Audiobook Showcase: Elric - The Citadel of Forgotten Myths

Time flies, doesn’t it? It’s already the fourth and final (for now at least) Sword & Sorcery Audiobook Showcase Monday. Week 1 was Conan: Blood of the Serpent, Week 2 was Savage Realms Monthly, Week 3 was Weird Tales #366 – Sword & Sorcery Issue, and for this last installment, I’ve chosen Michael Moorcock’s latest Elric book, The Citadel of Forgotten Myths. It was published December 6^th, 2022 in print, eBook, and audiobook on Audible. It is narrated by Samuel Roukin.

Here is the book’s official synopsis: “Elric along with his companion Moonglum return, in this prequel set within the early days of Elric’s wanderings, in order to investigate the history of Melniboné and its dragons, known as the Phroon, in this exciting new addition to the Elric Saga from World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Moorcock.

Elric is the estranged emperor of the Melnibonéan empire, struggling with his nature while desperately striving to move forward with his dying empire alongside the constant thirst of his soul-sucking sword, Stormbringer. Elric is on the hunt for the great Citadel of Forgotten Myths while traveling through the remnants of his empire with his tragic best friend Moonglum, as Elric seeks the answers to the nature of the phroon of The Young Kingdoms. Taking place between the first and second book in the Elric Saga, The Citadel of Forgotten Myths is perfect for longtime fans and those new to this epic fantasy series.”

This was my first foray into Elric’s world and my first Michael Moorcock book. I debated whether to start with the first volume in the Elric series on audiobook which collects a bunch of short stories and novellas from the ‘60s and ‘70s, but opted for this freshly-minted tome instead. From what I’d gleaned on the internet, it was a prequel of sorts and did not require having read the previous books or being familiar with the character to enjoy Citadel. The audiobook is 12 hours and 35 minutes in length, and the print version is 336 pages. The book is divided in three parts—Book One: How Elric Pursued His Weird into the Far World, Book Two: How Elric Discovered an Unpleasant Kinship, and Book Three: In Which Our Heroes Discover a Lost Past.

From the get-go, I really enjoyed Elric as a character; he’s flawed, weird, addicted like a junkie to his soul-taking sword (Stormbringer) and is kind of an anti-hero. The first two stories are reprints from a few years ago. They run about 90 minutes each (roughly 55 pages each for the print version) and are fast-paced Sword & Sorcery tales. They were easy to follow and it gave me a good sense of what Elric and his world were about. The third story, which to my knowledge is a new entry, is in fact a short novel running at about 9 hours in length (roughly 225 pages in print from what I gather). And this is where it goes downhill. I found it bloated, way too long for its own good. It dragged in more than a few places, so much so that I lost track of what was going on a couple of times. A tighter edit—cutting a good two hours worth (about 100 pages)—would’ve helped the pacing and made a better novel. As it stands, in my humble opinion, it feels self-indulgent and overly complex when it doesn’t need to be. It does end in a good way though, but by that point, I was just looking forward to it being over. And since we’re focusing on the audiobook here, the narrator, Samuel Roukin, must be commended for his fantastic reading of the entire book. The different accents for various characters and the tone he used really brought the words to life and made it less of a chore to get through the third story.

Vintage 1977 Cover Art

All in all, I’m still glad I picked up The Citadel of Forgotten Myths because I got to discover how cool of a character Elric of Melniboné is. In shorter form, this is engaging Sword & Sorcery and I wish I would’ve started with the lengthier (20 plus hours in length) first volume as those tales were written during Moorcock’s prime and I believe that might also have something to do with it. I can already hear the hardcore Elric/Moorcock fans calling me a blasphemer for saying this, but experiencing an author in the final stretch of his/her career isn’t the same as when they’re starting out, young, wild and full of fantastic ideas. Will I be going along for another adventure with Elric? Probably not even though I think I’d enjoy the other books a lot more. I’ve gotten a sample, and while it wasn’t great, that’s good enough for me. I have too many books I’d rather read/listen to and not enough time for it all. I’ll allocate that precious time to other characters and authors instead. As far as recommendation goes; if you’re a long-time fan of Elric and/or Michael Moorcock, by all means, do grab this book/audiobook as I’m sure you’ll enjoy it probably more than I did. If you haven’t tasted Elric yet, then I think starting from the beginning would be a wiser decision. I do believe I might enjoy it more in the future whenever I’ll get around to listening to it for a second time.

Rating: Three stars out of five

Get your copy on Audible 

Musings: Lord Mountain – The Oath

Lord Mountain hails from Santa Rosa, California. Although the quartet has been around for a number of years, The Oath is their first LP, following their self-titled EP in 2016. The album was released last Friday via Santa Fe, New Mexico’s psych/doom/occult rock label King Volume Records. This debut is as solid as they come, a perfect concoction of old school doom and traditional heavy metal.

With “Well of Fates”, a high fantasy Sword & Sorcery epic begins. Hail the riff! From the get-go, we get a late ‘70s Sabbath/early ‘80s metal vibe. Jesse Swanson’s vocals lead the assault amid pummeling drums coursing throughout the tune and peppered with terrific guitar solos. “The Giant” is a slower number, a powerful doomy track with stellar musical execution from everyone involved. “Beyond the Frozen Sea” is a short and quiet instrumental as seems to be more and more frequent on albums these days. It’s good but it could’ve simply been included as an intro in the next song without making it its own track. “The Last Crossing” is a moderate tempo track that turns bassy and gloomy at the bridge. Old school doom at its best! “Chasm of Time” is my favourite song on The Oath. It’s like a battle cry, it pushes onward head-on as the story moves forward. Great stuff! We arrive at the third act with “The Sacrifice”, a first-rate tune with exceptional duel guitar playing. It has a melody that sticks with you. Shit’s about to go down at the “Serpent Temple”! A highlight of the LP for the storytelling alone. The conclusion comes with song number 8, the title track, featuring a brilliant bassline and a superb guitar solo to end the quest on a powerful note.

Fans of all eras of Black Sabbath, Pentagram, and ‘80s metal in general will find something to cheer about with The Oath. The Sword & Sorcery fan in me really enjoyed the ongoing storytelling aspect of the album. It feels like a mini audiobook at times, played against a backdrop of dazzling doomy metal music. Lord Mountain shows they are lords of the doom mountain with this stunning debut.

Lord Mountain on Bandcamp: https://lordmountain1.bandcamp.com/music 

Audiobook Showcase: Weird Tales #366 – Sword & Sorcery Issue

Happy Monday! Time for the third installment of my Sword & Sorcery Audiobook Showcase series. Week 1 was Conan: Blood of the Serpent, Week 2 was Savage Realms Monthly, and for Week 3, I decided to shine a light on the magazine that started it all, way back in 1922: Weird Tales. It’s incredible that it’s been around for a century, even if there were a few gaps in years of publication. One hundred years worth of stories in various iterations with numerous editors, a plethora of authors and artists who have graced the magazine’s pages and given us countless memorable tales. After all this time, Weird Tales still stands strong and features New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry at the helm as editor.

Weird Tales was rebooted in the summer of 2019 with issue number 363. For the uninitiated, Weird Tales covers the genres of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and anything that falls under the category of weird. Since their reboot, the magazine has kept the tradition of bringing us the best short stories in genre fiction as well as non-fiction articles. This particular issue is a special Sword & Sorcery issue featuring tales of blood, magic, and steel by masters of the craft. You’ll find stories, essays, and poetry by some of today’s best purveyors of the genre. Since the detailed contents aren’t listed on their site/Amazon, here’s a complete rundown of what you’ll find in the Audible version of the magazine. The major difference between the print and audiobook versions is that due to some copyright issues, they weren’t able to include the Michael Moorcock preview chapter taken from his recently published Elric Saga book The Citadel of Forgotten Myths.

Table of Contents

“The Eyrie”, a foreword by Jonathan Maberry

“Cold Ice, Red Blood”, a short story by Kevin J. Anderson

“An Interview with Michael Moorcock” by Weston Ochse

“On Michael Moorcock”, an essay by Neil Gaiman

“Guardian of the Sapphire Sword”, a short story by Greg Cox

“Maid of Steel”, a short story by Dana Fredsti & David Fitzgerald

“Temm the Riven”, a short story by Brian W. Matthews

“Three Winters”, a short story by James A. Moore

“Misbegotten”, a short story by Marguerite Reed

“The Warrior’s Way”, an excerpt from Lord of the Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones

“Hunting the Winter Witch”, a short story by Greg Mollin

“A Word Before the Ice Wars”, flash fiction/poetry by Bruce Boston

“Bard”, flash fiction/poetry by Teel James Glenn

“The Gates of Katharion”, flash fiction/poetry by Maxwell I. Gold

“The Girl Speaks to the Mage”, flash fiction/poetry by Jane Yolen

“Sword and Sorcery: Weird Tales and Beyond”, an essay by Charles R. Rutledge

The content is fantastic from top to bottom. A definite highlight apart from the terrific stories is Charles R. Rutledge’s essay on Sword and Sorcery: it’s jam-packed with info and notes on essential authors/works that deserve to be read. I’m not a fan of poetry/flash fiction but the pieces included go by fast and there are only a few of them. I enjoyed all the short stories except one: “Hunting the Winter Witch” for the simple reason that it is written in present tense. I can’t stand stories/novels written in present tense. In my humble opinion, it creates a false sense of urgency and it just sounds awful. Too bad, because otherwise, written in past tense, it would’ve been a great story. It only runs about ten minutes, so no biggie.

Issue #363

Speaking of length, this audio version of Weird Tales lasts seven hours and thirteen minutes, so you get your money’s or Audible credit’s worth. Almost every story is narrated by a different narrator featuring the cream of the crop of narrators, including Simon Vance, Dion Graham, Steve West, Natalie Naudus, Peter Berkrot, and Hillary Huber to name a few. They all do a splendid job of bringing the stories to life. Weird Tales struck a deal with Blackstone Publishing in late 2021 and they now have access to the industry’s finest book narrators. It raises the production value of this collection tremendously.

Vintage Cover Art from September 1934

Weird Tales continues to thrive in its second century of existence. Issue 366 features a broad tapestry of fiction and non-fiction and is sure to satisfy the most avid fan of Sword & Sorcery. If you enjoy short fiction in the genre of S&S, then don’t hesitate to pick up this latest issue, you’ll be glad you did. Here’s hoping we get another special Sword & Sorcery issue in the near future. Kudos to Weird Tales for producing their magazine in audio format. I’ll see you all next Monday for the fourth episode of my Sword & Sorcery Audiobook Showcase series.

Rating: Five stars out of five

Get your copy on Audible

Weird Tales’ Official Website 

Musings: Lüger - Revelations of the Sacred Skull

Lüger was born in 2013 from the ashes of local garage punk youngsters Jimmy Target & The Triggers. They return with their savage brand of rock ‘n’ roll, punk, and heavy metal for their upcoming LP, Revelations of the Sacred Skull, the follow-up to their 2018 debut Hellraisers of the Waste and their 2020 EP Cosmic Horrör. Along with Cauchemar and Metalian, Lüger is part of my favourite unholy trio of metal bands from my hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I was stoked when they got signed to Heavy Psych Sounds for this new album. They’ve really come into their own with this LP, a perfect blend of vicious metal, punk, and hard rock. Lüger features Jim Laflamme on vocals and guitar, Alex Bigras on lead guitar, Hugo Desmarais on drums and synths, and Frank Mackin on bass and backing vocals.

Revelations of the Sacred Skull is a concept album of sorts, an urban spaghetti western dipped in the occult and heavy metal with punk flourishes. “Black Acid”, the second single, gets the ball rolling—a high-octane track where frontman Laflamme channels Rob Zombie’s long-lost cousin on vocals. It’s an infectious tune with fiery guitars. “Motörcity Hellcats” was the first single and a great pick it was—a catchy song with punk roots loaded with cool riffs. “Night of the Serpent Woman” would be a great title for a Sword & Sorcery tale! It’s traditional metal at its best, at once both hypnotic and energetic. The titular “Sacred Skull” worships at the church of Sabbath, building up to a boiling point until it kicks your ass—a standout track. The next two tracks, “Filthy Streets” and “Toxic Sludge” work as a one-two punch combo—two solid bass-heavy, hard rock/metal cuts with blistering guitars reminiscent of Motörhead. “Vipère”, French for “viper”, follows; a percussion-driven instrumental interlude that would be right at home in a spaghetti western or a ‘70s exploitation flick. “Bloodmoon” is a good song but is my least favourite track of the record; it gets a little too noisy for my taste at times, but has great guitar parts throughout. The curtain falls with “The Rise of Witchcraft”; its foreboding organ-tinted opening gives it a grand sound. A track that would be a good fit as soundtrack to a Dario Argento movie. A terrific song and a highlight of the album.

With Revelations of the Sacred Skull, Lüger demonstrates that they are a force to be reckoned with, pillaging the heavy metal scene with crafty lyrics and killer music to forge memorable songs. This new release is their most polished album yet, showing that they’ve really found their voice. Come February 5^th, don’t hesitate to pick up this bad boy and spend the rest of the month headbanging to the sound of fast and sleazy, acid-fueled riffs and melodies. Fans of Motörhead, Venom, and The Stooges will especially enjoy this stellar album. Play it loud!

Heavy Psych Sounds’ Bandcamp Page for Lüger: https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/l-ger-revelations-of-the-sacred-skull

Lüger on Bandcamp: https://lugerband.bandcamp.com/music 

Musings: Blackwülf – Thieves and Liars

Oakland, California’s Blackwülf are back with a vengeance with their upcoming Thieves and Liars LP available February 3^rd via the mighty Ripple Music. The quintet has been gone for almost five years and give us their first post-pandemic album, a worthy follow-up to 2018’s Sinister Sides.

The proceedings begin with the first single, “Shadows”, a kick-ass opener and one of the highlights of the album, featuring frontman Alex Cunningham channeling Ozzy at times backed up by scorching guitars and a sound reminiscent of Tool. “Seems to Me” has an old school heavy rock/metal vibe. “Killing Kind” with its Sabbathian opening riff lets us know that evil is looming. It’s got a catchy chorus and is an overall solid track. The title track, also the second single off of this record, is another terrific number: a fist-pumping kind of song. “Failed Resistance” builds momentum with its chugging rhythm and hypnotic percussion. “Psychonaut / Edge of Light” is the lengthiest track, running close to nine minutes. The vocals reminded me of Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach a bit. The bridge leads to a gorgeous acoustic second half that segues into the next track, “Mysteries of This”, which is less than a minute long. It’s a dreamy instrumental intro for the next song, the excellent “Brother”, the penultimate song. It’s short and sweet, energetic, and has just the right amount of wailing guitars. One of my absolute fave tracks on the LP. “Cries of A Dying Star” with its heavier tone and groovy rhythm closes out the set to end things on a strong note.

Blackwülf’s Thieves and Liars sees the band returning in top form. They’ve got the swagger to reach the top of the charts and after all those years together, they sound and feel like a well-oiled machine. Fans of doom, heavy rock, and metal will all find something to rave about with Thieves and Liars. It’s another solid outing from a band that consistently delivers the goods.

Ripple Music’s Blackwülf Bandcamp Page: https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/thieves-and-liars

Blackwülf on Bandcamp: https://blackwulfusa.bandcamp.com/music 

Audiobook Showcase: Savage Realms Monthly

It’s Monday so it’s time for the second installment of my Sword & Sorcery Audiobook Showcase series. After last week’s Conan Showcase, I thought I’d keep it in the same realm with a phenomenal magazine that was launched two years ago titled Savage Realms Monthly. Of the handful of magazines I’ve perused over the past two months, this one has completely won me over. It scores bonus points since it’s also available on Audible, which due to my increasingly poor eyesight has become my medium of choice to consume and collect books/magazines over the course of the past three years.

Savage Realms Monthly goes straight to the point: fantastic Sword & Sorcery tales every issue, every month (or almost every month). At the time of writing this, four issues are available on Audible and issue 17 has just been released in print and on Kindle. Hopefully they’ll get through the backlog and release them all on Audible! They feature up-and-coming as well as seasoned authors. The first issue has four stories, and every other one after offers three tales. In audio format, every issue runs between two to two and a half hours in length. It’s S&S at its best with thrilling tales of barbarians, sorcerers, monsters, magic, and epic clashes between good and evil. There’s one recurring author by the name of Willard Black who’s crafted a daring hero named Redgar that channels Robert E. Howard’s Conan. It’s always a treat to read Redgar’s ongoing adventures and worldbuilding. So far, every author has delivered the goods and there isn’t a single clunker in the first three issues. I haven’t had time to listen/read issue 4 yet, but I’m confident it’s just as great because they’d really nailed their recipe to a T by the third issue and the stories are always captivating.

Another cool thing is that you get a short interview with every writer in between stories which allows us to hear about what inspired them to write in the Sword & Sorcery genre and also get a glimpse of their process. A great book/magazine can easily be ruined in audio format if you don’t have a good narrator. Have no fear—every tale in every issue is expertly read and acted out by Moose Matson whose raspy voice fits the genre to perfection. His portrayal of the various characters and his cadence make every tale a joy to listen to.

Savage Realms Monthly has concocted an ideal formula for a Sword & Sorcery magazine. I hope they’ll be around for a very long time and that they’ll continue to produce audiobooks of each issue they put out as that is something that isn’t always easy to come by. Fans of classic Sword & Sorcery in the tradition of Robert E. Howard, Lin Carter, Clark Ashton Smith, and Michael Moorcock will find a lot to love with Savage Realms Monthly. Tune in next week for the third episode of Sword & Sorcery Audiobook Showcase.

Rating: Five stars out of five

Get your copy on Audible

Get the latest issue, number 17, in print or on Kindle

Musings: Love Gang - Meanstreak

First Musings column of the year and boy, are we off to a great start! I give you Love Gang, a hard rock/classic rock band with strong ‘70s vibes. Formed in 2015, the Denver, Colorado quartet will be unleashing their sophomore record, Meanstreak, via Heavy Psych Sounds Records on January 27^th.

Right off the bat, “Deathride” hits it out of the park: pure rock ‘n’ roll from the ‘70s time machine. A killer motorcycle tune with echoes of Deep Purple and a pinch of Sabbath’s “Paranoid”. It’s followed by the title track which was also the lead single of the album and it’s easy to see why: a head-bobbing song with a catchy chorus, riffs-a-plenty, and menacing rhythm section. “Bad News” keeps the fun going—let the good times roll! A groovy track with some great slide guitar. “Blinded by Fear”, the second single, has a cool build-up featuring a Hammond organ and is a solid track from start to finish. A war song that feels timeless and timely. “Shake this Feelin’” has got the band playing tight, providing us with another tune to make us want to sing along. “Headed Down to Mexico” is the longest cut, running at 6 minutes, and is another driving song, the storytelling kind. It turns into a smoky, bluesy instrumental for its latter third and is the perfect transition to the next song, “Same Ol’ Blues”. That little blues number is a beauty, featuring a lovely harmonica. They went and saved the best for last, in my humble opinion, as my pick for favourite track brings things to a close: “Fly Away”. It features a splendid guitar solo and wailing guitars; it’s just overall a perfect rock tune.

Love Gang have arrived! I love the sound of this band, no pun intended. They absolutely nail the old school hard rock sound of the glory days of classic rock. Their lyrics cover a broad range of topics, from serious matters to simple good times. The superb musicianship paired with Kam Wentworth’s raspy vocals make for an impeccable blend of rock ‘n’ roll. Twelve months from now, I’ll still be talking about Meanstreak. This is the first must-own record of 2023 and you should add it to your collection ASAP!

Heavy Psych Sounds’ Love Gang Bandcamp Page: https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/love-gang-meanstreak

Love Gang on Bandcamp: https://lovegangco.bandcamp.com/music 

Audiobook Showcase: Conan - Blood of the Serpent

Let’s do something fun to kick off the new year. Starting today, every Monday in January I’ll have a Sword & Sorcery Audiobook Showcase for you. And what could be better to get things going than the most legendary S&S character of all-time: Conan.

Conan: Blood of the Serpent marks the return of Conan and is the first in a new series chronicling the adventures of the beloved barbarian hero. The novel was released on December 13^th, 2022 in hardback, Kindle, and audiobook on Audible. Here is the book’s official synopsis: “The pulse-pounding return of Conan, the most iconic fantasy hero in popular culture, with a brand-new standalone novel by New York Times bestselling author S.M. Stirling, tied directly to the famous tales written by the legendary Robert E. Howard.

Conan the Barbarian, the world’s most famous fantasy hero, returns in an all-new novel tied directly to the famous works by his legendary creator, Robert E. Howard.

Set early in his life, Conan has left his northern homeland to cut a bloody swath across the legendary Hyborian Age. A mercenary, a soldier, a thief, and a pirate, he faces conquering armies, malicious sorcerers, and monstrous creatures—against which he wields only the sword held in his powerful grasp.

A superstar of novels, short fiction, comics, video games, films, and an upcoming Netflix series, his adventures have inspired many of the most popular authors of the 20th and 21st centuries. This is the first in a series of brand-new, standalone adventures.”

There’s been a rebirth of Sword & Sorcery stories and novels in recent years, and over the course of the last couple of weeks, I’ve really delved deep into the new magazines and ezines to peruse what the new crop of authors has to offer. Let me tell you, it’s a lot of fun! It has actually inspired me to get back to writing short stories in this genre that I’ve never written in before. I’m familiar with Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories and have enjoyed them for decades, but outside of that and some now public domain stories published in Weird Tales over the years, this is a genre I’m ready to discover and want to immerse myself in completely. From Moorcock’s Elric to Dungeons & Dragons, to Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, to the new wave of S&S stories and novels out there, these are exciting times to be a Sword & Sorcery fan.

I grew up in the ‘80s where S&S movies and cartoons reigned supreme. To this day, John Milius’s Conan the Barbarian (1982) remains one of my top ten favourite movies of all-time. I adore Ralph Bakshi’s animated classics Lord of the Rings (1978) and Fire and Ice (1983), I used to watch cartoons like Thundarr the Barbarian (1980-1981) and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-1985) religiously after school and on Saturday mornings. I’ve always been a big fan of those cheesy ‘80s Sword & Sorcery flicks with gorgeous VHS box artwork such as Deathstalker (1983), The Beastmaster (1982), Sorceress (1982), Dragonslayer (1981), Red Sonja (1985), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), and Conquest (1983) to name a few.

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan

I first got into Conan as a kid via Marvel Comics’ glorious ‘70s/’80s series by the fantastic duo of writer/artist Roy Thomas and John Buscema. Then I saw the Schwarzenegger movie and, as a teenager, went on to read L. Sprague de Camp and Robert Jordan’s Conan novels of the eighties. It’s only much later that I would seek out Robert E. Howard’s original Conan tales, which to me represent the very best the genre has to offer. This new book, Blood of the Serpent, is the first new Conan story in nearly twenty years, so it has a lot of fans eager to dive back into the beloved Cimmerian’s world. Chosen for the task is New York Times bestselling author S.M. Stirling of Novels of The Change (Emberverse) fame. I wasn’t familiar with him or his work, but regardless, I was excited to read/listen to his interpretation of my favourite barbarian. First things first, while the cover art is pretty nice, I dearly miss those old school Frank Frazetta and other artists’ vintage covers featuring a larger than life Conan alongside a variety of rogues, snakes, wizards, and scantily-clad women on them. I get that this is supposed to be a more modern, politically correct take on Conan, but to me, it takes away some of the joy of the packaging, even if it’s a digital audiobook and not an actual hardcover book that I’m purchasing.

To position this tale in the grand scheme of things, it takes place shortly before Howard’s beloved Red Nails novella, one of his absolute best Conan stories. Blood of the Serpent leads into it—in fact, Red Nails is included as a bonus novella in the hardback edition, not in the audiobook version though. No matter; I have the awesome BrokenSea Audio Productions audiobook from over a decade ago to fulfill my audio needs for that particular story. I encourage you to seek it as it’s well worth your time (you can find it on YouTube and on Archive.org). Anyhow, let’s talk about Blood of the Serpent. Is it any good, you ask? Well, yes, it’s very good, but it lacks the excitement of the traditional Conan tales penned by Howard and the many authors who wrote great pastiches and kept the character alive over the ensuing decades from the ‘60s to the ‘90s. It feels more like a fantasy adventure than a true Sword & Sorcery yarn. It still feels like Conan though, as he acts, speaks, and thinks the way Conan would for the most part. He is paired with Valeria who is just as strong and pivotal to the story as she is in Red Nails. By the way, if you pick up the audiobook and don’t have access to a copy of Red Nails, not to worry, this is a self-contained story and reading the classic Howard tale is not required to follow along and enjoy this new tale. Unlike the perfect pacing of Red Nails, Blood of the Serpent does drag in places and runs out of steam at times, but I never felt like abandoning the book. Conan battles through a plethora of rogues and beasts and there’s a decent amount of action throughout. It’s just missing the magic ingredient of the shorter stories which I’m of the opinion are a better format for Conan (and Sword & Sorcery in general) rather than the larger canvas of a novel. Robert E. Howard himself only wrote one Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon, and while it’s a damn good book, it feels more like a “Conan’s Greatest Hits” rather than a story that was designed to be a full-length novel.

Classic Conan Artwork by Frank Frazetta

This epic adventure is narrated by Bradford Hastings who’s simply phenomenal in bringing the words on the page to life. His voicing of Conan is pitch-perfect and really enhances the experience. In fact, I’m almost positive I would’ve enjoyed this book less had I read it in print. It’s proof again that for audiobooks, a narrator can make or break a book. Get a great book with a crappy narrator and you end up with a subpar product. On the other hand, a brilliant narrator can elevate it and give it a fresh coat of paint.

So, if you’re a seasoned Conan fan, I’d still definitely recommend taking Blood of the Serpent for a spin. Just make sure you go in with an open mind and that you don’t set your expectations too high. If you’re new to Conan, it’s a good place to start, but make sure to add at least a handful of Robert E. Howard’s classic Conan tales to your reading list. Stories like “Queen of the Black Coast”, “The Tower of the Elephant”, "The People of the Black Circle", and the afore-mentioned "Red Nails" are must-read! Since this is the first book of a new Conan series, I think we’re off to a good start. I’m crossing my fingers that it gets better as we go along. I’d love to see another author take a crack at writing Conan next; it’d be great if every new book was penned by a different writer. I have no idea what Titan Books has planned for this ongoing saga of our beloved Cimmerian. As long as they continue to keep the essence of Conan’s spirit, I’ll be along for the ride. Tune in again next Monday for the second installment of Sword & Sorcery Audiobook Showcase.

Rating: Three point five stars out of five

Get your copy on Audible