Vengeance and Madness
Hiding from the many enemies out for his head, Kane is contacted by emissaries of the supposedly deceased sorceress Efrel. It turns out that she survived a brutal execution attempt by the Emperor Maril and, swearing revenge, has been secretly gathering renegade forces on her forlorn island home, Pellin. What she needs is a ruthless and motivated commander to lead her troops to overthrow Maril and help her take her revenge. Nursing his own grudges, Kane joins her cause, and even though he trains her warriors and haphazard navy, he doubts it will be enough to challenge the imperial might. Efrel proves that she has other, inhuman allies willing to provide their beasts and black science to aid her. Kane, however, is wary of this support, wondering what price must be paid for this assistance and if Efrel’s maniacal lust for revenge will destroy her followers along with her enemies.
The Mystic Swordsman
The bones of the story are solid, giving readers an interesting, dark fantasy story that contains an effective hook, strong action sequences, and a few horror elements. It calls to mind Robert E. Howard’s Conan tales, especially the sea-going short stories, and some of H.P. Lovecraft’s works, like “Shadow over Innsmouth.” At a sentence-by-sentence level, too, the writing is clear and strong, especially in the action. When there is open conflict and the stakes are known, Darkness Weaves and its events are at their most engrossing. The narrative is also focused, so unlike many contemporary fantasy novels, it does not sprawl to a massive, needless page count.
Missing Rashomon Effect
Darkness Weaves is not without its pitfalls. Even with its clear plot, once Kane gets to the Island of Pellin there is a lack of urgency. Efrel is fixated on her vengeance, but getting to the point where their preparations can bear fruit takes a bit of time. Going through this groundwork, however, does not carry much tension. When the pacing feels like it is off, the problem lies less with the plot than with how the story is being told. The numerous monologues can be a bit much, coming across as exposition dumps that contribute some relevant information in the clunkiest way possible. It might have worked better if there were competing versions of events like Rashomon, so readers might not know whose perspective of events to trust. Such an attempt would have produced another kind of tension in the story as readers would wonder if Efrel’s thirst for revenge is warranted, if Kane is the piratical scourge from hundreds of years ago that some people suspect he is, or if Emperor Maril is a heavy-handed autocrat. The novel would also have worked just as well cutting back a lot of these monologues that are there to explain past events.
Another missed opportunity comes from the intentional character comparisons. There are a few parallel scenes of Lages and M’Cori set against Kane and Efrel, so the audience is meant to make the comparison of these characters as foils, but there is not enough built onto the framework of this contrast. Lages is barely a character to begin with, never mind a developed foil for Kane. The same is true for M’Cori, who is more of a plot device than a character, and she lacks all of the development and energy seen in Efrel. The effect underscores the overall anemia of the side characters, especially when compared to other Kane stories by Wagner like Bloodstone.
Hive of Scum and Villainy
While it may not be a roadblock for many readers of grimdark fantasy, Darkness Weaves will present the issue of not having someone to root for in the story. While Kane and Efrel are interesting characters, they are also both villainous, not that any of the other main characters are much better. This choice by Wagner again shows the weaker cast of characters in this novel. What the narrative boils down to is a lot of terrible people waiting for the best opportunity to betray each other, with most of them motivated by revenge or paranoia. This will make for a disheartening experience for some readers.
Swords and Sorcery
Darkness Weaves is a fairly good if uneven sword and sorcery novel that will appeal to fans of the genre. It is not as strong as Bloodstone, but it is a worthwhile addition to the stories of Kane, the Mystic Swordsman.
Source
Wagner, Karl Edward. Darkness Weaves. Warner Books, 1978.
© 2025 Seth Tomko