#Review - Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone Epic #Fantasy

Series: Red Sonja (#1)
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: November 19, 2024
Publisher: Orbit
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy / Epic

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

The warrior Red Sonja, the famous fiery She-Devil 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.

Red Sonja: Consumed is the first installment in author Gail Simone's Red Sonja series. Set in the Hyborian Age, Consumed evokes the brutal, occult-tinged world of Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories while updating it for modern readers. This action-packed sword and sorcery epic reimagines the iconic “She-Devil with a Sword” for a new generation, delivering a fast-paced, character-driven fantasy that balances visceral combat, emotional depth, and a modern sensibility while staying true to the genre’s gritty roots. 

Red Sonja: Consumed opens with a classic sword and sorcery setup: Red Sonja, the fiery Hyrkanian warrior, is on the run after a heist gone complicated. Having seduced and betrayed Ysidra, a nomadic queen, to steal a priceless golden armband called the Hunter’s Asp, Sonja finds herself pursued by Ysidra’s relentless Wolf Pack and a ruthless assassin named Sylus, hired by the client she double-crossed. As Sonja flees, whispers of supernatural horrors emerging from her homeland of Hyrkania—monsters dragging victims into the earth—draw her back to confront a past she’s long avoided. 

The novel weaves a tale of high-stakes adventure, personal reckoning, and supernatural dread, culminating in a battle against an ancient evil tied to Sonja’s origins. Simone intersperses the present-day action with flashbacks to Sonja’s traumatic childhood, particularly the destruction of her family and village, which provide emotional weight to her journey. The use of multiple points of view—including Ysidra, Sylus, and others—adds depth but occasionally disrupts the flow with jarring “head-hopping” within scenes, a minor flaw likely attributable to Simone’s transition from comics to prose. 

Simone crafts a Sonja who is unapologetically earthy, flawed, and liberated. This Sonja is bisexual, voracious in her appetites (for treasure, drink, and lovers of all genders), and refreshingly human. She’s brave and cunning but also surly, impulsive, and occasionally self-destructive, grappling with guilt over her betrayal of Ysidra and the weight of her past. Simone retains the iconic chainmail bikini but reframes it as a choice of self-expression, not objectification, emphasizing Sonja’s agency. 

Supporting characters are a mixed bag. Ysidra, the betrayed queen, is compelling, her heartbreak and pursuit of Sonja adding emotional stakes, though she fades from the narrative for long stretches. Sylus, the psychotic assassin, is a chilling antagonist, but his intermittent appearances dilute his menace. Other characters, like Sonja’s loyal attack horse Sunder and various allies, add color but lack depth. Simone jettisons the problematic elements of the character’s traditional backstory—rape, divine intervention, and chastity—replacing them with a narrative of agency and resilience. 

Sonja’s bisexuality and freewheeling lifestyle reflect a more egalitarian Hyborian Age, where female warriors are common, and sexual fluidity is normalized. Red Sonja has been around since 1973. The barbarian badass was created initially as a companion character for Conan, but now commands her own flagship series of comics,

which sells 400k issues annually, her own movies (the next one coming in 2024), and legions of fans who are loud, proud, and engaged. 

In 2016, author Gail Simone indicated that Sonja was bisexual during her run. In 2020, the series Red Sonja: The Price of Blood by writer Luke Lieberman and artist Walter Geovani corroborated this, depicting Sonja as having slept with a woman. In Simone's novel Red Sonja: Consumed portrays the character as having both male and female lovers. Finally, this year marks the return to the big screen for Red Sonya, but I think the writers didn't use this book as a basis for their material. We shall see. 

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