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The Chronicles of Kylix #3
Kellory the Warlock
Kellory -- the last of the Black Wolves, sole descendant of the Lost Kings of Illyriod. His fighting arm maimed, his homeland stolen, his tribe slaughtered by the merciless Thungoda Horde, Kellory lives for one thing: revenge. Exciting sword & sorcery adventure!
- GenresFantasySword and Sorcery
196 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1984
4 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Lin Carter
495 books166 followersLinwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H.P. Lowcraft (for an H.P. Lovecraft parody) and Grail Undwin.
Carter had a marked tendency toward self-promotion in his work, frequently citing his own writings in his nonfiction to illustrate points and almost always including at least one of his own pieces in the anthologies he edited. The most extreme instance is his novel Lankar of Callisto, which features Carter himself as the protagonist.
As an author, he was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the Trap Door Spiders, which served as the basis of Isaac Asimov's fictional group of mystery solvers the Black Widowers. Carter himself was the model for the Mario Gonzalo character. He was also a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), a loose-knit group of Heroic fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose work he anthologized in the Flashing Swords! series. Carter is most closely associated with fellow author L. Sprague de Camp, who served as a mentor and collaborator and was a fellow member of both the Trap Door Spiders and SAGA.
Carter served in Korea, after which he attended Columbia University. He was a copywriter for some years before writing full-time. Carter resided in East Orange, New Jersey, in his later years, and drank and smoked heavily. It may have been his smoking that gave him oral cancer in 1985. Only his status as a Korean War veteran enabled him to receive extensive surgery. However, it failed to cure the cancer and left him disfigured.
In the last year before his death, he had begun to reappear in print with a new book in his Terra Magica series, a long-promised Prince Zarkon pulp hero pastiche, Horror Wears Blue, and a regular column for the magazine Crypt of Cthulhu. Despite these successes, Carter increased his alcohol intake, becoming a borderline alcoholic and further weakening his body. His cancer resurfaced, spreading to his throat and leading to his death in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1988.
Carter had a marked tendency toward self-promotion in his work, frequently citing his own writings in his nonfiction to illustrate points and almost always including at least one of his own pieces in the anthologies he edited. The most extreme instance is his novel Lankar of Callisto, which features Carter himself as the protagonist.
As an author, he was a member of the all-male literary banqueting club the Trap Door Spiders, which served as the basis of Isaac Asimov's fictional group of mystery solvers the Black Widowers. Carter himself was the model for the Mario Gonzalo character. He was also a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), a loose-knit group of Heroic fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose work he anthologized in the Flashing Swords! series. Carter is most closely associated with fellow author L. Sprague de Camp, who served as a mentor and collaborator and was a fellow member of both the Trap Door Spiders and SAGA.
Carter served in Korea, after which he attended Columbia University. He was a copywriter for some years before writing full-time. Carter resided in East Orange, New Jersey, in his later years, and drank and smoked heavily. It may have been his smoking that gave him oral cancer in 1985. Only his status as a Korean War veteran enabled him to receive extensive surgery. However, it failed to cure the cancer and left him disfigured.
In the last year before his death, he had begun to reappear in print with a new book in his Terra Magica series, a long-promised Prince Zarkon pulp hero pastiche, Horror Wears Blue, and a regular column for the magazine Crypt of Cthulhu. Despite these successes, Carter increased his alcohol intake, becoming a borderline alcoholic and further weakening his body. His cancer resurfaced, spreading to his throat and leading to his death in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1988.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 1, 2015
Kellory the Warlock himself is a driven, intense individual, seeking comprehensive vengeance against the Thungoda Horde that destroyed his tribe, brutally killed his family, and maimed his sword hand. He cannot do so by force of arms, so he pursues a path of wizardry, seeking a magical book reported to contain a certain incantation that was useful under similar circumstances. While there are similarly grim or dour characters to compare to--Elric of Melniboné, perhaps, or Solomon Kane--none of them recall Kellory's situation enough to classify him as a pastiche. This is, for Lin Carter, an interesting direction.
I'd like to say that this book is an upgrade in all directions, compared to the usual Lin Carter output. But, reluctantly, I can't. Carthalla is the usual damsel-in-distress / love-interest / eye-batting-"but I can't possibly love HIM" type that Carter expended not even a moment thinking about in depth. The early half of the book is fouled--befouled, to use Carter's term of choice--by the usual half-smarmy tone. The prose is overdecorated by about half. And Carter feels compelled to tack on a happy, or at least an optimistic, ending.
The problems of tone and affectations of style drop away in the later half, for some reason, greatly improving the reading.
I'd like to say that this book is an upgrade in all directions, compared to the usual Lin Carter output. But, reluctantly, I can't. Carthalla is the usual damsel-in-distress / love-interest / eye-batting-"but I can't possibly love HIM" type that Carter expended not even a moment thinking about in depth. The early half of the book is fouled--befouled, to use Carter's term of choice--by the usual half-smarmy tone. The prose is overdecorated by about half. And Carter feels compelled to tack on a happy, or at least an optimistic, ending.
The problems of tone and affectations of style drop away in the later half, for some reason, greatly improving the reading.
August 6, 2023
One of Carter’s best books. It reads as a sword and sorcery book, but in this case, the main character is a warlock, not a warrior. Kellory is seeking revenge against the hordes that killed his people and maimed his right hand. No longer able to fight with weapons, he turns to sorcery. This is one of Carter’s dark and brooding characters. I really like the many adventures throughout the book. TSR could have made a D & D module using this work. Excellent.
April 17, 2019
A sword and sorcery revenge tale in which our titular character seeks the means to magically destroy an entire murderous tribe. His reasons are, of course, revenge for slaughtering everyone he knew.
Kellory is cold and jaded in the extreme, which kept me from really liking him. His one note heart—revenge, revenge, REVENGE!—made him seem more of a force of nature than a hero. It's hard to relate to a thunderhead. He and his not-really love interest wander their world, encountering various evil spirits—mostly shadows that bestow madness. The prose was over-purpled, especially at the beginning, which was half-fun, half-tiresome.
But it's not all bad. There are several thrilling moments in which Kellory seems stumped and really has to figure out solutions for defeating elementals and insanity spells. Carter really lets his imagination go when describing the various castles and palaces of long-dead wizards, and I appreciated that he stays pretty consistent with what the rules for magic are in this world. I enjoyed it for what it was.
Kellory is cold and jaded in the extreme, which kept me from really liking him. His one note heart—revenge, revenge, REVENGE!—made him seem more of a force of nature than a hero. It's hard to relate to a thunderhead. He and his not-really love interest wander their world, encountering various evil spirits—mostly shadows that bestow madness. The prose was over-purpled, especially at the beginning, which was half-fun, half-tiresome.
But it's not all bad. There are several thrilling moments in which Kellory seems stumped and really has to figure out solutions for defeating elementals and insanity spells. Carter really lets his imagination go when describing the various castles and palaces of long-dead wizards, and I appreciated that he stays pretty consistent with what the rules for magic are in this world. I enjoyed it for what it was.
March 14, 2023
I really enjoyed this one. It’s one of Carter’s best novels and fell just short of being great. It excels in a lot of areas and were it not for a couple minor foibles I’d honestly have given it a 5. It may not quite be a lost classic but it’s a forgotten gem and a must read for genre fans.
The Good
First off, Kellory is a heck of a compelling character. His backstory is enthralling as is his moody and terse nature. He’s just an awesome creation and a great sense of atmosphere is created when his actions are observed through other characters’s POV. Especially when juxtaposed against Carthalla’s character.
The atmosphere in general in this book is fantastic. It’s shadowy and wildly imaginative. Again, some of Carter’s best writing when it comes to creating tone.
Each chapter is told as an episodic short story. They move with great tempo and make for solid reads. I imagine Kellory was intended for various anthologies though only one of these stories saw print before this collection.
Carter has a gift for making his chapters little action packed vignettes and he compounds that gift with making (mostly) great little episodes composing the broader whole.
The supporting characters are two-dimensional but in a fun way and grow on you. The world is wildly imaginative. Just everything about your time in this world leaves you wanting more.
However it’s not without its flaws.
The bad.
It’s Carter so the writing can be a bit flimsy and repetitive.
Kellory is a heck of a compelling character when observed through other’s eyes but I think it falls a bit short when we see things through his eyes. I think this novel should have only been told through people observing Kellory because this is when the atmosphere really shines. There shouldn’t have been any direct POV. I just found it lessened the mood and mystery he otherwise created.
The book consists of 7 episodes so to speak and honestly the opening and ending (though the do rhyme in a way) ultimately feel superfluous. The opening, while a very cool set piece, does not need to be there. Seeing Kellory become apprenticed to the wizard takes away some of his mysterious quality.
And the last chapter frankly was unnecessary and predictably corny. Honestly, it would have worked had she just come to be taken on as his apprentice not his lover. It would have rhymed better with opening and felt more fitting. Carthalla having grown bored of mundane life through their travels yearns to learn sorcery under him where he learned it from his master. If you’re going to do the rhyming opening and ending at the castle in the volcano this makes more sense. As is the romantic conclusion just feels corny and tacked on.
Excluding the opening and ending chapters of the the other 5 I thought 4 were just fantastic. The ending to chapter 6 should have been the ending of the book! If the reader was left on that somber ambiguous note it would have been damn near brilliant, maybe even literary. I finished and was just like “Why is there one more chapter? This was an amazing conclusion. We don’t need an epilogue.”
The 5th chapter I think was also a weak link. For all the brilliance of the other short stories this one just felt like a series of set pieces and the collection of the McMuffin felt hollow. All that build up for such a weak acquisition feels flat. Additionally, we see Carthalla really come into her own in chapter 4(saving the day) it feels a bit hallow to have her get randomly kidnapped in chapter 5 and it doesn’t even support or relate to the main plot point of getting the book of shadows.
Despite these complaints I loved this book and think it fell just short of being a brilliant. I think it’s a must for Sword and Sorcery fans and should not be forgotten. This one should be higher profile amongst genre enthusiasts! Hard recommend warts and all.
The Good
First off, Kellory is a heck of a compelling character. His backstory is enthralling as is his moody and terse nature. He’s just an awesome creation and a great sense of atmosphere is created when his actions are observed through other characters’s POV. Especially when juxtaposed against Carthalla’s character.
The atmosphere in general in this book is fantastic. It’s shadowy and wildly imaginative. Again, some of Carter’s best writing when it comes to creating tone.
Each chapter is told as an episodic short story. They move with great tempo and make for solid reads. I imagine Kellory was intended for various anthologies though only one of these stories saw print before this collection.
Carter has a gift for making his chapters little action packed vignettes and he compounds that gift with making (mostly) great little episodes composing the broader whole.
The supporting characters are two-dimensional but in a fun way and grow on you. The world is wildly imaginative. Just everything about your time in this world leaves you wanting more.
However it’s not without its flaws.
The bad.
It’s Carter so the writing can be a bit flimsy and repetitive.
Kellory is a heck of a compelling character when observed through other’s eyes but I think it falls a bit short when we see things through his eyes. I think this novel should have only been told through people observing Kellory because this is when the atmosphere really shines. There shouldn’t have been any direct POV. I just found it lessened the mood and mystery he otherwise created.
The book consists of 7 episodes so to speak and honestly the opening and ending (though the do rhyme in a way) ultimately feel superfluous. The opening, while a very cool set piece, does not need to be there. Seeing Kellory become apprenticed to the wizard takes away some of his mysterious quality.
And the last chapter frankly was unnecessary and predictably corny. Honestly, it would have worked had she just come to be taken on as his apprentice not his lover. It would have rhymed better with opening and felt more fitting. Carthalla having grown bored of mundane life through their travels yearns to learn sorcery under him where he learned it from his master. If you’re going to do the rhyming opening and ending at the castle in the volcano this makes more sense. As is the romantic conclusion just feels corny and tacked on.
Excluding the opening and ending chapters of the the other 5 I thought 4 were just fantastic. The ending to chapter 6 should have been the ending of the book! If the reader was left on that somber ambiguous note it would have been damn near brilliant, maybe even literary. I finished and was just like “Why is there one more chapter? This was an amazing conclusion. We don’t need an epilogue.”
The 5th chapter I think was also a weak link. For all the brilliance of the other short stories this one just felt like a series of set pieces and the collection of the McMuffin felt hollow. All that build up for such a weak acquisition feels flat. Additionally, we see Carthalla really come into her own in chapter 4(saving the day) it feels a bit hallow to have her get randomly kidnapped in chapter 5 and it doesn’t even support or relate to the main plot point of getting the book of shadows.
Despite these complaints I loved this book and think it fell just short of being a brilliant. I think it’s a must for Sword and Sorcery fans and should not be forgotten. This one should be higher profile amongst genre enthusiasts! Hard recommend warts and all.
February 3, 2025
Book nine of 2025. Kellory the Warlock. Lin Carter, 1984. 180 pages, cover art by Steve Marchesi. I love hard covers and I cannot lie. A bit of a fix up book. One section was published in 1970 in Analog magazine. Short and focused as the eponymous character himself. A tight cast, short chapters, lots of internal monologuing, and great descriptions. Some odd orthography that reminds us this isn't earth. The protagonist is no Gary Stu. He uses manna or self energy magic...not the DnD or Vancian type. It takes him weeks to fully recover magical energy. His main sidekick is no Mary Sue, either...she struggles and makes herself essential to Kellory despite being a normal woman in her late teens. Chronologically, Lin Carter is the Aristotle to Fletcher Pratt' s Socrates and L. Sprague deCamp's Plato. I see these three men as crucial to pulp American fantasy fiction. There is overlap. There are others, but for heroic humorous world building without slipping into esoterism or sloppy parody, these are yer men.
August 14, 2023
3.5 stars. Young, grim and impassive warlock does battle with many an evil spirit on his quest to vanquish his sworn enemy, an invading horde of barbarians threatening the civilized world. As others have noted, Carter's overly purple prose, especially in the first half, can detract from the storytelling. Also, the repetition of backstory between sections is evidence this was originally published, or intended to be published, as a number of separate serialized stories, though there's enough coherency between and among them that they come together as a novel fairly well. I enjoyed this, especially the non-stop action, but I won't exactly be rushing out to read more of Carter's novels. If it happens, it happens.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews