Book Review: 'The Fortunes of Brak' by John Jakes
John Jakes, who passed away at age 90 on March 11, 2023, was a familiar author to me and many other Baby Boomers. While I never read his 'Kent Family Chronicles', I was aware of his science fiction and fantasy writing, and picked up his 'Brak the Barbarian' titles from Pocket Books.
I always liked the Brak stories, for as Conan pastiches, they were as good as, if not better than, Lin Carter's 'Thongor' franchise.
Brak is a bit more intelligent than Conan, and more vulnerable to the blades and spells of adversaries. Often, Brak must use improvisation and more than a little bit of luck to escape what appears to be certain doom at the hands of his enemies. And of course, the beautiful women Brak encounters in his adventures frequently have ulterior motives, motives that our barbarian hero can be slow to ferret out - to his peril.
'The Fortunes of Brak' (255 pp.) was published by Dell in January 1980, and features cover art by George Bush. It's a compilation of previously published Brak tales, some of them from Lin Carter's Flashing Swords ! anthologies. The book features quite a few interior illustrations by Douglas Beekman, and these are of high quality.
My capsule summaries of the contents:
Devils in the Walls (1963): captured by slavers, at an auction Brak is sold to the alluring and mysterious Mirande. The price of his freedom: looting the ruins of Hamur's palace, where, it is rumored, famished panthers and murderous ghosts await any trespasser.
Ghoul's Garden (1973): Traveling through the woodlands, Brak befriends the shifty-eyed priest Hektor, and the red-haired actress Shana. The latter is welcome company.......but, as Brak is to discover, Shana is a woman coveted by a malevolent wizard, a wizard who has little tolerance for romantic rivals..............
The Girl in the Gem (1965): Brak gets coerced into yet another perilous venture. The opening segment of this story has an imaginative, offbeat quality, after which it becomes a conventional sword-and-sorcery tale.
Brak in Chains (1977): this story first was published as 'Storm in a Bottle' in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords ! No.4. Our hero is held captive in the Kingdom of Lord Magnus the Worldbreaker, where a severe drought has led to widespread unrest, and predictions of doom. The villain of this piece is one of the creepiest to be featured in the 'Brak' franchise. This is the best entrant in the anthology.
The Mirror of Wizardry (1968): Brak is making his way up the hazardous pass through the Mountains of Smoke, when, amid the swirling snow, he comes upon a horrifying sight.........and a forthcoming encounter with the evil mage Valonicus.
Summing up, 'The Fortunes of Brak' is a worthy showcase of Brak tales, and fans of old school sword-and-sorcery storytelling will find it rewarding.
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