This review originally appeared on Goodreads on November 12, 2013.

Stealer of Flesh

By William King – Self-Published – March 27, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

The first book in the Kormak Saga, Stealer of Flesh consists of four linked sword & sorcery novellas. While there is currently quite a glut of low-cost self-published fantasy ebooks, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the quality of this work.

The story focuses on the adventures of Kormak—a Guardian equipped with a dwarf-forged sword and monastic martial training—and his efforts to track down and destroy a demonic body-stealing Ghul. While Serious Guy Slays Monsters is well-trodden fantasy ground, I appreciated the execution. Setting details and other exposition aren't presented to the reader in big info dumps, but rather handed out a tidbit at a time. Not much is disclosed about either the Guardians or their Ghul enemies, but what is revealed is interesting. And while at first glance Kormak himself could come across as a grim two-dimensional character, King fleshes him out in a subtle and interesting manner. Despite his heroic drive, there are a number of instances where Kormak questions his own motives and whether or not his quest has a point at all. And despite his apparent monk-like dedication to his cause, it doesn't take too much pushing for him to dally with women he'd be best off avoiding. There's more to both the world and the protagonist than what's revealed at first glance.

I also enjoyed the linked novella format. Compared to other fantasy subgenres, sword & sorcery lends itself extremely well to shorter formats. King doesn't draw things out to fill out page count; he sets up an interesting premise and immediately gets down to business. My only complaint is (view spoiler), but the concluding story was extremely satisfying, even if the ending was a little abrupt.

I'm not as familiar with the current sword & sorcery authors as I am with the classic ones, but King strikes me as a writer to watch. I look forward to reading more Kormak tales.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on March 21, 2021.

Season of Storms

By Andrzej Sapkowski, David French (Translator) – Orbit – May 22, 2018

Review by Robin Marx

Season of Storms was written after the main series of Witcher novels but set before most of Geralt’s adventures. I’m reading these books in terms of their internal chronology rather than the order of publication. While I got the sense that there were some Easter Eggs left for fans who had read the other books, the story stood well enough on its own.

The plot itself was sort of a reverse Picaresque. Geralt is perhaps the most moral and scrupulous figure in the story, and he’s thrown about by the lies and manipulations of the corrupt people and authorities around him. He’s framed for a crime, railroaded through court proceedings, and has his swords—the instruments of his trade—stolen from him. He just wants to be left alone, but the politicians and mages around him see a tool they can use to further their own schemes.

It took me a while to notice, but despite the magic and monsters, Season of Storms doesn’t have a typical fantasy novel plot. It has a noir plot. It’s all there. The protagonist is cynical and tarnished but still abides by a code. There is a femme fatale. The cops (er, “town guard”) are the biggest gang around. The ruling class run roughshod over the commoners without a care for the collateral damage. Loyalties and motives are uncertain, and the plot takes a number of twists and turns.

Season of Storms was a fun and exciting read, and I look forward to continuing the series.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on January 15, 2013.

Brak the Barbarian / Mark of the Demons

By John Jakes – Open Road Media – July 31, 2012

Review by Robin Marx

Brak the Barbarian was part of the late 1960s resurgence in the popularity of sword & sorcery and Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories. While the series enjoyed a certain degree of popularity as paperback releases, they've been difficult to find for the past 15-20 years, making this e-book release especially welcome. This volume collects the Brak the Barbarian and Mark of the Demons novels, as well as a pair of bonus Brak short stories. The first Brak the Barbarian book is more of a short story anthology than a novel, however.

While John Jakes has apparently become a very successful Civil War-related historical fiction novelist, his Brak stories have never struck me as being particularly well-loved within the sword & sorcery genre. They were created at a time when hordes of writers were churning out cheap and cheerful barbarian stories to take advantage of Conan's paperback popularity. As a result, my expectations for this book weren't particularly high. In the end I was pleasantly surprised, though.

The premise is fairly simple. Brak is a blonde barbarian from the northern steppes. His goal is to reach the fabled city of Khurdisan in the far south. Why he's headed there isn't made very clear, but it doesn't have to be. Brak is the kind of guy who picks a direction and sets off. In his debut story he falls afoul of Septegundus, a dark wizard in league with the evil god Yob-Haggoth. While he defeats Septegundus, the dying foe swears an oath to plague Brak during his travels.

The stories are a bit formulaic. Brak comes to a new location and either encounters some people in need or falls into trouble himself. While extricating himself from the predicament he usually comes into conflict with evil magic or some manner of monster. There's often a femme fatale. In the beginning stories it's almost comical; Brak meets a number of untrustworthy men, but the women are almost invariably gorgeous and evil to the core. Were I Brak, I probably would've buried my broadsword in the head of every beauty I encountered, rather than be betrayed, tortured, or imprisoned any further. Still, this seemed less like misogyny on the part of the author than overuse of a favorite story trope.

While the stories follow a basic pattern, there's enough variation on the theme that I remained interested throughout. The setting is vaguely outlined and the characters aren't especially deep, but there are occasional flashes of brilliance: a particularly original monster or magic curse. And while Brak himself didn't seem to have much of an internal life (his goals tended to be fairly immediate, and spent much of his time reacting to threats than formulating his own plans), he was more than just a carbon copy of Conan. Unlike many pseudo-Conans I've encountered, Brak was more fallible—combat didn't always go his way—and he was more emotional as well. He's openly terrified by some of the monsters he runs into, and he's driven to sob by some of the more trying or tragic circumstances he endures as well.

While Brak and his adventures aren't quite distinctive enough to earn a place among sword & sorcery's classics, they were a fun read. Perhaps the best way to describe them is “solid.” Not startling or breathtaking, but well-constructed and without major flaws. I'd recommend newcomers to the genre look elsewhere, but if you're already acquainted with sword & sorcery and have already read through the top-tier stories, Brak the Barbarian is a worthwhile, satisfying read.

★★★☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on March 29, 2015.

Spawn of Dyscrasia

By S.E. Lindberg – IGNIS Publishing – July 28, 2014

Review by Robin Marx

Sequel to Lords of Dyscrasia, Spawn of Dyscrasia carries over all of the strengths of the first book and none of its flaws.

The world portrayed in this novel remains every bit as strange and intriguing. Powered by blood magic, undead sorcerer-king Lord Lysis continues to rule his corner of the world, and his adopted insect hybrid “son” Echo has matured considerably. Spawn of Dyscrasia focuses on what happens when Lysis encounters a threat to his kingdom, and the growing pains—figurative and literal—experienced by Echo when he comes into contact with this mysterious interloper.

While fascinating, the god-like Lysis proved to be a difficult character to relate to in the first book. Thankfully, Spawn introduces Helen, a healer/attendant serving Echo, as the primary viewpoint character. While far from average herself, she provides a much more human perspective on the events in the story.

The prose as a whole was much stronger in this book. Here the author displayed the confidence to allow the exciting passages in the story stand on their own, rather than be highlighted with onomatopoeia and abundant exclamation points. The motivations of Lysis, Doctor Grave, and Echo still remained a little obscure, but this time I got the sense that it was due to their alien natures, rather than a lack of communication on the author's part.

The only real issue I had with this book is that it feels like the middle volume in a trilogy. While there is a climax, Spawn doesn't so much conclude as stop once the chess board has been set up for the finale. That being said, I was left eager to see what happens next, especially with respect to the illusive Doctor Grave.

Spawn of Dyscrasia is that rare sequel that exceeds its predecessor. It doesn't quite stand on its own, however; readers will need familiarity with the first book in order to understand the events of the second. Hopefully the author will release a revised version of Lords of Dyscrasia someday, now that he's grown so much as a writer.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 14, 2021.

Whetstone: Amateur Magazine of Sword and Sorcery Issue One

Edited by Jason Ray Carney – Spiral Tower Press – June 12, 2020

Review by Robin Marx

While some of the stories are a little rough, for the first issue of a free amateur fantasy magazine Whetstone makes an impressively strong showing.

The issue puts its best foot forward with “The Wizard’s Demise” by Géza A. G. Reilly. While the premise is a fairly simple perspective reversal of the “barbarian stalks an evil sorcerer” premise, it’s cleverly written and just plain fun.

“The Temple of Vanas” by Kieran Judge is another highlight, with some nice twists, a paranoid feel, an a tough heroine.

D. M. Ritzlin’s “Undying Thirst for Vengeance” reads like a fantasy episode of The Twilight Zone. It has some excellent sword & sorcery names, too: Fanzubibar, Flargesht, Nilztiria.

While not every story took my breath away, there was at the very least something interesting about each of them. Some of the authors may lack experience, but even if one of this issue’s stories didn’t quite land right I was left looking forward to future work by them. It’s great seeing contemporary sword & sorcery fiction being promoted and new talent being cultivated, and this inaugural issue left me excited about subsequent installments.

★★★☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on July 3, 2022.

Hag of the Hills

By J.T.T Ryder – Old World Heroism – March 1, 2022

Review by Robin Marx

Set on the Isle of Skye around 200 BC, this heroic fantasy novel tells the story of Brennus, a young man who, stifled by pastoral village life, wishes to follow in the martial footsteps of his late father. He has an encounter with the titular Hag of the Hills, a wicked sidhe who promises that his wish will come true—but at a cost. Brennus' life is immediately thrown into chaos as mysterious invaders sweep across the island. He manages to survive the initial onslaught, but a doomed druid's final wish saddles him with a heavy burden.

This novel is exciting and action-packed, featuring plenty of both ancient warfare and bizarre encounters with the supernatural. The author has an archaeological background, and that clearly has enriched the story. Ancient Celtic customs and religion feature prominently; oaths possess an inviolable importance for the characters in the story and slaves are casually sacrificed to the gods in an effort to seek their favor. While the characters presented are largely relatable, I appreciated the occasionally alien mindset revealed by their actions.

First in a duology, this book tells a fairly self-contained story, but certain framing passages hint about a larger, more epic tale. I look forward to reading the forthcoming sequel.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 21, 2012.

The Blade Itself

By Joe Abercrombie – Pyr – September 6, 2007

Review by Robin Marx

This is the best recent fantasy story I've read in years. However, while it hearkens back to the grim earthiness and visceral action of the sword & sorcery tales I love, it perpetuates one of the most obnoxious trends in modern fantasy: the trilogy.

It was vehement criticism that attracted me to this book, oddly enough. Some fantasy fans seem to consider Joe Abercrombie the vanguard of a fantasy sub-genre they've dubbed “the new nihilism.” His books are bad because they're morally ambiguous. His characters are flawed, often in very nasty ways. “Nobles” tend not to be. There's a lot of gore. Unlike a lot of recent fantasy, he presents a world that's ugly and stinks and people shit and sometimes die for very little reason at all. I read all this criticism and thought “Sign me up!”

The characters were great. He takes archetypes (a dashing noble, an uncultured barbarian with a rough code of honor) and subverts them. They have flaws. Not Hollywood flaws, superficial quirks, but some pretty massive defects. “They're not people I'd want to be in the same room with” seems to be a frequent complaint. I can understand that, I probably wouldn't SURVIVE being in the same room with them. But what they are is interesting, in a way that is unfortunately uncommon in a lot of recent fantasy.

The action—and there's a lot of it—was also pretty exhilarating. Visceral in the truest, chunkiest sense of the word. Combat is an ugly, desperate thing, and if it takes groin-kicking and eye-gouging to get our heroes through a fight, well, those are tactics they don't think twice about adopting.

However, while I was thoroughly engrossed by the characters, their exploits, and the presentation, I was still left vaguely disappointed by the end of the book. I considered knocking down my rating another star, but in the end I went with the higher rating because this book was such a rush to read. The biggest issue that this book has is that it's the first volume of a trilogy. For marketing reasons, fantasy publishers just love trilogies, so everything has to be drawn out into several installments. I enjoy revisiting interesting characters and settings for further adventures, but it's disappointing when a book fails to stand on its own. This volume is a third of the story. The plot is basically introducing the characters and getting them in position, and while I loved the ride, it bothered me when I realized that this was 530 pages of Abercrombie taking out the pieces and setting up the chess board. It's clear that he's headed in an awesome direction, and the author has earned enough of my trust for me to add the rest of his work to my to-buy list, but it's disappointing that this book wasn't more self-contained.

Still, my primary objection is something that probably doesn't bother most fantasy readers. I'd recommend this for fans of George R.R. Martin, David Gemmell (the closest example I can think of), and Robert E. Howard. (If only Abercrombie had Howard's ability to tell epic tales succinctly!) If you like clean-smelling fantasy with honor and romance, you're going to have a bad time.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 17, 2021.

The Disfavored Hero

By Jessica Amanda Salmonson – Ace Books – January 1, 1981

Review by Robin Marx

While I found the idea of a female samurai sword & sorcery protagonist appealing, I was a bit let down by the book itself.

The book starts off strong. Tomoe finds herself under the sway of an evil not-Chinese sorcerer, who compels her to join a demon horde and slaughter thousands of her former master’s warriors. She manages to free herself from this magical influence, but the damage is done: her master is slain and her honor as a samurai besmirched. She goes off on a journey to restore her good name.

Unfortunately, the book that follows is largely directionless and disjointed. It’s more of a sequence of events than a cohesive narrative. Tomoe is afflicted by a curse early on in the story that gets resolved about halfway through the story, and the book concludes with a duel with the shogun’s champion, who she encounters early on (not that there’s much of a dramatic build towards this duel, or a sense of inevitability), but there’s not really a driving plot. Tomoe wanders and experiences strange events involving magic and monsters.

The decision to set the book in an alternate world is a strange one. I suppose setting the story in “Naipon” rather than Nippon offers some cover for inaccuracies and allows license to do a “good bits version” of historical Japan. But Tomoe is a historical (if mythologized) figure and real world locations and religions are used, rather than fictionalized substitutes. Real Japanese terms appear frequently throughout, if occasionally misspelled or misused. Characters sometimes have names that would be unpronounceable in Japanese (“Noyimo”), and the western first name-last name order is used. I wished Salmonson had committed to either sticking close to the real Japan or taking a much freer hand with the source material. Her “Naipon” seems like a frustrating half-measure.

Published in 1981, this book is notable for using a non-Western fantasy setting and for having a lesbian heroine, but the plot wasn’t especially engaging.

★★☆☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on March 21, 2013.

Gardens of the Moon

By Steven Erikson – Tor Books – January 10, 2005

Review by Robin Marx

“Interesting” probably best summarizes this book. This was an incredibly dense, frustrating read, but it was interesting enough that I was compelled to stick with it. Although I still think there are some pretty major issues with this book, I'm glad I completed it.

This is not a very reader-friendly book. Erikson doesn't make much of an effort to clue the reader in on what's going on, and a lot of the story relies on reading between the lines. Every character has their own hidden agendas, and its even trickier when all their intrigues are taking place in a brick-sized “cast of thousands” style epic fantasy. At its worst, it's almost comical, with a number of scenes where unidentified characters meet with named (but completely new) characters, mumble some mysterious portents, and then leaves. After finishing each chapter I read the corresponding section on the TOR website's re-read series, that helped me grasp some of the more opaque bits. I'm usually a pretty fast reader, but I crawled through this book.

Fortunately, the second half of the book is much more engaging than the first. The action became a bit easier to follow, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't have trouble keeping track of all the characters introduced after the move to Darujhistan. As can be expected in the first volume in a lengthy series, this book mainly serves to get the ball rolling. However, enough happens that it still feels like this book has its own plot arc, with a beginning, middle, and end. In the second half, Erikson cuts back a bit on the bricklaying and finally starts to have some fun with things, presenting some pretty exciting scenes. This served as the dessert to the first half of the book's interminable vegetable buffet. The conclusion really opened things up, making me excited about where the series is headed. It was nice that there was some reward for muddling through, I wasn't sure any was forthcoming.

This book (and apparently the series as a whole, from what I've read) is reminiscent of Glen Cook's Black Company and Dread Empire series. The scale is epic, and focuses on both the primary movers and shakers as well as a more humble group of soldiers. Also like Cook's stories, the tone is a tad on the grim side, with lots of moral ambiguity and a lack of a clear delineation between good and evil. That suits me just fine, but some fantasy readers prefer lighter fare. Those readers aren't going to like this book.

Fans of the series praise the author's mason-like plot-building skills, where vague hints and throwaway lines get a big pay-off later on, often in subsequent volumes. That's fine, I respect cleverness and attention to detail, but there's something to be said for readability. Reviews for this book seem to be pretty polarized, with unsatisfied readers who couldn't get through it and others that struggled with this volume, but came to appreciate it a great deal more after reading the rest of the series. I'm hoping I'll be able to join the ranks of the second group of readers, since the ambitious scope of this series is appealing. I like the direction hinted at towards the end of the book, and I've purchased the second volume in the series. However, I think I'm going to read something less challenging for the next book or two.

★★★☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on November 4, 2015.

Lords of Dyscrasia

By S.E. Lindberg – IGNIS Publishing – July 7, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

While Lords of Dyscrasia benefits from an extremely original setting and intense, driving action, my enjoyment was hindered by some storytelling issues.

The premise is an interesting one. We're introduced to Endenken Lysis, who rules an unusual tribe afflicted with Dyscrasia, an imbalance of the humors that has resulted in a long history of birth defects and mutations within the society. An epic struggle results when Endenken refuses to play his preordained role in a mystic ritual, instead coming to the aid of a fleeing woman from the outside. Complications ensue and Endenken soon finds himself undead and infused with necromantic magic, caught in a struggle between two ancient divinities.

Rather than high or low fantasy, the book has a particularly mythic feel. There's not much introspection or even dialogue, the bulk of it focuses on the epic deeds of larger than life figures (most undead). The downside to this approach is that it felt like the characters were ciphers. Apart from the immediate aim (e.g., “strike down this enemy”), their overall goals or motives were frequently hard to ascertain.

The setting was very fresh and interesting (some of it reminded me of Tanith Lee, minus the eroticism but with the gruesome dialed to maximum), but likewise rendered in broad strokes. This is seen frequently in the sword & sorcery sub genre, where intriguing names and concepts are touched upon but usually not elaborated in detail. While this is a perfectly valid storytelling approach, the amount of setting-specific jargon in the text left me feeling confused for much of the book. While it was possible to “go with the flow” for most of the narrative, I think the reliance on insufficiently explained terms kept the central plot (including a betrayal by a supporting character) from having the intended impact. When you have two opposing characters spouting bewildering dialog at each other, it's difficult to appreciate the stakes underlying their conflict.

Surprisingly, the book concluded with a detailed glossary and dramatis personae. Tucked away in the back of the ebook, this appendix obviously did me no good while reading the story, but it did manage to clear away a lot of the confusion lingering after the narrative ended. While it would have been nice to know about this glossary before reading the book (the Table of Contents only—unhelpfully—marks this section as an “Index”), it would have been even better if this background had been better incorporated into the text itself as terms are introduced.

Finally, while the action scenes are plentiful and exciting (a blade that slices through bone while leaving flesh intact; how cool is that?), there's an almost comical over-reliance on exclamation points in the second half of the book. The prose was strong enough to stand on its own, the constant exclamation points felt like having somebody poking me at the movie theater, saying “This is the cool part!” every few moments. I can see that it's cool, no need to jab me.

While the storytelling issues hindered my enjoyment of the book, I respect its ambition, originality, and exciting action a great deal. Parts confused and frustrated me, but I was never bored. I think most of my issues can be chalked up to a first-time novelist finding his footing, and look forward to reading the second Dyscrasia novel.

★★★☆☆

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