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Imaro - 1980s #3
Imaro III: The Trail of Bohu
Book by Saunders, Charles R.
222 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1985
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368 people want to read
About the author
Charles R. Saunders
62 books186 followersSaunders was born in 1946 in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania and emigrated to Canada in 1970. He has published science fiction and screenplays, two of which have become feature films. Saunders has also written a radio play, as well as other non-fiction works. He later worked as a journalist in Halifax, Nova Scotia and is the author of two recent works of historical non-fiction: Share and Care: The Story of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children and Black and Bluenose: The Contemporary History of a Community.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 8, 2020
Spurred by a Sword & Sorcery groupread honoring this year's passing of Charles R. Saunders, I continued the Imaro Series with The Trail of Bohu. A guide to the series and book availability is posted on Blackgate.com.
This third novel is a setup for last: The Naama War. The Trail of Bohu has considerably less action than Imaro and The Quest for Cush: Imaro II (the prior being comprised of short stories and this being the first full length novel). So far, Saunders has been building up two big plots: (1) Imaro's mysterious, ancestral origin, and (2) the burgeoning war between the united Northern tribes/nations (Cloud Strider and Cushite aligned) and the evil Naamans (Erriten, Mashataan sorceries). Here Saunders delivers mostly on the former, and quite comprehensively; the latter, reserved for the final book.
When he does deliver action, he doesn't hold back. Creatures are wonderfully dark:
Saunders provides plenty of Nyumbani (i.e. Africa) lore, culture, and creatures, including mountable rhinoceros and zebras. Glossaries in the back of each book are appreciated, but not necessary. There is one distinct moment which made me snicker, recalling Samuel Jackson's renowned cursing. When questioned by Rabir about what Imaro will do when he catches the titular Bohu, Imaro says: "I will kill the mama-mfuka." I am no linguist to know the etymology of that insult, but it sounded the most contemporary of every Nyumbani term.
My favorite location is the "The Placed of Carved Trees", a mystical grove that Imaro seeks guidance:
All in all a great stage for an all out war for the continent of Nyumbani!
This third novel is a setup for last: The Naama War. The Trail of Bohu has considerably less action than Imaro and The Quest for Cush: Imaro II (the prior being comprised of short stories and this being the first full length novel). So far, Saunders has been building up two big plots: (1) Imaro's mysterious, ancestral origin, and (2) the burgeoning war between the united Northern tribes/nations (Cloud Strider and Cushite aligned) and the evil Naamans (Erriten, Mashataan sorceries). Here Saunders delivers mostly on the former, and quite comprehensively; the latter, reserved for the final book.
When he does deliver action, he doesn't hold back. Creatures are wonderfully dark:
Even in the half-light of dusk, the animate corpses were hideous to behold. Though they were all naked, the bloating of their bodies had advanced to the point that their sex was difficult to determine. Their faces were travesties of humanity: noses split apart, teeth jutting beyond peeling lips; eyes that were nothing more than gelatinous orbs that glimmered with a tinge of green luminescence. Machawai green... The walkingdead gouged at throats, faces, eyes. They attempted no defense against the steel that hacked and slashed at their bodies..."
Saunders provides plenty of Nyumbani (i.e. Africa) lore, culture, and creatures, including mountable rhinoceros and zebras. Glossaries in the back of each book are appreciated, but not necessary. There is one distinct moment which made me snicker, recalling Samuel Jackson's renowned cursing. When questioned by Rabir about what Imaro will do when he catches the titular Bohu, Imaro says: "I will kill the mama-mfuka." I am no linguist to know the etymology of that insult, but it sounded the most contemporary of every Nyumbani term.
My favorite location is the "The Placed of Carved Trees", a mystical grove that Imaro seeks guidance:
"Each of its trees was carved into a gigantic sculpture that was grotesque in form and enigmatic in meaning. At first glance, the sculpted tree-trunks appeared distorted, and even monstrous. Many of the carvings took the shape of bulbous masses of bodies separated by thin, cylindrical stalks that might have been legs. Faces hung from those bodies--faces with misarranged features and distended mouths with protruding teeth, sometimes smiling, sometimes screaming..."
All in all a great stage for an all out war for the continent of Nyumbani!
January 16, 2019
The third installment doesn't disappoint*, even though it's essentially a buddy road trip kind of story. Imaro (Terry Crews) and Pomphis (Kevin Hart) are on the road again. Magical bracelets assist in tracking the mysterious and elusive murderer Bohu. That's really it. No, really.
This book was published back in '85. Let that sink in. The final book wasn't published until sometime in the 2000's. That's a lifetime, or at least most of mine.
I recommend this whole-heartedly, although....there isn't really an affordable way to acquire this series of books. The original DAW paperbacks are being ransomed on Ebay and the reprints, while available on Lulu.com are $20 each. I really wish someone would offer the series in e-book format.
*unless your jonesing for book four The Naama War.
This book was published back in '85. Let that sink in. The final book wasn't published until sometime in the 2000's. That's a lifetime, or at least most of mine.
I recommend this whole-heartedly, although....there isn't really an affordable way to acquire this series of books. The original DAW paperbacks are being ransomed on Ebay and the reprints, while available on Lulu.com are $20 each. I really wish someone would offer the series in e-book format.
*unless your jonesing for book four The Naama War.
July 30, 2008
The third in the Imaro series.
August 6, 2014
I wanted to read one of Charles Saunders Imaro books because of what he wrote in the forward of Octavia Butler's Kindrred, " I wanted to write a black man who would kick Tarzan"s ass." Imaro, and I agree with the fantasy historians, owes more to RLH's Conan and his ilk that ERB's Tarzan. Imaro's ancient Africa does resemble historical Africa, but only a little (no evil priests invoking power from those who cannot/shall be named in historical Africa to my knowledge). The pluses are in 220 pages Saunders builds a world, people and characters that are quite engaging, and makes for a fast read. The minuses, and I'll start with a minor one, is that this is the third of three Imaro books. The largest minus is that the story obviously leads in a very important fourth book that was never published.
December 11, 2020
I cannot imagine reading a better African adventure than the Imaro series. Saunders do not get enough praise for his great writing that keeps me on edge.
March 24, 2025
𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒐𝒘! 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑱𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 $𝟓𝟎 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝑭𝑵𝑺’𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑹. 𝑺𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝒘𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝟏𝟐 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.
In what would prove to be his last days in Ontario, Charles got to work on Imaro’s third book, Imaro: The Trail of Bohu, his first novel written from scratch. The first two Imaro novels were originally written as short stories to be published in fan zines. Skillfully stitching them together, Charles told a powerful story of Imaro’s early years, but they bear the marks of the sword-and-sorcery genre with a rising-and-falling structure and a focus on exterior adventure.
In his first true novel, Charles could plan out the entire structure and weave the story together with greater finesse. For the contents of The Trail of Bohu, Charles must have turned to The African Origin of Civilization by Cheikh Anta Diop. Diop’s book details the ancient world of Kush, including the idea that the Judeo-Christian cosmology comes from Africa, as the wandering tribe later called the Jews encountered Egyptian religion, including a branch that worshiped only Aten, the sun god.
The theory holds that the Jews embraced the One God as their own. Diop cites fragments of ancient Egyptian texts that tell us: “In the beginning there was uncreated, chaotic matter, in perpetual disorder (Bohu); Breath (Rouah) hung over Chaos. The union of those two principles was called Chephets, Desire, which is at the origin of all creation. ” Imaro’s greatest enemy, whom we meet in this novel, is named for the African concept of the chaotic disorder that came before creation. And the critical balance of power between Nyumbani and the spirit world is called chephet.
The Trail of Bohu was first published in 1985. A couple of years later, a French edition was published by Garanciere. Charles sent copies to close friends, “autographed in French.”
Source: 𝐻𝑒 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝐵𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑅. 𝑆𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑏𝑦 𝐽𝑜𝑛 𝑇𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒
In what would prove to be his last days in Ontario, Charles got to work on Imaro’s third book, Imaro: The Trail of Bohu, his first novel written from scratch. The first two Imaro novels were originally written as short stories to be published in fan zines. Skillfully stitching them together, Charles told a powerful story of Imaro’s early years, but they bear the marks of the sword-and-sorcery genre with a rising-and-falling structure and a focus on exterior adventure.
In his first true novel, Charles could plan out the entire structure and weave the story together with greater finesse. For the contents of The Trail of Bohu, Charles must have turned to The African Origin of Civilization by Cheikh Anta Diop. Diop’s book details the ancient world of Kush, including the idea that the Judeo-Christian cosmology comes from Africa, as the wandering tribe later called the Jews encountered Egyptian religion, including a branch that worshiped only Aten, the sun god.
The theory holds that the Jews embraced the One God as their own. Diop cites fragments of ancient Egyptian texts that tell us: “In the beginning there was uncreated, chaotic matter, in perpetual disorder (Bohu); Breath (Rouah) hung over Chaos. The union of those two principles was called Chephets, Desire, which is at the origin of all creation. ” Imaro’s greatest enemy, whom we meet in this novel, is named for the African concept of the chaotic disorder that came before creation. And the critical balance of power between Nyumbani and the spirit world is called chephet.
The Trail of Bohu was first published in 1985. A couple of years later, a French edition was published by Garanciere. Charles sent copies to close friends, “autographed in French.”
Source: 𝐻𝑒 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑊𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝐵𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑅. 𝑆𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑏𝑦 𝐽𝑜𝑛 𝑇𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒
May 31, 2018
This is the first full book about Imaro rather than a collection of short stories. I think this one has the most sublime moments of deep brutal emotion. While I understand that Imaro and events specifically tied to him are the heart of the story, I loved the struggles that Rabr had to deal with for his beliefs. I just wish there was more regarding him. Reading Rabrs turmoil made me hate Bohu more for than what he did to earn Imaro's wrath.
Only thing that would probably make this story better would be maps of the world.
Only thing that would probably make this story better would be maps of the world.
February 27, 2021
Wonderful! The twists and turns were unimaginable. Imaro's true identity is reveal, so anticipated! Cannot get enough of this series!
February 23, 2013
Das Ende des "Sohns-keines-Vaters"
Imaro wird sesshaft: Nach seiner Ankunft in Cush hat sich der grimmige Ilyassai einen Ruf als Arena-Kämpfer erarbeitet. Mit diesem Ruhm, seiner Frau Tanisha und seinem Sohn Kilewo soll es nun ein bisschen weniger Action sein, und als Schmied-Azubi scheint sich selbst für den unruhigen Imaro endlich etwas Frieden in sein Leben zu schleichen. Doch die Erriten schlafen nicht, und sie treffen Imaro an der Stelle, an der es ihn am meisten schmerzt.
"The Trail of Bohu", der inzwischen 3. Teil der Imaro-Reihe, begeistert mich nicht mehr ganz so wie die ersten beiden Teile. Ich kann nicht ganz klar definieren, woran das liegt - vielleicht weil das Buch einem wie ein Zwischenspiel zwischen zwei Werken vorkommt. Im ersten Teil des Buchs wird sehr viel auf Imaro 1 und 2 verwiesen und erläutert, was dort vorging. Im Schlussteil wird dem Leser schnell klar, dass dieses Buch zu keinem echten Ende kommen wird. Gewiss erfährt man in "Trail of Bohu" viel neues, faszinierendes über Nyumbani, die Welt Imaros; und auch über den Helden selbst wird einiges klar. Doch trotzdem kommt kein Spannungsbogen zustande wie in Imaro 1 oder 2. Auch stilistisch wirkt "Trail of Bohu" nicht hunderprozentig ausgereift, das Stilmittel des prophetischen Erzählers (nach dem Motto "...aber sie wussten nicht, was noch passieren wird...") nervt nach der 10ten Benutzung nur noch.
Doch genug der Kritik. Auch "Trail of Bohu" ist ein tolles Stück Fantasy-Literatur - die Welt Nyumbani fasziniert ungemein. Gerade heute, wo Fantasy immer gleichgesetzt wird mit europäischem Mittelalter, Drachen und Rittern, tut dieser sehr erdige und einzigartige Blick auf ein Afrika, das es so nie gab, unheimlich gut. Die Beschreibung der Maguvurunde, seiner Völker und Lebewesen, fügt dem ohnehin bereits wunderbar funktionierenden Imaro-Mix noch ein weiteres spannendes Kapitel hinzu. Schön zu sehen, dass Saunders, obwohl er viele Rückschläge hinnehmen musste, diese Welt auch heute noch weiterschreibt; nach fast 30 Jahren gibt es inzwischen den dringend benötigten Nachfolger zu lesen, als Book-on-Demand. Suchen Sie einfach nach "The Naama War".
Das DAW-Paperback ist in jeder Beziehung durchschnittlich - jedes Exemplar, das heutzutage aufzutreiben ist, wird vergilbte Seiten haben aufgrund des säurehaltigen Papiers, das bis in die Neunziger verwendet wurde. Eine sehr gelungene Titelillustration macht das aber vergessen.
Imaro wird sesshaft: Nach seiner Ankunft in Cush hat sich der grimmige Ilyassai einen Ruf als Arena-Kämpfer erarbeitet. Mit diesem Ruhm, seiner Frau Tanisha und seinem Sohn Kilewo soll es nun ein bisschen weniger Action sein, und als Schmied-Azubi scheint sich selbst für den unruhigen Imaro endlich etwas Frieden in sein Leben zu schleichen. Doch die Erriten schlafen nicht, und sie treffen Imaro an der Stelle, an der es ihn am meisten schmerzt.
"The Trail of Bohu", der inzwischen 3. Teil der Imaro-Reihe, begeistert mich nicht mehr ganz so wie die ersten beiden Teile. Ich kann nicht ganz klar definieren, woran das liegt - vielleicht weil das Buch einem wie ein Zwischenspiel zwischen zwei Werken vorkommt. Im ersten Teil des Buchs wird sehr viel auf Imaro 1 und 2 verwiesen und erläutert, was dort vorging. Im Schlussteil wird dem Leser schnell klar, dass dieses Buch zu keinem echten Ende kommen wird. Gewiss erfährt man in "Trail of Bohu" viel neues, faszinierendes über Nyumbani, die Welt Imaros; und auch über den Helden selbst wird einiges klar. Doch trotzdem kommt kein Spannungsbogen zustande wie in Imaro 1 oder 2. Auch stilistisch wirkt "Trail of Bohu" nicht hunderprozentig ausgereift, das Stilmittel des prophetischen Erzählers (nach dem Motto "...aber sie wussten nicht, was noch passieren wird...") nervt nach der 10ten Benutzung nur noch.
Doch genug der Kritik. Auch "Trail of Bohu" ist ein tolles Stück Fantasy-Literatur - die Welt Nyumbani fasziniert ungemein. Gerade heute, wo Fantasy immer gleichgesetzt wird mit europäischem Mittelalter, Drachen und Rittern, tut dieser sehr erdige und einzigartige Blick auf ein Afrika, das es so nie gab, unheimlich gut. Die Beschreibung der Maguvurunde, seiner Völker und Lebewesen, fügt dem ohnehin bereits wunderbar funktionierenden Imaro-Mix noch ein weiteres spannendes Kapitel hinzu. Schön zu sehen, dass Saunders, obwohl er viele Rückschläge hinnehmen musste, diese Welt auch heute noch weiterschreibt; nach fast 30 Jahren gibt es inzwischen den dringend benötigten Nachfolger zu lesen, als Book-on-Demand. Suchen Sie einfach nach "The Naama War".
Das DAW-Paperback ist in jeder Beziehung durchschnittlich - jedes Exemplar, das heutzutage aufzutreiben ist, wird vergilbte Seiten haben aufgrund des säurehaltigen Papiers, das bis in die Neunziger verwendet wurde. Eine sehr gelungene Titelillustration macht das aber vergessen.
March 11, 2012
The opposing forces move to confront each other on the continent of Nyumbani and Imaro finds himself a pawn in events beyond his control.
As he seeks to avenge a great wrong which has been done to him, a journey which starts as one of simple vengeance may lead to answers about his origins and his role in the unfolding events across the continent.
"The Trail of Bohu" is the third book in the Imaro series and "Sword and Soul" at its best. Yet another great read from Charles R Saunders.
As he seeks to avenge a great wrong which has been done to him, a journey which starts as one of simple vengeance may lead to answers about his origins and his role in the unfolding events across the continent.
"The Trail of Bohu" is the third book in the Imaro series and "Sword and Soul" at its best. Yet another great read from Charles R Saunders.
September 3, 2009
This was a bad ending to the trilogy. I won't go into detail for fear of spoiling the ending for some, but the ending was already spoiled for me. The other two in the series were great, but this one left me feeling let down.
August 16, 2010
Had to order this bad boy from England. And it was worth it too. Another must read from the great Charles R. Saunders.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews