Karl Edward Wagner's KANE: "The Dark Muse"

The Kane of "The Dark Muse" is a very different Kane than the one we see in either "Undertow" or "Two Suns Setting." In "Undertow," he was an absolute bastard. All menace, all the time to his city and to the captive he probably thinks of as a girlfriend, or maybe more accurately, a pet. In "Two Suns Setting," he was remarkably more neutral. He assists another character on a short quest, but not out of altruism, and at least once considers ways that he could steal the spoils of the quest for himself.

"The Dark Muse" presents a Kane that is much milder and more intellectual, even though there are flashes of his brutality.

Much to my surprise, most of "The Dark Muse" consists of Kane and an entourage of men sitting in a tavern, having a few drinks and discussing poetry. Kane's poet friend Opyros has been having some writer's block when it comes to his most recent verses, but Kane's eager to hear the next lines he's been drumming up, and is even willing to help him shake off his block. It's oddly tender for Kane to be almost patient and understanding with Opyros because, honestly, Opyros seems kind of hard to be around.

I play in punk bands and I'm a bit of a barfly, so I've known lots of his "tortured artist" types. People with obvious talent, some charm, and a hell of a good night on offer, but you know that if you lend them five bucks, you're not going to see it back. Opyros strikes me like a lot of guys who've offered me keys with stuff on them and one day have a breakdown where they quit all their bands but actually end up doing much better for themselves eventually.

​It makes me wonder why Kane would spend time with the obvious hot-mess addict; it doesn't seem like he would suffer tomfoolery.

Perhaps Wagner saw a bit of himself in Opyros. From what I gather, Wagner was a hard drinker and died of alcoholism at the young age of 48. I wonder if he saw a little bit of his own future in Opyros- someone who burns really brightly and then overdoes it while still wickedly productive.

​Who knows.

Ultimately, Kane leads Opyros to some great risk with possible great reward in the dream realm and fights off a giant shadow bat. Since he's left Carsultyal and refers to its declining years as something in the past, it must take place after "Undertow" and "Two Suns."

This story's not quite as incredible as the first two I read, though don't get me wrong, it's still a great time. I'd say that its main draw is seeing such a different side of Kane, who still feels like the same character, which is clearly another testament to Karl Edward Wagner's immense talent as a writer.