[Nepeta]

Elric rocked my world many years back; deryni I just discovered a few years ago and it was amazing

Clark Ashton Smith never wrote a novel, but his fantasy stories are among the most imaginative and beautifully written. He was writing in the 1930s--he lived until the 1960s, but stopped writing decades before that. No one knows why. His tales are worth looking for.

Paula Volsky's Wolf of Winter is more contemporary. Her later novels wander into predictability, but Wolf is delicious. Undeservedly out of print, but worth the hunt. Not a barbarian or witless boy who turns out to be the most important person in the universe in sight, but you will never forget Varis.

[Sherman Logan]

Wolf of Winter isn’t particularly hard to find.

http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Winter-The-Paula-Volsky/dp/0553568795

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=volsky&sts=t&tn=wolf+of+winter

Agree it’s a very cool read. Very dark/evil yet oddly sympathetic lead character.

A similar character, in some ways, is the pirate Kennit from the Liveship Trilogy by Robin Hobb. Also recommended.