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Bran Mak Morn
For the Witch of the Mists
""The gods have spoken to me tonight, Bran Mak Morn" intoned the wizard. "The heart I have plucked out of our enemy is propecy from the gods who proclaim that the chieftain of Pictdom shall this might begin a strange journey. He shall touch the gods and visit the heart of the enemy. He will enter a cavern and speak with a witch who is not dead, who lives and does not live, with a spirit that is older than the hetherlands of Caledon, older than the mountains of Cornwall. "Go, Kig Brak, go to forestall iron legions from torching the fields and drowning the old rivers with Pictish blood. Go, King Bran, to the witch-queen of Atlantis, who has died and is awaiting rebirth, the one they call the Witch of the Mists.""
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
2 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
David C. Smith
110 books45 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 6, 2024
A very well done book using Robert E. Howard's character. With Howard being my favorite all time writer I am very stingy with praise for anyone using his characters. Mr Smith did a very nice job that read quite a bit like a Howard story. Recommended
December 19, 2020
Well well well... Interesting novel about one of my favorite "heroes" but lets be real it's not that good. To be quite frank it's , go there, do this, go there, do that - insert a number of grammatical errors - no kidding and I am not even english so sometimes some escape me, but this has a lot of errors. Not counting with errors around name of gods; name of characters. Enfin.
What we have here it's a tale where Bran goes to a cavern where he finds a woman Aleisha that says to Bran that she must reincarnate into someone that lives in rome. So when he is capture by romans he goes to roma and become a gladiator killing and destroying anyone that he fights. There int he village of his master he finds a servant girl who is the girl that must be reincarnated into Alesiha but the mistress of the girl also wants to capture Aleisha and get her magic power. So they go back (Brant; Aleisha and a stable boy) and in another boat the mistress & her lover. There they fight near the caves and while the girl is reincarnated into Aleisha ghosts fight for Bran along the picts and a victory it's ensure.
Well, do you notice the errors? They exist in the novel. Not counting with gods and even the picts land being south of london (unless earth it's upside down)
Pretty bland novel, this is basically what happens and the 235 pages on the novel pretty much sums this review. Damn this was bad trip. Bad Instead of 1 star I will give 2 because this novels are not supposed to be poetic, or perfectly written. This novels are to entertain and they are reminiscent of pulp fiction.
What we have here it's a tale where Bran goes to a cavern where he finds a woman Aleisha that says to Bran that she must reincarnate into someone that lives in rome. So when he is capture by romans he goes to roma and become a gladiator killing and destroying anyone that he fights. There int he village of his master he finds a servant girl who is the girl that must be reincarnated into Alesiha but the mistress of the girl also wants to capture Aleisha and get her magic power. So they go back (Brant; Aleisha and a stable boy) and in another boat the mistress & her lover. There they fight near the caves and while the girl is reincarnated into Aleisha ghosts fight for Bran along the picts and a victory it's ensure.
Well, do you notice the errors? They exist in the novel. Not counting with gods and even the picts land being south of london (unless earth it's upside down)
Pretty bland novel, this is basically what happens and the 235 pages on the novel pretty much sums this review. Damn this was bad trip. Bad Instead of 1 star I will give 2 because this novels are not supposed to be poetic, or perfectly written. This novels are to entertain and they are reminiscent of pulp fiction.
September 1, 2013
For the Witch of the Mists is a pastiche of Robert E. Howard's Bran Mak Morn character. Like most other pastiches it's not as good as the original, but in the case of comparing to Howard's original stories that's damn near impossible. My one problem was the many glaring typos throughout the story, I could probably find one per page. That said it hardly detracted from the flow of the novel.
The story centers around Bran being captured by Roman soldiers, fighting in the arena, his escape, and recovery and protection of the Witch of the Mists, a powerful demi-god reborn as a human girl.
The story can be a some what dark at times, but it is not as doomed feeling as Howard's work. This work has more of a feeling of hope and wonder. An interesting aspect to this work is the strong female characters; Aeysla, the Witch of the Mist is the main companion to Bran throughout the story, and their main foe is Cornellia a powerful witch from Rome. The Pictish women even fight alongside the men in the final battle. The story itself is captivating and paced well, with some well written battle sequences interspersed throughout. Overall I really enjoyed this work, and with better editing this could have been a 5 star book.
The story centers around Bran being captured by Roman soldiers, fighting in the arena, his escape, and recovery and protection of the Witch of the Mists, a powerful demi-god reborn as a human girl.
The story can be a some what dark at times, but it is not as doomed feeling as Howard's work. This work has more of a feeling of hope and wonder. An interesting aspect to this work is the strong female characters; Aeysla, the Witch of the Mist is the main companion to Bran throughout the story, and their main foe is Cornellia a powerful witch from Rome. The Pictish women even fight alongside the men in the final battle. The story itself is captivating and paced well, with some well written battle sequences interspersed throughout. Overall I really enjoyed this work, and with better editing this could have been a 5 star book.
January 1, 2009
A pastiche of Robert E. Howard's Bran Mak Morn. Pretty good.
February 6, 2022
With Richard Tierney passing this past week, it was oddly, if sadly, appropriate that I finish my read of all the Bran Mak Morn material with the last pastiche (only one of two) written about Howard's last great Pictish King. For those not in the know, Tierney and Smith are two fantastic sword & sorcery writers who were very active in the 70s and 80s, both with their own original characters, and in work for hire, such as a six-volume Red Sonja series and this lone Bran Mak Morn story.
Sadly, of their various collaborations, this is not their best work, and that is made more evident when directly contrasted to Karl Edward Wagner's "Legion from the Shadows" which is one of the best pastiches I have ever read. If Legion shows how a pastiche can serve to immerse itself in the canonical work and characters, and thereby add to an unfinished saga, For the Witch of the Mists shows the path most pastiche, even good pastiche, takes -- serviceable and fun, but not rarely more.
There's nothing particularly wrong with the story, which certainly feels like something Howard would conceive, nor is the portrayal of Bran off, although in his case he is taciturn to the point of almost silence. However, the plot's central idea -- a mythical quest leads Bran to be brought in chains to the heart of Rome itself, as a gladiatorial gift to the Emperor Septimus Severus -- is frankly more than this probably 75k word novel can handle. The Roman segment gets short shrift, Bran's time in the arena is about 3 pages, and then we are off to an extended chase scene going back to Britain. As cool as the idea of Bran in Rome is, that's a novel of its own, or deserved such, and it just doesn't work here -- similar ideas could have been used by having him sent off to Gaul, or even just Londinium. Likewise, although the Witch of the Mists herself is an interesting character, as the final elements call come together in a few pages, we really have little payoff for the wait to see her true nature revealed.
This is a fun read, and will certainly entertain, but it is a short novel that resolves more like a short story and just lacks the dark melancholy and horror undertones of "The Dark Man" or "Worms of the Earth." As an entry in an on-going saga, this might have worked better -- it is clear that the Zebra line was building towards Severus' real-life invasion of Caledonia (and abrupt death in the British Isles), but was canceled after this volume, leaving us in a position where the Bran saga feels MORE complete if you either ready this a precursor to "Legion of Shadows" or just stop after "Legion" (which very much fulfills some hinted on-going plots at the end of Howard's "Worms of the Earth".).
Sadly, of their various collaborations, this is not their best work, and that is made more evident when directly contrasted to Karl Edward Wagner's "Legion from the Shadows" which is one of the best pastiches I have ever read. If Legion shows how a pastiche can serve to immerse itself in the canonical work and characters, and thereby add to an unfinished saga, For the Witch of the Mists shows the path most pastiche, even good pastiche, takes -- serviceable and fun, but not rarely more.
There's nothing particularly wrong with the story, which certainly feels like something Howard would conceive, nor is the portrayal of Bran off, although in his case he is taciturn to the point of almost silence. However, the plot's central idea -- a mythical quest leads Bran to be brought in chains to the heart of Rome itself, as a gladiatorial gift to the Emperor Septimus Severus -- is frankly more than this probably 75k word novel can handle. The Roman segment gets short shrift, Bran's time in the arena is about 3 pages, and then we are off to an extended chase scene going back to Britain. As cool as the idea of Bran in Rome is, that's a novel of its own, or deserved such, and it just doesn't work here -- similar ideas could have been used by having him sent off to Gaul, or even just Londinium. Likewise, although the Witch of the Mists herself is an interesting character, as the final elements call come together in a few pages, we really have little payoff for the wait to see her true nature revealed.
This is a fun read, and will certainly entertain, but it is a short novel that resolves more like a short story and just lacks the dark melancholy and horror undertones of "The Dark Man" or "Worms of the Earth." As an entry in an on-going saga, this might have worked better -- it is clear that the Zebra line was building towards Severus' real-life invasion of Caledonia (and abrupt death in the British Isles), but was canceled after this volume, leaving us in a position where the Bran saga feels MORE complete if you either ready this a precursor to "Legion of Shadows" or just stop after "Legion" (which very much fulfills some hinted on-going plots at the end of Howard's "Worms of the Earth".).
October 25, 2019
Bran Mak Morn is told by the wizard Gonar that he must meet the Witch of the Mists to defeat the Romans. She tells him he must go to Rome and find a woman who she will inhabit with her spirit and then they can defeat Rome. Tribune Drussus wants the power of the Witch for himself, and so does Cornelia, a Roman woman. Both Drussus and Cornelia have dabbled in witchcraft, and they want to capture Bran as part of their plan. Bran must fight the power of Rome in the capital itself, find the unknown woman for the Witch, and bring her back to Caledon so the prophecy can be fulfilled.
Decent story without the artistry of REH's mastery of language. Plenty of swordplay and a bit of magic. Good plot, moves along quickly, and Bran Mak Morn is not too far out of character. He's always angry and thinks about nothing but killing Romans. If he has to use some magic to do it then he is willing, but doesn't much like it. Not an unacceptable addition to the Bran Mak Morn storyline.
Decent story without the artistry of REH's mastery of language. Plenty of swordplay and a bit of magic. Good plot, moves along quickly, and Bran Mak Morn is not too far out of character. He's always angry and thinks about nothing but killing Romans. If he has to use some magic to do it then he is willing, but doesn't much like it. Not an unacceptable addition to the Bran Mak Morn storyline.
December 31, 2021
The Witch of the Mists. Just finished it. A Bran Mac Morn story, but not by Howard. It's a simple and short story. The book is suffering from extremely bad proofreading. So many misspelled words... it almost hurts. Actually, it does hurt. I also was reminded why I prefer hardcover books. This book is too small and I didn't want to break the spine. It was difficult to read since the text is so close to the middle of the book. But all negativity away, I enjoyed it nonetheless
December 26, 2025
A rather fun read based on Robert Howard's Bran Mak Morn, but riddled with typos and misspellings.
February 7, 2026
Finished it! 4 books for January and about to begin a 5th! Overall For The Witch of the Mists was a good savage sword and sorcery tale. It faltered , stumbled, and wasn't sure where it was going towards the end, but it had a good ending. If you have any interest in Bran Mak Morn I say read it if you can find it cheap.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews