Andrew Offutt’s “My Lord Barbarian.”

My Lord Barbarian is a slim planetary romance by Andrew Offutt. It begins with an intriguing premise and a reasonable pretext to include spaceships and sci-fi technology in a story of sword-swinging barbarians. (Again I’m reminded why Gary Gygax enshrined Offutt in Appendix N.) The pulp action picks up rather quickly after the introductory chapter and carries the story along at a rapid pace through the first couple of acts. The third act took me somewhat by surprise. I expected a ramping up of action, perhaps a violent set-piece battle. Instead, however, the hero’s triumph took place with little opposition or dramatic threat (with the exception of a return to form just prior to the denouement.) Offutt decided to go with a romantic dilemma, political intrigue, and a philosophic inquiry into the nature of barbarism rather than straight-forward action. It worked just fine and I enjoyed the tale. It simply wasn’t what I’d expected, especially given that Boris Vallejo cover, and it seemed to me that Offutt could have done more with the premise, almost as if he’d rushed through this one, rather than exploring the worlds and characters he’d created. I’d perhaps have liked this to be stretched into a series, pushing off the final conquest and overthrow of the villain until book three or four. (Perhaps I’m getting spoiled by John Maddox Roberts’ Stormlands series.) Sometimes it reads as more setup than payoff. Still, if you are looking for a breezy, 70s-era work of heroic science-fantasy, you could do worse than My Lord Barbarian. It will entertain you, presuming you aren’t one of the easily offended readers uncomfortable with anything written prior to, oh, say 2017. But if you’ve been reading this web log for more than an entry or two you’re unlikely to fall into the killjoy category. So, pick up a copy and kick back for a few hours.

Now to move on to today’s shameless plug, which will be longer than usual. I’ve got a couple of items to flog today.

First, allow me note that the Summer 2025 issue of Cirsova Magazine hits June 18, with a story by yours truly. Get one while it’s still hot off the press.

Second, if you click this link, you will see the news regarding my next book, Cesar the Bravo. (Pronounced, at least by the author, as Chay-zar.) This particular form of publishing is still new to me and I’m intrigued to follow the process. I’ve been writing Cesar’s exploits since 2012 and I’m happy to see him get greater exposure. I’ve got an advance proof copy. It’s a hefty chunk of book, with plenty of reading matter between the covers. I think you’re going to like it, so please get on the band wagon early.