Dark Crusade
core novel 1976 Kane
Record
| First published | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.15 (1,394 ratings, collected 2026-08-26) |
| Page count | 222 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780446900218 |
| Internal chronology | 3 |
Synopsis
In the third Kane novel, the immortal sorcerer-swordsman Kane, already known from the earlier novels Darkness Weaves and Bloodstone, comes into conflict with an ancient cult built around a power-hungry leader. Kane takes command of a rebel force opposing the ruling order the cult serves, applying his skill at warfare and his dark sorcery to the campaign while pursuing goals of his own that the rebels he leads do not fully understand. The novel continues the sword-and-sorcery pattern of the series, following Kane's manipulation of a larger conflict for personal ends, as his cunning and hidden agenda drive events even as he appears to fight on behalf of a cause not his own.
Where it sits
- Universe: Kane
- Series: Kane core; position 3 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Karl Edward Wagner
Notes
- From the series record (Kane): Core Canon here covers the three Kane novels; the author also wrote roughly twenty further Kane short stories and novellas across 1970-1985, catalogued separately as expanded material rather than Core Canon. Kane is an immortal, cursed anti-hero wandering a violent, Cain-inspired dark-fantasy world.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Kane: position 3 of 3: previous Bloodstone (1975)
Sources
- Kane series bibliography (specialised series-tracking site)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Edward_Wagner
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