Red Sonja: Consumed

By: Gail Simone

Narrated by: Felicia Day

Red Sonja, the iconic, fiery, she-devil with a sword, is reinvented for a new generation in this action-packed epic fantasy by legendary comic book writer Gail Simone.

The gutsy, wild, tortured free spirit, forged in pain yet unafraid of life or death, Red Sonja, the famous, fiery She-Devil and barbarian of Hyrkania has never concerned herself with the consequences of her actions. She’s taken what she wanted, from treasure to drink to the companionship of bedfellows. She’s fought who deserved it (and sometimes those who didn’t). And she’s never looked back.

But when rumors start bubbling up from her homeland—rumors of unknown horrors emerging from the ground and pulling their unsuspecting victims to their deaths—and a strange voice begins whispering to her in her sleep, she realizes she may have to return to the country that abandoned her. And finally do the only thing that has ever scared her: confront her past.

©2024 Gail Simone (P)2024 Orbit

Critic reviews

"Fierce and fascinating. This is the story Red Sonja has always deserved. Unmissable."—Felicia Day

"I'm always thrilled by the freshness and clarity of Gail Simone's thought, the inventiveness of her imagination, and the power of her insights--but most of all, by her power to entertain in story after story."
—Joe Hill, author of The Fireman

“Veteran comics writer Simone’s triumphant debut novel … quickly immerses readers in a lush fantasy world. … Simone leavens the frequent violence with humor and makes her heroine feel simultaneously larger-than-life and deeply human. The result is an exciting new chapter for a cult-favorite character.”

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

What I was looking for

I'm a long time fan of sword and sorcery, and this absolutely scratched my itch! Wonderful story, terrific narration.

Great read

I’ve long loved the comics, and Gail has done a great job with those. But this is next level. Great story, excellent delve into Sonja’s origin. Really loved it and I hope this is only the first of a series, I will buy every one!

A confession

I greatly enjoy Gail Simone's superhero comics work. I always drop her name when someone asks me "who are your favorite writers?" But I have never read any of her Red Sonja comics, and that is clearly a failing on my part. This novel is incredible, showing a depth of love for a character that has been largely maligned or reduced to sexy lamp status. Mix Simone's stellar storytelling with Felicia Day's brilliant narration, and you have a combination that is not to be missed. You owe it to yourself to listen to this tale. You will not be sorry you did.

Sonja the Red

I am new to Red Sonja though aware of the original source material. I normally don't leave reviews, but since it’s a debut novel despite the serious talent but often looked over due to the fan-service of origins of source material, I wanted to contribute a review. Overall, I only have good points. It was highly enjoyable.

Gail Simone has made an easy entry point for Red Sonja her debut novel that delves into a renowned, pre-established character. I experienced the novel in Audible though I also purchased the hardcover. Felicia Day does an excellent job in the voice work and may be one of my new favor voice actors after listening to her work on this book. The novel gives breath for Gail to spread here narrative muscle in a character study in another medium highlighting the talents of all those involved in the project. My only gripe is the book was a one-shot instead of spreading out into multiple books.

It felt like it could have been spread into multiple arcs, but that is more my expectation or desire of the story points and layout than any underlying failing in the execution of the novel. The novel was emotional, heartfelt, sad, amusing, uplifting, funny, bittersweet, and exciting adventure.

Having read many of Gail Simone's comics, I was expecting exceptional character development and dialogue in the novel but was unsure how it would playout in the novel format. I need not have worried as it proved spectacular.