Customer Reviews

Against the Prince of Hell (Red Sonja, Book 5)

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Well, one would be, anyway. Welcome to Thesrad, one of the Sunnydales of the Hyborian Age.

Sonja is wandering through some mountains, gets really sick (skimpy scale mail I guess leaves you prone to the flu, in winter climes). Barely makes it through, and collapses. Luckily, she is found by the deposed lord of Thesrad. He reminds her of the erstwhile boyfriend from earlier in the series, a true leader of men.

Unfortunately for said lord, he has been deposed to a vulture god worshipping extremely powerful sorcerer. Fortunately, said sorcerer's daughter, unlike the scion of Endithor, is a half snakewoman hybrid, who is the agent of a snake goddess. Needless to say, the two do not get along at all. Serpent wench Ilura offers her aid to Sonja and her new friend. Sonja, of course, after nice bloke helps her, is all hot for some sorcerer slaying and demon killing. Lord takes two volunteer squads into the city to try and foment an uprising. Serpent woman vs summond vulture demon = draw, luckily for those of the local band left behind by the boss.

The little adventure works, but lots of them die. Sonja takes the magic dagger off the gate to hell. Ooops. Did have good sorcerer killing powers though, or at least slowed them down. Minor league sorcerers went to work for Kushian vulture boy. 2 out of 7 is probably a good result for 'left alive' for that band, after the carnage in the retaking of the town. After Sonja, a snakey sorceress and a plague of reptiles descend. A bunch of prisoners freed, some nobles rebel, and an extremely bloody time is had by all.

In other words, exactly the sort of pulp fantasy slayage you are generally after.