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Red Sonja #1
Red Sonja: Consumed
Red Sonja, the iconic, fiery, she-devil with a sword, is reinvented for a new generation of readers in this action-packed epic fantasy by legendary comic book writer Gail Simone.
The gutsy, wild, tortured free spirit, forged in pain yet unafraid of life or death, Red Sonja, the famous, fiery She-Devil and barbarian of Hyrkania has never concerned herself with the consequences of her actions. She’s taken what she wanted, from treasure to drink to the companionship of bedfellows. She’s fought who deserved it (and sometimes those who didn’t). And she’s never looked back.
But when rumors start bubbling up from her homeland—rumors of unknown horrors emerging from the ground and pulling their unsuspecting victims to their deaths—and a strange voice begins whispering to her in her sleep, she realizes she may have to return to the country that abandoned her. And finally do the only thing that has ever scared her: confront her past.
The gutsy, wild, tortured free spirit, forged in pain yet unafraid of life or death, Red Sonja, the famous, fiery She-Devil and barbarian of Hyrkania has never concerned herself with the consequences of her actions. She’s taken what she wanted, from treasure to drink to the companionship of bedfellows. She’s fought who deserved it (and sometimes those who didn’t). And she’s never looked back.
But when rumors start bubbling up from her homeland—rumors of unknown horrors emerging from the ground and pulling their unsuspecting victims to their deaths—and a strange voice begins whispering to her in her sleep, she realizes she may have to return to the country that abandoned her. And finally do the only thing that has ever scared her: confront her past.
377 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 19, 2024
195 people are currently reading
7012 people want to read
About the author
Gail Simone
1,077 books1,237 followersGail Simone is a comic book writer well-known for her work on Birds of Prey (DC), Wonder Woman (DC), and Deadpool (Marvel), among others, and has also written humorous and critical commentary on comics and the comics industry such as the original "Women in Refrigerators" website and a regular column called "You'll All Be Sorry".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
November 28, 2024
I was hesitant going into this but I was very surprised that it turned out to be everything a Red Sonja story should be. Epic battles, valiant action, frightening monsters, but also it is steeped in passion, humanity, valor and loyalty.
Ignore all the negative reviews, those people are not familiar with the character or her history.
Ignore all the negative reviews, those people are not familiar with the character or her history.
October 23, 2024
Back in high school, I devoured every sword & sorcery saga I could get my hands on, including Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Elric of Melniboné, Jirel of Joiry, Conan the Cimmerian, and (in comic book form), Red Sonja. I was a huge fan of her Marvel Comics run, and liked what I’d read of what I’d seen in Dynamite Comics, so I was excited to hear that Gail Simone would be the one to bring her to the page.
That said, I saw some rather negative (and surprising) reviews of Red Sonja: Consumed, so I entered into it with no little trepidation. Having devoured it over the course of a weekend, I can happily say this is the novel that the character has always deserved, as if Simone found some lost manuscript of the late Robert E. Howard and just finessed it for modern readers.
This is vintage sword & sorcery, complete with action, adventure, magic, and monsters. It’s violent and ugly at times, more concerned with survival than hope, and often disturbingly mad. It’s pulp fantasy with a bit more of a soul/conscience than we may have seen decades ago, but what makes it memorable is just how carefully Simone imbues the story with depth. She doesn’t shove contemporary morals or ideals in your face, doesn’t have her heroine make any grand statements about progress or equality, but instead sprinkles with book with subtle details, including the notes and articles from historians that open each chapter, that serve as a sort of internal commentary.
Some readers have described Red Sonja as one-dimensional and stereotypical, but nothing could be further from the truth. She’s a damaged woman, scarred by childhood trauma, who is wandering the world in search of meaning. She’s neither superhuman nor supernatural, and yet that vulnerability is something those same readers have chafed against. Others have complained she’s oversexualized, but this is an example of where Simone has so carefully shifted the telling. Yes, she’s scantily dressed, and some characters do objectify her, but you’re not going to find references to her breast size, heaving bosom, tight butt, or anything else that you may be imagining as you read.
Narratively, I’ve seen complaints about multiple POVs and shifts in narrative which, to be fair, are more hallmarks of epic fantasy than sword & sorcery, but I found they expanded the story and gave it depth – especially in the case of the villain and the monsters – and actually counter the complaints of readers who felt Red Sonja’s POV wasn’t engaging enough early on. Honestly, I feel as if some readers went into it with certain expectations, and abandoned it halfway through, because my experience was nothing but positive.
Red Sonja: Consumed felt familiar where I needed it to, new and fresh where I wanted it to, and surprising in so many exciting ways. A welcome addition to both the sword & sorcery and kick-ass heroine shelves.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2024/...
That said, I saw some rather negative (and surprising) reviews of Red Sonja: Consumed, so I entered into it with no little trepidation. Having devoured it over the course of a weekend, I can happily say this is the novel that the character has always deserved, as if Simone found some lost manuscript of the late Robert E. Howard and just finessed it for modern readers.
This is vintage sword & sorcery, complete with action, adventure, magic, and monsters. It’s violent and ugly at times, more concerned with survival than hope, and often disturbingly mad. It’s pulp fantasy with a bit more of a soul/conscience than we may have seen decades ago, but what makes it memorable is just how carefully Simone imbues the story with depth. She doesn’t shove contemporary morals or ideals in your face, doesn’t have her heroine make any grand statements about progress or equality, but instead sprinkles with book with subtle details, including the notes and articles from historians that open each chapter, that serve as a sort of internal commentary.
Some readers have described Red Sonja as one-dimensional and stereotypical, but nothing could be further from the truth. She’s a damaged woman, scarred by childhood trauma, who is wandering the world in search of meaning. She’s neither superhuman nor supernatural, and yet that vulnerability is something those same readers have chafed against. Others have complained she’s oversexualized, but this is an example of where Simone has so carefully shifted the telling. Yes, she’s scantily dressed, and some characters do objectify her, but you’re not going to find references to her breast size, heaving bosom, tight butt, or anything else that you may be imagining as you read.
Narratively, I’ve seen complaints about multiple POVs and shifts in narrative which, to be fair, are more hallmarks of epic fantasy than sword & sorcery, but I found they expanded the story and gave it depth – especially in the case of the villain and the monsters – and actually counter the complaints of readers who felt Red Sonja’s POV wasn’t engaging enough early on. Honestly, I feel as if some readers went into it with certain expectations, and abandoned it halfway through, because my experience was nothing but positive.
Red Sonja: Consumed felt familiar where I needed it to, new and fresh where I wanted it to, and surprising in so many exciting ways. A welcome addition to both the sword & sorcery and kick-ass heroine shelves.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2024/...
October 31, 2024
As always, thank you to Orbit Books for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!
Publish Date: Nov 19th
Let's start with the good things...
I loved the multiple POVs. I enjoy being able to see whats currently happening with each involved party as the story goes on and then seeing them all collide at the end. I also LOVED Sonja's relationship and interaction with her horse. They were quite the dynamic duo!
And now the icky things...
This whole book was a contradiction. I have a weird suspicion that the author has some kind of twisted "love"-hate relationship with fantasy novels. I don't know if this is the authors first novel outside of her normal comic book writing, but that's what it feels like. "I should write a fantasy novel to try to make it into the main stream" and then wrote what she thought a "stereotypical" fantasy novel should be.
The result was mostly a complete mess. She gave us the same ol' linear, attractive, brutal, ill mannered, half naked and frivolous FMC. Red Sonja is a legend...a myth...but she manages to get snuck up on and caught off guard too many times to count by nobodies. This was too close to a comic book that you would expect the same cheesy scenes from just done a little different where you chuckle and enjoy yourself. Definitely not a fantasy novel.
Publish Date: Nov 19th
Let's start with the good things...
I loved the multiple POVs. I enjoy being able to see whats currently happening with each involved party as the story goes on and then seeing them all collide at the end. I also LOVED Sonja's relationship and interaction with her horse. They were quite the dynamic duo!
And now the icky things...
This whole book was a contradiction. I have a weird suspicion that the author has some kind of twisted "love"-hate relationship with fantasy novels. I don't know if this is the authors first novel outside of her normal comic book writing, but that's what it feels like. "I should write a fantasy novel to try to make it into the main stream" and then wrote what she thought a "stereotypical" fantasy novel should be.
The result was mostly a complete mess. She gave us the same ol' linear, attractive, brutal, ill mannered, half naked and frivolous FMC. Red Sonja is a legend...a myth...but she manages to get snuck up on and caught off guard too many times to count by nobodies. This was too close to a comic book that you would expect the same cheesy scenes from just done a little different where you chuckle and enjoy yourself. Definitely not a fantasy novel.
Read
August 4, 2025I love this book. Not only because I got to narrate it, but because it does justice to an amazing character I've loved for a long time. Red Sonja is fierce, passionate, kick-ass and undeniable. This book is the same. Def check it out (especially the audiobook :D)
November 7, 2024
Review to come! 🗡️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
(For context, this is the full review that I had to condense due to spacing on Instagram)
This review is going to be a little bit weird because while I want to write about my overall thoughts on the book, I also want to bring attention to a trend that I’m seeing happen with this book that is leading me to wonder why fantasy as a genre is not only a multifaceted, but is also now being heaped with expectations that I’m seeing becoming a rather a bit of a trend in romantasy. 😕
But first my thoughts. I thought this was a great introduction to a comic book character who is getting a revamp on not only her image, but also her backstory. Simone has done an incredible job taking this character from being a simple sex symbol that male comic book readers could obsess over to being a woman who not only takes shit from no one, but has built herself up from the ground after a traumatic childhood. Sonja is brash, hot tempered, and uncouth. I honestly enjoyed her take-no-nonsense from people while still keeping her values close to her heart. You can tell that she has taken a lot of work on herself to be not only where she is personality wise, but also mentally. I also loved that Simone revitalized her image into that of a sexually free woman who knows what she likes and embraces her bisexuality. 💋
This gets me into the discussion that I would like to have about this book. I’ve noticed that this book has been primarily reviewed by readers who haven’t done their research into the character, but also are showing their biases. Yes, this character started off as a character that was made for male eyes and male desires, but why not celebrate the reclaiming of her with a woman author? Yes, she sleeps around, but why are we not celebrating that this woman isn’t being tied down to the first man or woman that she’s slept with? Yes, she’s still described as having her comic book outfit of a simple bikini like chain mail and leather combo, but why are we not celebrating a woman who is literally wearing what she wants instead of what society demands she wears? Why are heaping modern biases of womanhood on a fictional character? I don’t want to point fingers, but since romantasy has come to great prominence in the fantasy world, I’ve noticed a few things that might point to why some readers have issues with this character. 😑
For one, a lot of readers of romantasy (and now fantasy) are expecting FMC’s to be young, like 19 early 20’s and a virgin to boot. They not only are supposed to be kickass, but also worldly even though they’ve never really left the safety of their village/castle/family. They are supposed a virign because they are waiting for the one (primarily a man) to rock their world and make them ridiculously horny. And when they do finally get into the sack with what is most likely an older man (or hell some weird imagining of a fairy), then they can’t imagine leaving this partner. Not only that, but they are also happy to wear skin revealing clothing now that they are with that right person because before, it was too much to show their skin to someone who hasn’t seen them naked. . . Sound familiar? 🥱
So then we get to the FMC of this book: an older woman (I’m going to assume late 20’s) who is clearly not a virgin that loves wearing clothing that helps her move better. Do you see where I’m going here? Even though she doesn’t have one particular partner that she stays with, she’s still a human who wants and needs love, she just happens to go about it differently than what most readers would want to see in a FMC. So what about the fantasy readers who are more interested in a woman warrior going back to save her country? Oh no, because this was a comic book before it was given the chance to be a novel is too much of a reason to not be labeled as fantasy. This leads me to the question of what is fantasy then? What do we label as fantasy and what do you not label as fantasy now? 🧐
These are the thoughts that I had while reading because seriously, why all the contradictions? I had a great time reading this book and honestly will happily give this five stars if that means pissing off the people who claim that a scantily clad, sexually free warrior of a comic book character doesn’t belong in fantasy books. 😈
I do wish we had more information as to how Sonja became the warrior that she is in the book, but I’m going to assume either this will be answered in future installments, or hell I’ll go get me the comics just to get the answers that I need (obviously the ones written/headed by Simone). Big thank you goes out to Orbit Books and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review. I loved seeing a woman being who she is no matter what society expects her to be, and huge thank you to the author, Simone, for giving new life to this character. ❤️
Publication date: November 19!
Overall: 4/5 ⭐️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
(For context, this is the full review that I had to condense due to spacing on Instagram)
This review is going to be a little bit weird because while I want to write about my overall thoughts on the book, I also want to bring attention to a trend that I’m seeing happen with this book that is leading me to wonder why fantasy as a genre is not only a multifaceted, but is also now being heaped with expectations that I’m seeing becoming a rather a bit of a trend in romantasy. 😕
But first my thoughts. I thought this was a great introduction to a comic book character who is getting a revamp on not only her image, but also her backstory. Simone has done an incredible job taking this character from being a simple sex symbol that male comic book readers could obsess over to being a woman who not only takes shit from no one, but has built herself up from the ground after a traumatic childhood. Sonja is brash, hot tempered, and uncouth. I honestly enjoyed her take-no-nonsense from people while still keeping her values close to her heart. You can tell that she has taken a lot of work on herself to be not only where she is personality wise, but also mentally. I also loved that Simone revitalized her image into that of a sexually free woman who knows what she likes and embraces her bisexuality. 💋
This gets me into the discussion that I would like to have about this book. I’ve noticed that this book has been primarily reviewed by readers who haven’t done their research into the character, but also are showing their biases. Yes, this character started off as a character that was made for male eyes and male desires, but why not celebrate the reclaiming of her with a woman author? Yes, she sleeps around, but why are we not celebrating that this woman isn’t being tied down to the first man or woman that she’s slept with? Yes, she’s still described as having her comic book outfit of a simple bikini like chain mail and leather combo, but why are we not celebrating a woman who is literally wearing what she wants instead of what society demands she wears? Why are heaping modern biases of womanhood on a fictional character? I don’t want to point fingers, but since romantasy has come to great prominence in the fantasy world, I’ve noticed a few things that might point to why some readers have issues with this character. 😑
For one, a lot of readers of romantasy (and now fantasy) are expecting FMC’s to be young, like 19 early 20’s and a virgin to boot. They not only are supposed to be kickass, but also worldly even though they’ve never really left the safety of their village/castle/family. They are supposed a virign because they are waiting for the one (primarily a man) to rock their world and make them ridiculously horny. And when they do finally get into the sack with what is most likely an older man (or hell some weird imagining of a fairy), then they can’t imagine leaving this partner. Not only that, but they are also happy to wear skin revealing clothing now that they are with that right person because before, it was too much to show their skin to someone who hasn’t seen them naked. . . Sound familiar? 🥱
So then we get to the FMC of this book: an older woman (I’m going to assume late 20’s) who is clearly not a virgin that loves wearing clothing that helps her move better. Do you see where I’m going here? Even though she doesn’t have one particular partner that she stays with, she’s still a human who wants and needs love, she just happens to go about it differently than what most readers would want to see in a FMC. So what about the fantasy readers who are more interested in a woman warrior going back to save her country? Oh no, because this was a comic book before it was given the chance to be a novel is too much of a reason to not be labeled as fantasy. This leads me to the question of what is fantasy then? What do we label as fantasy and what do you not label as fantasy now? 🧐
These are the thoughts that I had while reading because seriously, why all the contradictions? I had a great time reading this book and honestly will happily give this five stars if that means pissing off the people who claim that a scantily clad, sexually free warrior of a comic book character doesn’t belong in fantasy books. 😈
I do wish we had more information as to how Sonja became the warrior that she is in the book, but I’m going to assume either this will be answered in future installments, or hell I’ll go get me the comics just to get the answers that I need (obviously the ones written/headed by Simone). Big thank you goes out to Orbit Books and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review. I loved seeing a woman being who she is no matter what society expects her to be, and huge thank you to the author, Simone, for giving new life to this character. ❤️
Publication date: November 19!
Overall: 4/5 ⭐️
January 21, 2025
A book of two halves. I have enjoyed Gail Simone stories (especially Red Sonja) for years. So her first novel was a must-have for me.
The first half of the book was a bit slow and a little all over the place for me, but this was all part of the setup of the characters, past, personalities, and roles. In this part of the book, Sonja is much more melancholy than I have seen previously.
The second half of the book is really where the story really takes off and becomes the Red Sonja story I am used to. This is also where most of the action of the book is, which always makes everything more exciting.
I really like how the book comes full circle. Gail covers the full origin of Red Sonja, but also the two year journey of how Sonjita became Sonja. Her connections with people, her homeland, family, and, of course, horses. The book covers her past, present, and sets up her future. Hopefully, more books are written by Gail to come.
The first half of the book was a bit slow and a little all over the place for me, but this was all part of the setup of the characters, past, personalities, and roles. In this part of the book, Sonja is much more melancholy than I have seen previously.
The second half of the book is really where the story really takes off and becomes the Red Sonja story I am used to. This is also where most of the action of the book is, which always makes everything more exciting.
I really like how the book comes full circle. Gail covers the full origin of Red Sonja, but also the two year journey of how Sonjita became Sonja. Her connections with people, her homeland, family, and, of course, horses. The book covers her past, present, and sets up her future. Hopefully, more books are written by Gail to come.
May 30, 2025
1.5/5
This is the kind of shit that flies in the 80s and HAS TO STAY IN THE 80S.
If you've ever watched Conan you probably remember a redhead female warrior who accompanied him and she basically had a chain mail bra and underwear or short pants where the sword went. Well, that's Red Sonja.
And you'd think in 2024 the author would say "Let's give this woman some armour, she's going to be fighting a lot" NOPE, SHE'S BARELY DRESSED.
The plot is terrible but I could have gone along with it if the rest was any better. But we have Red Sonja, the Devil, who's called a devil for her many evil deeds. And beyond her theft at the beginning you won't hear about any other devilish behaviour.
We have a tough warrior queen who is so tough she kills her elders and takes control of her country (which includes around 20 people more or less) and goes to hunt Red Sonja to kill her, but she's soft for her and becomes clay on her hands.
And we have a couple of fake brothers who are looking for Sonja to save her country (mind you, like she was a hero and not a known criminal) who fall for her in a weird love triangle.
And then one guy who kills people, especially children, for no real reason. But eh the people of the entire world are SO DUMB that they blame every crime on Sonja even when the evidence points somewhere else.
The most disappointing thing is that she's not even such a good fighter, she's taken down more often than not, so where the hell is this fame coming from? Gods I hated this.
This is the kind of shit that flies in the 80s and HAS TO STAY IN THE 80S.
If you've ever watched Conan you probably remember a redhead female warrior who accompanied him and she basically had a chain mail bra and underwear or short pants where the sword went. Well, that's Red Sonja.
And you'd think in 2024 the author would say "Let's give this woman some armour, she's going to be fighting a lot" NOPE, SHE'S BARELY DRESSED.
The plot is terrible but I could have gone along with it if the rest was any better. But we have Red Sonja, the Devil, who's called a devil for her many evil deeds. And beyond her theft at the beginning you won't hear about any other devilish behaviour.
We have a tough warrior queen who is so tough she kills her elders and takes control of her country (which includes around 20 people more or less) and goes to hunt Red Sonja to kill her, but she's soft for her and becomes clay on her hands.
And we have a couple of fake brothers who are looking for Sonja to save her country (mind you, like she was a hero and not a known criminal) who fall for her in a weird love triangle.
And then one guy who kills people, especially children, for no real reason. But eh the people of the entire world are SO DUMB that they blame every crime on Sonja even when the evidence points somewhere else.
The most disappointing thing is that she's not even such a good fighter, she's taken down more often than not, so where the hell is this fame coming from? Gods I hated this.
October 14, 2024
2.0 Stars
This was a very straightforward action packed fantasy novel. I am usually quite a fan of a strong female character but this one felt like a stereotype rather than a real person.
To be fair, action packed narratives tend to not be my personal favourite. Personally I find strong characters are the most important factor in my fiction. Readers who enjoy non stop action and don't mind cliche characters might get along better than I did.
Overall I found this one shallow and forgettable. It lacked the complexity to make me truely love it.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This was a very straightforward action packed fantasy novel. I am usually quite a fan of a strong female character but this one felt like a stereotype rather than a real person.
To be fair, action packed narratives tend to not be my personal favourite. Personally I find strong characters are the most important factor in my fiction. Readers who enjoy non stop action and don't mind cliche characters might get along better than I did.
Overall I found this one shallow and forgettable. It lacked the complexity to make me truely love it.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
March 3, 2025
Gail Simone wrote one of my favourite Red Sonja graphic novel series of all time. It’s brash, powerful, womanly, and epic. Red Sonja: Consumed is slightly violent, exhausting, boring, and bisexual. That last one being its only redeeming quality in my mind. No amount of good, balanced bisexual content can make up for random character stories no one cares about, boring side plots, or sleepy geography. While the little stories, songs, anecdotes, and blurbs at the beginning of each chapter helped break things up; they also made me hope the whole book could be written that way as they were much more interesting than most of the plot.
I’m so disappointed. As a big Red Sonja comic fan I was stoked to see a novel about her, hoping it would help bring her to a new audience. Instead I’m inclined to pull every copy off the shelves of any bookstore and replace it with Simone’s run of comics. It just makes no sense to me. I’m not sure if the medium is the issue for Simone, the editing was bad, or the whole book just lacked direction; although maybe it was all three. What I do know is this one has put me into a reading slump that I’m hoping to quickly break as it’s still early in the year and it sucks to play catch-up on challenges for months on end.
Please find some Red Sonja comics over picking Red Sonja: Consumed up. I promise they will be fun, interesting, violent, and a much better use of your precious reading time.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
I’m so disappointed. As a big Red Sonja comic fan I was stoked to see a novel about her, hoping it would help bring her to a new audience. Instead I’m inclined to pull every copy off the shelves of any bookstore and replace it with Simone’s run of comics. It just makes no sense to me. I’m not sure if the medium is the issue for Simone, the editing was bad, or the whole book just lacked direction; although maybe it was all three. What I do know is this one has put me into a reading slump that I’m hoping to quickly break as it’s still early in the year and it sucks to play catch-up on challenges for months on end.
Please find some Red Sonja comics over picking Red Sonja: Consumed up. I promise they will be fun, interesting, violent, and a much better use of your precious reading time.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
December 18, 2024
I read a review of this somewhere that pointed out that while the writing is kind of clunky even for a media tie-in novel, it works in the context because that was how REH wrote. I loved the fearless, hedonist take on Red Sonja. This one doesn't always work, but when it does, it's a blast. Wish there was more of this sort of sword and sorcery style fantasy out there. Give me big Frazetta vibes any day!
Read
February 3, 2025Red Sonja is a character with a long and storied history, having begun as a Marvel Comics character back in the 70s. Today, she is owned by Dynamite and her story was rebooted by comic book legend Gail Simone back in 2013. A decade late, Simone made the world of Red Sonja the subject of her debut novel, Red Sonja: Consumed. And it is a fantastic sword and sorcery adventure.
Sword and sorcery is a unique subgenre of fantasy with a more pulpy tone and aesthetic; they are violent and less focussed on world-building. Rather, they follow a morally grey antihero on a bloody quest across an eldritch land of monsters and magic. And Red Sonja: Consumed offers fantasy readers a return to that subgenre which has become increasingly unpopular over the past few decades.
The novel begins with the titular Sonja, the She-Devil, having seduced and then stolen from a queen. Now, with the queen in hot pursuit, Sonja must return to her homeland as she hears whispers of a strange evil that rises from the earth and steals the life from unsuspecting innocents. The novel shifts point-of-view frequently, giving us a dynamic look at the world she inhabits and the dangerous tale that unfolds.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/unmissable-fa...
Sword and sorcery is a unique subgenre of fantasy with a more pulpy tone and aesthetic; they are violent and less focussed on world-building. Rather, they follow a morally grey antihero on a bloody quest across an eldritch land of monsters and magic. And Red Sonja: Consumed offers fantasy readers a return to that subgenre which has become increasingly unpopular over the past few decades.
The novel begins with the titular Sonja, the She-Devil, having seduced and then stolen from a queen. Now, with the queen in hot pursuit, Sonja must return to her homeland as she hears whispers of a strange evil that rises from the earth and steals the life from unsuspecting innocents. The novel shifts point-of-view frequently, giving us a dynamic look at the world she inhabits and the dangerous tale that unfolds.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/unmissable-fa...
November 20, 2024
I wrote a review of Gail Simone's Red Sonja: Consumed for the New Edge Sword and Sorcery blog.
November 15, 2024
Review originally on JamReads
Red Sonja: Consumed is an old-school sword and sorcery fantasy novel, written by Gail Simone (her debut as novel writer), and published by Orbit Books. A story that reclaims a mythic comic character as Red Sonja, giving her a full fleshed personality, a badass warrior of legend; and a plot that will take her to her homeland in order to stop an evil force, told using a third person multi-POV style.
Our story starts with Sonja fleeing, after stealing a circlet from a queen that she made her lover to gain her confidence; and from the assassins sent by the person she was hired by to steal the circlet. A run away that won't be exempt of danger and fight; and in which Simone will take the opportunity to complete her portrayal of Red Sonja. A strong warrior that is not afraid to fight, a recursive one, sassy at moments, but also a person marked by the atrocities she saw; loving somebody is not something she was done for, and nomadic is her life.
But the focus is not only put on Sonja, as Simone has a wide cast of characters whose POVs are used in this story: from Imelda, the exiled queen, a heart that Sonja's broke and stole, the own king, and even Sylus, one that definitely is not a easy one to follow, as it portrays the absolute evil. All together are woven to create a classic sword and sorcery adventure, with Sonja as the center.
Through small snippets of in-world books and songs, we are introduced to the worldbuilding, and the folklore created around the figure of Red Sonja. The writing is extremely polished, an agile style that especially shines when a fight is depicted (and trust me, those are extremely spectacular).
The pacing, however, it is a bit lacking in the first half, slow; however, the second part makes it to be worth, full of conflict and fights, in contrast with the first one, that basically depicts Sonja's travel.
Said that, Red Sonja: Consumed is a great debut; a new take on a legendary character, bringing us a classic sword and sorcery plot that will be loved by those that want a fantasy in the style of the 80s. Can't wait to continue with the adventures of the She-Devil.
Red Sonja: Consumed is an old-school sword and sorcery fantasy novel, written by Gail Simone (her debut as novel writer), and published by Orbit Books. A story that reclaims a mythic comic character as Red Sonja, giving her a full fleshed personality, a badass warrior of legend; and a plot that will take her to her homeland in order to stop an evil force, told using a third person multi-POV style.
Our story starts with Sonja fleeing, after stealing a circlet from a queen that she made her lover to gain her confidence; and from the assassins sent by the person she was hired by to steal the circlet. A run away that won't be exempt of danger and fight; and in which Simone will take the opportunity to complete her portrayal of Red Sonja. A strong warrior that is not afraid to fight, a recursive one, sassy at moments, but also a person marked by the atrocities she saw; loving somebody is not something she was done for, and nomadic is her life.
But the focus is not only put on Sonja, as Simone has a wide cast of characters whose POVs are used in this story: from Imelda, the exiled queen, a heart that Sonja's broke and stole, the own king, and even Sylus, one that definitely is not a easy one to follow, as it portrays the absolute evil. All together are woven to create a classic sword and sorcery adventure, with Sonja as the center.
Through small snippets of in-world books and songs, we are introduced to the worldbuilding, and the folklore created around the figure of Red Sonja. The writing is extremely polished, an agile style that especially shines when a fight is depicted (and trust me, those are extremely spectacular).
The pacing, however, it is a bit lacking in the first half, slow; however, the second part makes it to be worth, full of conflict and fights, in contrast with the first one, that basically depicts Sonja's travel.
Said that, Red Sonja: Consumed is a great debut; a new take on a legendary character, bringing us a classic sword and sorcery plot that will be loved by those that want a fantasy in the style of the 80s. Can't wait to continue with the adventures of the She-Devil.
October 8, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and orbit for the arc. Wow, I hated this! After halfway in, I just couldn’t do it anymore, and I DNFd.
To make the long fucking story short:
This book contains a stereotypical, nearly naked, bad mannered, objectively attractive, brash, lustful, violent, and selfish fmc that I’m sure gets some shallow character arc. I would be much more receptive to this type of character had they any depth or nuance to them. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing of the sort here; Sonja is as dimensional as a straight line. She is simply another stereotypical, over-sexualized, female character written for men -at least in my opinion. When they say they brought this “red devil” to a new generation of readers, they clearly didn’t mean women! For an author who has coined the term “fridging women” and has criticized over-sexualization, the portrayal we get of this “she devil” is laughably hypocritical.
This is a stereotypical fantasy that doesn’t do anything new, and is mediocre at best. There are many books that do what this book is trying to do so much better.
There are way too many useless POVs and interludes that I just never gave a shit about. I don’t care about all these characters. I don’t even care about the main one.
There are some things that don’t make sense. Take some overblown emotions that seem out of place, for example. There’s a guy going after a woman’s ex to hurt said woman in some fucked way because she simply stole something that belonged to his boss, and NOT him.
Some shallow concepts that have been covered before by stronger and better authors. Humanity is two sided; what a fucking deep concept I’ve never ever seen explored at all before 🤯!!!! Also, the way it’s depicted here is shallow at best.
Anyways, this book was ass. If I were to equate this book to anything, it would be mud. Both are simply unpleasant -1 saggy star
To make the long fucking story short:
This book contains a stereotypical, nearly naked, bad mannered, objectively attractive, brash, lustful, violent, and selfish fmc that I’m sure gets some shallow character arc. I would be much more receptive to this type of character had they any depth or nuance to them. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing of the sort here; Sonja is as dimensional as a straight line. She is simply another stereotypical, over-sexualized, female character written for men -at least in my opinion. When they say they brought this “red devil” to a new generation of readers, they clearly didn’t mean women! For an author who has coined the term “fridging women” and has criticized over-sexualization, the portrayal we get of this “she devil” is laughably hypocritical.
This is a stereotypical fantasy that doesn’t do anything new, and is mediocre at best. There are many books that do what this book is trying to do so much better.
There are way too many useless POVs and interludes that I just never gave a shit about. I don’t care about all these characters. I don’t even care about the main one.
There are some things that don’t make sense. Take some overblown emotions that seem out of place, for example. There’s a guy going after a woman’s ex to hurt said woman in some fucked way because she simply stole something that belonged to his boss, and NOT him.
Some shallow concepts that have been covered before by stronger and better authors. Humanity is two sided; what a fucking deep concept I’ve never ever seen explored at all before 🤯!!!! Also, the way it’s depicted here is shallow at best.
Anyways, this book was ass. If I were to equate this book to anything, it would be mud. Both are simply unpleasant -1 saggy star
October 23, 2024
There are quite a few negative reviews and I certainly understand why, I just switched my brain off and tried to enjoy the book without looking too deep, shallow ? Quite possibly but I didn’t get offended as some reviewers seem to have, it’s a fantasy tale in the style of Conan or Kull it’s not meant to be deep and meaningful
November 30, 2024
Let’s start this review with a riddle: When is an author’s character not an author’s character? Taking the point aside that an author’s character becomes something else when the reader reads it, I believe that generally it’s often when the book/film/story is adapted into something else.
The relevance of that here? Well, this book uses a character often thought of as belonging to one of Fantasy’s most influential vintage writers, but in actual fact is by someone else. (I’m getting ahead of myself here. I’ll explain in a moment.)
From the publisher: “Hot-headed, charismatic and always unapologetically herself, Red Sonja, the ferocious She-Devil and barbarian of Hyrkania, has never concerned herself with the consequences of her actions. She's pursued all her desires, from treasure, to drink, to the companionship of bedfellows. She's fought those who deserve it (and sometimes those who didn't). And she's never looked back.
But when rumours start bubbling up from her homeland - rumours of unknown horrors emerging from the ground and pulling their unsuspecting victims to their deaths - she realises she may have to return to the country that abandoned her. Sonja must finally do the only thing that ever scared her: confront her past.”
So: Red Sonja is often thought of (as I did, I’ll be honest!) as being the creation of Robert E. Howard, one of Fantasy’s all-time great writers. She’s seen as a counterpoint to Howard’s more famous creation, Conan, now about 100 years old. This identification with Howard may also be because of the 1985 film movie version of Red Sonja, starring Brigitte Nielsen, that was made to cash-in on the popularity of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s film versions of Conan, which although poorly scripted, was visually striking, admittedly.
But here’s the thing, and also the connection to my riddle at the beginning – Howard’s character is not named Red Sonja but Red Sonya, in the story The Shadow of the Vulture, published in 1934. Furthermore, Sonya was not the swordswoman of popular image, but Red Sonya of Rogatino, a gun-toting 16th century woman fighting against the Ottoman empire.
So how has this connection come about? Well, it was Marvel Comics, with writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith who created the iconic sword-and-sorcery version of the redhead fighting in a chain-mail bikini that most recognise today, in 1973. Although Howard is credited as an inspiration in the 1985 film, it is not his Sonya that most people know.
And now we have the character reimagined by Gail Simone, who previously has been known for her work on the comics of Batgirl, Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman, not to mention Red Sonja herself.
So, with this in mind, what do we have here? Clearly, this is a re-imagining of the Marvel Comics character. And as is perhaps to be expected, this 21st century version of Sonja has characteristics that may have been less noticeable in 1973, never mind the 1930’s, but perhaps more in keeping with the expectations of new readers. Simone’s Sonja is an example of how Howard’s and Marvel’s stories of muscle-bound men and masculine prowess can be revalued. I’m pleased to say that there’s not a chainmail bikini in sight; instead, this Sonja is a more complex and nuanced creation.
Simone manages to interweave the events of the present with the backstory of Sonja’s origins, and her complex drives. We learn of her dreams, inspirations and desires. Whilst at times she can seem to be amoral, highly sexed and not one given to overthinking, as you read further into the book this description is rather a simplification of Sonja.
This modern attitude is reflected in Sonja’s sexual appetites, which are given some detail here (although not too graphically!) Sonja is unabashedly bisexual here (or is that polyamorous?) – she begins the book coming out of a relationship with Ysidra, the Queen of the Nomads (otherwise known as the country of Turan) and before long is having relationships with men, women and couples.
Such modern attitudes are also reflected in some of the graphically fruity language throughout. The expletives are upgraded to a more modern vocabulary. Whilst we get a few choice cries - “Mithra’s fist!” and phrases such as “insect-humping wretches!”, we also get invectives such as “Run right over this filthy bitch, oh lord of all steeds.”.
Thirdly, much of the book deals with outsiders – Sonja is one, an exile from her homeland of Hyrkania, which the backstory does much to explain. However, the theme of displaced people and refugees is a constant presence in the novel, a contemporary issue seemingly never far away from us even today.
On the bigger scale, much of the world-building feels like the supernatural feel of Howard’s Weird Tales stories. We have ancient artifacts and equally primeval gods, not to mention the vile creatures they create. Simone does well to hint at an ancient history, of ancient tribes and races and magical creatures from the occult that do the baddies’ bidding.
Simone’s reimaging takes Howard’s Weird Tales occultish leanings and turns them into something more contemporary, whilst still nodding to their past. The world is brutal and at time viciously unpleasant. The fight scenes are impressive, if rather gory. Limbs are torn graphically from bodies, entrails spread with seeming abandon, seemingly gallons of blood spilt along the way. This may not be for everyone!
Nevertheless, Red Sonja: Consumed is a bold reimagining of a classic character in a classic Fantasy setting; Simone manages to recreate Sonja as a more detailed character with nuances that go beyond the comic book version.
I will admit that I wasn’t sure whether I was going to enjoy this at first. Other re-imaginings in my experience have sometimes been too earnest, too reverential, too tied up with the setting and the character’s legacy to be wholly successful. I’m pleased to say though that my initial concerns were misguided. Simone’s version manages to give Sonja respect and also balance the legacy of the past with contemporary values. It is clearly a book written with a love of the past history of Howard’s and Marvel’s worlds, without being a slavish reiteration of the past versions. I enjoyed it a lot.
The relevance of that here? Well, this book uses a character often thought of as belonging to one of Fantasy’s most influential vintage writers, but in actual fact is by someone else. (I’m getting ahead of myself here. I’ll explain in a moment.)
From the publisher: “Hot-headed, charismatic and always unapologetically herself, Red Sonja, the ferocious She-Devil and barbarian of Hyrkania, has never concerned herself with the consequences of her actions. She's pursued all her desires, from treasure, to drink, to the companionship of bedfellows. She's fought those who deserve it (and sometimes those who didn't). And she's never looked back.
But when rumours start bubbling up from her homeland - rumours of unknown horrors emerging from the ground and pulling their unsuspecting victims to their deaths - she realises she may have to return to the country that abandoned her. Sonja must finally do the only thing that ever scared her: confront her past.”
So: Red Sonja is often thought of (as I did, I’ll be honest!) as being the creation of Robert E. Howard, one of Fantasy’s all-time great writers. She’s seen as a counterpoint to Howard’s more famous creation, Conan, now about 100 years old. This identification with Howard may also be because of the 1985 film movie version of Red Sonja, starring Brigitte Nielsen, that was made to cash-in on the popularity of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s film versions of Conan, which although poorly scripted, was visually striking, admittedly.
But here’s the thing, and also the connection to my riddle at the beginning – Howard’s character is not named Red Sonja but Red Sonya, in the story The Shadow of the Vulture, published in 1934. Furthermore, Sonya was not the swordswoman of popular image, but Red Sonya of Rogatino, a gun-toting 16th century woman fighting against the Ottoman empire.
So how has this connection come about? Well, it was Marvel Comics, with writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith who created the iconic sword-and-sorcery version of the redhead fighting in a chain-mail bikini that most recognise today, in 1973. Although Howard is credited as an inspiration in the 1985 film, it is not his Sonya that most people know.
And now we have the character reimagined by Gail Simone, who previously has been known for her work on the comics of Batgirl, Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman, not to mention Red Sonja herself.
So, with this in mind, what do we have here? Clearly, this is a re-imagining of the Marvel Comics character. And as is perhaps to be expected, this 21st century version of Sonja has characteristics that may have been less noticeable in 1973, never mind the 1930’s, but perhaps more in keeping with the expectations of new readers. Simone’s Sonja is an example of how Howard’s and Marvel’s stories of muscle-bound men and masculine prowess can be revalued. I’m pleased to say that there’s not a chainmail bikini in sight; instead, this Sonja is a more complex and nuanced creation.
Simone manages to interweave the events of the present with the backstory of Sonja’s origins, and her complex drives. We learn of her dreams, inspirations and desires. Whilst at times she can seem to be amoral, highly sexed and not one given to overthinking, as you read further into the book this description is rather a simplification of Sonja.
This modern attitude is reflected in Sonja’s sexual appetites, which are given some detail here (although not too graphically!) Sonja is unabashedly bisexual here (or is that polyamorous?) – she begins the book coming out of a relationship with Ysidra, the Queen of the Nomads (otherwise known as the country of Turan) and before long is having relationships with men, women and couples.
Such modern attitudes are also reflected in some of the graphically fruity language throughout. The expletives are upgraded to a more modern vocabulary. Whilst we get a few choice cries - “Mithra’s fist!” and phrases such as “insect-humping wretches!”, we also get invectives such as “Run right over this filthy bitch, oh lord of all steeds.”.
Thirdly, much of the book deals with outsiders – Sonja is one, an exile from her homeland of Hyrkania, which the backstory does much to explain. However, the theme of displaced people and refugees is a constant presence in the novel, a contemporary issue seemingly never far away from us even today.
On the bigger scale, much of the world-building feels like the supernatural feel of Howard’s Weird Tales stories. We have ancient artifacts and equally primeval gods, not to mention the vile creatures they create. Simone does well to hint at an ancient history, of ancient tribes and races and magical creatures from the occult that do the baddies’ bidding.
Simone’s reimaging takes Howard’s Weird Tales occultish leanings and turns them into something more contemporary, whilst still nodding to their past. The world is brutal and at time viciously unpleasant. The fight scenes are impressive, if rather gory. Limbs are torn graphically from bodies, entrails spread with seeming abandon, seemingly gallons of blood spilt along the way. This may not be for everyone!
Nevertheless, Red Sonja: Consumed is a bold reimagining of a classic character in a classic Fantasy setting; Simone manages to recreate Sonja as a more detailed character with nuances that go beyond the comic book version.
I will admit that I wasn’t sure whether I was going to enjoy this at first. Other re-imaginings in my experience have sometimes been too earnest, too reverential, too tied up with the setting and the character’s legacy to be wholly successful. I’m pleased to say though that my initial concerns were misguided. Simone’s version manages to give Sonja respect and also balance the legacy of the past with contemporary values. It is clearly a book written with a love of the past history of Howard’s and Marvel’s worlds, without being a slavish reiteration of the past versions. I enjoyed it a lot.
April 30, 2025
I’ve never read any Red Sonja comics, and never felt any inclination to (stupid, impractical chain mail bikini) but I had heard good things about Gail Simone’s take on the character. (I still haven’t read her comics, sadly.)
That meant that when I saw this book in the library, I immediately picked up. We meet Red Sonja on the run after romancing a queen, then stealing a precious artifact from the woman. Sonja has never before concerned herself with the impact of what she does, so she's a bit surprised to realize that she has truly hurt the other woman, who decides to track Sonja down and get her revenge.
At the same time, there are rumours brewing about her former homeland of Hyrkania, where some unknown beings are pulling their victims below the earth to their deaths. And a man who likes to brutalize people is trailing in Sonja's wake, leaving bodies behind him.
Lots of action, lots of danger, scary monsters, passion, and a woman at the centre who's fierce, not particularly thoughtful, and highly capable of dealing out violence, and coming away with relatively minor injuries.
The Sonja who begins the novel is not quite the woman who rides away on the magnificent Sunder, her powerful and opinionated horse. She's a little more mature, slightly more given to thought, and on to her next adventure. I enjoyed this novel, and look forward to the next in this series.
That meant that when I saw this book in the library, I immediately picked up. We meet Red Sonja on the run after romancing a queen, then stealing a precious artifact from the woman. Sonja has never before concerned herself with the impact of what she does, so she's a bit surprised to realize that she has truly hurt the other woman, who decides to track Sonja down and get her revenge.
At the same time, there are rumours brewing about her former homeland of Hyrkania, where some unknown beings are pulling their victims below the earth to their deaths. And a man who likes to brutalize people is trailing in Sonja's wake, leaving bodies behind him.
Lots of action, lots of danger, scary monsters, passion, and a woman at the centre who's fierce, not particularly thoughtful, and highly capable of dealing out violence, and coming away with relatively minor injuries.
The Sonja who begins the novel is not quite the woman who rides away on the magnificent Sunder, her powerful and opinionated horse. She's a little more mature, slightly more given to thought, and on to her next adventure. I enjoyed this novel, and look forward to the next in this series.
February 12, 2025
I wrote an essay on the novel at Swords & Sorcery Magazine, 'Sonja, Sex, and the Armor Bra':
https://swordsandsorcerymagazine.com/...
Adding here a couple of things outside the topics I wrote on above.
I liked the use of in-world chapter epigraphs: legends, ballads, historical accounts and other reception of Sonja, a great variety of written and oral material that saw Sonja from different sides, that asked questions, that gave new slants on the main story. These included quite incisive pieces on, say, nomad economics. They were a great addition that gave depths to the novel.
I liked the chapters given to other points of view, even characters who only slid past Sonja in the plot but whom Simone made read enough to care about -- not trite or stock quick looks at bit characters, rather they were given individuality. This, too, added depth and scope, and nailed in my interest.
https://swordsandsorcerymagazine.com/...
Adding here a couple of things outside the topics I wrote on above.
I liked the use of in-world chapter epigraphs: legends, ballads, historical accounts and other reception of Sonja, a great variety of written and oral material that saw Sonja from different sides, that asked questions, that gave new slants on the main story. These included quite incisive pieces on, say, nomad economics. They were a great addition that gave depths to the novel.
I liked the chapters given to other points of view, even characters who only slid past Sonja in the plot but whom Simone made read enough to care about -- not trite or stock quick looks at bit characters, rather they were given individuality. This, too, added depth and scope, and nailed in my interest.
October 30, 2024
I received an advance copy of this from Gail Simone herself at New York Comic Con! It was a delightful and unexpected surprise when I went to see her for comic signings.
As to the book itself: I would describe this as a slow burn. It starts off gradually and feels like a typical fantasy novel at the beginning, but as the different threads wind together and we get more of Sonja’s backstory and begin to understand why she lives her life as she does we find that it is not so much what has happened to her as what she has become that is the real tragedy here. Once the story reaches critical mass, the final pages fly by until we see the sad ending that we could have guessed at but hoped might not come to pass. Overall, I loved this book, and am looking forward to the the potential sequel.
Note that Sonja’s history is somewhat changed here from her origin in the comics, but we should except nothing less from the writer who brought us “Women in refrigerators”. I find this version of Sonja more compelling and much less uncomfortable to read than her original comic book story.
As to the book itself: I would describe this as a slow burn. It starts off gradually and feels like a typical fantasy novel at the beginning, but as the different threads wind together and we get more of Sonja’s backstory and begin to understand why she lives her life as she does we find that it is not so much what has happened to her as what she has become that is the real tragedy here. Once the story reaches critical mass, the final pages fly by until we see the sad ending that we could have guessed at but hoped might not come to pass. Overall, I loved this book, and am looking forward to the the potential sequel.
Note that Sonja’s history is somewhat changed here from her origin in the comics, but we should except nothing less from the writer who brought us “Women in refrigerators”. I find this version of Sonja more compelling and much less uncomfortable to read than her original comic book story.
February 13, 2025
Generic Fantasy
Gail Simone, despite setting her book in Kozaki territory and Hyrkania, using Turanian and Hyrkanian characters NEVER ONCE uses a region-appropriate name. ALL her characters are given what I call “generic fantasy names.” Nonsense names that are fine if you are writing in the nonsense realm of Idontgivadamia in the world of Fucktryingtogivethisanameia. But REH excelled in helping you get into the culture he wanted to convey via names. Gail Simone didn’t care about this. Also, at no point did you feel like you were in Kozaki territory. Nor did you feel like you were in Hyrkania. No caravansaries or steppe culture. Instead you get British pubs that feel like they were lifted out of Hammer horror films, complete with stock characters that speak with British Hammer horror accents and speech patterns.
You’d think that writing a story in Kozak territory would lead her to research the Cossack culture, right? Nope. It’s Britain. Fantasy feudal Britain with Hammer horror pubs. I’m actually a little disappointed Peter Cushing didn’t show up looking for someone that went to Dracula’s castle. I mean, after all, the Karpash Mountains are basically the Carpathians, right?
Inappropriate Religion for the Region
On page 5, Sonja says “Mitra’s fist” was her father’s favorite curse. Why? Why would a Hyrkanian swear by a Hyborian god? The Vilayet, steppes, Zamora, and deserts separate Hyrkania from the Hyborian kingdoms. That would be like having a Baptist in Alabama swear by Mohammed or Brahma. The various kingdoms of the Hyborian age do not have a homogenous religion. Few are polyglot or traveled as much as Conan to be able to swear by gods other than his own. I could see Sonja herself swearing it, as I assume she’s as well-traveled as Conan. But her Hyrkanian father? However, in the old Marvel run, I remember Sonja swearing by Erlik a lot: “Erlik’s tears!” and “Breath of Erlik!” IIRC. Erlik would be an appropriate deity for the region.
Later, on page 14, she has another Hyrkanian praying, and mentioning Mitra. Mitra was a Hyborian god, not a Hyrkanian one. On page 47, the Hyrkanians are said to know how to put the fear of Mitra’s wrath into his words. Mitra isn’t the generic Zeus of the Hyborian age. Mitra is the god of the Hyborians. The Hyrkanians descended from Lemuria and probably had but limited contact with actual Hyborians. The religion of Hyrkania in the Hyborian Age is a combination of ancestor worship, the Everlasting Sky, and the worship of Erlik and Tarim. It’s okay if the Zuagirs (or even the Kozaks) swear by Mitra – they probably have people in their ranks from Koth, Khauran, and Khoraja.
Even the Zamorians swear by Mitra in this novel. I don’t think Gail Simone realizes Mitra is not the god of choice for Zamorians. I am disappointed. I thought Gail Simone knew her stuff.
Hyboria vs Hyborian Age
On page 6, Sonja refers to “Hyboria” as though it were a place or the name of the continent. This is a hill I will die on – the continent’s name is NOT “Hyboria.” It is the Hyborian age on this continent, but that doesn’t rename the continent. You have Hyborian peoples, and they live in Aquilonia, Nemedia, Brythunia, and so on, but they do not live in Hyboria, no more than the Jewish people live in a land called “Jewia.” The Hebrews do not live in a land called “Hebrewia.” When Huns or Magyars or Muslims invaded Europe, the continent didn’t get renamed.
I drove the people at Mongoose nuts with this when they kept renaming my Conan RPG books with the word “Hyboria” and I’d argue with them (“Ruins of Hyboria” instead of “Ruins of the Hyborian Age” and so on).
Moreover, Red Sonja isn’t a Hyborian, nor is the land she comes from a Hyborian kingdom. She’s Hyrkanian. They descend from Lemurian survivors of the Cataclysm, mixed with an aboriginal race found east of the Vilayet. There simply isn’t a logical reason for a Hyrkanian to call the continent “Hyboria.”
She could just have easily have said “the Hyborian kingdoms” here, and it would have been correct.
Complete Lack of Hyborian Age Research
At one point (Chapter 13) she describes the joint military action the Zingarans and Zamorians took against Hyrkania. If you, like Gail Simone, know nothing about the Hyborian age, then you might not think this is too unlikely. However, Zingara is located about where Spain is in Europe. Zamora is located where Ukraine is. This would be like Spain and Ukraine (or whatever countries were in those spots) sending a joint army against the Mongol hordes in the 1300s. Think about that for a minute.
She also has Hyrkania reaching out to Cimmeria and Asgard for help with the plague. Again, think about the political structures of Cimmeria and Asgard at this time. Are these really the “allies” Hyrkania would reach out to? Not Vendhya, the Golden Kingdoms, Iranistan, or Khitai, right? I mean, they only border Hyrkania and probably have trade relations with them, so let’s not ask them. They’d certainly ask Cimmeria and Asgard for help, right?
Geography
I don’t think Gail Simone understands the geography of the Hyborian age. She has her characters on the edge of Turan, and states that Khitai is only a few days ride away. Yeah… you can cover approximately 2,860 miles from the Vilayet to Khitai in a few days. It’s even worse if the Vilayet is in your way and you have to ride around it.
Also, the book starts out “outside the boundaries of Turan.” That is extremely vague. That covers… well, everything but Turan. Imagine if I started a book and placed it “outside the borders of Hungary.” Where, then, is my story taking place? In some chapters, Sonja is very far north, like at the upper reaches of the Vilayet. In other stories she’s just outside of Turan. We don’t get a mention of the Vilayet until Chapter 10, when it appears Sonja can see it, despite traveling for days outside the borders of Turan, thinking of traveling on a road that goes east to Hyrkania (apparently through the Vilayet).
There is no road that goes east through Turan to Hyrkania, despite Gail Simone’s insistence that it’s there.
I will say they did at least put a map in the front of the book. The Zaporoska River is in the wrong place (and given the wrong name, “Zaforoska”).
Gail Simone doesn’t seem to realize that the Vilayet, using REH’s first hand-drawn map, which is the shape used for the Vilayet here, is about the distance from the tip of Greece to the northernmost edge of Norway: about 2,206 miles. On that scale, the distance between Ysidra’s camp to the windmill is about 100 miles. From the camp to Radolan, 550 miles.
Also, in Chapter 32, she has the characters arrive at the end of the Bleak Road in Turan, climb down the cliff, and end up on the other side of the Vilayet, in Hyrkania, ready to ride to Yvaq. 200 miles of Vilayet just… not there. Plus, on top of the cliff, she has the characters able to see Yvaq, which is 380 miles from the termination of the Bleak Road (human beings can generally only see 2.8 miles away due to the curvature of the Earth). So, you have a cliff. At the top of it, you are in Turan. When you climb down it, you are 200 miles to the east, in Hyrkania. Oh, and this route is completely unguarded by either Turan or Hyrkania. You can just go back and forth freely, just skipping over the Vilayet somehow.
Pretentious Pre-Chapter “Quotes” from Fictional Books
Gail Simone writes these long-ass pre-chapter “quotes” from non-existent books. Some of them are pages long. They do not add value to the chapters, just her justifying… something. They are uniformly bad. I’ll admit, I am not a fan of these kinds of “quotes.” I mean, I liked them when Frank Herbert did them, but he was a philosopher, and his quotes often had some kind of depth, and they kept the character of Irulan in front of us even though she doesn’t show up until the end of Dune. Everyone else is just an annoying imitation. People who don’t actually have something to say should not use them because they just come across as a pretentious literary device.
Everyone Sneaks Up on Red Sonja
Gail Simone writes at one point, “She turned to the sound of the man who had somehow managed to approach her unawares. It was not the simplest of tasks; few could accomplish it on her worst day.” Yet, almost everyone who interacts with Sonja in this book does it by sneaking up on her. I like to back up my complaints with evidence, so…
• Page 9: She is reminiscing about a windmill when “She awoke from her memory to a familiar roar. “Devil.” She turns to see that the queen and the Wolf Pack had stolen up upon her while she was remembering stuff about windmills.
• Page 27: She has made camp and is mired in reflection about her lack of ability to really examine her feelings when a man speaks up and “Sonja looked up suddenly, shaken that in her torpor, she’d allowed someone close enough to talk to her, indeed, to reach out and slit her throat if he’d had a mind.”
• Page 60: “She turned to the sound of the man who had somehow managed to approach her unawares. It was not the simplest of tasks; few could accomplish it on her worst day.”
• Pages 84 & 85: Three girls sneak up on her.
• Page 172: Krevel sneaks up on Sonja and grabs her.
• Page 200: Ysidra sneaks up on Sonja and her two friends “When they turned to face Hyrkania, the three remaining in the company realized there were two more riders on the road, facing them, riders who had taken advantage of their distraction.”
• Page 271: Sonja is about to die, so she starts kissing a girl, and an entire Hyrkanian company basically sneaks up on her, unseen as they approached, to save the day.
• Page 299: Ysidra sneaks up on Sonja again: “When she awoke, there was a sword pointed at her throat. An ebony sword. Ysidra stood over her, tall and determined.”
Gail Simone’s Red Sonja cannot take care of herself. She is constantly surprised by people wanting to hurt her – they always show up when she is asleep, distracted, or unconscious. She must be rescued multiple times because she cannot get herself out of jams. She is easily captured and taken even by common guards. She gets assaulted just for asking to enter Zamora, then led to an arena and forced to fight – even though she isn’t wanted and hasn’t committed a crime.
The Plot
The plot meandered as the characters moved from place to place. Despite all the back and forth in Kozaki regions, the only characters Red Sonja meet that aren't POV characters are three girls in the middle of nowhere that sneak up on her, a single traveler that sneaks up on her, and a bar maid that Sonja is rude to. The three girls and the traveler try to hurt Sonja, so she defeats them and lets them live.
Most of the novel is repetitive in terms of "getting into the characters' heads." Red Sonja feels guilty all the time, usually about leaving and stealing from a Kozak queen. Later she feels guilty about leaving her threesome couple. Until the end of the novel, she defeats people but lets them live. When she is not feeling guilty, she is obsessed with finding someone, anyone, to have sex with.
The Queen of Nomads is hateful and upset, and thinks about it nonstop. She also thinks about her exiled nature (her tribe was exiled from Turan before she was born). The character kills three elders of her tribe, which then exiles her from her tribe, which she spends most of her other thoughts being upset about. Except for one weird scene where she comes up with a Cobra Commander style plot to conquer Turan, but that was just a one-off screed that doesn't go anywhere and is never mentioned again. But it's okay, Red Sonja and her make up and fall back in love just a little bit before the Queen of Nomads is killed.
Another main POV character is a Hyrkanian assassin who does nothing but think about how awesome he is, and he likes to take his pants off and stand there and look at the little boys he kills. But Red Sonja sees his "Hidden" and this unmans him, and he becomes a wimp, so he needs to kill Red Sonja to get his mojo back, but then the Queen of Nomads defeats him and lets him live, and this unmans him further - and this is basically all he thinks about, for pages upon pages.
A married Hyrkanian couple who deserted from the Hyrkanian army to find Red Sonja serve merely to be sex objects for Red Sonja, and to bring her news that her little brother lives and she needs to come to Hyrkania to save it from monsters... for no particular reason that they give. Sonja doesn't even ask them who her brother is, how he is still alive, what name he is going under, what he looks like, or anything. Which is avoided so that Sonja (and the reader) can be surprised when her brother turns out to be .
The book has only a few settings, though. We start out at a windmill as Sonja races away from the queen's camp. Then we go to Radolan, a Kozak village where everyone speaks like they are in a Hammer horror movie, with British inflections. Sonja goes to Zamora for no particular reason, gets clobbered by the guards for no particular reason (she wasn't wanted, or doing anything other than traveling), and is taken 50 to 80 miles into Zamora to fight in an arena for no particular reason. When she wins the fight, they give her an awesome room, and a pair of servants (male and female) that she can have sex with if she wants (and she always wants).
The married couple are in an unnamed location, and hire an obviously British river boat captain to take them inland deeper into Hyrkania, but they suddenly appear in the middle of Zamora without explanation. How they knew to find Sonja there is anyone's guess. They talk her into escaping her fine captivity, which she almost doesn't want to do because she gets to have threesomes while captive. But they tell her she has a living brother! And she can have threesomes with them! Yay!
No, it is not a well written novel. The characters, despite having all these "internal monologues" have no depth. It's all repetitious tripe.
Also, there was a plot element of a plague in Hyrkania, and Zamora was super worried that they'd have to take in Hyrkanian refugees. I'm pretty sure they would go to other Hyrkanian city states or Turan long before they'd trek to Zamora. But Sonja makes sure to tell the Mayor of Zamora to accept refugees.
But it turns out there is no plague (and no refugees) because the King of Hyrkania only made that up so people wouldn't know monsters were attacking them. The King of Hyrkania was pretty sure Zamora or Khitai would invade and conquer them if they found out underground monsters were attacking one village and one city. And in less than two weeks, everyone from the Vilayet to Zamora knew about the "plague." And therefore Zamora didn't invade Hyrkania (which, the King was afraid would happen).
Most of the characters' motivations made little sense. The whole plague instead of monsters ruse was nonsensical. It was like having the inhabitants of Perfection, Nevada making up a rumor of plague to make sure Ohio doesn't invade when they discover graboids.
Things I Did Like
I thought the monsters were pretty cool. They seemed appropriately monstrous.
I don’t know how else to put it. This was generic fantasy garbage. It wasn’t a well-written novel. It didn’t have compelling characters. It didn’t have a compelling plot. It absolutely did not have a compelling setting. This is an insult to fans of Red Sonja and Robert E. Howard.
I don’t think the owners of REH’s properties even bothered to read this book; if they did, they sure as shit didn’t give a damn that she didn’t know anything about the Hyborian age. Seriously, Zingara and Zamora allied to charge into Hyrkania? Why did this reach print without anyone saying, WTF? Koth invaded Hyrkania and gave Sonja her origin? Koth? Why not Cimmeria? Or the Picts? Or Shem? All of them make as much sense as Koth. Further, none of the character names fit the milieu, and there was zero attempt to capture the culture of the regions covered.
One of my biggest complaints about the latest Conan the Barbarian movie was that it was generic fantasy garbage. Well, this is too. These authors don’t care about Robert E. Howard’s writings or his characters. No attempt is being made to be true to REH’s settings, or even to make it feel like it could exist in those settings.
It would be so easy to parody Gail Simone’s writing. Set the story somewhere non-British: Japan; China; Hyrkania. Make every side character speak with a British accent and pattern. Make every eating establishment a pub straight out of Hammer horror. Give every character, no matter how trivial, a back-story (and attempt humor here if possible). Get inside the head of every main character, and make sure the characters know they are supremely competent, but have suddenly become incompetent because of a woman. At every point, make sure the characters think on this, and remind the readers they would have been great characters if it hadn’t been for some woman or group of women. Harp on this point.
Also, all the shit I covered above is why the owners of Robert E. Howard’s properties need to stop farming stuff out to just anyone. You’d think Gail Simone isn’t just anyone, but damn… this book sucked. I feel bad for all the authors who had their blurb on the back of the book; they just endorsed CRAP. Stop with having every author out there “give it a shot.” When Robert Jordan died, his heirs hired Brandon Sanderson to carry on - they didn't farm each new book out to someone different. When VC Andrews passed, they hired Andrew Neiderman to carry on, instead of farming it out to a variety of genre writers.
Please give the mantle to one great author. Someone who can write like Robert E. Howard. Someone who is an established author of historical fiction and has shown his bone fides in research.
I’d bet a year’s salary the person I am about to name would give his characters regionally appropriate names and descriptions. I’d bet he’d give an actual Kozaki culture to this queen. I bet he’d make Sonja seem like an actual Hyrkanian. And I bet he wouldn’t have Zingara and Zamora becoming Hyrkanian-attacking allies just because their names both begin with “Z.” And I bet he wouldn’t have Koth being the attackers of Sonja’s village. And I would bet none of the main characters would be as fucking stupid as the characters in this novel were.
Please give the mantle of Robert E. Howard to Scott Oden.
Thank you.
Gail Simone, despite setting her book in Kozaki territory and Hyrkania, using Turanian and Hyrkanian characters NEVER ONCE uses a region-appropriate name. ALL her characters are given what I call “generic fantasy names.” Nonsense names that are fine if you are writing in the nonsense realm of Idontgivadamia in the world of Fucktryingtogivethisanameia. But REH excelled in helping you get into the culture he wanted to convey via names. Gail Simone didn’t care about this. Also, at no point did you feel like you were in Kozaki territory. Nor did you feel like you were in Hyrkania. No caravansaries or steppe culture. Instead you get British pubs that feel like they were lifted out of Hammer horror films, complete with stock characters that speak with British Hammer horror accents and speech patterns.
You’d think that writing a story in Kozak territory would lead her to research the Cossack culture, right? Nope. It’s Britain. Fantasy feudal Britain with Hammer horror pubs. I’m actually a little disappointed Peter Cushing didn’t show up looking for someone that went to Dracula’s castle. I mean, after all, the Karpash Mountains are basically the Carpathians, right?
Inappropriate Religion for the Region
On page 5, Sonja says “Mitra’s fist” was her father’s favorite curse. Why? Why would a Hyrkanian swear by a Hyborian god? The Vilayet, steppes, Zamora, and deserts separate Hyrkania from the Hyborian kingdoms. That would be like having a Baptist in Alabama swear by Mohammed or Brahma. The various kingdoms of the Hyborian age do not have a homogenous religion. Few are polyglot or traveled as much as Conan to be able to swear by gods other than his own. I could see Sonja herself swearing it, as I assume she’s as well-traveled as Conan. But her Hyrkanian father? However, in the old Marvel run, I remember Sonja swearing by Erlik a lot: “Erlik’s tears!” and “Breath of Erlik!” IIRC. Erlik would be an appropriate deity for the region.
Later, on page 14, she has another Hyrkanian praying, and mentioning Mitra. Mitra was a Hyborian god, not a Hyrkanian one. On page 47, the Hyrkanians are said to know how to put the fear of Mitra’s wrath into his words. Mitra isn’t the generic Zeus of the Hyborian age. Mitra is the god of the Hyborians. The Hyrkanians descended from Lemuria and probably had but limited contact with actual Hyborians. The religion of Hyrkania in the Hyborian Age is a combination of ancestor worship, the Everlasting Sky, and the worship of Erlik and Tarim. It’s okay if the Zuagirs (or even the Kozaks) swear by Mitra – they probably have people in their ranks from Koth, Khauran, and Khoraja.
Even the Zamorians swear by Mitra in this novel. I don’t think Gail Simone realizes Mitra is not the god of choice for Zamorians. I am disappointed. I thought Gail Simone knew her stuff.
Hyboria vs Hyborian Age
On page 6, Sonja refers to “Hyboria” as though it were a place or the name of the continent. This is a hill I will die on – the continent’s name is NOT “Hyboria.” It is the Hyborian age on this continent, but that doesn’t rename the continent. You have Hyborian peoples, and they live in Aquilonia, Nemedia, Brythunia, and so on, but they do not live in Hyboria, no more than the Jewish people live in a land called “Jewia.” The Hebrews do not live in a land called “Hebrewia.” When Huns or Magyars or Muslims invaded Europe, the continent didn’t get renamed.
I drove the people at Mongoose nuts with this when they kept renaming my Conan RPG books with the word “Hyboria” and I’d argue with them (“Ruins of Hyboria” instead of “Ruins of the Hyborian Age” and so on).
Moreover, Red Sonja isn’t a Hyborian, nor is the land she comes from a Hyborian kingdom. She’s Hyrkanian. They descend from Lemurian survivors of the Cataclysm, mixed with an aboriginal race found east of the Vilayet. There simply isn’t a logical reason for a Hyrkanian to call the continent “Hyboria.”
She could just have easily have said “the Hyborian kingdoms” here, and it would have been correct.
Complete Lack of Hyborian Age Research
At one point (Chapter 13) she describes the joint military action the Zingarans and Zamorians took against Hyrkania. If you, like Gail Simone, know nothing about the Hyborian age, then you might not think this is too unlikely. However, Zingara is located about where Spain is in Europe. Zamora is located where Ukraine is. This would be like Spain and Ukraine (or whatever countries were in those spots) sending a joint army against the Mongol hordes in the 1300s. Think about that for a minute.
She also has Hyrkania reaching out to Cimmeria and Asgard for help with the plague. Again, think about the political structures of Cimmeria and Asgard at this time. Are these really the “allies” Hyrkania would reach out to? Not Vendhya, the Golden Kingdoms, Iranistan, or Khitai, right? I mean, they only border Hyrkania and probably have trade relations with them, so let’s not ask them. They’d certainly ask Cimmeria and Asgard for help, right?
Geography
I don’t think Gail Simone understands the geography of the Hyborian age. She has her characters on the edge of Turan, and states that Khitai is only a few days ride away. Yeah… you can cover approximately 2,860 miles from the Vilayet to Khitai in a few days. It’s even worse if the Vilayet is in your way and you have to ride around it.
Also, the book starts out “outside the boundaries of Turan.” That is extremely vague. That covers… well, everything but Turan. Imagine if I started a book and placed it “outside the borders of Hungary.” Where, then, is my story taking place? In some chapters, Sonja is very far north, like at the upper reaches of the Vilayet. In other stories she’s just outside of Turan. We don’t get a mention of the Vilayet until Chapter 10, when it appears Sonja can see it, despite traveling for days outside the borders of Turan, thinking of traveling on a road that goes east to Hyrkania (apparently through the Vilayet).
There is no road that goes east through Turan to Hyrkania, despite Gail Simone’s insistence that it’s there.
I will say they did at least put a map in the front of the book. The Zaporoska River is in the wrong place (and given the wrong name, “Zaforoska”).
Gail Simone doesn’t seem to realize that the Vilayet, using REH’s first hand-drawn map, which is the shape used for the Vilayet here, is about the distance from the tip of Greece to the northernmost edge of Norway: about 2,206 miles. On that scale, the distance between Ysidra’s camp to the windmill is about 100 miles. From the camp to Radolan, 550 miles.
Also, in Chapter 32, she has the characters arrive at the end of the Bleak Road in Turan, climb down the cliff, and end up on the other side of the Vilayet, in Hyrkania, ready to ride to Yvaq. 200 miles of Vilayet just… not there. Plus, on top of the cliff, she has the characters able to see Yvaq, which is 380 miles from the termination of the Bleak Road (human beings can generally only see 2.8 miles away due to the curvature of the Earth). So, you have a cliff. At the top of it, you are in Turan. When you climb down it, you are 200 miles to the east, in Hyrkania. Oh, and this route is completely unguarded by either Turan or Hyrkania. You can just go back and forth freely, just skipping over the Vilayet somehow.
Pretentious Pre-Chapter “Quotes” from Fictional Books
Gail Simone writes these long-ass pre-chapter “quotes” from non-existent books. Some of them are pages long. They do not add value to the chapters, just her justifying… something. They are uniformly bad. I’ll admit, I am not a fan of these kinds of “quotes.” I mean, I liked them when Frank Herbert did them, but he was a philosopher, and his quotes often had some kind of depth, and they kept the character of Irulan in front of us even though she doesn’t show up until the end of Dune. Everyone else is just an annoying imitation. People who don’t actually have something to say should not use them because they just come across as a pretentious literary device.
Everyone Sneaks Up on Red Sonja
Gail Simone writes at one point, “She turned to the sound of the man who had somehow managed to approach her unawares. It was not the simplest of tasks; few could accomplish it on her worst day.” Yet, almost everyone who interacts with Sonja in this book does it by sneaking up on her. I like to back up my complaints with evidence, so…
• Page 9: She is reminiscing about a windmill when “She awoke from her memory to a familiar roar. “Devil.” She turns to see that the queen and the Wolf Pack had stolen up upon her while she was remembering stuff about windmills.
• Page 27: She has made camp and is mired in reflection about her lack of ability to really examine her feelings when a man speaks up and “Sonja looked up suddenly, shaken that in her torpor, she’d allowed someone close enough to talk to her, indeed, to reach out and slit her throat if he’d had a mind.”
• Page 60: “She turned to the sound of the man who had somehow managed to approach her unawares. It was not the simplest of tasks; few could accomplish it on her worst day.”
• Pages 84 & 85: Three girls sneak up on her.
• Page 172: Krevel sneaks up on Sonja and grabs her.
• Page 200: Ysidra sneaks up on Sonja and her two friends “When they turned to face Hyrkania, the three remaining in the company realized there were two more riders on the road, facing them, riders who had taken advantage of their distraction.”
• Page 271: Sonja is about to die, so she starts kissing a girl, and an entire Hyrkanian company basically sneaks up on her, unseen as they approached, to save the day.
• Page 299: Ysidra sneaks up on Sonja again: “When she awoke, there was a sword pointed at her throat. An ebony sword. Ysidra stood over her, tall and determined.”
Gail Simone’s Red Sonja cannot take care of herself. She is constantly surprised by people wanting to hurt her – they always show up when she is asleep, distracted, or unconscious. She must be rescued multiple times because she cannot get herself out of jams. She is easily captured and taken even by common guards. She gets assaulted just for asking to enter Zamora, then led to an arena and forced to fight – even though she isn’t wanted and hasn’t committed a crime.
The Plot
The plot meandered as the characters moved from place to place. Despite all the back and forth in Kozaki regions, the only characters Red Sonja meet that aren't POV characters are three girls in the middle of nowhere that sneak up on her, a single traveler that sneaks up on her, and a bar maid that Sonja is rude to. The three girls and the traveler try to hurt Sonja, so she defeats them and lets them live.
Most of the novel is repetitive in terms of "getting into the characters' heads." Red Sonja feels guilty all the time, usually about leaving and stealing from a Kozak queen. Later she feels guilty about leaving her threesome couple. Until the end of the novel, she defeats people but lets them live. When she is not feeling guilty, she is obsessed with finding someone, anyone, to have sex with.
The Queen of Nomads is hateful and upset, and thinks about it nonstop. She also thinks about her exiled nature (her tribe was exiled from Turan before she was born). The character kills three elders of her tribe, which then exiles her from her tribe, which she spends most of her other thoughts being upset about. Except for one weird scene where she comes up with a Cobra Commander style plot to conquer Turan, but that was just a one-off screed that doesn't go anywhere and is never mentioned again. But it's okay, Red Sonja and her make up and fall back in love just a little bit before the Queen of Nomads is killed.
Another main POV character is a Hyrkanian assassin who does nothing but think about how awesome he is, and he likes to take his pants off and stand there and look at the little boys he kills. But Red Sonja sees his "Hidden" and this unmans him, and he becomes a wimp, so he needs to kill Red Sonja to get his mojo back, but then the Queen of Nomads defeats him and lets him live, and this unmans him further - and this is basically all he thinks about, for pages upon pages.
A married Hyrkanian couple who deserted from the Hyrkanian army to find Red Sonja serve merely to be sex objects for Red Sonja, and to bring her news that her little brother lives and she needs to come to Hyrkania to save it from monsters... for no particular reason that they give. Sonja doesn't even ask them who her brother is, how he is still alive, what name he is going under, what he looks like, or anything. Which is avoided so that Sonja (and the reader) can be surprised when her brother turns out to be .
The book has only a few settings, though. We start out at a windmill as Sonja races away from the queen's camp. Then we go to Radolan, a Kozak village where everyone speaks like they are in a Hammer horror movie, with British inflections. Sonja goes to Zamora for no particular reason, gets clobbered by the guards for no particular reason (she wasn't wanted, or doing anything other than traveling), and is taken 50 to 80 miles into Zamora to fight in an arena for no particular reason. When she wins the fight, they give her an awesome room, and a pair of servants (male and female) that she can have sex with if she wants (and she always wants).
The married couple are in an unnamed location, and hire an obviously British river boat captain to take them inland deeper into Hyrkania, but they suddenly appear in the middle of Zamora without explanation. How they knew to find Sonja there is anyone's guess. They talk her into escaping her fine captivity, which she almost doesn't want to do because she gets to have threesomes while captive. But they tell her she has a living brother! And she can have threesomes with them! Yay!
No, it is not a well written novel. The characters, despite having all these "internal monologues" have no depth. It's all repetitious tripe.
Also, there was a plot element of a plague in Hyrkania, and Zamora was super worried that they'd have to take in Hyrkanian refugees. I'm pretty sure they would go to other Hyrkanian city states or Turan long before they'd trek to Zamora. But Sonja makes sure to tell the Mayor of Zamora to accept refugees.
But it turns out there is no plague (and no refugees) because the King of Hyrkania only made that up so people wouldn't know monsters were attacking them. The King of Hyrkania was pretty sure Zamora or Khitai would invade and conquer them if they found out underground monsters were attacking one village and one city. And in less than two weeks, everyone from the Vilayet to Zamora knew about the "plague." And therefore Zamora didn't invade Hyrkania (which, the King was afraid would happen).
Most of the characters' motivations made little sense. The whole plague instead of monsters ruse was nonsensical. It was like having the inhabitants of Perfection, Nevada making up a rumor of plague to make sure Ohio doesn't invade when they discover graboids.
Things I Did Like
I thought the monsters were pretty cool. They seemed appropriately monstrous.
I don’t know how else to put it. This was generic fantasy garbage. It wasn’t a well-written novel. It didn’t have compelling characters. It didn’t have a compelling plot. It absolutely did not have a compelling setting. This is an insult to fans of Red Sonja and Robert E. Howard.
I don’t think the owners of REH’s properties even bothered to read this book; if they did, they sure as shit didn’t give a damn that she didn’t know anything about the Hyborian age. Seriously, Zingara and Zamora allied to charge into Hyrkania? Why did this reach print without anyone saying, WTF? Koth invaded Hyrkania and gave Sonja her origin? Koth? Why not Cimmeria? Or the Picts? Or Shem? All of them make as much sense as Koth. Further, none of the character names fit the milieu, and there was zero attempt to capture the culture of the regions covered.
One of my biggest complaints about the latest Conan the Barbarian movie was that it was generic fantasy garbage. Well, this is too. These authors don’t care about Robert E. Howard’s writings or his characters. No attempt is being made to be true to REH’s settings, or even to make it feel like it could exist in those settings.
It would be so easy to parody Gail Simone’s writing. Set the story somewhere non-British: Japan; China; Hyrkania. Make every side character speak with a British accent and pattern. Make every eating establishment a pub straight out of Hammer horror. Give every character, no matter how trivial, a back-story (and attempt humor here if possible). Get inside the head of every main character, and make sure the characters know they are supremely competent, but have suddenly become incompetent because of a woman. At every point, make sure the characters think on this, and remind the readers they would have been great characters if it hadn’t been for some woman or group of women. Harp on this point.
Also, all the shit I covered above is why the owners of Robert E. Howard’s properties need to stop farming stuff out to just anyone. You’d think Gail Simone isn’t just anyone, but damn… this book sucked. I feel bad for all the authors who had their blurb on the back of the book; they just endorsed CRAP. Stop with having every author out there “give it a shot.” When Robert Jordan died, his heirs hired Brandon Sanderson to carry on - they didn't farm each new book out to someone different. When VC Andrews passed, they hired Andrew Neiderman to carry on, instead of farming it out to a variety of genre writers.
Please give the mantle to one great author. Someone who can write like Robert E. Howard. Someone who is an established author of historical fiction and has shown his bone fides in research.
I’d bet a year’s salary the person I am about to name would give his characters regionally appropriate names and descriptions. I’d bet he’d give an actual Kozaki culture to this queen. I bet he’d make Sonja seem like an actual Hyrkanian. And I bet he wouldn’t have Zingara and Zamora becoming Hyrkanian-attacking allies just because their names both begin with “Z.” And I bet he wouldn’t have Koth being the attackers of Sonja’s village. And I would bet none of the main characters would be as fucking stupid as the characters in this novel were.
Please give the mantle of Robert E. Howard to Scott Oden.
Thank you.
February 20, 2025
This is the best new Sword-and-Sorcery tale I've read. It reminded me of why Sword-and-Sorcery is my favorite subgenre.
September 20, 2024
** I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is scheduled to be published on November 19, 2024 in the US. **
Possible Triggers:
Death | Gore
This was such a poor example of a fantasy novel. I want to come up with nice things to say about it but everything about the story was disappointing.
At every chapter I turned the page wondering how the story could possibly get any worse, and somehow it managed. The main character was a caricature of a “sexy strong woman” which is to say she was nothing but a sex thing wrapped up in scanty clothing and praised for her combat and sexual prowess - to which she didn't really show any. The amount of times that she was snuck up on by teenagers, children, soldiers, random town folks and slapped around begs the question “amazing martial prowess how?”. Imagine my surprise, as when I was about half way through and flipped to the author details online to see WHO wrote this, to find out it was a female author with a bunch of acclaim for calling people out on their shallow 2 dimensional portrayal of female characters in comics; What? How? Red Sonja in this book EPITOMIZES the shallow two dimensional character. I despised her character in the book. I have read some of her other writing from her work in the Batgirl comic books, and loved these, what happened?
Switching gears, let's talk about the purely baffling number of inconsistent behaviors and actions throughout the story. There are many times that within the same paragraph the characters all change their minds from one sentence to the next. This had me constantly rereading passages to make sure I hadn't skipped something or misread. This was almost as frustrating as the bland characters.
I have never read any of the Red Sonja comic books, I can not speak to the accuracy of the depiction of the character or their story in any way.
I can not recommend this book.
Possible Triggers:
Death | Gore
This was such a poor example of a fantasy novel. I want to come up with nice things to say about it but everything about the story was disappointing.
At every chapter I turned the page wondering how the story could possibly get any worse, and somehow it managed. The main character was a caricature of a “sexy strong woman” which is to say she was nothing but a sex thing wrapped up in scanty clothing and praised for her combat and sexual prowess - to which she didn't really show any. The amount of times that she was snuck up on by teenagers, children, soldiers, random town folks and slapped around begs the question “amazing martial prowess how?”. Imagine my surprise, as when I was about half way through and flipped to the author details online to see WHO wrote this, to find out it was a female author with a bunch of acclaim for calling people out on their shallow 2 dimensional portrayal of female characters in comics; What? How? Red Sonja in this book EPITOMIZES the shallow two dimensional character. I despised her character in the book. I have read some of her other writing from her work in the Batgirl comic books, and loved these, what happened?
Switching gears, let's talk about the purely baffling number of inconsistent behaviors and actions throughout the story. There are many times that within the same paragraph the characters all change their minds from one sentence to the next. This had me constantly rereading passages to make sure I hadn't skipped something or misread. This was almost as frustrating as the bland characters.
I have never read any of the Red Sonja comic books, I can not speak to the accuracy of the depiction of the character or their story in any way.
I can not recommend this book.
October 24, 2024
Wow did the author miss their mark with their ARC readers. 😭 Looking at the negative reviewers book history, I can see why. A book all but 1 have in common is SJM whose FC is a meek virgin girl. A typical YA book.
Anyways, i enjoyed the book but i hate YA books. I like my FCs to not be virgins and have a healthy sexual appetite as their MC counterparts. 🤷♀️
Anyways, i enjoyed the book but i hate YA books. I like my FCs to not be virgins and have a healthy sexual appetite as their MC counterparts. 🤷♀️
November 21, 2024
RED SONJA: CONSUMED is a novel by Gail Simone, who is the author of my favorite run of the RED SONJA comic. Red Sonja herself is one of the most successful spin off characters in modern fiction as a creation of Roy Thomas, based on Sonya of Rogatino in “The Shadow of the Vulture.” Even if you’re not familiar with the character, you’re probably familiar with the chain mail bikini clad barbarian archetype that burned itself into the brains of many a teenage boy (as well as girl). Impractical an outfit as it may be, she has had hundreds of adventures and fascinating stories in the Sword and Sorcery genre and is only really rivaled by Conan himself.
Gail Simone’s run was mildly controversial because she re-imagined the character in several ways from the classic Thomas incarnation. The classic Thomas incarnation was straight, a survivor of sexual assault, and bound by an oath never to lie with a man unless he first defeated her in battle. Most of which was depicted in the Brigitte Nielsen movie. Gail Simone’s Red Sonja was gleefully bisexual, thankfully spared such a trauma (but not the death of her village), and every bit as amorous as Conan himself. Several Dynamite writers have continued this element with regards to her past and sexuality.
Red Sonja: Consumed follows the Gail Simone comic incarnation (no kidding, I know) but with several key differences. This seems to be a more experienced Red Sonja, feeling more in her thirties if not forties, rather than the younger incarnation that is still making her legend. She’s also slightly smarter and wiser as the one from the comics had a tendency toward lunkheadery that may or may not be related to her copious alcohol consumption. This Sonja is at the height of her legend and not entirely happy with the fact she’s inspiring scores of young women to follow in her footsteps.
The premise is Sonja is hired to rob a local queen of a precious golden asp arm bracelet. Sonja takes the opportunity to seduce her and make off in the middle of the night. Were this Conan, she would send her forces to chase him and he’d give a big speech about he can’t be tied down. This seems to have been Sonja’s plan but it doesn’t work out nearly so well. Said Queen, Ysidra, has had her heart broken and Sonja feels like crap for robbing someone who had shown her affection. There’s also her employer who wants the asp, an uprising of supernatural monsters, and the usual corrupt kings as well as guards.
Sex and sexuality is handled interestingly in Gail Simone’s Hyborian Age. It’s a far more egalitarian society with more common female warriors (not that Howard’s was lacking as we see in Valeria and Belit) but not equality. Sonja carouses quite a bit with both a threesome with two bathers (male and female) as well as briefly joining a polycule of Hyrkanian warriors (same). This will mean nothing to some fans and just a reflection of the sexually charged world of Howard updated to the 21st century. Others will be put off by it, especially those who think her vow as an important part of her character.
The action is excellent and there’s some well-done characterization throughout. Red Sonja gets deconstructed as we see a somewhat more mature perspective on her life of free-booting, drinking, and sleeping around with no attachments being incredibly fun in her twenties but less rewarding as time marches on. Then it’s just lonely and pathetic. It’s pretty easy to see how the “romances” will end up as well as the main plot but that doesn’t mean it’s not rewarding to reach them both. I recommend this for Sword and Sorcery fans as well as those who enjoy “lone wanderer” fantasy.
November 19, 2024
Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone
adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
4.0 Stars
My only knowledge of this character...is from the 1985 film...with Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
This year, I have also been reading all of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories (and have yet to read ANYTHING with Red Sonja (at least to my knowledge. I hope I do, before the year ends.
This story has been written by someone, who has a full understanding of the character (for I've seen some of the graphic novels she's done)...and I look forward to someday reading them (though I'm not a big comics/graphic novel fan). They just look too good to pass up.
Red Sonja is not a protagonists that you're suppose to love. She is almost unlovable. She's gruff and dismissive. She is only in it for her own satisfaction, until...she isn't.
There is a growth that happens through the book, as the story is also not a linear tale. There are portions of the story that are told as the present, but after we've already gotten to know her and the type of Red Devil that most people associate with her...ruthlessness.
There are also sections of historical elements that preface each chapter, which I thought was interesting...in an historical aspect. Grounding the telling of the tale...in some sort of reality.
I do hope that the author writes another book with this character, for which she understands and conveys very well...in my opinion.
I also want to thank Net Galley, for giving me the opportunity to read an eArc version of the book...and to give my fair and honest opinion of what I read. Thank you.
adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense
Medium-paced
Plot or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters are a main focus? Yes
4.0 Stars
My only knowledge of this character...is from the 1985 film...with Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
This year, I have also been reading all of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories (and have yet to read ANYTHING with Red Sonja (at least to my knowledge. I hope I do, before the year ends.
This story has been written by someone, who has a full understanding of the character (for I've seen some of the graphic novels she's done)...and I look forward to someday reading them (though I'm not a big comics/graphic novel fan). They just look too good to pass up.
Red Sonja is not a protagonists that you're suppose to love. She is almost unlovable. She's gruff and dismissive. She is only in it for her own satisfaction, until...she isn't.
There is a growth that happens through the book, as the story is also not a linear tale. There are portions of the story that are told as the present, but after we've already gotten to know her and the type of Red Devil that most people associate with her...ruthlessness.
There are also sections of historical elements that preface each chapter, which I thought was interesting...in an historical aspect. Grounding the telling of the tale...in some sort of reality.
I do hope that the author writes another book with this character, for which she understands and conveys very well...in my opinion.
I also want to thank Net Galley, for giving me the opportunity to read an eArc version of the book...and to give my fair and honest opinion of what I read. Thank you.
May 21, 2025
Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone
Narrated by Felicia Day
Orbit books
2024
When this title was announced my anticipation was palpable. I was eager to pick up a hardcover copy but Audible had a sale during the holiday season and it was too good of a deal to pass up. So I ended up listening to the book during my daily commute instead.
Felicia Day gives a wonderful performance.
The story itself? Meh. Not even remotely a fan. Sonja uses modern profanity throughout the book. I am not against the profanity itself, but something about it doesn’t ring right in the Hyborian Age. The story is more drama than action. In fact, I felt like I was the wrong demographic for the book. Almost like I was reading a novel more geared toward a young woman and not a jaded middle-aged man. Even the sexual encounters had me rolling my eyes. Sonja is evidently a randy lass, and very cavalier about her bedmates.
Please do not misunderstand my criticism, this is a fine book for the right audience. The editing is very good and it is a complete story. I just didn’t like it.
Narrated by Felicia Day
Orbit books
2024
When this title was announced my anticipation was palpable. I was eager to pick up a hardcover copy but Audible had a sale during the holiday season and it was too good of a deal to pass up. So I ended up listening to the book during my daily commute instead.
Felicia Day gives a wonderful performance.
The story itself? Meh. Not even remotely a fan. Sonja uses modern profanity throughout the book. I am not against the profanity itself, but something about it doesn’t ring right in the Hyborian Age. The story is more drama than action. In fact, I felt like I was the wrong demographic for the book. Almost like I was reading a novel more geared toward a young woman and not a jaded middle-aged man. Even the sexual encounters had me rolling my eyes. Sonja is evidently a randy lass, and very cavalier about her bedmates.
Please do not misunderstand my criticism, this is a fine book for the right audience. The editing is very good and it is a complete story. I just didn’t like it.
February 16, 2025
I think it's time I just admit to myself that Gail Simone is, at least to me, a bad writer who doesn't understand the people she's writing about and the place her stories are set in. I have a huge list of grievances with this book but I'll just touch on a few because this book isn't worth talking about for long:
The people in this book don't act like real people. At one point our "super cool" bad guy loses his temper, takes his pants off, and starts thrashing around. The pants thing is a (very clumsy and heavy handed) metaphor for him "dropping his mask" but can you imagine if you saw this in a movie? You would think you were watching a comedy.
Red Sonja sucks in this. She gets beat up all the time (including by children with sticks and town guards), she's obsessed with getting laid (even the most rambunctious barbarian hero lets it rest after a while), she's lovesick throughout the whole book, and she regularly holds back tears or openly weeps at the slightest thing. Also, at one point she throws up a middle finger which felt super anachronistic and just silly.
The audiobook narration was terrible. Felicia day narrates this and her tiny, nasally voice is so wrong for a book with mighty warriors and monsters. I laughed all the way through this (which might actually be the only real enjoyment I got from this book to be honest) because it sounded like someone's mom reading them a bedtime story and doing silly voices.
The people in this book don't act like real people. At one point our "super cool" bad guy loses his temper, takes his pants off, and starts thrashing around. The pants thing is a (very clumsy and heavy handed) metaphor for him "dropping his mask" but can you imagine if you saw this in a movie? You would think you were watching a comedy.
Red Sonja sucks in this. She gets beat up all the time (including by children with sticks and town guards), she's obsessed with getting laid (even the most rambunctious barbarian hero lets it rest after a while), she's lovesick throughout the whole book, and she regularly holds back tears or openly weeps at the slightest thing. Also, at one point she throws up a middle finger which felt super anachronistic and just silly.
The audiobook narration was terrible. Felicia day narrates this and her tiny, nasally voice is so wrong for a book with mighty warriors and monsters. I laughed all the way through this (which might actually be the only real enjoyment I got from this book to be honest) because it sounded like someone's mom reading them a bedtime story and doing silly voices.
November 29, 2025
I couldn’t even get past four chapters .
November 21, 2024
RED SONJA: CONSUMED is a novel by Gail Simone, who is the author of my favorite run of the RED SONJA comic. Red Sonja herself is one of the most successful spin off characters in modern fiction as a creation of Roy Thomas, based on Sonya of Rogatino in “The Shadow of the Vulture.” Even if you’re not familiar with the character, you’re probably familiar with the chain mail bikini clad barbarian archetype that burned itself into the brains of many a teenage boy (as well as girl). Impractical an outfit as it may be, she has had hundreds of adventures and fascinating stories in the Sword and Sorcery genre and is only really rivaled by Conan himself.
Gail Simone’s run was mildly controversial because she re-imagined the character in several ways from the classic Thomas incarnation. The classic Thomas incarnation was straight, a survivor of sexual assault, and bound by an oath never to lie with a man unless he first defeated her in battle. Most of which was depicted in the Brigitte Nielsen movie. Gail Simone’s Red Sonja was gleefully bisexual, thankfully spared such a trauma (but not the death of her village), and every bit as amorous as Conan himself. Several Dynamite writers have continued this element with regards to her past and sexuality.
Red Sonja: Consumed follows the Gail Simone comic incarnation (no kidding, I know) but with several key differences. This seems to be a more experienced Red Sonja, feeling more in her thirties if not forties, rather than the younger incarnation that is still making her legend. She’s also slightly smarter and wiser as the one from the comics had a tendency toward lunkheadery that may or may not be related to her copious alcohol consumption. This Sonja is at the height of her legend and not entirely happy with the fact she’s inspiring scores of young women to follow in her footsteps.
The premise is Sonja is hired to rob a local queen of a precious golden asp arm bracelet. Sonja takes the opportunity to seduce her and make off in the middle of the night. Were this Conan, she would send her forces to chase him and he’d give a big speech about he can’t be tied down. This seems to have been Sonja’s plan but it doesn’t work out nearly so well. Said Queen, Ysidra, has had her heart broken and Sonja feels like crap for robbing someone who had shown her affection. There’s also her employer who wants the asp, an uprising of supernatural monsters, and the usual corrupt kings as well as guards.
Sex and sexuality is handled interestingly in Gail Simone’s Hyborian Age. It’s a far more egalitarian society with more common female warriors (not that Howard’s was lacking as we see in Valeria and Belit) but not equality. Sonja carouses quite a bit with both a threesome with two bathers (male and female) as well as briefly joining a polycule of Hyrkanian warriors (same). This will mean nothing to some fans and just a reflection of the sexually charged world of Howard updated to the 21st century. Others will be put off by it, especially those who think her vow as an important part of her character.
The action is excellent and there’s some well-done characterization throughout. Red Sonja gets deconstructed as we see a somewhat more mature perspective on her life of free-booting, drinking, and sleeping around with no attachments being incredibly fun in her twenties but less rewarding as time marches on. Then it’s just lonely and pathetic. It’s pretty easy to see how the “romances” will end up as well as the main plot but that doesn’t mean it’s not rewarding to reach them both. I recommend this for Sword and Sorcery fans as well as those who enjoy “lone wanderer” fantasy.
Gail Simone’s run was mildly controversial because she re-imagined the character in several ways from the classic Thomas incarnation. The classic Thomas incarnation was straight, a survivor of sexual assault, and bound by an oath never to lie with a man unless he first defeated her in battle. Most of which was depicted in the Brigitte Nielsen movie. Gail Simone’s Red Sonja was gleefully bisexual, thankfully spared such a trauma (but not the death of her village), and every bit as amorous as Conan himself. Several Dynamite writers have continued this element with regards to her past and sexuality.
Red Sonja: Consumed follows the Gail Simone comic incarnation (no kidding, I know) but with several key differences. This seems to be a more experienced Red Sonja, feeling more in her thirties if not forties, rather than the younger incarnation that is still making her legend. She’s also slightly smarter and wiser as the one from the comics had a tendency toward lunkheadery that may or may not be related to her copious alcohol consumption. This Sonja is at the height of her legend and not entirely happy with the fact she’s inspiring scores of young women to follow in her footsteps.
The premise is Sonja is hired to rob a local queen of a precious golden asp arm bracelet. Sonja takes the opportunity to seduce her and make off in the middle of the night. Were this Conan, she would send her forces to chase him and he’d give a big speech about he can’t be tied down. This seems to have been Sonja’s plan but it doesn’t work out nearly so well. Said Queen, Ysidra, has had her heart broken and Sonja feels like crap for robbing someone who had shown her affection. There’s also her employer who wants the asp, an uprising of supernatural monsters, and the usual corrupt kings as well as guards.
Sex and sexuality is handled interestingly in Gail Simone’s Hyborian Age. It’s a far more egalitarian society with more common female warriors (not that Howard’s was lacking as we see in Valeria and Belit) but not equality. Sonja carouses quite a bit with both a threesome with two bathers (male and female) as well as briefly joining a polycule of Hyrkanian warriors (same). This will mean nothing to some fans and just a reflection of the sexually charged world of Howard updated to the 21st century. Others will be put off by it, especially those who think her vow as an important part of her character.
The action is excellent and there’s some well-done characterization throughout. Red Sonja gets deconstructed as we see a somewhat more mature perspective on her life of free-booting, drinking, and sleeping around with no attachments being incredibly fun in her twenties but less rewarding as time marches on. Then it’s just lonely and pathetic. It’s pretty easy to see how the “romances” will end up as well as the main plot but that doesn’t mean it’s not rewarding to reach them both. I recommend this for Sword and Sorcery fans as well as those who enjoy “lone wanderer” fantasy.
September 3, 2025
It's been a bit of a year for Red Sonja. She's just had a movie not really limp out to cinemas, which does a decent job of updating her for the new millennium. Her comics appear to be in rude health, with all sorts of odd crossovers proliferating (Red Sonja vs Mars Attacks). And now this novel from Gail Simone, who did a solid job at updating those comics and putting amply visible flesh on the bones of a character barely defined in Robert E. Howard's originals, and pulped out by Roy Thomas in Marvel comics.
Sonja is at her heart a travelling mercenary, a stranger who rolls into town, upending the status quo and troubleshooting, then leaving at the end (think The Fugitive, The Incredible Hulk ir even Doctor Who). Great for episodic pulp, but she has little in the way of wants and desires, she drinks, she fights, she beds someone - and this stinky chaos agent is very much the Sonja Simone wrote in comics. Here she tries to give her a little bit of character development, but mainly relies on her supporting characters to do the developing here. And if there is a bit of a problem here, it is that the supporting characters take up a bit too much space. I understand why, but it does feel like much of the plot resolution falls on these others. Those characters are original and not rigidly set by rights holders, so Simone can do what she likes with them.
This is Simone's first novel, and she has a bold narrative style aping the original pulp. There's occasionally a little too much foreshadowing, but it is a lot of fun to read. It's also interesting how she slips in her version of the origin story, and some of the similarities it has to the film (she was a supervising producer on the movie and wrote the story of a previous iteration). I'm not sure it enlightens us much more to Sonja's motivations, but then that's the problem with licensed characters, but it certainly feels like a solid addition to her legend.
Sonja is at her heart a travelling mercenary, a stranger who rolls into town, upending the status quo and troubleshooting, then leaving at the end (think The Fugitive, The Incredible Hulk ir even Doctor Who). Great for episodic pulp, but she has little in the way of wants and desires, she drinks, she fights, she beds someone - and this stinky chaos agent is very much the Sonja Simone wrote in comics. Here she tries to give her a little bit of character development, but mainly relies on her supporting characters to do the developing here. And if there is a bit of a problem here, it is that the supporting characters take up a bit too much space. I understand why, but it does feel like much of the plot resolution falls on these others. Those characters are original and not rigidly set by rights holders, so Simone can do what she likes with them.
This is Simone's first novel, and she has a bold narrative style aping the original pulp. There's occasionally a little too much foreshadowing, but it is a lot of fun to read. It's also interesting how she slips in her version of the origin story, and some of the similarities it has to the film (she was a supervising producer on the movie and wrote the story of a previous iteration). I'm not sure it enlightens us much more to Sonja's motivations, but then that's the problem with licensed characters, but it certainly feels like a solid addition to her legend.
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