THE CURVED SABER

Forward the end of the 16th century, a grizzled old Cossack named Khlit of the Curved Saber (or Wolf, Father of Battles) was cashiered from the Cossacks because of old age and so took to wandering. In this series of tales for adult youngsters, Khlit, the crafty and wise, wandered through Asian lands rescuing distressed maidens while magnificently indifferent to their charms. Khlit is an invincible latter-day Beowulf of the Steppes and descended from the grand Khans. In one tale he discovers the tomb of Genghis Khan. Khlit's fabulous curved saber once belonged to a Khan and, in one of the best episodes, he hands it on to his grandson while educating him in guile. The education also features a Falstaffian, 00-pound knight. (Everybody swears in blanks--which is just the right distance from reality in high romance.)