(Samuel) David Mason (1924-1974) was not a likely contender for producing a paperback barbarian series. He had a handful of stories in the late 50s for Infinity and Science Fiction Adventures. Gardner Fox had produced fiction in the 1940s (and comic strips) with elements of sword & sorcery. John Jakes’ Brak was in the digest magazines before the paperbacks. Lin Carter was a fan who made the jump to paperbacks.

Mason was supposedly a mercenary, had a pet wolf, lived on a boat that sank one night. He swam to shore with the pet wolf. Fritz Leiber said he had been a merchant seaman (like Jack Vance).

Kavin’s World (1969) was from Lancer Books. Mason had written for editor Larry Shaw in the 1950s for Infinity and Science Fiction Adventures. It makes sense he wrote for Shaw at Lancer. Kavin’s World has a very recognizable Frank Frazetta cover. The poses, especially of the female have been swiped many a time by other artists. The flying iguana detracts from being top-tier Frazetta. The cover has the blurbs “A hero greater than Conan!” and “A world in the tradition of Tolkien!” I guess Lancer has the bases covered. The second printing calls the book a “Science Fantasy.” There is a term that had died out.

Kavin is a Prince of Dorada. Culturally, he is not so much a barbarian but more medieval European. A horde of steppe raiders destroy Dorada. Adventure ensues as Kavin and other survivors eventually found a new realm. There is an other dimensional menace threatening the world that Kavin has to confront.

Fritz Leiber reviewed this book and called it “a damn good sword-and-sorcery.” There is a lot of the story set on ships. Mason knew his way around ships and how they operate. There are some crude gun powder weapons used on the ships. L. Sprague de Camp called Kavin’s World “above average.”

Been a while since I looked at this novel. The level of writing is above Thongor, Kothar, and Brak. Mason has good names, action scenes are good, he appeared to know weapons. There is a layer of Clark Ashton Smith influence under the daring-do that makes this novel stand apart.

Kavin’s World must have done well enough as there was a second printing in 1972. There was also a follow up novel The Return of Kavin. This time the cover by Charles Moll. Ess, the extra-dimensional menace is back and Kavin return having been in a sorcerous sleep and thought dead. The first novel is written in the first person. The Return of Kavin is in the third person. There was only one printing for the sequel.

These are well worth picking up. Both were not rare in used bookstores a few decades ago. This is a good example of a type of fantasy paperback that existed before Judy Lynn del Rey transformed fantasy fiction with middling Tolkien influenced trilogies.

I will add that Lancer paperback had a very nice font that made for pleasant reading. That is not always the case with paperbacks.