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dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
With Albion in chaos, Rogan and his nephew wash up on a foreign shore. The primitive tribesman of the foreign land are being terrorized by a shaman with an alien god on his side. Can Rogan set things right and find his way back to his former kingdom?
I've made it no secret that I'm not fond of the typical Tolkien via Dungeons and Dragons style of fantasy that dominates the genre these days. When I want fantasy, I'm more into the Leiber/Howard/Moorcock style. Thankfully, King of the Bastards is just such a novel.
Rogan is an aging barbarian, like Conan if he survived to be sixty. Rogan reminds me not only of the lgendary Cimmerian but also Karl Edward Wagner's Kane and David Gemmell's Druss the Legend. In short, he's the baddest mother on the planet and not ready to go to the grave just yet.
King of Bastards is an homage to the glory days of pulp fantasy. If you're squeamish about violence and rampant sexism, this isn't the book for you. Rogan is randy for being a senior citizen and doesn't mind talking about it. He also isn't shy about dealing out violence and gore.
The plot isn't very complex but Keene and Shrewsbury get a lot of mileage of out it. It's a fun pulpy romp full of violence, gore, and funny one-liners. Rogan and his nephew encounter one breasted Amazons, natives, ape-men, giant snakes, zombies, and all sorts of other things. References are made to Keene's Labyrinth mythos and the Thirteen, and there was a Dark Tower reference as well.
Much like the fantasy of yesteryear, King of the Bastards was action packed and short enough not to overstay its welcome. If you yearn for the fantasy of yore, King of Bastards is what you're looking for. Four out of five stars.
I've made it no secret that I'm not fond of the typical Tolkien via Dungeons and Dragons style of fantasy that dominates the genre these days. When I want fantasy, I'm more into the Leiber/Howard/Moorcock style. Thankfully, King of the Bastards is just such a novel.
Rogan is an aging barbarian, like Conan if he survived to be sixty. Rogan reminds me not only of the lgendary Cimmerian but also Karl Edward Wagner's Kane and David Gemmell's Druss the Legend. In short, he's the baddest mother on the planet and not ready to go to the grave just yet.
King of Bastards is an homage to the glory days of pulp fantasy. If you're squeamish about violence and rampant sexism, this isn't the book for you. Rogan is randy for being a senior citizen and doesn't mind talking about it. He also isn't shy about dealing out violence and gore.
The plot isn't very complex but Keene and Shrewsbury get a lot of mileage of out it. It's a fun pulpy romp full of violence, gore, and funny one-liners. Rogan and his nephew encounter one breasted Amazons, natives, ape-men, giant snakes, zombies, and all sorts of other things. References are made to Keene's Labyrinth mythos and the Thirteen, and there was a Dark Tower reference as well.
Much like the fantasy of yesteryear, King of the Bastards was action packed and short enough not to overstay its welcome. If you yearn for the fantasy of yore, King of Bastards is what you're looking for. Four out of five stars.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
Although not quite as much fun as last year's The Lost Level, there's no doubt that King of the Bastards is firmly rooted in the same fondness for the pulp era of the early 20th century. Brian Keene & Steven L. Shrewsbury have crafted a tale that almost feels like an posthumous collaboration between Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, and Michael Moorcock.
This is, for better and for worse, a complete throwback novella. It's pure pulp, full of clichés, and heavily dependent upon genre tropes. There's nothing truly original or progressive about it, but that's fine. You know what you're expecting when you pick it up, and that's precisely what you get.
Our hero, Rogan, is the self-proclaimed King of the Bastards. He is a sexist, racist, misogynistic Conan clone - but with an intriguing difference. Rogan is a barbarian past his prime, a man who has turned his back on the throne to adventure through his post-retirement years. He can still slay the monsters and seduce the ladies, but he tires a bit more quickly, and his patience isn't what it used to be. This is Rogan's story to tell, and it works largely because he does explore such an interesting (and entertaining) facet of the pulp hero.
Rogan and his nephew lead us from the depths of the sea, with its pirate crews and tentacled monsters; to the wilds of the jungle, with its savage natives and undead beasts; to the heights of the hazy mountain, with its sorceror gods and mutated giants. There's a bit of a sci-fi twist towards the end, but fans of the genre will likely spot it coming from miles away. All told, King of the Bastards is a fast-paced tale that doesn't attempt to do anything more than entertain, and which does so with pulpy goodness.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
This is, for better and for worse, a complete throwback novella. It's pure pulp, full of clichés, and heavily dependent upon genre tropes. There's nothing truly original or progressive about it, but that's fine. You know what you're expecting when you pick it up, and that's precisely what you get.
Our hero, Rogan, is the self-proclaimed King of the Bastards. He is a sexist, racist, misogynistic Conan clone - but with an intriguing difference. Rogan is a barbarian past his prime, a man who has turned his back on the throne to adventure through his post-retirement years. He can still slay the monsters and seduce the ladies, but he tires a bit more quickly, and his patience isn't what it used to be. This is Rogan's story to tell, and it works largely because he does explore such an interesting (and entertaining) facet of the pulp hero.
Rogan and his nephew lead us from the depths of the sea, with its pirate crews and tentacled monsters; to the wilds of the jungle, with its savage natives and undead beasts; to the heights of the hazy mountain, with its sorceror gods and mutated giants. There's a bit of a sci-fi twist towards the end, but fans of the genre will likely spot it coming from miles away. All told, King of the Bastards is a fast-paced tale that doesn't attempt to do anything more than entertain, and which does so with pulpy goodness.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
kim3100's review against another edition
3.0
This book was better than I iniatially expected. It's filled with action and gross scenes and you can't get bored. The writing style is very descriptive, so that you can imagine the situations in the story easily
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