Kyrik: Warlock Warrior

Kyrik #1

by Gardner Francis Fox

Hardcover with unclipped dust jacket in good condition. Jacket is slightly scuffed and scored, and edges are creased. Inner front flap upper leading edge is dog-eared. Board corners and spine ends are bumped, and page block is tanned and marked. Page edges are also lightly tanned, but otherwise clear and unmarked throughout. LW

Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery

150 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he wrote more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC Comics.
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"

Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of four swords & sorcery books that Fox, who is of course best remembered for his prolific comics work at DC, had published in 1975 - '76 featuring the titular protagonist. They're unashamed, proud pastiches of Howard's Conan. They're quite similar to his earlier five book Kothar series from 1969-'70, too. This first book is an origin tale, and we learn Kyrik has spent a thousand years imprisoned in a small statue. Kyrik seemed more concerned with sorcery and history, though in many ways he lacked some of Kothar's subtlety. (Yes, !) The world isn't too different once he escapes, and he's ready to party. (As one can surmise by the vibrant Ken Barr cover, which shows him riding a pterodactyl with a naked green-haired sex goddess and mighty sword Bluefang (Blue Fang on the back cover) waving proudly overhead.) It's a silly yet fun and unpretentious story, certainly not great literature but better written than many similar titles of the time.

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fox tries so very hard here, and grapples with some interesting ideas, but I think it never quite lives up to the "warrior and naked green-haired lady riding a pterodactyl in defiance of load balance" cover. The pterodactyl doesn't even make an appearance. And who is the warrior (Kyrik) stabbing at, exactly? It doesn't seem like an effective way to attack.

I was excited for the intriguing start: a sorceress effectively resurrects a warrior-king left slumbering for a millennium, and entangles him in her problems. There are a lot of places that this could go, but Fox chooses to go nowhere in particular. His entire concept for Kyrik seems to be in evolution while writing, and he grafts whatever character features are necessary onto the bland "tough barbarian" model in order to keep the story moving, even if they weren't hinted earlier and only cause explanation problems later. On page 138 we learn that Kyrik is indeed a "Warlock" warrior with some magical abilities, which are never needed or mentioned again. His familiarity with his home city is very useful (he was once its king), and it's a good thing that nothing has changed there over the past thousand years.

None of this is particularly fatal or even criminal in a story so plot-driven and fast moving and loosely constructed, but it raises the question of why Fox bothered with such an elaborate set-up when simpler constructions would get the job done. I'm curious what he accomplishes with the character in later books.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to give this a five because it was the "first" heroic fantasy novel I ever read. I was caught by the cover, a heavily muscled swordsman riding a pterodactyl with a lovely green-haired goddess clinging to him. What can I say? I was all of fourteen.

I really do think this is a good story, though, and a very fun character. The character shows wonderful promise here that Fox didn't live up to in the sequels.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bad but short

[Dvdlynch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely derivative and sloppily written Sword and Sorcery. Like the Ator movies from the '80s but without the campy charm.

[Jeff O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing groundbreaking or innovative. Just an awesome Barbarian book done to near perfection.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Go in knowing 3 things: very dated, heavy genera and a hell of a lot of fun if you heed the first 2 warnings.

[Benjamin Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A king imprisoned within a statuette for a thousand years is released and slowly makes his way across the land to avenge himself and retake his kingdom. Joining him is a young sorceress, a band of gypsies, a sex goddess, and some backwoods bandits. A giant snake, a conjuror, countless soldiers, various demons, and a petty tyrant await his sword.

It's okay. Not anything to fire the imagination, but just enough to keep the reader turning the pages. I appreciated that Fox seems to have maintained a set of rules for this universe, how its magic works, what kinds of people live there, but the book on the whole lacked some of the thrills and gutsy prose that authors like Robert E. Howard could muster. In addition, I might add, Fox spends a lot of time discussing the breasts of the female characters. I'm not sure if that's because poor Kyrik has been cooped up in his prison for a millennia and misses the ladies, or if Fox was just that kind of guy.

[Jason Ray Carney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second Gardner F. Fox novel. It's a lot of fun, very conventional sword and sorcery. Kyrik is a big barbarian who wants to fight, eat, and have amorous encounters with beautiful women. There are tavern brawls, clandestine skullduggery in dungeons, sorcerers and demons, and ancient cities ruled by unscrupulous autocrats. Alas, it does not read as if it is "inspired." It doesn't sparkle with the vitality of a Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, or Michael Moorcock. If you like sword and sorcery, this will scratch that itch; but if you are looking for a committed work of fantasy literature, look elsewhere.

[James T · Rating 1 out of 5]

I knew going into this that GFF’s Sword and Sorcery was rough, but the Kothar series had some genuine moments of charm, creativity and adventure that redeemed it. This did not. The forward and opening chapter create a great setup. Everything after that is incoherent, disappointing and some of the most route and uninspired fantasy I have ever read. It wasn’t even fun. I hope some of the later entries in the series are more fun. The Kothar fiction was hit or miss…so I hope at least some the later Kyrik stories are more enjoyable, but honestly this might be the worst S&S book I’ve ever read. And I’ve read a lot.

[Jase · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the S&S genre with quite a few odd elements thrown in to create some very memorable moments. Highly recommended for fanatics of the genre.

[John Nellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Sword & Sorcery, and a quick read.

[Mike Nusbaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best sword and sorcery novel you'll ever read, but if you're like me and on a journey to read all of the Appendix N books listed in the original D&D as inspiration then it's a must read.

Gardner Fox does a better job with this book than his pretty terrible Conan rip off series involving Kothar the Barbarian.

Kyrik is said to be a warlock warrior but he does no magic and actually very little combat in this book. He's brought back to the living after having been the victim of an evil magic spell that turned him into a small statue for a thousand years. His rescuer is the female wizard Aryalla and he's aided by demonic but super sexy spirit Illis. His mission is to unseat the terrible usurper king Devandondies whos ancestor is responsible for the curse that turned Kyrik into a statue.

Mr. Fox is well known for writing a lot of adult erotica novels under various pseudonyms so unsurprisingly every female in this book is busty, beautiful and ready to have sex with Kyrik at some point.

There's quite a bit of cringe with the way his female characters are treated. As an author who was interested in copying Robert E. Howard he seems to have missed that there were strong female roles in the Conan stories and Fox leans heavily on his erotica background for female characters.

Gardner Fox is not a terrible author. He can be quite good at times it's just that his sword and sorcery novels were written in response to the Conan novels which were making their debut in paperback at the time. Other publishers rushed to cash in on the wave and bad books like this one flooded the market.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining story that is well worth a read. It's not the greatest sword and sorcery story that you will ever read. It's not original on any level. Unlikely circumstances and incredible coincidences abound. That being said, it is a fun story with some interesting plot twists, a couple of which you might not even see coming. The writing is very competent and easy to read. It's not overly descriptive or excessively verbose. The main characters are likeable and you do find yourself invested in their outcome. The pacing is good and the story flows well.

The one slight disappointment that I had with the story was regarding the title which labels Kyrik a 'Warlock Warrior'. I really enjoy magic in fantasy/adventure stories and I was hoping that Kyrik would prove to be something of a 'Warlock' hero that is actually pretty rare in sword and sorcery fiction. Unfortunately, while we are told that he posses knowledge and an aptitude for magic, we never really see it, even in situation where you would think it would be useful. This is just a small gripe though and perhaps in future books in this series we do get a better glimpse of his magical capabilities. Either way, there is plenty here to enjoy.

[Matthew J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is some silly but fun entertainment. Robert E. Howard it ain't. Gardner Fox was nothing if not prolific, and the guy knew how to write fast-paced, don't think to hard stuff. Kyrik fits right in that wheelhouse. Who is Kyrik? Well, if you mean personality, he doesn't have one. He's big. He likes to bone. Women want to bone him. He likes to fight and kill people. Some of the people he fights like that he fights so well and then they want to be his friend. The rest are dead.
Boobs. Swords. Boobs. Magic. Wine. Boobs. Something about history or the gods or whatever. Boobs.
That's about it.
The first time it's revealed that Kyrik is any kind of warlock is in the last like 10 or 12 pages, so I call BS on that. Though I'm sure it was setting up for the next book. And I guess Kyrik: Warrior didn't have the same ring.

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fox's second pulp hero after Kothar also has a fairly convoluted backstory that doesn't really come into the narrative all that much. Kyrik, a guy who's skilled at both physical fighting and summoning demons, ruled a kingdom 1000 years before the events of the story, and was turned into a statue by a usurper. A sorceress disenchants him to get revenge on her father's murderer, who's also the descendant of the king who overthrew Kyrik in the past. They also team up with some gypsies and a demon goddess who takes the form of a snake. Strangely, the world seems to have changed very little in a millennium, with many of the buildings from Kyrik's time still standing. Also, he has a magical item called a Lust-Stone. It's pretty derivative, but enjoyable enough.

[Éric Kasprak · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I will say that I did prefer the Kothar stories to this one Kyrik story. That being said, I like the Kyrik character and can easily foresee some fun Sword and Sorcery adventures in our future. Gardner F. Fox keeps everything simple with clean and simple prose, classic tropes and evil sorcery aplenty. I really like this kind of stuff, and Kyrik more than deliver them to me. As his previous Kothar works, M. Fox weaves his story with a strong focus on the Sorcery part with demons, sorcerers, pentagrams and magic haunted/enchanted sword. The action is fast, the women are scantily clad, and the story is fun and fast paced, so what's not to like?

[Heiki Eesmaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is as camp as you imagine Conan to be [the actual Conan is much more literary] with constant bare breasts, evil gods and swordfights. It is the book you are too smart to read [which the actual Conan might or might not be].

Here's the trick: you note it's an Appendix N book and that gives you justification to read this. And enjoy it, as the founder of D&D apparently did.

So its much weaker in many ways, compositionally and stylistically, as well as a whole new level of illogical, but I still got a good 2 hours of enjoyment out of it.

[Jamie Huston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, this one is the very definition of "mid." The hero is SO big and macho, the fighting SO quick and easy for him, and the women SO perfectly gorgeous and as easy as the fighting...it was almost like a parody of Conan, or something written by a 12 year old.

Fox's "Kothar" book was much better. Only Fox's skilled writing saves this from getting an even lower score.

Also, the title was misleading. Kyrik is all warrior, no warlock. A solid premise wasted.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good Sword and Sorcery novel by Gardner Fox. Kyrik is brought back to life from 1000 years imprisoned in a small statue. He fights, kills and regains his throne only to leave it for the vagaries of the road with the gypsies.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

What better way to spend a couple afternoons than with some sword and sorcery from during the heights of the genre. While Kyrik is no Conan, he’s still barbarian enough to be entertainment for those popcorn afternoons when you just want to read without engaging in deep thought.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warlock Warrior was fine, but definitely not as fun as Kothar. With Kothar, you got the feeling that maybe, just a little, Fox was poking a bit of fun at the Thud and Blunder Conan rip-offs, while still embracing those tropes. Kyrik feels more straightforward.

[Mike Snodgrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this for what it was - his version of a Robert Howard inspired Swords & Sorcery very male oriented fun fantasy romp!! The key is setting your expectations. Once you've done that, this was quite fun to read - I mean it!

[Ralph Nissley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brings back good memories from my misspent youth.

I always loved this series, and it still pleases me. Easy read. There is much of Robert E. Howard's, Conan, herein.

[B M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sword and Sorcery vecchio stampo. Si nota l’influenza del più famoso Conan; un romanzo breve e molto scorrevole. Lo consiglio vivamente agli amanti del genere.

[Jonny Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the ultimate in pulp fantasy. I found this quite by accident and have found few fantasy books in this vein that even compete

[Ben Arispe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know the author from his work at DC. I didn't rate it a 5 simply because it wasn't "amazing". Pretty close, but it wasn't Conan. It was a great short read, full of naked women and sword slinging adventure! I honestly expected it to read like a D&D module, with a quest, a party, a big giant enemy, and the heroes walk off into the sunset. That wasn't quite what if was. Kyrik was a great character, in the tradition of Conan, as the book's cover says. The magic isn't explained, you just have to go with it. Personally, I would have liked to see more detail in the swordfighting, but I get the way the author presented the author presented the story. We should be able to visualize it in the way Savage Sword was in black and white art. I've read enough of those that I was able to fill in the details the author didn't give us specifically. Overall, a great read and a series I'll definitely keep an eye out for in the future!

[Jeff Wyonch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in a series that's a pastiche of Conan. Kryik is not given to pensive self-reflection. The plot moves fast, as Kyrik laughs, lusts, and kills his way through whatever gets within range of his sword. Fox loves his character, and this is a great pulp homage. The only real criticism is that Fox writes the Kyrik tales in the 1970's, well after Howard's time, and his treatment of women could have reflected the times.

[Sam Goodings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of heroic fantasy and I picked this up in a charity shop thinking it would be a bit of a joke quite frankly - it even sports a full colour advert for cigarettes that takes pride of place in the centre of the book.

However, the story, which is well written, very short and told at break neck pace, was really fun and enjoyable with some highly memorable moments. I'd recommend to fans of heroic fantasy looking for a quick fix.

[Larry Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gardner Fox is a legend in the comics fieled.This man is responsible for " Everything cool " in the early years of DC comics.
Check out his fantasy novels for more of what makes him a top notch writer.