer with these stories of Khlit the aged Cossack warrior. All of the stories were enjoyable. The plotting at times more complex that expected from pulp fiction. Lamb liked his characters to use their wits to get out of trouble as well as their swords.
The final story in this collection, "White Falcon" actually features Khlit's grandson and Khlit is a supporting character. For Robert E Howard fans you might find it interesting that the antagonist in the story goes by the name Erlik Khan, Lord of the Dead!
Howard was greatly inspired by Harold Lamb who went on to write historical biographies and non-fiction books. He also wrote screenplays for movies like "Te Crusades (1935)" and "Samson and Delilah" featuring Hedy Lamar and Victor Mature.
All of these stories have been reprinted in the Bison Publishing books by Harold Lamb.
The final story in this collection, "White Falcon" actually features Khlit's grandson and Khlit is a supporting character. For Robert E Howard fans you might find it interesting that the antagonist in the story goes by the name Erlik Khan, Lord of the Dead!
Howard was greatly inspired by Harold Lamb who went on to write historical biographies and non-fiction books. He also wrote screenplays for movies like "Te Crusades (1935)" and "Samson and Delilah" featuring Hedy Lamar and Victor Mature.
All of these stories have been reprinted in the Bison Publishing books by Harold Lamb.
January 24, 2025
As Khlit enters the city of Samarkand. A pair of elephant statuettes catch his eye in the stall of the merchant Mir Turek, who is not interested in selling them - though he is very interested in Khlit's saber (unraveling the mystery of the saber is a subplot that is resolved over the course of Lamb's saga of Khlit) and offers Khlit a deal: Khlit can have the two elephants as a gesture of good faith if he will agree to escort Mir Turek and his entourage through the mountains of Central Asia and the Gobi Desert to the city of Karakorum.
Khlit is suspicious but agrees, in the process buying and freeing a young slave girl named Kerula whom Mir Turek has been abusing. Along the way, Khlit's suspicions regarding Mir Turek and his primary henchman, Fogan Ultai, grow, especially once they welcome a gylong into the party and have him start menacing Kerula (who has tagged along, having nowhere else to go).
Ultimately, Khlit discovers that the true purpose of Mir Turek's expedition is to find the lost tomb of Ghengis Khan and loot it of the gold and jewels contained therein. Upon discovering the tomb, however, Khlit and Mir Turek are set upon by the Onon Muren — the ghosts of the Great Khan's followers, sacrificed to ensure the secrecy of his burial's location — and driven away. Lamb makes it pretty clear here that toxic, possibly volcanic, vapors are leaching up through the ground here, and the characters are interpreting the beginnings of suffocation they're experiencing as being strangled by ghosts.
The expedition largely a bust, food supplies low and Kerula running a fever, it's suggested that the group make contact with the Tatar city of Altur Haiten to replenish their supplies and buy medicine for Kerula. The city is currently in the midst of a siege by Chinese forces, but Fogan Ultai is adamant he can lead them through and into the city. Khlit, worried for Kerula's safety, has no choice but to agree. He has no idea he's being led into a trap until he's clubbed across the back of his neck, born down to the ground and a sack thrown over his head.
Khlit the Cossack, Mir Turek the duplicitous merchant and the young girl Kerula have been taken captive by the Chinese army besieging the Tatar city of Altur Haiten, under the command of General Hang-Hi.
Brought before Hang-Hi and his advisers, Mir Turek falls to his knees, babbling about recognizing the significance of Khlit's sword and the esteem he could curry by bringing Khlit to Hang-Hi and the Mandarins of China. What Mir Turek doesn't mention is the discovery of Ghengis Khan's tomb, though Fogan Ultai, not a captive but an honored guest of the general's, is more than happy to tell that story to Hang-Hi and his assembled staff. Mir Turek is crippled, Khlit is made a slave building earthworks for the Chinese assault on Altur Haiten, and Kerula is made part of Hang-Hi's household staff.
Secretly reclaiming his sword, Khlit is press-ganged into service leading Fogan Ultai and several of Hang-Hi's most trusted advisers to the tomb of Ghengis Khan. Managing to avoid the wafting poisonous fumes himself, Khlit quickly regains his freedom and opts to use it in support of his Tatar brethren. Sneaking back through Chinese lines, he infiltrates the city and lays out a plan to the khans of the Tatars.
Fighters who were allowed to leave the fortress in the hopes of weakening the defenders are contacted, and preying on the fears of the Chinese, they return to bearing the yaks tail banners of Ghengis Khan. Collapsing a weakened wall on the attackers while the superior calvalrymen returned is enough to panic the attackers and turn the tide of battle. Hang-Hi commits suicide out to shame, and Khlit tells Kerula it was all a dream.
The stories about Khlit the Cossack keep getting better. One reviewer called the stories "Tarzan on horseback" but quite frankly, it must be better, because I've never been moved to read any of Edgar Rice Burroughs works. This is my 19th story by Harold Lamb and I have many more waiting in the wings. There are another fourteen Khlit stories alone!
His prose is engrossing, his characters rich and believable, and the overall atmosphere is evocative of life in 16th Century Central Asia. you shouldn't expect character development, as such. Khlit is fully-formed and an older man to boot, so his character isn't likely to grow much from story to story. In this case, the entire tale is from his perspective except for the penultimate chapter where we see what happens to Kerula during the battle.
Khlit is suspicious but agrees, in the process buying and freeing a young slave girl named Kerula whom Mir Turek has been abusing. Along the way, Khlit's suspicions regarding Mir Turek and his primary henchman, Fogan Ultai, grow, especially once they welcome a gylong into the party and have him start menacing Kerula (who has tagged along, having nowhere else to go).
Ultimately, Khlit discovers that the true purpose of Mir Turek's expedition is to find the lost tomb of Ghengis Khan and loot it of the gold and jewels contained therein. Upon discovering the tomb, however, Khlit and Mir Turek are set upon by the Onon Muren — the ghosts of the Great Khan's followers, sacrificed to ensure the secrecy of his burial's location — and driven away. Lamb makes it pretty clear here that toxic, possibly volcanic, vapors are leaching up through the ground here, and the characters are interpreting the beginnings of suffocation they're experiencing as being strangled by ghosts.
The expedition largely a bust, food supplies low and Kerula running a fever, it's suggested that the group make contact with the Tatar city of Altur Haiten to replenish their supplies and buy medicine for Kerula. The city is currently in the midst of a siege by Chinese forces, but Fogan Ultai is adamant he can lead them through and into the city. Khlit, worried for Kerula's safety, has no choice but to agree. He has no idea he's being led into a trap until he's clubbed across the back of his neck, born down to the ground and a sack thrown over his head.
Khlit the Cossack, Mir Turek the duplicitous merchant and the young girl Kerula have been taken captive by the Chinese army besieging the Tatar city of Altur Haiten, under the command of General Hang-Hi.
Brought before Hang-Hi and his advisers, Mir Turek falls to his knees, babbling about recognizing the significance of Khlit's sword and the esteem he could curry by bringing Khlit to Hang-Hi and the Mandarins of China. What Mir Turek doesn't mention is the discovery of Ghengis Khan's tomb, though Fogan Ultai, not a captive but an honored guest of the general's, is more than happy to tell that story to Hang-Hi and his assembled staff. Mir Turek is crippled, Khlit is made a slave building earthworks for the Chinese assault on Altur Haiten, and Kerula is made part of Hang-Hi's household staff.
Secretly reclaiming his sword, Khlit is press-ganged into service leading Fogan Ultai and several of Hang-Hi's most trusted advisers to the tomb of Ghengis Khan. Managing to avoid the wafting poisonous fumes himself, Khlit quickly regains his freedom and opts to use it in support of his Tatar brethren. Sneaking back through Chinese lines, he infiltrates the city and lays out a plan to the khans of the Tatars.
Fighters who were allowed to leave the fortress in the hopes of weakening the defenders are contacted, and preying on the fears of the Chinese, they return to bearing the yaks tail banners of Ghengis Khan. Collapsing a weakened wall on the attackers while the superior calvalrymen returned is enough to panic the attackers and turn the tide of battle. Hang-Hi commits suicide out to shame, and Khlit tells Kerula it was all a dream.
The stories about Khlit the Cossack keep getting better. One reviewer called the stories "Tarzan on horseback" but quite frankly, it must be better, because I've never been moved to read any of Edgar Rice Burroughs works. This is my 19th story by Harold Lamb and I have many more waiting in the wings. There are another fourteen Khlit stories alone!
His prose is engrossing, his characters rich and believable, and the overall atmosphere is evocative of life in 16th Century Central Asia. you shouldn't expect character development, as such. Khlit is fully-formed and an older man to boot, so his character isn't likely to grow much from story to story. In this case, the entire tale is from his perspective except for the penultimate chapter where we see what happens to Kerula during the battle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2025
The strong and aging Cossack warrior Khlit eyes two jeweled trinkets shaped like elephants in an Arab market, but their owner declines to sell them, instead enlisting Khlit to journey with him across the steppe for which he'll be paid handsomely. Khlit's virtuous nature has him save a young slave girl from abuse and the two have a buddy adventure as they join this caravan with shady characters and hidden agendas.
Khlit has his own ancient purpose and we find ourselves in China while a huge army is laying siege to a withering Mongol stronghold.
"The Mighty Manslayer" (1918) is my first attempt at a Khlit short story and is included in the Otto Penzler-edited "the Big Book of Adventure Stories" that I am working my way through.
Verdict: An immersive old world adventure with a great character and interesting climax.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
Khlit has his own ancient purpose and we find ourselves in China while a huge army is laying siege to a withering Mongol stronghold.
"The Mighty Manslayer" (1918) is my first attempt at a Khlit short story and is included in the Otto Penzler-edited "the Big Book of Adventure Stories" that I am working my way through.
Verdict: An immersive old world adventure with a great character and interesting climax.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13
October 7, 2024
I can certainly see the influence this man had on later writers like Robert E Howard. The pure pulpy adventure is equally measured out with actual places and people, but Lamb doesn't seem penned in by historical accuracy. This is adventure writing done right. The archetype for so many historical and fantasy writers over the next century. Well worth a read if you can find any of his works.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews