sdlotu
4/29/2023
This is a short sequel to another short story titled simply "Tedric". The hero of that story has now risen to noble stature and power, and is called upon to strike a blow against the realm's greatest enemy.
Why? Well, there are some mysterious alien forces who are monitoring this world Tedric inhabits, and they have forseen that disaster is impending if nothing is done to prevent it. Sooo... they enlist the hero Tedric, now Lord Tedric, to lead the kingdom he serves to battle against their neighbor and greatest enemy.
Of course, no one on this planet has any idea they are just pawns in a plan run by aliens from far away, but that doesn't seem to matter. In fact, the whole 'alien pupptmaster' back story doesn't seem to matter much at all, and without it this would be a typical 'Conan' style story set in a distant solar system on a distant planet, which would in most cases be enough.
As is typical of most Space Opera, whille this does not take place in space, it still has the elements of amazing heroes and incredible capabilities that make up the genre.
If you like the Conan style stories, and are willing to spend a short time to read this, I suggest reading the short prequet, "Tedric" as well, just to get the complete story as Smith wrote it. It won't take much time, and overall, it's written well enough for its time and topic. Beware, though, as later entries range far afield from the setting of these two stories.
It is only 20 pages long so does not in any way qualify as a novel, perhaps someone with authoiry on this website can change that.