Vintage Treasures: Flamesong by M.A.R. Barker
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In my last Vintage Treasures article, I talked about M.A.R. Barker’s first novel The Man of Gold, the first of five fantasy novels set in the famed world of Tékumel, one of the most celebrated fantasy settings ever created.
Barker followed The Man of Gold a year later with an even more ambitious sequel, Flamesong. Flamesong was highly acclaimed… but only by those few who read it. It’s a tough find today; unlike the first book, which was reprinted by DAW, had a British edition, and is currently in print in both trade paperback and digital formats, Flamesong vanished shortly after it appeared. It has never been reprinted, and is highly sought today by Tékumel fans.
Click on the image at left to read the back cover text (or any of the images above for bigger versions.)
Flamesong was published by DAW Books in September 1985. It is 412 pages, priced at $3.50. The wraparound cover is by Richard Hescox. It is currently out of print, and there is no digital edition.
If you ask me which I prefer, Man of Gold or Flamesong, my answer will probably vary from day to day; I think they’re both great reads. And this cover, while not Whelan, is much more accurate to the text than Whelan’s cover for Man of Gold …
(And I think & hope the Foundation will be releasing an eBook edition either later this year or early next.)
[…] (Black Gate) Vintage Treasures: Flamesong by M.A.R. Barker — “Barker followed The Man of Gold a year later with an even more ambitious sequel, […]
> (And I think & hope the Foundation will be releasing an eBook edition either later this year or early next.)
Glad to hear that, Joe. Is the Foundation still active?