Drake: Mountain Magic (The Old Nathan Stories)

Old Nathan—Drake's contribution to the anthology—is odd man out in several senses in this collection. He's a loner, almost a hermit, instead of a solid family man surrounded by like-powered individuals; at first glance he's not possessed of astounding powers; and David Drake's Old Nathan stories in Mountain Magic are concerned with magic in the grimoire and grim-sacrifice tradition.

Old Nathan's power arises from his strength of mind and a particular weakness of body. He grows older in the stories, faces loss of those he loves, and beats the Devil in gruesomely satisfying ways. I was reminded of Russian folk tales in which the hero is never guaranteed a victory. If the Old Nathan stories were the only ones in the collection, it would still be worth reading!

See Justin Bischel at Amazon for a brief "draft" review, also the customer reviews at Page One includes a note from Ryk E. Spoor.