Karl Edward Wagner's KANE: "Sing a Last Song of Valdese"

One thing I really admire about Karl Edward Wagner is his restraint. The man is patient. I wonder if this turns some people off of his work; there are long, long scenes in most of the Kane stories I've read so far where people sit in a tavern or by a fire and discuss history, religion, and philosophy. If you wanted nothing but whiz-bang swordplay, you'd be out of luck.

We spend most of "Sing a Last Song of Valdese" sitting in a tavern while two priests and a professor debate the above-mentioned subjects. Surrounded by a bounty hunter and a criminal, a drunk and a rich man, they're in pretty motley company. 

We get a little bit more about the lore of Kane here during the mens' conversation:

“Actually the legend of Kane has far darker implications. His name, I have observed, reappears in all ages and all lands. The literature of the occult recurrently alludes to him. In fact, there is an ancient compendium of pre-human glyphics that Kane is said to have authored… Some occult authors contend that Kane was one of the first true men, damned to eternal wandering for some dark act of rebellion against mankind’s creator.”

That's so dope.

Well, it turns out that not all these men are here by accident and a stunning act of revenge takes place while Kane says little more than a few lines. This narrative is entirely a slow-burn, but it's engaging and eyebrow-raising throughout.

Interestingly, there's a character named Mad Hef in this story, and there was a character named Hef in "The Dark Muse," so I spent some time trying to figure out if they're the same Hef. However, Hef dies in "Dark Muse" and this Mad Hef dies in this story, so it couldn't be. Perhaps Hef is a common name bajillions of years ago.

As far as I can tell, these Kane stories thus far ("Undertow," "Two Suns Setting," "The Dark Muse," and this) are sort of generally taking place in timeline order.