This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on April 10, 2024.

The Angel of Indian Lake

By Stephen Graham Jones – S&S/Saga Press – March 26, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

Four years have passed since the events of Don’t Fear the Reaper, the second volume in Stephen Graham Jones’ Indian Lake Trilogy. As The Angel of Indian Lake opens, Halloween is coming to Proofrock, Idaho, but—still scarred by the Independence Day Massacre of eight years ago and the bloody rampage of serial killer Dark Mill South’s so-called “reunion tour” of four years past—the picturesque lake town is doing everything it can to downplay the spooky season. Fresh out of prison for a parole violation, Proofrock’s perennial scapegoat Jade Daniels is likewise keeping a low profile. Back in the only home she knows, as flawed and unwelcoming as it is, she ekes out a quiet life as the local high school’s history teacher. Proofrock is one town where the crimes of the past refused to stay buried, however. When a sheriff’s vehicle lost in the mountains during Dark Mill South’s killing spree is rediscovered, a high school student’s quad-copter drone footage also reveals a number of fresh corpses in the immediate vicinity, including students of Jade’s. Try as she might to avoid becoming sucked in to the bloody affair, a subsequent daylight murder on the high school’s doorstep demands Jade’s immediate attention. Chaos erupts, bodies fall, and the legendary Angel of Indian Lake from Proofrock’s frontier days lurks around the periphery.

Much like Don’t Fear the Reaper, The Angel of Indian Lake takes place in an extremely compressed span of time: immediately before, during, and after Halloween. The pacing is similarly relentless, but the stakes are higher than ever. Not only is Proofrock itself facing an existential threat, Jade must put herself in harm’s way to to protect the few surviving residents of Proofrock that hardened and traumatized Jade has allowed herself to love. While she has become somewhat (understandably) ambivalent to horror movies after being immersed in so much real-life carnage over the past eight years, once again Jade puts her encyclopedic knowledge of slasher flicks and their tropes to work in an effort to live to see another day.

As with the first two books in the Indian Lake Trilogy, Jade remains the wounded but defiant heart of the narrative in The Angel of Indian Lake. Each of the books depends heavily on their nuanced portrayals of a misunderstood and neglected misfit that has a tendency to vehemently reject the few helping hands extended in her direction out of fear of betrayal. Misanthropic characters are difficult to get right, and are always at risk of being found frustrating or unlikable by readers, but Jade has always been rendered with such aching empathy that the audience can’t help but share her fears and see past the bulletproof shell she has constructed around herself. Jones describes her as the girl whose heart is too big for her body, and the success of the books (and popularity of “Jade Daniels is my Final Girl” T-shirts) has made it clear that she resonates with many readers. At her core, Jade remains the same complicated character that won over readers with her first appearance in My Heart is a Chainsaw, but she has matured and grown. She’s still as rebellious as ever, but time, therapy, and the support of her chosen family have rounded off some of her edges, creating a more polished and even-tempered version of herself. And where previously readers were only provided occasional glimpses directly into Jade’s mind via horror film-related essays submitted to her high school high school teacher, The Angel of Indian Lake shifts from the third person to a first-person perspective, with Jade herself as the narrator. Constantly under pressure as she struggles for her life, Jade’s mind runs a mile a minute, thoughts swirling with movie trivia, hopes, fears, assumptions, misinterpretations, and jumped-to conclusions. Her stream-of-consciousness perspective is sometimes a challenging one, as it’s occasionally difficult for the reader to distinguish actual events from flights of fancy, but the intimacy of her perspective enhances the experience. Jade and her horror-drenched worldview are the highlight of these books, making the move to first person perspective a wise storytelling choice.

While it was certainly present in the previous volumes, Jones’ masterful and empathetic characterization of supporting characters is particularly noticeable in The Angel of Indian Lake. Like Jade, her best friend Letha and her husband Sheriff Banner have also grown into themselves while doing their best to cope with Proofrock’s numerous tragedies. While the characters’ dialogue is by turns moving, wry, or devastating, Jones also manages to communicate so much through understatement, words left unsaid, and subtle body language.

In the Acknowledgments section of the book, Jones frankly discusses the challenges he faced writing The Angel of Indian Lake. While it must have been an intimidating task attempting to live up to the fan expectations accumulated with the first two books, it was surprising to see how little material he had prepared ahead of time. None of this blank space was obvious while reading the book, the ease with which Jones picked up plot threads from the first two volumes and interwove them with new events made it seem like he had everything exhaustively planned from the start. Minor characters have surprising destinies and seemingly throwaway elements receive unexpected payoffs. Jones makes executing a satisfying horror trilogy look easy, in a way that very few authors to date have managed.

With The Angel of Indian Lake, Jade Daniels’ story gets the ending it deserves. Expect award nominations to follow.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on March 26, 2024.

Neither Beg Nor Yield: Stories with S&S Attitude

Edited by Jason M. Waltz – Rogue Blades Entertainment – January 26, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

The definition of Sword & Sorcery is a perennial topic of discussion in related forums. While the unacquainted often use the term to label any variety of fantasy fiction containing edged weapons and magic, fans usually have a very specific style of story in mind: one that hews closer to the blood and thunder-filled stories by Conan creator Robert E. Howard rather than the more genteel work of J.R.R Tolkien. Despite reasonably widespread agreement among enthusiasts of what stories and characters can be categorized as Sword & Sorcery, it becomes surprisingly tricky to nail down what, precisely, differentiates S&S from other varieties of fantasy. Sword & Sorcery stories tend towards grittiness and the horrific, but so do Dark Fantasy and Grimdark. Is a barbarian or thief hero required? Must magic always be treacherous and evil? Must the stakes be personal and localized, or can an S&S story be epic in scope? In his introduction to Neither Beg Nor Yield: Stories with S&S Attitude, editor and Rogue Blades Entertainment proprietor Jason M Waltz sidesteps the endless hair-splitting. He makes a convincing argument that Sword & Sorcery is all about attitude. S&S heroes stubbornly cling to life, no matter how the odds are stacked against them. According to Waltz, “Sword & Sorcery is a clenched fist thrust into the sky, a raised middle finger in the face of the Unknown, an epithet spat into the dirt through a rictus of bared teeth.” At 446 pages in length, Neither Beg Nor Yield brings together 20 stories showcasing this vigorous and defiant attitude. While story quality is uniformly high, in the interest of brevity this review focuses on a subset of stories either expected to appeal to Grimdark fans or those that demonstrate the breadth of the anthology.

“Prince of Dragons” by William King is one of the outstanding entries of the early portion of the book. King is a prolific contributor to Games Workshop’s Black Library fiction line, and is particularly celebrated for his Gotrek & Felix novels. Here he provides an origin story for his own original hero, Kormak. After massacring his entire village, the infernal Prince of Dragons leaves young Kormak with a promise that some distant day, at a time of the demon’s choosing, the Prince would return to claim Kormak’s life. While Kormak is taken in by the Order of the Dawn and trained in the art of monster-slaying, the Prince of Dragon’s threat is never far from his mind. The story traces several formative episodes in Kormak’s life leading up to his lethal reunion with the demon. “Prince of Dragons” has a compelling sense of grim inevitability throughout, and while I’ve read other Kormak stories by King in the past, this particular story has convinced me that I must investigate further.

While many of the stories in Neither Beg Nor Yield stick to familiar Northern or Western European-inspired settings, feudal Japan is used as the backdrop for two contributions. “Hunters and Prey” by C.L. Werner, another popular Black Library writer, is a new tale featuring wandering ronin warrior Shintaro Oba. While Oba frequently appears in issues of Tales from the Magician’s Skull, Waltz notes that the character’s initial introduction was in Rogue Blades’ Rage of the Behemoth anthology. “Hunters and Prey” has Oba on the trail of a diabolical spider demon while Oba is, himself, in turn being stalked by a relentless bounty hunter. Glen Cook (The Black Company, etc.) provides the other samurai-themed entry with “Isekai Sengokumonogatari.” War veteran Shinzutoro finds himself tasked with escorting three orphaned noble children and their guardian through bandit- and monster-infested wilderness. Nearly everyone Shinzutoro encounters on the trail proves threatening, and he senses fairly early on that his travel companions are likewise not what they seem. The Japanese trappings of both stories offer a refreshing change of scenery while still delivering the horror-tinged action expected by Sword & Sorcery fans.

Waltz’s introduction-cum-manifesto argues that attitude is everything when it comes to Sword & Sorcery, so it’s perhaps no surprise that some of the entries in this book reject the conventional tropes of the sub-genre. Set in our era, “Suspension in Silver” by Eric Turowski features a massive biker (a modern-day barbarian?) desperately fighting against a pack of werewolves driven to recruit him. Joe R. Lansdale’s “The Organ Grinder’s Monkey” ranges even further afield, with two mechanics embarking on an inter-dimensional journey (via Chevy) to stop a giant trike-riding monkey’s misguided revenge against the men who killed the monkey’s sloth lover. Neither story is what most readers would typically expect to find in an anthology of this type, but the sort of fierce determination in the face of overwhelming odds lauded in Waltz’s introduction is undeniably present.

“The Last Vandals on Earth” is a gritty historical fantasy by Steven Erikson, of Malazan Book of the Fallen fame. Narrated in the first person by their cook Ulfilas, this story chronicles a small band of misfit Vandals living recklessly for loot and excitement with seemingly the entire world against them. “The Last Vandals on Earth” pairs wry humor with graphic combat as the last Vandals prepare to sell their lives dearly.

A Hanuvar adventure not included in last year’s Lord of a Shattered Land or The City of Marble and Blood, Howard Andrew Jones’ “Reflection From a Tarnished Mirror” was an especially welcome entry. While working to free his Volani countrymen from enslavement at the hands of the oppressive Dervan Empire, fugitive general Hanuvar encounters an impostor masquerading as himself. Further investigation reveals that the man is a soldier with a brain injury that has had Hanuvar’s personality sorcerously overlaid upon his own: an experimental Dervan plot to track the real Hanuvar by creating a mental duplicate that acts and thinks like the original. Deep behind enemy lines, Hanuvar has the delicate task of working with the tragically addled impostor to free the Volani slaves while simultaneously avoiding the scrutiny of the Dervans hunting them both. While nobler in intentions and character than many of the frequently mercenary-minded protagonists in this book, Hanuvar shares their grit and indomitable spirit.

Adrian Cole’s “Maiden Flight” is a truly fitting finale for Neither Beg Nor Yield. Grievously wounded on the battlefield, viking warrior Ulric Wulfsen finds himself chosen for Valhalla by a newly-minted Valkyrie. Ulric and the Valkyrie find themselves at an impasse; Ulric still clings to life and refuses to accept death, while the Valkyrie has no choice but to forcibly escort her unwilling charge to the afterlife or risk being stripped of her divine status and exiled. The struggle between the pair escalates until Ulric finds himself in defiance of Odin himself. While a dogged refusal to capitulate to death is a common hallmark in all of the stories included in this anthology, “Maiden Flight” in particular effectively embodies the “S&S attitude” described by Waltz in his introduction.

Publisher of 15 books over the span of nearly two decades, Rogue Blades Entertainment has been a steadfast supporter of 21st century Sword & Sorcery fiction. Neither Beg Nor Yield is intended to be the final Rogue Blades anthology and the capstone of Jason Waltz’s editing career. Packed with thundering adventure from a wide variety of authors, Neither Beg Nor Yield sends Rogue Blades off on a triumphant note.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on March 20, 2024.

Conan the Barbarian #8

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Doug Braithwaite (Artist) – Titan Comics – February 28, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

At the conclusion of Conan the Barbarian issue #7, our hero finds himself alone. Not only was Conan forced to kill comrade Chaundra the Chat by his own hand, the other thieves of the Gloryhounds are also dead, supernaturally compelled to murder each other by the three specters inadvertently freed from the stolen Black Stone. With all other involved parties eliminated, the specters force themselves into Conan, psychically battering him into submission. The undead trio agree that Conan will make an ideal tool for their dormant master Thulsa Doom, but to fulfill their dark goals they require blood sacrifices made using the ancient Pictish blade Conan acquired during his adventures with Brissa (during the “Bound in Black Stone” story arc, Conan the Barbarian issues 1-4). Unfortunately for Conan’s ghostly tormentors, distraught after the death of his pirate queen Bêlit, the barbarian pawned the weapon for drinking money immediately after his arrival in Shadizar ten months ago. With Conan as their unwilling puppet, the specters use him to carve a bloody swath through the city in search of the Pictish sword.

This issue marks the end of the Conan the Barbarian “Thrice Marked for Death!” storyline. While it was exciting to see the usually indomitable Conan’s metamorphosis into a Terminator-like possessed killing machine, this story arc’s conclusion felt unfulfilling. The last two issues kept raising the stakes, making me wonder how everything would be resolved, but—unsatisfyingly—the answer is that readers aren’t given much of a resolution. Conan’s plight is significantly worse than his situation at the beginning of the story, and apart from combat victories he doesn’t emerge particularly triumphant.

After four issues of flashbacks, the Bêlit plot thread does receive some payoff as a vision of his departed soulmate provides some spiritual assistance at a critical moment. However, the inclusion of two other familiar faces from past issues muddies the moment, making Bêlit’s aid seem less crucial and special than it would have had she alone appeared in Conan’s time of need.

As always, the Jeffrey Shanks essay includes with issue #8 provides some welcome added context to the events of the Conan the Barbarian comics. The mysterious Black Stone has occupied a place of central importance in both Titan Comics’ story arcs to date, and Shanks points out that corrupting ebon stone is a recurring motif in Robert E. Howard’s (non-Conan) stories. Shanks also traces the influence back to earlier writer Arthur Machen and his 1885 work The Novel of the Black Seal, which Howard is known to have read and enjoyed.

Cliffhanger endings intended to spur readers to buy the next issue are ubiquitous in both comics and the serialized pulp magazines before them. However, whereas the “Bound in Black Stone” story had a distinct beginning, middle, and end, “Thrice Marked for Death” is much less self-contained, to the story’s detriment. While I’m excited to find out what happens next, I suspect the incompleteness of this story will be frustrating to those who read Conan the Barbarian in graphic novel format rather than the monthly issues.

There’s much to be commended about Jim Zub’s handling of the Conan the Barbarian series, but simultaneously it feels like he’s already struggling with the four-issue story arc format. Issue 9 brings with it a new story arc and the return of “Bound in Black Stone” artist Roberto De la Torre, but perhaps it would have been better to give “Thrice Marked for Death” some additional issues and tell a more complete story rather than adhere to the (self-imposed?) four-issue arc structure. “Thrice Marked for Death” is an exciting ride that ends with a bang. But while the impulse to leave readers wanting more is understandable, some more resolution would have been appreciated in the story arc’s concluding issue.

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on February 13, 2024.

Conan the Barbarian #7

By Jim Zub (Writer) and Doug Braithwaite (Artist) – Titan Comics – February 7, 2024

Review by Robin Marx

When we last left Conan, he and his surviving comrades from the Gloryhounds were celebrating their narrow escape from the temple of Bel, God of Thieves. After a night of carousing, Conan and lissome rogue Chaundra the Chat tumbled into bed. As Conan the Barbarian issue 7 begins, however, Chaundra has undergone a startling transformation. The loquacious young woman has become a mute killer, with demonic aggression and strength that belies her slender frame. His life on the line, Conan has no choice but to dispatch his supernatural assailant. Battered and rattled, he stumbles out of the inn and into the streets, heading for the Gloryhounds’ secret hideout. As it has so often, his mind drifts back to reminiscences of his romance with slain pirate queen Bêlit, but he now finds his memories inexorably dragged into darker territory, warped recollections of events that never happened. It begins to dawn upon him that he and his fellows may have escaped the three spectres in Bel’s temple with their lives intact, but they emerged far from unscathed.

With this issue, the Conan the Barbarian “Thrice Marked for Death!” storyline begins sprinting towards its conclusion. This issue is full of both action and supernatural menace, giving both artist Doug Braithwaite and colorist Diego Rodriguez quite a workout. This is perhaps the goriest installment of Titan Comics’ Conan the Barbarian yet, with numerous limbs lopped and even a severed tongue. While dialogue is infrequent in this issue, Jim Zub’s breathless narration keeps pace with the artwork, highlighting Conan’s desperation as he struggles against formidable odds. Like all Cimmerian warriors, Conan’s is a life “measured in sword strokes,” writes Zub. It shines “bright and bloody.”

Appropriately enough, the accompanying Jeffrey Shanks essay explores Robert E. Howard’s use of horror in the original Conan stories. In Tolkien-style fantasy, magic and the supernatural tend to be inherent to the world. In Howard’s variety of sword & sorcery, however, he starts with a gritty, history-inspired setting where magic and monsters are “intrusive” elements. When the supernatural appears, something has gone deeply wrong and the protagonist is in mortal danger. This use of the otherworldly, of course, shares much with the horror genre. Howard’s blend of grounded settings with infrequent supernatural incursions made his stories a popular fixture of Weird Tales magazine and launched the sword & sorcery subgenre of fantasy, so it’s safe to say that this fantasy-horror mixture resonates with many readers. Zub’s work on the current Conan the Barbarian comic continues to carry the torch.

Conan the Barbarian issue 7 ends with quite a bombshell. While there’s only one issue left in the “Thrice Marked for Death!” storyline, it’s becoming clear that the effects of the cursed monolith introduced in the first “Bound in Black Stone” arc will continue to be felt in future issues as well. Issue 8 can’t come soon enough for this reader.

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