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Book Review: The Court of Pe’kar (Lost Carcosa #4) by Joseph Sale

Cover art for The Court of Pe'Kar by Joseph Sale

The Court of Pe’kar, by Joseph Sale

Blood Bound Books, 2024

ISBN: 9781940250687

Available: Paperback, ebook edition

 

 

The Court of Pe’kar is the penultimate story in Joseph Sale’s riveting Carcosa series, and it does an outstanding job setting the stage for the final volume, while being an excellent addition to the series based on its own merits.  

 

This fourth volume has more of the feel of the first two in the series: quick pacing, tangible enemies, and good head-crushing, stomach-tearing battles.  The third volume, while good, took the series in a more cerebral, introspective direction, where the adversaries were contained within the characters themselves.  With The Court Of Pe’kar, it’s back to the prior approach, as Alan Chambers, Queen Cassilda, and their companions, complete the journey to the City of Demons to face off with Pe’kar the Demon King, and Cassilda’s traitorous sister Cali. 

 

While most of the chapters focus on the protagonists, some of the earlier chapters feature Cali.  The author makes the most out of these chapters, using them to sow doubt about Cali’s final intentions toward Pe’kar, when it appeared that she was previously in league with him.  The story takes a somewhat similar turn with Pe’kar, as his intentions towards Alan and his party, as conveyed by his minions, are not at all what the group expects.  That’s what the narrative does best in this volume.  The actions of some of the characters cause some of the others to view their own intentions with a level of dubiousness, making for an exciting, yet unpredictable story.  It’s best exemplified by a meeting between Cassilda and Cali towards the end, which may be the best part of the book.  Alan’s group may have been united in their quest to eliminate Cali, but as she and others become unpredictable and show other facets of themselves previously hidden, the heroes have to question if the desired result would benefit the land of Carcosa, or themselves.  In all fairness, although Alan Chambers was the driving force behind the series in the beginning, it’s a bit more about Cassilda and Cali, and their relationship as sisters and mortal enemies, which is now the focus.  Of course, that may very well change in the final volume, as the author has proven adept at surprising readers.  

 

Worth noting also, the final battle in this book is a thrilling collage of bloodshed: it’s almost as good as the epic battle that closed out volume two.  

 

While it’s kind of sad when you can see the journey start to end as the series nears its conclusion, it’s been a hell of a ride getting there, and still is.  We probably won’t see another fantasy series this good anytime soon. Most definitely recommended!

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on April 21, 2026 by , Reply

Book Review: The Dreams of Demhe (Lost Carcosa #3) by Joseph Sale

The Dreams of Demhe (Lost Carcosa #3) by Joseph Sale

Blood Bound Books, 2024

ISBN: 2370015765491

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Amazon.com

 

This is the third book in the Lost Carcosa series.  Reviews for the prior two books, The Claw of Craving and The City of Corpses can be found on this site.

 

When we last left off, protagonist Alan Chambers and his companions had won a great victory over the forces of darkness, but the evil Princess Cali had escaped after killing her father.  The Dreams of Demhe covers their pursuit of Cali through the fabled Desert of Demhe, to stop her before she can join forces with the Demon King.

 

Not surprisingly, the book stacks up well against the previous two installments.  No doubt, Joseph Sale is a superbly gifted writer, and his prose is strong, as always.  The story does have a somewhat different feel from the prior two.  It’s more introspective, and focuses more on the inner strengths and weaknesses of the characters, as opposed to having them surmount various obstacles in the Carcosa world.  This is facilitated in the story by the Desert of Demhe, where most of the book takes place.  It’s a place of visions, where the apparitions seen are tailored to each character, and prey upon their deepest fears.

 

The setting is what gives the book its unique flavor, and is also likely to divide readers of the series.  Those that prefer stories that focus on what makes the main characters tick will likely have this ranked as the best in the series, while readers that prefer more action-oriented stories will probably prefer the previous volumes.  It’s a very good read, but an altered direction for the series.  There’s plenty of internal conflict built into the story, especially in Alan’s case.  He has to contend with the Claw he bears on his arm, which has an intelligence of its own, and is often in opposition to what Alan’s heart tells him.  Also, the visions of the Desert cause Alan to learn some things about his companions that would have been better left hidden, in the interest of keeping the companions unified in their purpose of stopping Cali.

 

The viewpoints of the other characters also factor in: can they keep supporting Alan, even though he knows their worst fears and failings?  People in the book (and in real life) keep secrets for a reason. When the veil of secrecy is lifted, it has the potential to tear the group apart, and the cracks start to show by the end of the story.  There are also two notable twists to the narrative that are likely to become pivotal in the series. One concerns Alan, the other concerns LeBarron, the actor in the group.  It’s an inward-looking book, and an entertaining one.

 

The bottom line here is, it’s another good entry in one of the best series to come out in a long time, in the dark fantasy genre.  Now, when do we get the next one?  Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on August 29, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Prince of the Wasteland (The Book of Thrice Dead #1) by Joseph Sale

Cover art for Prince of the Wasteland by Joaseph Sale

Prince of the Wasteland (The Book of Thrice Dead #1) by Joseph Sale

The Writing Collective, 2022 (originally published 2014)

ISBN: 9798841855231

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:  Amazon.com | Bookshop.org

 

 

With post-apocalyptic novels, there’s King’s The Stand, McCammon’s Swan Song…and then there’s everything else.  However, Joseph Sale’s Prince of the Wasteland ranks pretty high among the books of the “everything else” pile.  Mixing the bleakness of a post-nuclear world with a touch of magic and dark fantasy towards the end, it’s certainly worth the read.

 

Prince is set entirely in the ruins of New York City,  which is run by a small group of humans known as the Apostles, who have supernatural powers they received from somewhere (the answer to that comes later in the book).  Despite their powers, they are still all too human, as infighting and the problems of the old world still persist (apparently, nuclear war did not solve the problem of drug addiction).  However, they are united in their purpose to maintain their status as rulers, so they destroy anyone else in the city who shows any hint of having the same otherworldly abilities they possess.  The Apostles are certainly the most interesting part of the book. They have cool names like Slick, Bleak Heart, Razor, and the Man in the Black Hat, and their names often pertain to their abilities.  Some of the abilities are what you would expect, but others are quite creative, with Slick’s ability to turn his perspiration into an oily lubricant being the most intriguing, as well as handy for getting in and out of tight places!

 

The overall plot centers on the Man refusing to kill Lucy, a child with supernatural powers, and what he has to do to hide his disloyalty from the ruler of New York City, the Prince.  He wants to help Lucy, not an easy thing to do, since the Prince has powers of his own that make subversion difficult.  Lucy does play a critical part in the book, but she feels more like a foil to the others.  The real stars of the story are the Apostles, with all the intrigue and excitement that comes with a group of selfish backstabbers trying to work together to stay in power.

 

There’s also the separate plot thread of the Fool King, who maintains his own sort of kingdom in the sewers, that ties into the main story as it goes along.  It’s a fairly eclectic mix, but it all hangs together to provide a good read that most dark fantasy fans should love.  The main takeaway is although this was one of his first novels, it’s clear that with Prince, Joseph Sale was already a talent to be taken seriously.  His writing isn’t as developed here as it is in the incredible Carcosa series, but it was already a good deal better than many authors.

 

My bottom line on this one is: definitely worth reading, especially for post-nuke fans.  This is the first in a series of six books, who knows where it will go from here?  Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on May 8, 2024 by , Reply
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