Doug BrotherofCats Dandridge

I have recently been reading the short stories of Kane by Karl Edward Wagner. Now for those unfamiliar with him, Kane is loosely based on the Cain of the Bible. He killed his brother and was cursed with immortality, unless he is killed by violence. Good luck with the second part, as Kane is three hundred pounds of muscle and bone, with an expert’s grasp of the blade and a sorcerer to boot. Not an easy man to bring down, Kane is one of the greatest anti-heroes of fiction. He can be evil, and he can also become the hero that rescues the world from calamity. In one of the stories he is sought by a knight and his men who travel the world destroying evil, and Kane is their next target. But is the knight actually good. His men can be as dirty and evil as they come, exalting in the pain and suffering they cause to others in their obedience to orders. And the knight is first introduced as putting possibly innocents to death to wipe out the corruption of the evil Ogres they served, even though they had little choice but to serve or be served as the next meal. So the good knight is not so good after all. He still defeats evil, and in the long run leaves some lasting good in the world. Still, when killed by Kane, the ultimate evil who is just looking for peace, I cheered at his end.
Sometimes in the real world the good is not always so good. Not everyone in the tales of the past is a Paladin, a pure holy warrior whose only purpose is to destroy evil and save the innocent. People can hide their evil inclinations behind a facade of good. Think of those Spanish Conquistadors who rode in the name of the church, only to kill en mass for gold. Or the witch finders of Europe who accused only those who had wealth to give up, so that both they and the church profited. Or the priests of this era who molest little children while hiding their demons behind the cassock and cross. And then there have been evil men and women, those who break the law, but are still good family members, and upholders of the weak and helpless. Jesse James, who killed and robbed and still looked after family. Brutal men who fought at the drop of a hat and were still gentle to their sons and daughters. Sometimes in fantasy characters are portrayed as black and white, fully good or totally evil. When real people have a little of both in them, and their character allows one or the other to rise to the fore, most of the time. Wagner, on the verge of a career as a psychiatrist before becoming a writer, knew this, and was masterful in making characters cut out of both sides of the divide. I applaud his efforts, and hope that someday I will create characters as memorable.