GOOD THING: Chris Bolson gives us some of the best artwork we've seen in a Red Sonja book in quite some time. His work is detailed, without being over-lined and the colorist Wellinton Marcal does an excellent job in highlighting that detail.
On top of everything else, Bolson actually understands how women's clothing works and that a woman's breasts have to be supported - not just covered up - and he actually draws a chainmail bikini that, while not practical, at least looks plausible as something that could be actually be worn for more than two minutes at a time.
BAD THING: The deus ex machina at the end - in in which Sonja's horse, swallowed up by a living sink-hole in the first part of the story, somehow survives and is delivered to her somewhat unharmed - strains all credibility. Particularly in the Hyborian setting where gods and spirits are not generally that kind or generous.
Incidentally, I get the feeling I've seen this story before but I can't quite place it. Does anyone out there better versed in Chinese or Japanese folklore than me know any stories about a corrupt monk who steals from his temple and becomes a gambling lord/whoremonger?
The Final Verdict:Great artwork and a good story, marred only by a completely unbelievable deus ex machina at the end. Still worth a read if you're a fan of good fantasy and Red Sonja in particular, though.
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