Audiobook Showcase: Savage Realms Monthly #21

For the second week in a row, here’s another Savage Realms Monthly review, this time focusing on last August’s Book 21 which was recently released on Audible. As usual, it features three tales from three authors, as well as interviews with each of them. The stories are read and interviews conducted by the always reliable Moose Matson.

Well-known author and editor Robert M. Price contributes his first tale to SRM with “Blue Warlords of Lemuria”, continuing the adventures of S&S author Lin Carter’s legendary Thongor of Lemuria character, a Conan-inspired type of warrior/barbarian. Running at 51 minutes, I was ready to enjoy a new classic from an author whose Cthulhu tales I’ve enjoyed greatly in the past. I have to say, I was disappointed by his take on Thongor. I found it underwhelming and a bit lacking in the action department. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very well written tale with a solid third act, but I guess I was expecting more from someone of Mr. Price’s caliber. We move on to the second story, “The Cult of Azroth” by Richard L. Rubin, a returning author to SRM, featuring a new tale in the continuing saga of his mercenary for hire Shreve (from SRM books 7 and 18) who has to prevent a girl from being sacrificed. This was another terrific story from Mr. Rubin, and at 29 minutes, it’s a brisk tale that doesn’t require any previous knowledge of Shreve as the stories stand alone, but also serve to further develop the character. We close with “In the Lair of the Shifter: A Gentleman of Blades 2” by Matthew X. Gomez with a running time of 50 minutes. It’s the second story in the series of his Reynauld character; the first one appeared in SRM book 11. It takes place in France and it’s got a cool urban fantasy vibe that reminded me a bit of Arsène Lupin. I haven’t read the first tale, but it didn’t stop me from digging this one a lot. In fact, it’s my favourite of the three tales as it’s wholly original and jam-packed with action and mystery.

The interview questions are different than those in the last issue and give us great insight into the writers’ process and their current reading lists. Narration is stellar as usual, featuring Moose Matson doing maniacal laughter and switching voices between the various characters. Overall, this is another solid outing from what is still my favourite Sword & Sorcery periodical. If you’re a fan of Conan, Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane or old school Sword & Sorcery tales, then you’ll have a blast with this issue of SRM.      

Rating: Four stars out of five

Get Book 21 on Audible