The Walrus and the Warwolf (Chronicles of Age of Darkness) (Chronicles of An Age of Darkness Vol 4) [Hardcover]

Hugh Cook (Author)

Book Description

Series: Chronicles of An Age of Darkness Vol 4 | Publication Date: September 3, 1993

Begins as the story of a young man named Drake who is thrown into the sea by the allegedly merciful King Tor. It goes on to include Drake's vengeance upon the king and sundry other adventures (in company with appropriate others) on land, sea, and in realms not of Earth. This is the kind of large-scale fantasizing that has made David Edding justly well known, and Cook indulges an Eddings-like penchant for drawing basic plot elements from the conventional fantasy repertoire and then reworking them so effectively that they make for compelling reading. Cook brings to his particular fantasizing a distinctly offbeat sense of the ridiculous, too. The results he produces should please a wide range of fantasy readers."" - Booklist.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A troublemaking youth comes of age after many fantastical and at times squalid adventures in this fourth volume of Cook's Chronicles of an Age of Darkness (following The Women and the Warlords ). In a barbaric world scattered with the remains of high technology, swordsmith's apprentice Drake Douay is promised (he thinks) the hand of the daughter of King Tor of Stokos, falls for and tries to seduce ex-priestess Zanya Kliedervaust and is cast off by his master Gouda Muck for general shiftlessness. Stealing the swordsmith's favorite weapon, the boy takes sea passage to find profit and glory. He is captured by the pirate Slagger Mulps of the Walrus , whose crew bear a grudge against Drake, and is rescued by the competing pirate captain Jon Arabin of the Warwolf . After surviving many adventures as king, slave and mercenary, and as the object of religious hatred by a powerful cult led by Gouda Muck, Drake is reunited with his true love Zanya--only to face further trouble. Cook's picaresque odyssey goes on and on. While the tale occasionally shows flashes of imagination, the reader eventually loses interest in this world and its crude inhabitants.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 486 pages
• Publisher: Colin Smythe (September 3, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0861402944
• ISBN-13: 978-0861402946
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,069,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, fun, yet gritty compared to most fantasy novels., August 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Walrus and the Warwolf (Chronicles of Age of Darkness) (Chronicles of An Age of Darkness Vol 4) (Hardcover)

This is a part of Hugh Cook's Chronicles of an Age of Darkness series. This is an excellent series, with much more believable charecters, places and events than the norm. For example, when an army marches to war, it is as likely to be defeated by disease, terrain or stupidity as it is to be broken in combat.

That said, this is a fairly light, fun read. While rougish boy thieves and glittering knights are (thankfully) absent, there are fewer of the underlying messages and tensions in this than in some of the series. This is more 'standard' fantasy than most of the series, but still is still significantly more satisfying than many books in the genre. Drake is a relatively straightforward and impulsive character, who fast talks, lies and dodges his way out of many dangerous situations.

* Note: a feature which is present through the whole series is that the action in this book, rather than following from the events of the previous books, is actually simultaneous to them. Thus the characters are effected by some of the same events, and sometimes interact directly with one another!

* Also: Living in Australia, I get what I believe to be the English editions of these books, but I have seen and heard about the ones released in the USA. The UK editions have neater names, better covers (some of the US ones are HIDEOUSLY gaudy) and are better in other ways - such as the second book being published as one volume, not as two very skinny ones.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of a great series, March 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Walrus and the Warwolf (Chronicles of Age of Darkness) (Chronicles of An Age of Darkness Vol 4) (Hardcover)

This is my all time favourite fantasy series, and this is on of the best in the series. Cook has a unique style of writing, and isn't afraid to break away from the normal c**p the genre tends to churn out.

He has some interesting (although not always original) ideas, and this book is one of the best examples of that.

By the way, Hugh Cook is a New Zealander, although many references state he is English.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff, great stuff - enthused Drake., January 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Walrus and the Warwolf (Chronicles of Age of Darkness) (Chronicles of An Age of Darkness Vol 4) (Hardcover)

A vast(ly) amusing picaresque tale, this book would probably have gone on too long if it weren't for one of the greatest fantasy heroes ever. drake dreldragon douay is a complete nutter and will charge into any situation with a quip on his lips and you charging inches behind - a revolutionary non-standard fantasy book - not your conveyor belt dungon dross - beg borrow or steal a copy now!!