301:"a splendid job," "one of the best Sword and Sorcery books of the year, and marvelous entertainment." He notes "he Brak stories are unabashedly Conanesque in style and flavor: Howard's hero formed the pattern for the genre and John Jakes has limited himself to working in strict traditional confines. Where he differs from the Howardian method, however, he produces excellences and delights. A certain strain of imaginative invention all his own permeates these stories." His "imaginative fertility fill the book with a freshness, originality, and color that is Jakes' alone."
278:. Though not a convert to their religion, Brak is sympathetic to its adherents, like the fatherly Friar Jerome—especially since their god is the mortal enemy of the evil demon god Yob-Haggoth, which by definition makes them Brak's allies. To Brak's protestation that "I am not a child of your god," Jerome replies "You are his child but you do not know it." Later on, when helping Dareet bury her evil and cynical father, who had followed no god, Brak fashions a rude cross to put on his grave.
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him. Indeed, in the early episodes, Brak encounters an entire collection of very nasty women (Examples: The demonic immortal witch Ariane, who wants his soul; the cruel and sadistic
Princess Vian; the wanton and corrupt Princess Jardine). In later parts, this is counterbalanced by the warm-hearted Dareet, Zama Khan's daughter who deplores her father's evil ways, and later Queen Rhea, a veritable paragon of virtues.
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out of anyone it touches; battles the treacherous Zama Khan at the ruins of cursed
Chambalor and frees thousands of ghosts who had been trapped there in prolonged torment; and saves the life and throne of Queen Rhea of Phrixos (after she first saved him at considerable risk to herself) averting her enforced betrothal to the odious Lord of the Tigers.
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in the New
Testament, where Satan showed Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them." The basic assumption made in that episode—that the minions of evil may physically bind you but can never take your soul unless you voluntarily surrender it—clearly follows the teachings of Christian
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Though set in a fictional world, with its own complicated history, Brak early on encounters a religion bearing strong resemblance to
Christianity—the Nestorians, followers of a religion founded by the goat-herd Nestoriamus, who believe in a universal "Nameless God" whose symbol is the Cross. They are
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There is the evil, soul-taking
Septegundus, who promises a dire revenge for Brak's humbling of himself and his dark god. Later, Brak is enslaved at the terrible mines of King Ushiram of Toct and starts a slave rebellion; confronts the conjurer Ankhma Ra whose Silk of Shaitan can rip the living heart
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His first stop is the city of Kambda Kai, once great but now afflicted by worshipers of the demon god Yob-Haggoth. Here, as well, his religious skepticism gets Brak in trouble, immediately bringing him into conflict with the corrupt and evil cult. Destined to be sacrificed to the evil god, Brak wins
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Though a most formidable fighter when aroused, Brak is not particularly bloodthirsty or aggressive. In most cases, many of the villains he fights have picked a fight with him in the first place (a costly mistake). Nor is he especially greedy, several times turning up chances to win great treasure.
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Brak, a blond, braided, and broadsword-wielding barbarian from the frozen north, is an outcast from his people for questioning the traditional war gods. He seeks to reach the glorious southern realm of
Khurdisan the Golden, rumors of which have reached even his country. The stories (and indeed the
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Brak acts according to his own strict code of honor. He keeps his word, once given, even when knowing his "civilized" interlocutor intends to double-cross him at the first opportunity. He has a strong inhibition against harming women, even vile women who mock his honor and try their worst to harm
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Good women or bad, Brak is clearly determined not to settle down in any one place, but rather continue on his endless, Quixiotic quest for fabled
Khurdisan. Even when a young, beautiful, and courageous queen is deeply in love with him, he firmly if regretfully declines her offer. The heartbroken
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In nearly every episode Brak also confronts a gigantic monster of one kind or another—some of them cultivated by human villains, others seeking human prey on their own account: The
Doomdog, haunting the caverns of Toct; the Fangfish, in a deep pool at a sinister mountain pass above the realm of
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His wants are limited to a few dinshas in his purse, enough to buy food, a pony to ride on (several of the poor beasts get killed in the course of the book and need replacing) and, of course, a properly sharp broadsword, without which he feels naked.
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A Brak the
Barbarian story, "Spell of the Dragon", appeared in Marvel Comics' Chamber of Chills 2 anthology series comic, January 1973. Original story by John Jakes, creator of Brak the Barbarian, with artwork by Val Mayerik.
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Tazim, Lord of the
Tilling; T'Muk, The Thing which Crawls, a highly poisonous giant spider at Chambalor's desert; and a giant scavenger slug, which in the aftermath of battles at Phrixos feeds on dead (and wounded) soldiers.
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queen, left behind, vows to await his return, for decades if need be, and take no other consort—but Brak sets out on further wanderings and has many more adventures, detailed in the various sequels.
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The individual stories titled "Ghosts of Stone" and "The Courts of the Conjuror" originally appeared, in a different form, as "The Pillars of Chambalor" and "The Silk of Shaitan" in the magazine
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The scene where the demonic Ariane in her flying chariot shows Brak all the wondrous kingdoms of the world and promises them to him in return for his soul is clearly reminiscent of the
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in December 2020. British editions were issued by Tandem in 1970 (reprinted in 1976) and Star/W. H. Allen in December 1987. The short-story collection was also gathered together with
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his freedom—but the demon worshipers and their foul monsters infest all the lands between him and his goal, and in consequence every step of his journey brings new challenges.
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v. 14, no. 3 (March 1965) and no. 4 (April 1965), respectively. The April 1965 issue featured the Brak story in its title illustration. As a novel,
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series) deal with Brak's episodic quest as he overcomes threat after threat, with the dream of Khurdisan ever before him.
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in April 1981, and (as a trade paperback) by e-reads.com in 1999. It was reissued in trade paperback and ebook by
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by Open Road Integrated Media in July 2012. It has been translated into
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184:was first published in paperback by
188:in July 1968. It was reprinted by
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352:v. 2, no. 52, April 1970, p. 21.
605:Fantasy short story collections
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600:1968 short story collections
212:into the omnibus collection
524:Mention My Name in Atlantis
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450:The Kent Family Chronicles
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286:theology on that issue.
414:Witch of the Four Winds
348:Carter, Lin. Review in
308:no. 9, September 2008.
166:hero of the same name.
144:Witch of the Four Winds
620:Books about barbarians
615:Avon (publisher) books
422:The Mark of the Demons
203:The Mark of the Demons
430:When the Idols Walked
336:title listing at the
206:and two stories from
610:Novels by John Jakes
438:The Fortunes of Brak
209:The Fortunes of Brak
306:Sword & Fantasy
283:Temptation of Jesus
270:reminiscent of the
170:Publication history
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20:Brak the Barbarian
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69:Brak series
594:Categories
578:miniseries
560:The Rebels
488:The Titans
482:The Furies
467:The Rebels
391:John Jakes
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272:Nestorians
186:Avon Books
160:John Jakes
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580:(1985–94)
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