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Zarkon - Lord of the Unknown #1
Zarkon, Lord of the Unknown in The nemesis of evil: A case from the files of Omega
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172 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
9 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Lin Carter
416 books171 followersLin Carter was an American author, editor, and critic best known for his influential role in fantasy literature during the mid-20th century. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, he developed an early passion for myth, adventure stories, and imaginative fiction, drawing inspiration from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and J. R. R. Tolkien. After serving in the U.S. Army, Carter attended Columbia University, where he honed his literary skills and deepened his knowledge of classical and medieval literature, myth, and folklore — elements that would become central to his work.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 28, 2009
Imagine that someone spent way too much time thinking about magic-and-mysticism elements and decided to form a secret cabal based on those ideas. And then decided to pay Lin Carter to write about their adventures. That would be funny, right? Only kind of tiresome because Carter's prose is so heavy-handed, and at this time his emulation of Robert E. Howard was entrenched. When you're reading something and thinking that Howard wrote so much better that's probably not a good sign.
February 1, 2018
Fun, empty-headed pulpy goodness. Zarkon and his pals are a blatant rip-off/homage to Doc Savage and his gang right to down to Monk/Ham style bickering best friends. If you've already read all 100+ Doc Savage novels and are still hungry for more this will do the trick.
May 7, 2020
This is the first tale of Zarkon, and as such comprises a bit more of the origin of the hero and his band of adventurers. This story set Zarkon against a villain who he apparently had faced before at some point in the past prior to the telling of this story. Having now read two of Carter's Zarkon tales, they comprise an homage to Doc Savage due to their similarity in composition of the group, etc. The story was entertaining and would make a great cartoon series , like Jonny Quest, basically resolving itself within a half hour or maybe an hour of TV time. Just like Doc Savage there are cool scientific gadgets, and ridiculous supporting cast characters and thrills and chills, just like the pulps of the old days. I did like that the traps put together by the villain did not seem too easy to get out of, and Carter spends a bit more time explaining escapes from traps than maybe he had to, but it was nice to see it explained a bit more fully, as opposed to "presto - he escaped!" Oh well, not bad, but then again, maybe not as fun as the original, Doc Savage, either.
June 1, 2019
Someone once described Lin Carter as specfic methadone — his knockoffs of Burroughs and Howard don't have the same kick, but they'll save you going cold turkey. So it is with his Doc Savage pastiche, Zarkon.
It's fun enough if you want a Doc Savage pastiche, it's just not a very good pulp adventure. After the initial murder (an informant inside a sinister cult) we go five chapters before we see more action (lots of exposition, investigations and phone calls instead). And Carter's style makes Lester Dent look like Raymond Chandler; an Irish supporting character seems to have learned dialogue from 1940s B-movies. Time is also out of joint; it appears to be contemporary adventure (i.e., 1970s) but one character mentions performing with Houdini, which would make him extremely old (other books fudge the timeline similarly).
Carter drops a couple of Easter Egg references herein (most notably to the radio/TV series Big Town) but they got much more prominent in later books.
It's fun enough if you want a Doc Savage pastiche, it's just not a very good pulp adventure. After the initial murder (an informant inside a sinister cult) we go five chapters before we see more action (lots of exposition, investigations and phone calls instead). And Carter's style makes Lester Dent look like Raymond Chandler; an Irish supporting character seems to have learned dialogue from 1940s B-movies. Time is also out of joint; it appears to be contemporary adventure (i.e., 1970s) but one character mentions performing with Houdini, which would make him extremely old (other books fudge the timeline similarly).
Carter drops a couple of Easter Egg references herein (most notably to the radio/TV series Big Town) but they got much more prominent in later books.
June 13, 2019
It's an okay book, i would recommend if you like stories of good against evil where both try to outsmart each other but is like ''oh i already knew about your trap'', 'Ah, but already knew and prepared another trap'', stuff like this got kinda boring halfway through the book.
May 10, 2017
Another early Sci-Fi beginner read, A Doc Savage emulation
July 1, 2018
So goofy and fun. Perfect hammock reading!
May 8, 2024
An obvious homage to Doc Savage, this is an enjoyable tale of mystery. Looking forward to reading more.
December 8, 2024
It's definitely a pulp novel. The absence of thought is rewarded with action scenes after action scenes and nary a character development to bother with.
August 24, 2012
The first in Carter's Doc Savage take-off series. I was a big Lin Cater fan in the 70s, buying everything he wrote and scouring the used book stores for his out of print work. I was also a Doc Savage fan, having read the Bantam reprints in the 60s and early 70s.
From that perspective Zarkon was a real treat. I can’t say I remember much about the book, except that I enjoyed it, a lot. Three Zarkon books were published in 1975 and 1976 and I always wanted more. A fourth finally came out in 1982. And I’ve read that a fifth exists, published in 1987, but I've never seen a copy.
I enjoyed this series (one of my favorites of Lin Carter’s); but I’m not sure how much appeal it would have to readers not familiar with Doc Savage.
From that perspective Zarkon was a real treat. I can’t say I remember much about the book, except that I enjoyed it, a lot. Three Zarkon books were published in 1975 and 1976 and I always wanted more. A fourth finally came out in 1982. And I’ve read that a fifth exists, published in 1987, but I've never seen a copy.
I enjoyed this series (one of my favorites of Lin Carter’s); but I’m not sure how much appeal it would have to readers not familiar with Doc Savage.
April 13, 2010
Nice little book with an obvious Doc Savage clone for a hero and a decent pulp vibe. Carter tries to create an interesting band of helpers for the Prince, then ignores all but two of them.
Think this is the strongest of the three Zarkon books, but even then, they are nothing more than a light weight read.
Think this is the strongest of the three Zarkon books, but even then, they are nothing more than a light weight read.
June 8, 2016
Lin Carter writes a very good modern version of a pulp style character and story. If you like the pulps, this series will interest you. These stories are similar to the Doc Savage and The Avenger pulps. If you enjoy the pulps you will love the tons of pulp references in this volume. Nice quick enjoyable read. Recommended
January 8, 2015
First book in the Prince Zarkon series.
There's a cult operating out of Mount Shasta, with a leader that can kill offenders at will. After a reporter who infiltrated the cult is murdered, Prince Zarkon is called in to smash the racket.
A fun book, with a real pulp vibe.
There's a cult operating out of Mount Shasta, with a leader that can kill offenders at will. After a reporter who infiltrated the cult is murdered, Prince Zarkon is called in to smash the racket.
A fun book, with a real pulp vibe.
November 20, 2007
An homage to the Doc Savage novels, but without all their mind numbing complexities. :-) In other words, fun but extremely light weight.
June 16, 2011
Grade C-. Book A1.
July 13, 2016
If you know what you're getting into with this book and that is something you actually want, then this is a great little book.
September 6, 2016
Nice homage to Doc Savage and pulps in general.
February 12, 2024
Lin Carter can write decent fantasy novels .... this isn't one of them.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews