About this title: A warrior forced to battle the evil that thwarts his destiny, Brak must combat sorcery and plagues as he journeys south to Khurdisan. Before reaching this paradise city, he must hack his way through the obstacle after obstacle as he passes through unknown lands. But between his broadsword and heart he is able to overcome certain death at the hands of monsters like Septegundus (capturer of souls) and Ariane (a spellbinding witch). Now his life lies in the hands of fate ?
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pocket
Date Published: 1977
Description: Acceptable. PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. COVER WEAR. MAY HAVE COVER WEAR, SPINE CREASES, HIGHLIGHTING, UNDERLINING & PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. FASTER SERVICE FROM US! ! ! read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Pocket Books, Kangaroo, New York
Date Published: 1977
ISBN-13:9780671812782ISBN:0671812785
Description: Fair-Good. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. 173pp. 1st prtg. Covs rubbed, creased; edges & corners worn. Sp faded, worn, creased; edges & ends worn. Date stamp inside frnt cov. Pgs a bit browned. Brak, the yellow-haired warrior, pushes his way South toward golden Kurdisan, the city of his dreams...on a lonely journey through strange kingdoms threatened by dark perils and foul sorcery. Mighty broadsword in hand, an unconquerable will in heart, Brak savagely battles the grotesque evils that block his ... read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Kangaroo Books, New York
Date Published: 1977
ISBN-13:9780671812782ISBN:0671812785
Description: Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. The book is very solid with bright, unmarked pages. The cover has minor shelf wear & moderate edge wear. The spine has a light crease. read more
Edition: 1st printing.
Binding: PB.
Publisher: Avon Books S-363., New York.
Date Published: 1968.
Description: Good paperback. First edition. Paperback original (PBO). Cover art by Frank Frazetta. Contents well-bound and clean; covers and spine with read creasing. read more
Binding: Mass market pb
Publisher: Tandem, London
Date Published: 1970, c1968
ISBN-13:9780426046776ISBN:0426046773
Description: Very Good. No dust jacket, as issued. VG. Unknown printing. 160 p. ; 18 cm. Cover illustration by C. Achilleos. Chapters titled "The courts of the conjurer" and "Ghosts of stone" appeared as individual stories and in different form in Fantastic Stories, copyright 1965. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: AVON BOOKS, New York
Date Published: 1968
Description: Fair. Interior browning-no marking. Covers have rubbing, edgewear, some damage along bottom edge on front & back. Still a solid reading copy. (pb #1) read more
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Avon, New York
Date Published: 1968
Description: Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Considerable shelf and edge wear to wraps, including creasing, small tears and wear. Writing on first page. Some water damage. Solid reading with clean pages. read more
"For me, this novel (really a loosely linked collection of stories) suffered a bit in comparison to the first Brak tale I came across in a 70's paperback anthology. While that story was an obvious Robert E. Howard pastiche, I recall it as tightly plotted and well-written- a suitable substitute for Howard and hinting at the possibility of something more. The few new changes on Howard's Conan formula which Jakes rings mainly highlight the close similarity- Brak is blond while Conan is black-haired; Brak is subject to moral qualms more easliy than is the brooding Cimmerian. Jakes also adds a type of Christian theology to the mix of savage and civilized gods in his unnamed world. But Brak is still, like Conan, a wandering Northern barbarian, possessed of superior physical and ethical attributes who is suspicious (for good reason) of sorcery and of civilized ways. Unfortunately the inspiration behind these stories seems uneven, and the ideas and prose catch fire only in spurts. Jakes' monsters are vaguely rendered and Brak himself as a character is not clearly drawn. Other than some scattered moments of evocative description and action, Jakes' strongest element is the sorcerer Septegundus, the Amyr of Evil on Earth, whose very flesh teems with the tiny writhing figures of tortured souls trapped beneath his skin. I remain hopeful that subsequent volumes in the Brak series will better fulfill the promise of these not-fully-baked tales. Brak the Barbarian works as light pulp entertainment and a breath from the past even as it whets the appetite for more substantial fare. And my edition, the first Avon paperback, is physically gorgeous with its glorious, hard-hitting Frazetta painting, merciless red-and-black color scheme and transcendent copy ("INTO THE THRICE-FIRED HELL OF YOB-HAGGOTH STRODE THE YELLOW-HAIRED GIANT OF THE NORTH"). This kind of pulp goes best when it goes over the top; would that Jakes had caught the same fever that his book designers had."
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