Shardik takes place in an imaginary region called the Beklan Empire . A lonely hunter , Kelderek , pursues Shardik , a giant bear . Adams 's second novel Shardik concerns a lonely hunter , Kelderek , who pursues Shardik , a giant bear he believes to embody the Power of God ; both of them become unwillingly drawn into the politics of an imaginary region called the Beklan Empire .