Khlit the Cossack is a literary character created byHarold Lamb forAdventure between 1917 and 1926.
A wanderingCossack hero, Khlit defies conventional stereotypes: he is not a lover, he is not youthful or flamboyant. An excellent horseman, he is also a fine swordsman, with a fine sword (the sword itself has an interesting past, which Khlit only discovers as the series progresses), but he isn't flashy. He is gruff and moody, but no anti-hero swathed in shades of gray--he protects the innocent when it is in his power to do so. He is a firm believer in swift, sharp justice and devout in his faith, though not given to prayer or religious musings. It is his keen wit that allows him to survive through countless treacheries and intrigues.[1]
Some American researchers[who?] call Khlit a "hero of Odyssean wit".[citation needed] He always gets into a seemingly hopeless situation, from which he manages to get out, after all, being a step away from death. Khlit's adventures unfold not only inUkraine, but far beyond. Traveling across Asia the old Cossack encounters the empire ofAssassins, finds the grave ofGenghis Khan and the treasures ofSt. John the Baptist, beats the Chinese army, heads the united Tatar horde, becomes akhagan (imperial title), saddles the elephant inIndia, savesAfghanistan from a new conquest, etc.[2]
Harold Lamb wrote one short story and 18 novellas about Khlit. A number of the Khlit tales were collected in two books:The Curved Saber (Doubleday 1964) andThe Mighty Manslayer (Doubleday 1969). More recentlyUniversity of Nebraska Press reprinted all of Lamb's Khlit tales in a four-volume series entitledWolf of the Steppes,Warriors of the Steppes,Riders of the Steppes andSwords of the Steppes.
List of stories published inAdventure:
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