Brak the Barbarian Versus the Sorceress by John Jakes

The second book in John Jakes’ Conan tribute series continues Brak’s journey southward toward Khurdisan only to have his path forced into a side adventure by the powers that be.  Nordica is a beautiful sorceress intent on capturing Brak’s life force to further her own evil ends but just in case that isn’t enough, there is something deeper behind her sinister plot.  Events from previous stories converge as Brak finds himself in the lair of none other than the followers of Yob-Haggoth, the big bad of the series.  Brak’s old nemesis Septegundus as well as Ariane have prominent roles to play in this adventure as well.

I enjoyed this novel quite a bit more than the first book, probably because this was a single novel-length adventure (even though originally published in serial form) instead of a series of connected short stories. It allowed for much better character development and that “getting-to-know” Brak serves the series well.  I almost always enjoy these sorts of sword and planet adventure stories and am willing to overlook the occasional over-the-top writing or plot hole.  Jakes does a better job than most however and it was clear even back in 1963 that he would have a nice writing career ahead of him.

Brak the Barbarian by John Jakes

John Jakes, of course, is well known today for his popular historical fiction sagas such as the Kent Family Chronicles (Bicentennial series), the Crown Saga, and the North and South trilogy.  But before he turned to that genre he was a pretty successful science fiction and fantasy author.  As a great fan of Robert E. Howard, Jakes began writing his first Brak the Barbarian story in the 1960s, a Conan pastiche and homage to Howard. 

Apparently it was fun to write so he continued on to write quite a few more. This volume contains five stories that cover a time when Brak journeyed from his birth place in the northern steppes towards the warm, rich lands of Khurdisan in the South.  But by the end of this volume, he still hadn't reached his goal and I have to wonder if he ever does make it.  I'll need to read the rest of the volumes to find out.  Regardless, this journey gives a great excuse for Brak and his broadsword to get mixed up in one wild and weird adventure after another. The stories here really do stand alone and only occasionally mention a character or location from a previous story. I believe I’ve read all of the available Conan stories by Howard and these stories are certainly written in the same vein, using a similar story-telling style.  Pure sword and sorcery adventure and fun to read.