Review: A Gathering of Ravens, The Twilight of the Gods, and The Doom of Odin by Scott Oden

by Phil Sawyer

Here is a brief overlook at the three Scott Oden books that comprise the Grimnir Saga. First up…

This 320-page novel, A Gathering of Ravens, came out in 2017. Here we are introduced to Grimnir, the last Orc. Grimnir reappears from the shadows and journeys across Denmark and England and Ireland. Grimnir is on the path of revenge and retribution.  The Viking Chief Bjarki Half Dane has slain Griminir’s brother, and Grimnir swears he will kill Bjarki Half Dane. Grimnir knows that the old ways are dying. A new faith has arisen, dedicated to the “Nailed God.” Grimnir’s kind are retreating into the shadows.  When Grimnir finds Bjarki Half Dane he sees that Bjarki is locked in battle with the Christian King of Ireland. So Grimnir has a dilemma: stand with the Christian King of Ireland and see his vengeance done, or stand against him and see his vengeance slip away? Grimnir longs to use his long seax “Hatr” on Bjarki. The deadly seax is a reforged charmed Dwarf sword but what is Grimnir to do?

The 340-page Twilight of the Gods was published in 2020. It is the year 1218.  The land of the Raven-Geats pays a tax to the King in the name of the White Christ, but their hearts are still with the gods of Asgard. Famed Crusader Konradr the White leads a host against the Raven-Geats, using the sword and torch to bring forth the blinding light of the new religion.  But he runs up against their protector Grimnir, the last in a long line of monsters left to plague Middle Earth. He will stand with the Raven-Geats to prevent their destruction. Leading an army of berserkers, Griminr engages in an epic struggle. But not against just the Crusaders. Grimnir has run up against Odin himself. Odin wants an ancient dragon buried beneath the land of the Raven-Geats that should be left undisturbed. As much as he hates the “White-skins,” Grimnir knows that he must prevent the dragon from being released. Grimnir tries his ferocious best, but Odin outsmarts him, and the dragon is loosed on the world.  The Dragon is used by Odin to spread the deadly Plague.

The Doom of Odin, the 325-page conclusion of this series came out last December. Grimnir pursues the plague spreading dragon Nidhoggr – The Malice Striker – to Rome. It is now the year 1347. A terrified guard looses a crossbow bolt, which pierces Grimnir’s heart. But the gods are not through with Grimnir. He is sent back from the Land of the Dead to Earth. Grimnir has drawn the attention of witches, giants, and trolls, and Grimnir must unravel a terrible secret that was woven long before he was born.  Odin himself now steps into the fray, and he is a very deadly and tricky enemy.  Grimnir hates being a pawn of the gods, and he strives to become the most powerful being in the nine worlds. But he is also the most hunted!

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This is just the bare outline of this amazing and dark series. I thought I should bring this to our Fellowship’s attention after reading Gary’s report of Oden’s Conan story. Of all the authors I have read, Scott Oden comes the closest to the spirit of Robert E. Howard. I dearly wish he had been around when Sprague was looking for someone to help him continue the Conan series!

The world that Grimnir inhabits is brutal and dark. Mercy, kindness, and compassion are for weaklings and fools. Everybody lives for revenge and hate. “Two eyes for an eye” seems to be the governing philosophy. Sudden violent and horrible death are the coin of the realm.

I am reminded not just of REH but also of Poul Anderson’s introduction to Hrolf Kraki’s Saga. Anderson said, “that the Saga was no Lord of the Rings, written by a civilized Christian author.” Hrolf Kraki’s Saga was written in “the depths of the Dark Ages.” I should point out that Tolkien loved the Northern myths. He was very aware of the brutality of the Viking World. His nod to this aspect of the Northern Thing is the character Beorn, the skin changing Man/bear.  Beorn had captured a goblin and a warg and interrogated them. Bilbo asks Beorn what became of them. Beorn shows them a goblin head on a fence post and a warg skin that has been nailed to a tree. Beorn and Grimnir would have understood each other.

Grimnir is so ferocious, fierce, aggressive, and ornery he makes Conan look like Wally Cox or Don Knotts. As he tells some poor saps who are about to tangle with him: “Hear me, O Ymir! Bear witness, Father of Giants and Lord of Frosts! Corpse-maker and Life-quencher, I am called, the Bringer of Night, the Son of the Wolf and Brother of the Serpent. The Hooded One, I am the Kin-slayer and the Slaughterer of Witches, The Butcher of the Mordvaettir! I am Grimnir Belegyr’s son!” Grimnir actually slashes Odin himself with Hatr’! (Hater.)

Near the end of the tale Loki himself tells Grimnir that the Elder World must pass away, And they will pass with it. “Our blood will fertilize a New World—a world where we will be nothing but legends, myths told to children, nursery rhymes and dark memories.  Loki sighs and then tells Grimnir, “But that is fine. A few will remember us, Grimniir Kin-slayer. They will remember the songs written by blade and axe and they will tell of our deeds around their fires. And in the telling, in those death-songs, we will live forever….”  Who could ask for more?

I HIGHLY recommend this trilogy to our Fellowship. Scott Oden has captured the dark heart of the REH universe and the Norse World. These are marvelous stories that everybody should read! And read them in order. The stories should be read chronologically as you watch Grimnir’s world unfold. Scott Oden is an author to watch! He truly possesses the magic touch!

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(Scott Oden dedicated A Gathering of Ravens to two prominent voices in REH fandom who had passed away.)

Review: The Shadow of Vengeance by Scott Oden

by Gary Romeo

“The Shadow of Vengeance” first appeared in Savage Sword of Conan V2, #1 – 12, Marvel Comics, 2019. I should have read the story then. But reading in monthly installments did not appeal to me. In any event I’m glad Titan Books has reprinted this story in The Heroic Legends e-book Series. Hopefully a print collection will appear in the future. But buy them NOW or that may never happen.

This story takes place 3 months after REH’s story, “The Devil in Iron.” Unlike most of the other recent e-books this story starts by featuring the villain, Ghaznavi, the regent of Khawarizm, before introducing Conan. Already, this tells me that Scott Oden is thinking plot and story; not character and vignette. 

Ghaznavi is still pining the loss of Jehungir Agha and nurtures a hate of Conan. Apparently his mourning has caught the attention of “The Nine.” As a Phillip Jose Farmer fan I immediately thought of A Feast Unknown and Tarzan (Lord Grandrith) and Doc Savage’s (Doc Caliban’s) struggles against “The Nine.” I doubt Scott Oden meant for that connection to cross the reader’s mind. But some enterprising Wold-Newton scholar can probably make the connection work.

This group called “The Nine” are acolytes of the god of death and are typically called “the Sicari.” Karash Khan, their master, agrees to kill Conan in exchange for a safe haven for the Sicari’s plotting and intrigue. Conan is introduced in the second chapter.

Conan is the leader of the Zaporoskan kozaks and is attending a conclave with the Red Brotherhood. Octavia from “The Devil in Iron” is still with Conan and plays a large role in this story. Conan is there to meet with an old companion, Ivanos, and convince the various parties to attack and pillage the city of Kwaharizm. Most of the pirates and outlaws fear a reprisal from Yezdigerd of Turan.

Octavia is sent off to find lodging. Conan has not returned from the conclave and she awakes in the night and is attacked and drugged. In the morning she appears more confident and more wanton to her bodyguards. She insists on going somewhere by herself.

Meanwhile Conan and Ivanos are still haggling with the other pirates and outlaws who are split on whether to join Conan or not. Ivanos believes he can convince the majority to side with Conan given more time. Conan is impatient.

Ivanos finds Octavia in his tent. Octavia tells him she is being kept a prisoner by Conan and seeks his aid to escape. Ivanos is suspicious but having a beautiful naked woman in your bed does mess with even the most level headed man. Octavia kills him.

Going any further will lead to spoilers. Suffice to say Scott Oden has authored a very Howardian story. There are twists and turns, a supernatural menace, and a great revengeful ending. My only complaint would be having Conan knocked senseless at the end of both chapters 7 and 8 in this 12 chapter story seemed a little repetitive. 

Let’s face it. Scott Oden is a natural at writing Conan pastiche. He wrote a short story for the Conan Unconquered video game that was also very Howardian. With that story and this one Oden expertly captured REH’s style and sensibility. It may not be his aspiration but if Titan Books chose him to be the sole Conan pastiche writer I think new Conan fans would be created. This is the freshest e-book so far.

Conan Unconquered: A Conan of Cimmeria Story by Scott Oden

by Gary Romeo

“Conan Unconquered” is both a video game, (it looks incredible!) and a Conan story by Scott Oden.

I haven’t purchased the game (yet). The price seems fair but I’m not sure my current laptop has the wherewithal to play it smoothly. I’ll have to talk to my best friend’s kid to find out. Online gaming is something I know very little about.

The best website I’ve seen about the game: https://www.instant-gaming.com/en/5887-buy-conan-unconquered-deluxe-edition-deluxe-edition-pc-game-steam/ lists the system requirements and features a video excerpt.

The video at this website is visually compelling and certainly makes me want to purchase the game! Included with the game are the following items.

I have read the eBook by Scott Oden and that is what I will be discussing from this point forward. First up, I wish the game included this as a paper-bound book. It is a short story (about 9,200 words) and printing it should have only added a few bucks to the price. I do not know the current market though. Maybe they were trying to achieve an optimum price and having a bound copy would have been prohibitive?

The story is a good one and hopefully will make it to hard-copy someday. For REH/Conan completists it is almost a must. It incorporates a new take on “the Yaralet fragment” that was the basis for Lin Carter’s “The Hand of Nergal.”

The opening chapter sets a Howardian mood. Conan is described as “a giant of a man clad in steel plate, a scarlet cloak draped about his broad shoulders.” His broadsword, smoldering blue eyes, and barbaric demeanor verify he is the alpha male in this story.

The mood is being set for the story in the video game. A great horde is coming. “Like a pestilence, their multitudes boiled out of the desert, and in their wake the cities of Shem lay in smoldering ruins.” The horde is heading for Khoraja. Conan and his men will soon have to face this onslaught.

As Conan and his men plan and prepare for the future battle they start drinking and telling stories. Conan is asked to tell of one his adventures and prepares to do so. “Mercutius needed a throat cut, so we went to war for him. But let no man tell you it was a war for territory or for plunder! Nay, dogs! This was a war over a woman…”

I admit to minor disappointment at this point. I was hoping for a Trojan War type tale told by Conan in the first-person ( the I/we perspective). I thought, “wow!, this has never been done before. Scott Oden is going to have Conan actually relate one of his own adventures. This could be tricky…”

But the tale is told in the third-person (the he/she/it/they perspective).

Again, a minor disappointment. The tale is not a homage to Paris and Helen and who really wants a first-person Conan story? (I do, but do other fans?)

Scott incorporates some of REH’s own prose into the story using the same manuscript that Lin Carter used. He does make a few changes. The girdled loincloth becomes a blue linen kilt, Atalis becomes Artavatas, Prince Than is removed, and Yaralet is kept as is. As a fan of consistency I winced a bit at that. In my mind, this adventure AND “The Hand of Nergal” both happened. I reconcile the two Yaralets as being either two different cities with the same name or Conan conflating two different adventures and mis-remembering a few things after a few tankards of ale.

Anyway, onward…

As in the original manuscript Conan is alone and wounded on a battlefield and finds an injured female. Conan takes her with him back to where his employer Prince Mercutius and his commander Enrico Da Ferraa await him.

The basic plot is that Yaralet is ruled by Artavatas, a once decent ruler, who made his city prosperous through the opium trade. Opium and its derivatives are a needed medicine in the Hyborian Age: “a balm to those who knew suffering, from the warrior stricken on the field to the woman struggling at the birthing blocks.” Prince Mercutius has raised a mercenary army to seize the poppy fields and takeover Artavatas’ trade.

The woman, Rubati, that Conan found turns out to be Artavatus’ sister and Mercutius’ lover. She has fled Yaralet. Her brother has gone mad. His chief hobby is now racing a chariot at night pulled by “a mammoth black-furred beast, like some unnatural spawn of hyena and ape….” He also raises an army of the undead.

The plot continues. Conan gets nicknamed Conan the Throat-slitter. Cool, I guess. I’m not a big fan of making Conan’s killing ability a “cool” thing. I like to think of Conan as an amoral survivor, doing whatever it takes, but not particularly relishing the bloodshed, even though all the Conan authors say that he does. My double-think to bear alone.

A battle between Mercutius’s army and Artavatus’s dead army (composed of Mercutius’s dead soldiers from the initial battle) ensues. Conan battles the black-furred beast and defeats him through muscle and steel alone. Scott Oden doesn’t rely on magic to help Conan which was the biggest flaw in Lin Carter’s version of the fragment.

Artavatus apparently planned to wed his own sister: “From your loins will spring my sons, and they will rule the world!” Since incest is bad (except in a 1967 Theodore Sturgeon story) all is set right by the end. Mercutius and Conan survive, Enrico Da Farraa perished in the battle. Mercutius and Rubati are set to wed and a happy ending seems secured.

Scott Oden in a clever move decides to continue the tale where Lin Carter or even REH might have ended it. Throughout the story there was talk of Artavatus’ Zhemri blood. After the cataclysm that destroyed the Valusian empire remnants known as the Zhemri founded Zamora. They were a mixed race people and Scott suggests Artavatus and his family line “hearkened back to the Serpent Folk.”

I won’t do a spoiler but I will say the ending has a clever twist and that intricate plots (e.g. John Maddox Roberts’ Conan the Rogue) or cleverly skewed history (e.g. Leonard Carpenter’s Conan the Hero) and clever codas as in this story are the future of good Conan stories. Having Conan simply overpower a supernatural beast is too well-worn. Scott Oden has hit the mark!

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