The Defiler of Tombs, by William King

I previously wrote about THE STEALER OF FLESH, the first full-length novel in William King’s series of sword-and-sorcery novels about Kormak, the Guardian of the Dawn. The Guardians are an order devoted to defending mankind from various supernatural threats. In THE DEFILER OF TOMBS, Kormak is on the trail of a renegade necromancer named Morghael. Morghael has fled in the hilly country of the north, once ruled by a empire of powerful necromancers called the Death Lords of Kharon. When Kharon disintegrated, it left all kinds of nasty goodies buried in the hills…and Morghael wants to get his hands on them.

One of my favorite parts of the previous Kormak book was the worldbuilding, and THE DEFILER OF TOMBS keeps up the same high level. Unlike the last book, Kormak travels through only a relatively small part of the world, but all the worldbuilding depth is there – the religions of Sun and Moon, Kharon’s long, occasionally myth-clouded history, and the competing versions of history, such as when the characters of Aisha and Sir Brandon have very different takes on what happened.

The worldbuilding also lends to the atmosphere of the book, which perfectly describes the grim, silent hills, the constant rain, and the secretive and unfriendly people who live in the hills in fear of the things buried in the tombs of Kharon. It reminded me a bit of traveling through the hillier parts of western Wisconsin. 🙂 The supporting characters are also strongly drawn, and Sir Brandon’s need to prove himself is an interesting contrast to Kormak’s grim fatalism.

My only complaint is that I wish the book had been longer, and I think it easily could have been another 10,000 words or so longer without seeming at all padded. But they say the best time to end a book is when the audience is still wanting more, and I want more. I recommend the book, and hope for further books in the series.

-JM