This was such an interesting tale in the beginning. It was a fantasy-based story that reminded me of the movie Predator but set in the Roman era.

I don't know which author started this novel, but he was by far the better writer because, by the middle half, it started to drag and bore me. I could actually feel the steam of the story run out. What a shame...

Great idea that could have panned out for a much better ending.

This is a well-written action novel, though its plot is not quite as original as some other readers may think. Like all good action stories, it avoids dragging passages--but there are no time-outs for character development. There are a couple of weaknesses in the book, however. One shortcoming is the climax, where the final confrontation ends rather quickly and ordinarily; and that is surprising, considering that the entire book up to that point hypes the speed and power of the phile.
Another shortcoming concerns a rogue subplot, about how the hero's teenage son is seduced by a tutor and "converted" into a willing homosexual (yeah, sure)--leading to the hero's nasty revenge against the tutor. That subplot, besides being ridiculous, serves no useful purpose to the main plot and is evidently only a gratuituous expression of the authors' personal bias.

Part history lesson, part absolutely believable science fiction, all thriller.

To put this book in movie terms, imagine a big game hunter from Ancient Rome encountering both an Alien and a Predator at the same time. The hunter should have a short messy end, right? Guess again. The ending will stay with you for a long time.

Karl Wagner and artist friend, Kent Williams, sold the idea for a "Mature" graphic novel to DC's "mature readers" line, VERTIGO. Karl left the project before it was finished. Kent Williams got John Ney Reiber to step in and script the finished art. {I am told that this was John Reiber's big break into the comic book biz. - He is currently writing "Books of Magic" for Vertigo.} I understand that John never saw Karl's original script. If you like mature dark horror, this is a fun read with wonderful Kent Williams art.

a good book, the greatest by howard's "successors". great opening. good battle descriptions. but there were also moments where nothimg much happened, and some things didn't feel so natural. but a good book, mind you.

The late and lamented Karl Edward Wagner, who wrote this pastiche, was the first to say that nobody could write like Robert E Howard but Howard Himself. Paradoxically enough, this came from the man who was best qualified to imitate the first and Greatest master of Sword and Sorcery.

This homage has some very good points, the compact, efficient prose with the right word where it is needed, and the often grim atmosphere, the violent and graphic action, natural and not so natural horrors and monsters, horror from indescribable gulf of space and antiquity... these are all elements found in the original stories, and very well rendered by Wagner.

However, Wagner, perhaps trying to outdo the Master, has committed a series of bad mistakes that detract from the book's value as a Conan yarn : First, and to my point of view worst, is getting Conan to a very high post and so close to getting a throne : if such an episode were to be added to his biography, then some of the stories set by Howard after he seizes the throne of Aquilonia would have turned differently, because he would have known of the price of power. Then, there is a problem with atmosphere: Howard's tales are characterized as very grim, this one has far too much humor, even verging on the comic... last, but not least is the fact that in this book, women are treated in a way that could never have happened in a Howard yarn: yes, he was a male chauvinist, (though beware such of his characters as Valeria, Bêlit or Red Sonya), yes his tales are written by the conventions of his times, which no longer apply, still I believe that pastiches should respect some of the original's specifications...

All being said, No, this is not quite the equal of the dark page turners Howard extracted from his tormented mind, but Yes Wagner has still produced a decent story that will please fans of the genre (or of the character) more than the general public, but for those who like a solid adventure yarn, this is your stuff, get it while you can.

Karl Edward Wagner has done a masterful job at creating another fantastic adventure for Conan and the reader. He is a welcome addition to the ranks of Conan authors. There is no shortage of action and intrigue in this Conan novel. For any Conan fan this one is a must and for any who have never read a Conan novel this is a good one to start with. I look forward to more from Wagner...

I have been a fan of Mr Howard for nearly 12 years now, which in my opinion, makes me a bit of a connoisseur, and frankly this book was a bit of a disappointment. Undoubtedly the contributing writers are well-respected and immensely able but their writing lacked the Howardian flavour I have come to love. Ghor's sudden personality shifts are hard to follow and the various ideas in the story lack sufficient depth. This book is not the way Mr Howard would have written it. Nevertheless, this should be read because the original idea belonged to the great REH.

Ghor is a nice blend of Conan and the Cthulhu Mythos together. Abandoned as a child because of a deformity, Ghor is adopted by a pack of wolves. Raised by them, he adopts the ways of the wolf, yet when he meets up with humanity joins them. Constantly struggling with his wolf upbringing and his human surroundings, Ghor becomes a mighty war hero wherever he goes.

This is an excellent adventure book that takes a Conan like hero and plots him against all sorts of evil (and good), including some Cthulhu creations as well.

Originally Ghor was an unfinished story by Conan creator Robert Howard. Upon finding this unfinished story, a magazine decided to finish it. What they did was have a different chapter every month written by a different top fantasy writer. It made the reading interesting.

While most of the chapters were great. Some were excellent. Unfortunately there were a couple chapters that I just wanted to get through to reach the next writers' chapter. Overall a really good read.

I WAS VERY SUPRISED ABOUT HOW WELL THIS STORY CAME OFF. THE VARIUOS WRITERS DID AN EXCELLENT JOB IN WRITING AN EXCITING BOOK THAT FLOWED SMOOTHLY. IT DID NOT COME OFF AS A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK FOR ROBERT E. HOWARD FANS, AND FANS OF FANTASY IN GENERAL.

I've read the first of the three novels in this omnibus edition, and it was something of a disappointment on two levels. The first level is a matter of taste; I don't really like the writing style or the characters. (The plot is average for this sort of thing.) Wagner is very wordy, constructing long descriptions that employ "fancy" words like "eldritch" and "coruscating" and labor much too hard to build up an oppressive and dark atmosphere. (Wagner seems to be working under the influence of H. P. Lovecraft, but in my opinion the Lovecraft bleakness and over the top verbosity don't mesh well with an invincible-and-immortal-like-John-Carter lead character.) Kane is some kind of superhero, the best swordfighter in the land, the best archer in the land, a skilled diplomat and spy, a gifted scholar and expert on occult subjects, etc., as well as an unsympathetic brute and backstabber. The rest of the characters are cardboard cannon fodder. If you want to read sword fighting adventure stories with monsters and/or wizardry, I recommend trying Burrough's Mars books, Leiber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouser "Swords" books, or Moorcock's Elric and Corum books before this. Even Lin Carter's silly Callisto books were more fun.

Even if I had liked Wagner's tale, I still would have been disappointed with Night Shade Book's poor production of this omnibus edition. The part of Gods in Darkness that I read is full of typos; I swear every third page has a glaring error on it, like a period in the middle of a sentence, a spelling mistake, or what have you. (Could these be artifacts of the electronic scanning of an old manuscript?) Also, different pages are printed in different fonts; compare pages 17, 28, and 29... I swear these are three different fonts. Anyway, I have a first edition, perhaps Night Shade will resolve some of these issues in later printings.

Gods in darkness is stunning dark fantasy containing three novels about unforgettable anti-hero named Kane.Kane is cursed to wander the world immoral until he is destroyed by the violence that he himself has created!the first book:Bloodstone, Kane has found a ring that part of ancient alien empire that will give him incredible power which he will use for conquest not knowing that he himself is being used by the Ring's sinsister masters in the bid to enslaving the planet! This story itself has terrifying scenes of monsters, magic and battles as Kane uses his army of froglike beasts in pursue of his goal!
Second Book: Dark Crusade finds Kane joining forces with fanatical cult leader who seeks to conquer kingdom with the use of dark magic and finally in Darkness Weaves: Kane aids a depraved and hideous sorecress who wants to reclaim her empire
by using a ancient race of aquatic demons and their advance technology! This book is brilliant marriage of horror of Lovecraft with violent swashbuckling of Robert Howard. Wagner's world-building skills are awesome and lyrical prose which heigtens the atmosphere of his dark world!Wagner's descriptions of gruesome and bloody battle scenes and intrigue and betrayal will have you turning pages all through the night! You may not like Kane, who acts more of a villian than hero but you can't stop reading about him and his dark adventures as his hunger for power almost consumes him and his world!