<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

The Chronicles of Mortlok is a Black Hammer novel.

Ordris Mortlok, an infamous swordsman from the Kingdom of Grimstadt, finds himself the leader of a band of outlaws who are holed up in an abandoned keep in the mountains of Dalkoria. Although Mortlok's prowess with his sorcerous blade is legend, morale among his brigands is running low and some of his men are showing signs of rebellion. After some of his men try to kill him, Mortlok confers with his advisor, a shaman whose name is Kindred Bane, and decides to leave his bolt hole to go plundering in southern Dalkoria. While en route to their destination, Mortlok loses most of his men to the maw of a rampaging reptile, and he and Bane find themselves in a small hamlet. The local folk are unfriendly to the pair and Mortlok kills several of the villagers. Dalkorian soldiers pursue them and while running from the authorities, Mortlok learns of his long-time servant's malformation and his sorcerous sword's special qualities.

Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.

Mortlok and Bane are forced to travel through a blizzard and wind up taking shelter from the winter storm in a cloister of healers devoted to a benevolent god. Two of the healers have ominous premonitions concerning their visitors and after a short reprieve from the storm, Mortlok and Bane once again find themselves on the road. Soon after leaving the abbey, Mortlok discovers that his servant was involved with the attempt made on his life and the two men come to blows. It is then that his sword reveals itself as more than just a sorcerous blade. Mortlok learns that his sword is a key that opens a gate to another realm, a realm in which a powerful demon claims dominion and a strange people have been awaiting his coming.

The story becomes complex at this point, switching from Mortlok to his Dalkorian pursuers to the healers who serve the benevolent goddess. The book culminates in a macabre battle in a strange and fantastic netherworld where Mortlok's sword mastery is put to the test. Although Mortlok begins the tale as a villain in the reader's eyes, the mysterious conditions that surround him begin to reveal that his plight is not all his own doing. Fans of swords and sorcery and dark fantasy will enjoy this well-written tale. The characters come to life through grim dialogue and cutthroat circumstances. Readers will be pleased to learn that this novel will be part of a series of books that follow the protagonist as he travels across the world of Black Hammer.