Today, May 21, is the birthday of Manly Wade Wellman (1903-1986). Although best known for his tales of Jon the Balladeer, Wellman also wrote a number of stories in a variety of subgenres, including sword and sorcery. These stories aren’t as well-known as his Appalachian tales. They are still worth reading.

One of the sword and sorcery characters he wrote about was a chap named Kardios, the sole survivor of Atlantis. The reason Atlantis sunk is that Kardios did something he shouldn’t have. By kissing the queen, he institutes the curse that causes the island to sink. Now he wanders the world having adventures.

In the final Kardios story, he has been traveling on a fishing boat. The boat docks at the city of Sambarra. The city is said to be ruled by seven gods. No sooner than the boat has docked and Kardios gone ashore than he is met by a group of beautiful, alluring women. They guide him to a street where they disappear and Kardios is attacked by a group of monsters.

After killing the first one, a woman throws a rope to him. He climbs up and discovers the source of the gods, which are the monsters. One of which he just killed.

I’ll not tell the rest of the story. It’s a bit spicier than much of Wellman’s other work. You can read it in Renegade Swords I, available from DMR Books or the ‘Zon.

This is the last of the Kardios stories. The others are included Heroes of Atlantis and Lemuria. Also available from DMR or Amazon.

DMR books has been doing a fantastic job of bringing neglected sword and sorcery back into print. They’re on my reading list. They should be on yours.