SOLOMON KANE: THE LION ERRANT part 4: Valley of Death
The Valley of Narrai next to the river Gaur (Narmada River).
Ghebal Qagh (Master of artillery in the army of the two Khans) uses his large-calibre cannon to kill Baghela and his mahouts... Kalyan Shah and his musketmen... and Arjun Das and most of his spearmen.
Chandra Shah (Prince Vir's uncle, Dalpat Shah's younger brother) flees the scene.
The lion named Somnandi/Dawon throws Ramih Khan off of his mount.
Somnandi the Lion becomes gigantic. The warrior queen Rani Durgavati turns into the Hindu goddess Durga. Ramih Khan turns into the buffalo demon Mahisha/Mahishasura.
The vetala (Lopesh) tries to steal Solomon Kane's Atlantean staff, Abramo Bensaid immolates Lopesh and Kane drives his stave into the vampire's heart.
To save the Mughal Empire, Ghebal Qagh fires his cannon on Mahisha, Mahisha kills Durga, Kane kills Mahisha with his Atlantean stave.
Prince Vir Narayan (son of Rani Durgavati) and Beohar Kayastha (Rani Durgavati's advisor) die off panel.
Kamla Devi (Prince Vir's girlfriend) becomes a prisoner/Pachisi pawn of Akbar the Great.
Solomon, Diamanta and Abramo Bensaid escape via the Deccan Plateau in central India.
The mysterious black-maned Asiatic lion is seen guarding the now deserted Chauragarh Fort in the Satpura Range.
What I did like:
Katni/Murwara in Madhya Pradesh mentioned.
The Markandeya Purana (Chapters 81-93 feature the Devi Mahatmyam) quoted.
The good Devas and the evil Asuras mentioned.
Gafrit Va-Esh, means brimstone and fire from Genesis 19:24.
Yahweh (Semitic deity) mentioned.
Akrodha (free from anger) and Krodha (anger) mentioned.
Dharma and Adharma (the antonym of Dharma) mentioned.
Yad ha' Elohim means Hand of God.
The Pachisi board game is played.
Stellar covers by Patch Zircher, Micah Ulrich & Rebeca Puebla!
Rani Durgavati appears on two covers!
What I did not like:
No letters page!
No N'Longa!
Rani Durgavati never gets hit by arrows.
Rani Durgavati never talks to Sarman (her war elephant)!
Who was the vetala that possessed the corpse of Lopesh?
Patrick Zircher's fantastic Durga cover is not used to promote the eBook.
I give it a 9/10. The unmissable, explosive and epic final conflict has arrived. Zircher fans, rejoice! Solomon Kane will be back next year in a new exciting mini-series.
