The Fortunes of Brak by John Jakes

John Jakes is well known as the best-selling author of such grand historical fiction series as the Kent Family Chronicles (The Bicentennial series), the North and South trilogy, the Crown Family Saga, and several others.  He was a perineal chart topper of the 1970s and 80s and most of his works seemed destined to be adapted as TV mini-series. But fewer people know that his writing career began in the science fiction and fantasy arena.

Brak the Barbarian is John Jakes’ tribute to the great Robert E. Howard and specifically to the Conan stories.  Jakes wrote these stories in a similar style but perhaps a little more modernized. They are slightly more politically correct than the original Conan stories with the damsels still being in distress but not always quite so dependent on the strong male to rescue them.  Evil magicians, swashbuckling sword fights, narrow escapes…you get the idea.

The Brak series includes both novels as well as short stories.  This particular title is a collection of 5 stories, all of which were first published in various magazines and anthologies:

"Devils in the Walls" (from Fantastic Stories of Imagination v. 12, no. 5, May 1963)

"Ghoul's Garden" (from Flashing Swords! #2, Sep. 1973)

"The Girl in the Gem" (from Fantastic Stories of Imagination v. 14, no. 1, Jan. 1965)

"Brak in Chains" (originally "Storm in a Bottle," from Flashing Swords! #4: Barbarians and Black Magicians, Spring 1977)

"The Mirror of Wizardry" (from Worlds of Fantasy v. 1, no. 1, Sep. 1968)

These stories are not world-changing, thought-provoking, pieces of art, nor are they meant to be. They are, however, fun stories to read and I recommend them to those who enjoy pulp-era sword and sorcery.

Flashing Swords! 2 (Lin Carter - editor)

From the 1960’s on into the 1980’s, a group of fantasy authors participated in a somewhat loosely organized association they called “Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America” or SAGA. It was an informal group begun by Lin Carter and meant to promote the appreciation of the sword and sorcery sub-genre of fantasy fiction. This book collects four long stories by the group’s members, all of which depict their own on-going series characters:

1) “The Rug and the Bull” by L. Sprague de Camp features a Pusadian tale

2) “The Jade Man’s Eyes” by Michael Moorcock features his anti-hero, Elric

3) “Toads of Grimmerdale” by Andre Norton, a Witch World story

4) “Ghoul’s Garden” by John Jakes, a Brak the Barbarian entry

All four stories were good ones even though I hadn’t read any of the larger works by several of these authors. I suppose if I had read some Witch World before, for example, I might have appreciated the characters, the settings, the lore, etc. even more. But as it was they all worked sufficiently for those readers who have no prior anchor points. My favorite of them all was the Brak story, perhaps because I have read those. These are iconic series and characters and I enjoyed the chance to sample those that were new to me.

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.