Customer Reviews

Rage of the Behemoth: An Anthology of Heroic Adventure

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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Good Book!
The stories set in the mountains and the frozen wastes were definitely my favorites. I don't like heat and humidity in real life and I guess that carries over to fiction.

There is a lot of variety in the anthology and many good to great stories.

A particular favorite character is the 'little grandfather' in the story "Vasily and the Beast Gods" by Daniel R. Robichaud. The story may be based on Russian Folktales although I do not know if the little grandfather is taken directly from Russian Myth.

The other stories run more to the vein of fantasy with more gore and grit then you find in folklore; more sword than sorcery yet there is plenty of sorcery. "Thunder Canyon" by Jeff Draper is one of best tales in the anthology for me. It is definitely pulp sword and sorcery worth reading.

You will enjoy almost every story in the book and they each have a distinct flavor so you should find quite a few gems in this treasure trove.

I was originally interested in this anthology of 21 tales because it includes a story The Rotten Bones Rattle by one of my favorite authors C. L. Werner. Upon reading all the way through the anthology there some other stories that stand out from the rest though all the shorts are quite good reads.

Serpents beneath the Ice by Carl Walmsley
Is the story of an adventurer of renown who hires guides to hunt the dreaded beasts. The culture of the guides, reminiscent of the Inuits, has peaked my interest enough to want to hear more of them. The monsters that threaten them are believable enough to make sense within the context of the story. The story does an excellent job of gripping the reader, pulling him in and not letting go.

Black Diamond Sands by Lois Tilton
Is the story of a pupil/slave that is sent on a mission to spy the secret of the enemy wizards. Slow to start but ending all to quickly this piece left me with the feeling and knowledge that Lois Tilton is definitely an author to watch for. It is one of those stories where you definitely appreciate the ending, thinking to yourself "that was good".

Vasily and the Beast Gods by Daniel R. Robichaud
Is the story of Vasily and the quest for the vast treasure of the gods with ultimate power. Though he would rather be back at home cooking venison. He must defeat Little Grandfather husband to BabaYaga an eater of flesh and invulnerable to mortal weapons, but not to mortal minds, and win through to save the fair maiden(questionable).

Yaggoth-Voor A Tale of Mortlock the Footman by Bruce Durham
A cross between Call of Cthulhu and Pirates of the Carribean. Well worth the read.

Beyond the Reach of his Gods by Brian Ruckley
Titanic sized snake. Nuff said!

I borrowed this book from one of the writers, and, man, what a great read. I have yet to find a bad story, and I'm almost all the way through (I'm sure she wants it back, like, yesterday).
This is sword & sorcery done right, whether it's from "name brand" authors like Andrew J. Offutt & Richard K. Lyon and Lois Tilton, or writers who are just cutting their teeth, like A. Kiwi Courters and Jason Thummel, there is an energy to the stories that harken back to the pulp roots of the genre.
Usually, you get two or three good stories in an anthology. Not so with Rage. The stories, separated by environment, have an organic flow to them, so that each seems to fit naturally and seamlessly in place.
This is a very exciting collection of a genre that is near and dear to my heart and I cannot recommend it enough.

It's with more than a little glee that I got to read Rage of the Behemoth, a collection of 21 Sword and Sorcery short stories featuring gigantic monsters. I like Sword and Sorcery. I like big monsters. And most importantly, I like the editor, Jason M. Waltz of Rogue Blades Entertainment, who I've had the pleasure to work with a few times, including when he published my story "Deep in the Land of the Ice and Snow" in the Return of the Sword anthology in 2008. Another nice thing about short story collections is I don't feel the need to read the whole thing all at once; I can read a story or two, then go read a novel or something else, then get back to the collection.

Not only is Rage of the Behemoth about big monsters, but it's also about the terrain and territories these monsters find themselves in. This anthology is broken up into five sections, Depthless Seas, Frozen Wastes, Scalding Sands, Mysterious Jungles and Ageless Mountains. In each section you will find tales of heroes and the beasts they must face.

Of the 21 stories found within Rage of the Behemoth, I had some favorites. Below are three that stood out for me.

Beyond the Reach of his Gods, by Brian Ruckley

This was my favorite of all the stories found here, but that's not surprising considering Brian Ruckley is also author of "The Godless World" trilogy of epic fantasy novels. This tale was of my liking because it seemed the most like old Sword and Sorcery tales by such writers as Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber and the like. This story is of Rhuan the Exile and his ship's crew he leads into the depths of a very foreign and deadly jungle. Dangers along the way include dart-tossing and arrow-shooting natives, and also black magic that produces ... something big. I won't give away what the particular behemoth is in this tale, but I will say that poor Rhuan is tested to his limits.

The Rotten Bones Rattle, by C. L. Werner

This story stood out for me because it's beastie is quite a bit different from that of any other found in this collection and because the protagonist, samurai Shintaro Oba, is much different from any other in this collection. The tale felt as if it could come right out of the legends of ancient Japan, with samurai, ninja, katanas and ... another big, nasty monster, perhaps the most frightening one of all to be found in Rage of the Behemoth. If you like fantasy with an Asian theme, this story should be right for you.

Nothing Left of the Man, by Jeff Stewart

This is a tale of Sigurd Grimbrow. Of course there's a monster to be found here, but eventually this tale is more about the monsters within each of us must face than it is about the monsters without in the rest of the world. Here, Sigurd and his companions come upon a village under attack by a great beast. What else would mighty warriors do but attempt to hunt down the monster? Has a sad, but surprising end to it.

Final Words

One other thing I wanted to mention about this anthology of short stories is that there are six different covers available. You can buy your favorite or you can purchase all six for collecting. Below is the basic cover, one that includes a snapshot from each of the other five covers. Of the other five covers, each one represents one of the five terrains found within the collection, though each book contains all 21 stories regardless of which cover it has.

If you love stories of sword-slinging action with a little magic and big creatures tossed in, this collection will get you cheering.

Rage of the Behemoth is a great collection of stories that are good for reading in short sessions. Like every anthology of short stories I've ever read, I did not like every story. However, I believe that this is not always because they are not good stories, but that they were meant for someone else to read which makes this a book that may appeal to a broader audience within it own genre. It should be obvious from the name alone, but it is of note that the stories are quite violent and get gory ...more Rage of the Behemoth is a great collection of stories that are good for reading in short sessions. Like every anthology of short stories I've ever read, I did not like every story. However, I believe that this is not always because they are not good stories, but that they were meant for someone else to read which makes this a book that may appeal to a broader audience within it own genre. It should be obvious from the name alone, but it is of note that the stories are quite violent and get gory at times.