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The Serpent Knight Saga #2
The Last Benediction in Steel
Sir Luther Slythe Krait has a problem. He and his friends are dying.
Starving, on the run, and driven before a gale of ruin and slaughter, they seek a safe haven to hunker down in, to rest, recoup, regather.
The backwater port of Haeskenburg seems to answer all their prayers.
But Sir Luther knows Haeskenburg. He wishes he didn’t.
Haeskenburg has a secret, you see? Dark and ancient and stifled away from the light of day, but poised once more to rear its ugly head.
Caught between the hammer and the anvil, Sir Luther walks a razor’s edge. Balance or fall, there lies but one certainty: He will bleed.
Experience the sublime catharsis of total annihilation.
Read the epic grimdark fantasy today.
Starving, on the run, and driven before a gale of ruin and slaughter, they seek a safe haven to hunker down in, to rest, recoup, regather.
The backwater port of Haeskenburg seems to answer all their prayers.
But Sir Luther knows Haeskenburg. He wishes he didn’t.
Haeskenburg has a secret, you see? Dark and ancient and stifled away from the light of day, but poised once more to rear its ugly head.
Caught between the hammer and the anvil, Sir Luther walks a razor’s edge. Balance or fall, there lies but one certainty: He will bleed.
Experience the sublime catharsis of total annihilation.
Read the epic grimdark fantasy today.
- GenresFantasy
450 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 18, 2020
23 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Wright
27 books66 followersKevin Wright studied writing at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell and fully utilized his bachelor’s degree by seeking and attaining employment first as a produce clerk and later as an emergency medical technician and firefighter. His parents are thrilled.
For decades now he has studied a variety of martial arts but steadfastly remains not-tough in any way shape or form. He just likes to pay money to get beat up, apparently.
Kevin Wright peaked intellectually in the seventh grade.
Kevin Wright wrote this bio, and this is how he actually refers to himself while speaking to people, in the third person like some steroid-addled NFL wide receiver.
He enjoys reading a little bit of everything and writing sci fi, fantasy, and horror. He does none of it well. Revelations, his debut novel, is his second venture into the realm of novel writing. His first was nigh-unreadable. Kevin continues to write in his spare time and is currently working on another full length novel.
For decades now he has studied a variety of martial arts but steadfastly remains not-tough in any way shape or form. He just likes to pay money to get beat up, apparently.
Kevin Wright peaked intellectually in the seventh grade.
Kevin Wright wrote this bio, and this is how he actually refers to himself while speaking to people, in the third person like some steroid-addled NFL wide receiver.
He enjoys reading a little bit of everything and writing sci fi, fantasy, and horror. He does none of it well. Revelations, his debut novel, is his second venture into the realm of novel writing. His first was nigh-unreadable. Kevin continues to write in his spare time and is currently working on another full length novel.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 14, 2020
4.5/5
THE LAST BENEDICTION IN STEEL by Kevin Wright is the sequel to LORDS OF THE ASYLUM, which was a stand out read for me this last year. I've been reading a lot of dark fantasy over the past five years but while a lot of it is awesome, very little of it is grimdark. That special blend of nihilism, antiheroes, cynicism, and charm that manages to make the nastiest fantasy worlds someplace you want to visit (but never stay).
For those unfamiliar with what I mean about grimdark, it's dark and edgy storytelling where the protagonists are not exactly good people themselves but faced with even worse ones in a setting where there's no guarantee of a happy (or even bittersweet ending). Things like the works of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, Rob J. Hayes, or Andrjez Sapkowksi.
This book picks up after the ragged band of survivors of the previous one have fled Asylum for greener pastures. Unfortunately, greener pastures are something of an illusion during the Black Death. Worse, they are led by Sir Luther Slythe Krait and he is a unique protagonist in grimdark. He is one of the most certainly awful peiple you will ever meet in your life, the corruption and brutality of the Dark Ages having destroyed almost everything good in him, but he still has a lingering affection for his small band of found family. It's just that Sir Luther has a unique talent of making things worse by always assuming everyone is as corrupt and cynical as himself.
The world is a terrible place but Luther is as wrong as he is right about people's motivations, which routinely gets his group into worse trouble. One of my favorite bits of the book is where he witnesses a young boy getting flogged to death, an event which incites a riot. He is brought before the local monarch to give advice and assumes that the potentate just wants to violently quel the disturbance. He's genuinely flummoxed and confused when the monarch makes it clear he feels terrible about the boy's death. Sir Luther flat out has no idea how to react at the idea that they should deal fairly and justly with the mob.
The backwater port of Haeskenburg is a horrible place that is, like Haven, as much a danger to our heroes as the people inside it. While it doesn't suffer the plague, it is a place that is in the middle of a violent populist uprising led by a group of religious fanatics. Given Sir Luthor's group contains Jews, a religious heretic, a pagan, and other undesirables--it's not the best place they could have landed. Unfortunately, in proper realistic fashion, they don't have the money to move on and their ship is badly damaged.
Much of the book's entertainment value comes from the black humor that offers (brief) relief from how terrible the situation is. Sir Luther is such a terrible person that there's no situation he can't offer his unwanted opinion on. However, he really has no idea how to deal with the larger systemic issues surrounding him as the idea of trying to make things "better" is as foreign to him as flying pigs. Given he has a few genuinely good people, despite their flaws, in his group he always manages to offend yet frequently in an entertaining way.
I strongly recommend this book and think people who enjoy really dark fantasy will get a huge kick out of it. It might not be for the faint of heart, though, because horrible and tragic things happen throughout the book. Which is part of their central theme: life sucks, so you might as well enjoy yourself while you can.
THE LAST BENEDICTION IN STEEL by Kevin Wright is the sequel to LORDS OF THE ASYLUM, which was a stand out read for me this last year. I've been reading a lot of dark fantasy over the past five years but while a lot of it is awesome, very little of it is grimdark. That special blend of nihilism, antiheroes, cynicism, and charm that manages to make the nastiest fantasy worlds someplace you want to visit (but never stay).
For those unfamiliar with what I mean about grimdark, it's dark and edgy storytelling where the protagonists are not exactly good people themselves but faced with even worse ones in a setting where there's no guarantee of a happy (or even bittersweet ending). Things like the works of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, Rob J. Hayes, or Andrjez Sapkowksi.
This book picks up after the ragged band of survivors of the previous one have fled Asylum for greener pastures. Unfortunately, greener pastures are something of an illusion during the Black Death. Worse, they are led by Sir Luther Slythe Krait and he is a unique protagonist in grimdark. He is one of the most certainly awful peiple you will ever meet in your life, the corruption and brutality of the Dark Ages having destroyed almost everything good in him, but he still has a lingering affection for his small band of found family. It's just that Sir Luther has a unique talent of making things worse by always assuming everyone is as corrupt and cynical as himself.
The world is a terrible place but Luther is as wrong as he is right about people's motivations, which routinely gets his group into worse trouble. One of my favorite bits of the book is where he witnesses a young boy getting flogged to death, an event which incites a riot. He is brought before the local monarch to give advice and assumes that the potentate just wants to violently quel the disturbance. He's genuinely flummoxed and confused when the monarch makes it clear he feels terrible about the boy's death. Sir Luther flat out has no idea how to react at the idea that they should deal fairly and justly with the mob.
The backwater port of Haeskenburg is a horrible place that is, like Haven, as much a danger to our heroes as the people inside it. While it doesn't suffer the plague, it is a place that is in the middle of a violent populist uprising led by a group of religious fanatics. Given Sir Luthor's group contains Jews, a religious heretic, a pagan, and other undesirables--it's not the best place they could have landed. Unfortunately, in proper realistic fashion, they don't have the money to move on and their ship is badly damaged.
Much of the book's entertainment value comes from the black humor that offers (brief) relief from how terrible the situation is. Sir Luther is such a terrible person that there's no situation he can't offer his unwanted opinion on. However, he really has no idea how to deal with the larger systemic issues surrounding him as the idea of trying to make things "better" is as foreign to him as flying pigs. Given he has a few genuinely good people, despite their flaws, in his group he always manages to offend yet frequently in an entertaining way.
I strongly recommend this book and think people who enjoy really dark fantasy will get a huge kick out of it. It might not be for the faint of heart, though, because horrible and tragic things happen throughout the book. Which is part of their central theme: life sucks, so you might as well enjoy yourself while you can.
February 28, 2022
Not bad but the first was better. To me anyway. Sometimes I feel the characters are too cold hearted in ways. The one that gripped me the most here was Prince Palatine, the crippled Prince with a sweet personality, smart, inquisitive and caring. Gory, heart wrenching at times and hard to put down.
May 22, 2020
I wrote it and think it's very good. But I am biased. Good day to you, sir or madam.
July 8, 2022
Holy moly that was Grimmer, Darker and more gruesome than the first book Lord of Asylum. A fantastically told story that is enthralling from the very first page to the last. What I love about this series is the dark setting and detail the author Kevin Wright describes in some of the scenes would give you absolute nightmares. His worldbuilding and storytelling is excellent and if you love your fantasy to be Grimdark then look no further. In The Last Benediction In Steel Sir Luther Slythe Krait, his brother Stephan, Viking Karl and Lady Mary are on the run from Asylum. Their ship is slowy sinking and they are in dire need of repairs. They land themselves in an absolute shithole backwater port of Haeskenburg full of vile religious nuts and destitute nobles. Citizens have been going missing for the last few months, Sir Luther being the detective that he is, is giving the task of undertaking to find the murderers and the missing. Things are never straightforward for our Knight and what he uncovers are only unimaginable horrors that would only make a sane person run for the hills. Just bloody fantastic, literally, very highly recommended..😁🖤🔥
April 29, 2022
This book is better than the first, and I gave the first 5 stars.
It starts not long after the first book ends and we immediately get back into the minds of familiar characters, so the book is engaging from page 1. And never, not even for one chapter, stops being engaging. It is the pacing that I think makes this book better than the first. The first had the occasional section that felt ponderous. In this one, it’s hard to find a spot to stop reading.
Fortunately, character depth is not sacrificed. We get to know Krait and Co. a little more, and in this book they went from characters I mildly hoped would survive to some of my favorites.
Part of what helps this is that there is slightly more good in this world (I do mean slightly) and Krait reveals slightly more of his good side (I do mean slightly). Don’t worry, it’s still very dark, Krait is still a (hilarious) asshole, but there’s a little more to like about the characters this time around and I think it’s beneficial to the book.
Overall, the plot is great, action is great, world is creepy and violent, and the characters are interesting.
If you liked the first book, you’ll like this one. If you liked the first one but thought it was a little bleak, you’ll like this one better.
Can’t wait to read the next one.
It starts not long after the first book ends and we immediately get back into the minds of familiar characters, so the book is engaging from page 1. And never, not even for one chapter, stops being engaging. It is the pacing that I think makes this book better than the first. The first had the occasional section that felt ponderous. In this one, it’s hard to find a spot to stop reading.
Fortunately, character depth is not sacrificed. We get to know Krait and Co. a little more, and in this book they went from characters I mildly hoped would survive to some of my favorites.
Part of what helps this is that there is slightly more good in this world (I do mean slightly) and Krait reveals slightly more of his good side (I do mean slightly). Don’t worry, it’s still very dark, Krait is still a (hilarious) asshole, but there’s a little more to like about the characters this time around and I think it’s beneficial to the book.
Overall, the plot is great, action is great, world is creepy and violent, and the characters are interesting.
If you liked the first book, you’ll like this one. If you liked the first one but thought it was a little bleak, you’ll like this one better.
Can’t wait to read the next one.
June 13, 2020
Sir Luther Krait and his companions arrive at another troubled kingdom, not out of choice so much as necessity, and sure enough, his presence lights a match to a powder keg. What follows is a grimdark supernatural whodunnit with an explosive cinematic resolution. This has a bigger main cast than the first novel, Lords of Asylum, and one of the strengths for me was some of the interactions this created, not only between Krait and his dour Odinist companion Karl, but also the local knight, Sir Alaric, who was an amusing, elderly mirror to the lead. Stephan, Krait's brother, serves as a moral foil to Luther's brutal, pessimistic wit, which is in no short supply here, for a refreshing new dimension. Add to this a cult led by a fascinating penitent, who shines whenever he appears, and a host of other scruffy antagonists well suited to the setting. As with Lords of Asylum, which is helpful to have read before this one, but not at all necessary, the world Krait inhabits does possess some frightening, fantastical elements, set against the turmoil of a plagued, restless alternate history Europe. Easy to recommend for anyone who fancies Dark Age fiction, Gothic horror, or visceral historical mysteries, in addition to fans of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, and Brian McLellan.
May 22, 2020
I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of this book, and it will leave you breathless. Wright combines noir detective prose with grim fantasy and supernatural horror, and blends them into a seamless tapestry of riveting entertainment as only he can.
In an effort to secure some small comfort for an ailing business partner and the man's family, our hero has sold his sword to the King of Haeskenberg. Once again Luther Slythe Krait, knight in tarnished armor, his axe wielding pagan sidekick Karl and his pious brother Stephan must navigate a labyrinth of intrigue and betrayal to unmask an eldritch horror which stalks the land, preying upon it's subjects.
Can he unearth the answer he seeks? And can he distinguish friend from foe among a rogue's gallery of unlikely allies and deadly enemies, each with their own hidden agendas and dark motives?
The jury is still out on that, but he can certainly take the reader on a hell of ride trying.
Fans of dark fantasy, detective fiction or horror shouldn't let this one slip through their fingers.
In an effort to secure some small comfort for an ailing business partner and the man's family, our hero has sold his sword to the King of Haeskenberg. Once again Luther Slythe Krait, knight in tarnished armor, his axe wielding pagan sidekick Karl and his pious brother Stephan must navigate a labyrinth of intrigue and betrayal to unmask an eldritch horror which stalks the land, preying upon it's subjects.
Can he unearth the answer he seeks? And can he distinguish friend from foe among a rogue's gallery of unlikely allies and deadly enemies, each with their own hidden agendas and dark motives?
The jury is still out on that, but he can certainly take the reader on a hell of ride trying.
Fans of dark fantasy, detective fiction or horror shouldn't let this one slip through their fingers.
April 11, 2021
Entertaining, a word that comes to mind.
I loved this read. A lot to my gripes that I had with the first book were fixed or greatly reduced here and the climax was much improved (I can imagine Luther laughing at that statement but hey, it’s true). I still think the women were some of the weaker characters in terms of role and personality but I enjoyed the boys’ excursions immensely. There were moments that were genuinely laugh out loud here, in between the gore and the horror. Can’t wait to get to book 3 whenever it’s out!
I loved this read. A lot to my gripes that I had with the first book were fixed or greatly reduced here and the climax was much improved (I can imagine Luther laughing at that statement but hey, it’s true). I still think the women were some of the weaker characters in terms of role and personality but I enjoyed the boys’ excursions immensely. There were moments that were genuinely laugh out loud here, in between the gore and the horror. Can’t wait to get to book 3 whenever it’s out!
March 30, 2021
A grim, brutal, dark and bloody combo of murder, mystery and detective work. Krait is an excellent mix of protagonist and antagonist who basically doesn't give a flying pigs arse what anyone thinks of him. My type of (anti)hero. A fine sequel to Lords of the Asylum.
January 5, 2021
The serpent knight just gets better and better.
June 22, 2024
4.5 stelle
Un Low fantasy semi storico con forti sfumature horror e gore..
Ambientato in una città fittizia in Europa tardo medievale, tra peste nera e pogrom antiebrei, ritroviamo Luther Krait, mercenario e giustiziere, in fuga dalla città di Asylum, che cerca rifugio in una piccola città marcescente.. tra combattimenti poco etici, indagini di omicidi, strani misteri, e puro orrore, il libro ha uno stile unico e un passo svelto, che diverte, cattura e accelera dall inizio fino all'ultima pagina.. libri a se stante, facente parte di una saga, ma leggibile anche così, aggiunge nuove sfumature a un personaggio unico.. attorniato da comprimari divertenti, tra orrori folkloristici dei Carpazi, tra sarcasmo e pezzi di interiora, questo nuovo capitolo è davvero oscuro, con un bel po' di rosso sangue, un po' di giallo dei roghi, tanta grigia, grigissima, moralità, e il nero degli abissi umani, dipinge un medioevo di bassezze e atrocità, e quando entra in scena il lato fantasy diventa davvero micidiale!! Originale senza strafare, non vedo l'ora di leggere una nuova avventura..
Un Low fantasy semi storico con forti sfumature horror e gore..
Ambientato in una città fittizia in Europa tardo medievale, tra peste nera e pogrom antiebrei, ritroviamo Luther Krait, mercenario e giustiziere, in fuga dalla città di Asylum, che cerca rifugio in una piccola città marcescente.. tra combattimenti poco etici, indagini di omicidi, strani misteri, e puro orrore, il libro ha uno stile unico e un passo svelto, che diverte, cattura e accelera dall inizio fino all'ultima pagina.. libri a se stante, facente parte di una saga, ma leggibile anche così, aggiunge nuove sfumature a un personaggio unico.. attorniato da comprimari divertenti, tra orrori folkloristici dei Carpazi, tra sarcasmo e pezzi di interiora, questo nuovo capitolo è davvero oscuro, con un bel po' di rosso sangue, un po' di giallo dei roghi, tanta grigia, grigissima, moralità, e il nero degli abissi umani, dipinge un medioevo di bassezze e atrocità, e quando entra in scena il lato fantasy diventa davvero micidiale!! Originale senza strafare, non vedo l'ora di leggere una nuova avventura..
April 16, 2023
Luther's troubles continue. And it's a fascinating story, to be sure. Again, Kevin Wright doesn't disappoint with his world building in this historical fiction. It's so well done with his knowledge aiding. Very authentic. Impressive. The scenes are wonderful visuals... well some aren't so wonderful to visualize, but you know what I mean. He's that darn good with his writing. I love that it's not full of a bunch of flower prose and a ton of metaphors weighing it down.
The supporting characters continue to help drive this storyline forward. And no matter the number that've been introduced, I'm not getting lost on names nor whom they are.
Like the first book, there was an issue of getting pulled from the story by words/sayings that felt out of place for the time setting.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the story.
The supporting characters continue to help drive this storyline forward. And no matter the number that've been introduced, I'm not getting lost on names nor whom they are.
Like the first book, there was an issue of getting pulled from the story by words/sayings that felt out of place for the time setting.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the story.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews