The Sword of Morning Star (1968) by Richard Meade (Ben Haas)
When I learned that Ben Haas, creator of two of my favorite action-oriented western series of all time, Sundance and Fargo , had written a 2-book sword and sorcery series under the name of Richard Meade, it became something of a holy grail quest for me. I was successful in tracking down the first book in what is called the Grey Lands saga, The Sword of Morning Star . Haas places his tale in a far future version of Europe that has been reshaped by the “Worldfire,” a cataclysmic event that is most likely referencing nuclear war (it is never fully explained). Mankind has degenerated into feudalism, complete with kings, horseback-mounted soldiers, and wolf-people—yes, mutant half wolf/half people beings who ride horses and fight with swords and claws. Most of the action takes place in what would be Germany and the names of characters and places reflect this. Our protagonist is Helmut, the ...