= Karl_Edward_Wagner =

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= Karl_Edward_Wagner =
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Introduction
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Karl Edward Wagner (12 December 1945 – 14 October 1994) was an
American writer, poet, editor, and publisher of horror, science
fiction, and heroic fantasy, who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and
originally trained as a psychiatrist. He wrote numerous dark fantasy
and horror stories. As an editor, he created a three-volume set of
Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian fiction restored to its
original form as written, and edited the long-running and
genre-defining 'The Year's Best Horror Stories' series for DAW Books.
His Carcosa publishing company issued four volumes of the best stories
by some of the major authors of the so-called Golden Age pulp
magazines. He is possibly best known for his creation of a series of
stories featuring the character Kane, the Mystic Swordsman.

Although he held a degree in psychiatry, he became disillusioned with
the medical profession, a disenchantment evident in the stories "The
Fourth Seal" and "Into Whose Hands". He described his personal
philosophy as nihilistic, anarchistic and absurdist, and claimed, not
entirely seriously, to be related to "an opera composer named
"Richard". Wagner also admired the cinema of Sam Peckinpah, stating "I
worship the film 'The Wild Bunch'".

Biography
======================================================================
Wagner was the fourth and youngest child of Aubrey J. Wagner and
Dorothea Huber. His father was an official of the Tennessee Valley
Authority. Wagner earned a history degree from Kenyon College in 1967,
and a psychiatry M.D. from University of North Carolina School of
Medicine. Wagner completed his residency and practiced for several
years, and also studied toward a Ph.D in neurobiology. As noted above,
Wagner ultimately disliked the medical profession, which he abandoned
upon establishing himself as a writer.

Wagner was productive as both a writer and editor/anthologist; see
below. His friends included the writer Manly Wade Wellman, two of
whose collections he published with the Carcosa publishing imprint.

Wagner died in his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on October 14,
1994, essentially due to the consequences of longterm alcoholism. It
was reported in a late 1994 issue of the Newsletter of the Horror
Writers of America that Wagner's causes of death were heart failure
and liver failure.

'Exorcisms and Ecstasies', a posthumous volume of uncollected
stories, miscellany, and tributes was published by small press
publisher Fedogan & Bremer in 1997. Night Shade Books has
published the complete Kane stories (novels and shorts) in two
hardcover volumes.

In 2020, a documentary on Wagner, 'The Last Wolf' was released on
Vimeo.

Published works
======================================================================
Some of Wagner's work is set in Robert E. Howard's universe (featuring
Conan the Barbarian and Bran Mak Morn); he also edited three volumes
of Howard's original Conan tales, important to purists for being the
first to restore the texts to their originally published forms. His
three volumes of 'Echoes of Valor' also featured restored versions of
pulp-era fantasy stories by authors such as Fritz Leiber, C. L. Moore,
Henry Kuttner, and Nictzin Dyalhis. Wagner wrote an unpublished Bran
Mak Morn novel, 'Queen of the Night', which was originally scheduled
to be published by Zebra books during 1978 and Ace Books during 1980.
[Refer to David Drake's Newsletter #105 in which he states 'Queen of
the Night' was never written.]

Kane, the Mystic Swordsman
============================
Wagner created his own mystical and immortal pre-historical anti-hero,
Kane, whose name and background are based on traditional conceptions
of the biblical Cain. A powerful, left-handed warrior-sorcerer with
red hair and blue eyes, the character was described by Wagner as one
"who could master any situation intellectually, or rip heads off if
push came to shove". Kane is an immortal, somewhat like the Wandering
Jew (or more specifically, Charles Maturin's 'Melmoth the Wanderer', a
novel which Wagner cites as a major influence in his essay "The Once
and Future Kane"). Kane's character also includes elements of Robert
E. Howard's Solomon Kane. He is an immortal, cursed to wander the
Earth until he is destroyed by the violence that he himself has
created. He sells his loyalty as a fighter to the highest bidder. He
is a well-read and intelligent man who has traveled the world for
centuries and is able to discuss music, poetry, politics, and many
other subjects. He is also amoral and a born killer. The Kane stories
are often classified as tales of sword and sorcery (although Wagner
disliked the term), which some critics have compared favorably to
those of Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock. In his story "The
Gothic Touch", Kane actually encounters Moorcock's albino anti-hero
Elric. The character Kane is considered one of the most memorable and
original anti-heroes of heroic fantasy.

Inspired by the sword and sorcery adventures of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd
and the Gray Mouser, and Robert E. Howard's mighty-thewed barbarian
Conan the Cimmerian, Wagner set about creating his own fantasy
character while still attending medical school. The result was
initially published as a 1970 paperback original with a lurid cover by
West Coast pornography publisher Powell Publications. The novel's text
was altered by an unknown copy editor to conform with the cover art.

After publishing a pseudonymous pornographic novel with a small New
York company, Wagner relinquished his chance to become a doctor and
instead decided to write full-time. During 1973, Warner Paperback
library published 'Death Angel's Shadow', which collected the three
original Kane tales (one novella, one novelette, and one short story).
He also began selling his stories and poems regularly to the growing
small press magazine market. Several of his tales were published in
Gary Hoppenstand's 'Midnight Sunn', a magazine initially devoted to
Kane and the new school of epic fantasy writers. This was followed by
publication of the first Kane novel, 'Bloodstone', during 1975. Warner
Books commissioned a cover painting by Frank Frazetta (who had helped
revive the Conan franchise, and who would paint a number of future
covers for the series) and Wagner's writing career improved.

After a novel featuring Howard's Pictish hero Bran Mak Morn, Wagner's
next Kane book was 'Dark Crusade' (1976). A Kane story published
elsewhere, "Two Suns Setting", won the 1977 British Fantasy Award and
was also a World Fantasy Award nominee. Wagner published other Kane
stories in magazines such as 'Chacal', 'Whispers' and 'Escape!' during
1977. Gerald W. Page, then editor of DAW Books 'Year's Best Fantasy
and Horror Stories', began to reprint Kane tales in the anthology
series 'Night Winds'; a collection of six previously published Kane
tales followed (Warner Books, 1978). The publisher also reissued all
previous Kane books including a new edition of 'Darkness Weaves',
which reinstated the author's preferred text.

'The Book of Kane' was the last published volume of Kane material
(1985) until Night Shade Books' omnibus editions of novels and shorter
tales.

A proposed fourth Kane novel, 'In the Wake of the Night', was never
completed, although an excerpt was published as part of a World
Fantasy Convention souvenir book of 1981; this also appears in the
collection 'Midnight Sun' (2003).

In 2004, it was reported that movie producer Lauren Moews had
"acquired 'Death Angel's Shadow', and will produce a film based upon
"Reflections for the Winter of My Soul," the first of three short
stories comprising 'Death Angel's Shadow'. The other two short
stories, "Cold Light" and "Mirage," are waiting in the wings to be
developed into a possible KANE franchise for Tonic Films".
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130617084829/http://movies.about.com/cs/upcomingreleases/a/kanenws021004.htm
Lauren Moews' Tonic Films Acquires Rights to Karl Edward Wagner's Tome
Death Angel's Shadow] As of 2020 the film had not entered production.

Other writings
================
Besides the Kane books, Wagner wrote contemporary horror stories (some
of which, like "At First Just Ghostly", also feature Kane). These were
collected in the books 'In a Lonely Place' (1983), 'Why Not You and
I?' (1987) and the posthumous 'Exorcisms and Ecstasies' (1997). They
range from the very literate and allusive (such as "The River of
Night's Dreaming", which refers to Richard O'Brien's 'The Rocky Horror
Show' and the myth of Carcosa used in the work of Ambrose Bierce and
Robert W. Chambers), to the pulpy and parodic (such as "Plan Ten from
Inner Space", a crazed homage to Ed Wood's 'magnum opus' 'Plan 9 from
Outer Space'). His later stories, such as "But You'll Never Follow Me"
and "Silted In", were described by Ramsey Campbell as tormented and
deeply personal; some deal explicitly with drug addiction (e.g. "More
Sinned Against") and sexual subjects, including psychological
repression (e.g. "Brushed Away") and transsexualism (e.g. "Lacunae").

During 1983 Wagner won the World Fantasy Award for his horror novella
"Beyond Any Measure" and the British Fantasy Award during 1984 for his
short story "Neither Brute Nor Human".

With his friends Jim Groce and David Drake, who were concerned that
Arkham House would cease publication after the death of its founder,
August Derleth, Wagner formed the Carcosa publishing house in North
Carolina during 1973 to preserve the work of their favorite pulp
magazine horror writers in hardcovers. Carcosa Press published four
substantial volumes of horror tales: 'Murgunstrumm and Others' by Hugh
B. Cave, 'Far Lands, Other Days' by E. Hoffmann Price, 'Worse Things
Waiting' and 'Lonely Vigils', both by Manly Wade Wellman. All books
were edited by Wagner and illustrated profusely. A fifth collection
was planned, 'Death Stalks the Night', by Hugh B. Cave; Lee Brown Coye
was working on illustrating it when he died, causing Carcosa to
abandon the project. The book was eventually published by Fedogan
& Bremer. Wagner later acted as the literary agent for Manly Wade
Wellman's estate.

Wagner collaborated with Drake on 'Killer', a science fiction horror
novel set during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian.

The illustrator of 'Murgunstrumm' and 'Worse Things Waiting' was the
noted 'Weird Tales' artist Lee Brown Coye. Coye's macabre designs,
incorporating mysterious lattices of twigs, were the inspiration for
Wagner's British Fantasy Award-winning story "Sticks". The story was
later included in a revised edition of 'Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos'.

A connoisseur of rare horror stories, Wagner perspicaciously edited
many horror and fantasy anthologies; perhaps his greatest achievement
of this topic was the annual anthology series 'The Year's Best Horror
Stories' (DAW Books), which he edited for fourteen years from volume
VIII (1980) until volume XXII (1994). The series was canceled after
Wagner's death. However, while the original editions were paperback
originals, Underwood-Miller preserved the series in a set of three
limited-edition hardcovers.

Wagner was a frequent visitor to London to attend fantasy and horror
conventions. Though he continued to edit, producing three volumes of
the heroic fantasy anthology 'Echoes of Valor' for Tor Books during
the late 1980s and early 1990s, and published a steady sequence of
short stories (most of which were apparently written some years
earlier), his most productive time was finished. In the story "The
Gothic Touch", Kane teams up with the albino warrior-sorcerer Elric in
a tribute anthology honoring the fiction of Michael Moorcock ('Tales
of the White Wolf').

Wagner provided the foreword to "Fat Face", a Cthulhu Mythos tale by
Michael Shea published as a standalone book by Axolotl Press, 1987.

Audio
=======
Several Wagner works were adapted for audio cassette readings,
including:
* "Sticks" Adapted by Meatball Fulton, as part of the radio series
'The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz'. Directed by Bill Raymond. Fort Edward, NY:
ZBS Foundation, 1984. (A dramatic reading of Wagner's story plus two
stories by Craig Strete). This recording was re-issued by ZBZ
Foundation on audio CD in 1998, combined with a story by Meatball
Fulton and Tom Lopez.
*"Sticks" Unabridged reading by Patrick Macnee on Dove Audo
four-cassette anthology 'The Greatest Horror of the 20th Century', ed.
Martin Greenberg. LA: New Star Publishing, 1998.
*'Night Winds'. A Kane audio collection containing three stories on
two cassettes; narrated by Roger Zelazny. Santa Fe, NM: Sunset
Productions, 1993.
*'Raven's Eyrie'. A Kane story on two audio cassettes; narrated by
Roger Zelazny. Santa Fe, NM: Sunset Productions, 1993.

Television
============
"The River of Night's Dreaming" was adapted for the TV series 'The
Hunger' during 1998.

'Sticks' provided the inspiration for the lattice type structures used
in the television series True Detective.

Graphic novels
================
Wagner was involved with several comics ventures. His Kane story "In
the Lair of Yslsl" (which was later incorporated into the Kane novel
'Dark Crusade') was adapted by Bill Whitcomb and Steve Vance, and
illustrated by Vance, Wes Smith, and Bill Black for the graphic medium
in 'Dark Phantasms' 1, Summer 1976. During 1993 Wagner co-wrote the
graphic novel 'Tell Me Dark' with John Ney Reiber and Kent Williams,
contributing original characters and situations. It was published by
DC Comics in both hardcover and trade paperback.Bibliography, in
'Exorcisms and Ecstasies', p. 453.

At the time of his death, he had just finished compiling 'Exorcisms
and Ecstasies', and had started working on two novels, 'The Fourth
Seal' and 'Tell Me, Dark', the latter based on the graphic novel he
disowned.

Collections
=============
*'In a Lonely Place' (1983, reissue 2023, )
*'Why Not You and I?' (1987)
*'Unthreatened by the Morning Light' (1989) (Issue 2 of 'Author's
Choice Monthly' - a series published by Pulphouse Publishing. It was
issued in both a limited signed hardcover of 350 copies (50 deluxe
leatherbound signed and numbered 1-50; 300 limited clothbound with
d.j., signed and numbered 1-300), and an unlimited perfectbound paper
edition. There was also five deluxe Publisher's Copies and 25 Limited
Publisher's copies)
*'Exorcisms and Ecstasies' (1997)
*'Masters of the Weird Tale: Karl Edward Wagner' (Centipede Press,
2011)
*'Where the Summer Ends' (Centipede Press, 2012)
*'Walk on the Wild Side' (Centipede Press, 2012)

Novels
========
* 'The Other Woman' as by "Kent Allard". NY: Carlyle
Communications/The Orpheus Series, 1973. Erotic novel.
*'Killer' (written with David Drake, 1985)

Poetry collections
====================
* 'Songs of the Damned'. Knoxvxille, TN: Village Printers/Silver Eel
Press, 1981. Edited by Vern Clark and Bob Barger. Poetry chapbook
issued in a 250-copy trade edition and a 50-copy signed edition.
Contains nine poems.
* 'Red Harvest'. Chapel Hill, NC: Sidecar Preservation Society, 2002.
Edited by Scott F. Wyatt. Restored and corrected edition of 'Songs of
the Damned', containing fourteen poems and with an Introduction, "The
Mark of Cain" by Stephen Jones who also illustrates the volume. Also
includes several pages of bibliographic updates and corrections to the
bibliography of Wagner's work first published in 'Exorcisms and
Ecstasies'. Limited to 200 numbered copies in chapbook format, and a
20-copy handbound hardcover edition.

Short stories
===============
* .220 Swift (1980) * An Awareness of Angels (1988) * At First Just
Ghostly (1988) * Beyond Any Measure (1982) * Blue Lady, Come Back
(1985) * Brushed Away (1997) * But You'll Never Follow Me (1990) *
Cedar Lane (1990) * The Coming of Ghor (1977) * The Dark Muse * Deep
in the Depths of the Acme Warehouse (1994) * Did They Get You to
Trade? (1992) * The Education of Gergy-doo-doo (1997) * Endless Night
(1987) * A Fair Cop (1991) * Final Cut (1996) * The Gothic Touch
(1994) * Gremlin (1995) * Hell Creek (1993) * I’ve Come to Talk With
You Again (1995) * In the Lair of Yslsl (1973) * In the Middle of a
Snow Dream (1994) * In the Pines (1973, novelette) * In the Wake of
the Night (1981) * Into Whose Hands (1983) * Killer (1974, with David
Drake) * The Kind Men Like (1990) * Lacunae (1986) * Little Lessons in
Gardening (1993) * Locked Away (1995) * Lynortis Reprise (1984) * More
Sinned Against (1984) * Neither Brute Nor Human (1983) * Old Loves
(1985) * One Paris Night (1992) * Passages (1993) * The Picture of
Jonathan Collins (1995) * Plan 10 From Inner Space (1996) * Prince of
the Punks (1995) * The River of Night's Dreaming (1981) * Satan's Gun
(1987) * Shrapnel (1985) * Sing a Last Song of Valdese (1976) * The
Slug (1991) * Stardust (1959) * Sticks (1974) * The Treasure of
Lynortis (1984) * Two Suns Setting (1976) * Undertow (1977) * A Walk
on the Wild Side (1993) * Where the Summer Ends (1980). Note:
Pulphouse Publishing issued this story as a standalone volume in 1991,
in both hardcover and paperback editions.

Kane
======
*'Darkness Weaves' (novel) (published in abridged and altered form
1970 as 'Darkness Weaves with Many Shades'; restored text 1978,
reissue 2014, )
*'Death Angel's Shadow' (collection) (1973, reissue 2014, )
*'Bloodstone' (novel) (1975, reissue 2014, )
*'Dark Crusade' (novel) (1976, reissue 2014, )
*'Night Winds' (collection) (1978, reissue 2014, )
*'The Book of Kane' (collection) (1985, reissue 2014, )
*'Gods in Darkness' (omnibus collection of the three novels) (2002).
Issued as a 1200 copy trade edition and also as a 150 copy edition
signed by the artist with an additional illustration.
*'Midnight Sun: The Complete Stories of Kane' (collection) (2003).
Introduction "Raising Kane" by Stephen Jones. Collection of all Kane
material except the three novels; companion publication to 'Gods in
Darkness'.

Robert E. Howard pastiches
============================
*'Legion from the Shadows' (Bran Mak Morn novel) (1976)
*'The Road of Kings' (Conan novel) (1979)

Collections and anthologies edited
====================================
* 'Far Lands, Other Days' by E. Hoffmann Price (1975)
*'Murgunstrumm and Others', by Hugh B. Cave (1977)
*'Worse Things Waiting', by Manly Wade Wellman (1973)
*'Lonely Vigils' by Manly Wade Wellman (1981)
*'The Valley So Low: Southern Mountain Stories' by Manly Wade Wellman
(1987)
*'John the Balladeer' by Manly Wade Wellman (1988)
*Conan:
**'The Hour of the Dragon', by Robert E. Howard (1977)
**'The People of the Black Circle', by Robert E. Howard (1977)
**'Red Nails', by Robert E. Howard (1977)
**'The Essential Conan' by Robert E. Howard. NY: SFBC Fantasy, 1998.
*'The Year's Best Horror Stories'
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, VIII' (1980)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, IX' (1981)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, X' (1982)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XI' (1983)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XII' (1984)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XIII' (1985)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XIV' (1986)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XV' (1987)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XVI' (1988)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XVII' (1989)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XVIII' (1990)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XIX' (1991)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XX' (1992)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XXI' (1993)
**'The Year's Best Horror Stories, XXII' (1994)
*Echoes of Valor (Sword and Sorcery Anthologies)
**'Echoes of Valor' (1987)
**'Echoes of Valor II' (1989)
**'Echoes of Valor III' (1991)

Critical
==========
*'Black Prometheus: A Critical Study of Karl Edward Wagner', ed.
Benjamin Szumskyj (Gothic Press 2007; )
* Szumskyj, Ben. "Sharpening the Silver Dagger: Karl Edward Wagner's
Poetry for the Damned". 'Starline: Journal of the Science Fiction
Poetry Association' 30, No 2 (Mar-Apr 2007), 10-14.

Further reading
======================================================================
* Jeffrey M. Elliott. [Interview with Karl Edward Wagner]. 'Fantasy
Newsletter', No-38-39 (July-Aug 1981).
* Schweitzer, Darrell."Karl Edward Wagner and the Haunted Hills (and
Kudzu)" in Schweitzer (ed), 'Discovering Modern Horror Fiction'.
Mercer Island, WA: Starmont House, 1985, pp. 86-91.

External links
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*
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120301191728/http://www.violetbooks.com/wagner.html
Remembrance of Karl Edward Wagner]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120425194741/http://www.darkecho.com/darkecho/features/kew.html
Karl Edward Wagner]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120513121541/http://www.karledwardwagner.org/
East of Eden] Karl Edward Wagner website
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080703032121/http://popcultmag.com/obsessions/profilesingreatness/karlwagner/wagner01.html
John Mayer's memoir of his friendship with Karl Edward Wagner]

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=========
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