“There is a monster for each of us to face. Some we conquer; some we flee; some we negotiate with; some we suffer; some we… become.” So opens the preface by editor Jason M. Waltz.

And what would life be without behemoth challenges? And what would fantasy fiction be without monsters? Cripes… why are so few anthologies devoted to them? Rogue Blades Entertainment (RBE, publishers of the superb Return of the Sword) filled this much needed gap in literature.

Rage of the Behemoth has 21 quality tales from contemporary authors. Many heroic fantasy anthologies feature the deceased masters, but RBE consistently focuses on showcasing today’s authors. Few will disappoint. I highlight my personal favorites for each of the five environmentally-themed categories:
Depthless Seas: “Black Water” by Sean T.M. Steinnon
Frozen Wastes: “The Wolf of Winter” by Bill Ward (my favorite of the entire anthology)
Scalding Sands: “Black Diamond Sands” by Lois Tilton
Mysterious Jungles: “Yaggoth-Vor” Bruce Durham…and “Beyond the Reach of His Gods” by Brian Ruckley
Ageless Mountains: “The Rotten Bones Rattle” C.L. Werner

Some of the behemoths: The list below has names conjured by me (not the authors), and are not listed in order of appearance…to avoid spoiling the fun: Ursine God, Behemoth Boar, Cockatrice, Djinn Storm, Dragon, Eldritch horror, Griffin, Human Centipede, Ice Hydra, Loch Ness Leviathan, Lovecraftian Giant Crab, Lyncanthrope, Manitcore, Mineral Snake, Roc (Giant Bird), Rock Golem, Scaled Pachyderm, Serpent, Shape-shifting Demon, Skeleton Titan, Wolf God.

Given the number of tales, their quality, and their variety, this is a definite recommended read. ( )

Solid, enjoyable adventure with one week section. The Stories in the ice monster section I could have done without. Overall, a bit long, so the antho would be more enjoyable for most spread out over time. Reading the stories back to back, their similarities cause them to blend together. There are a few that are really outstanding though, and it's altogether a very solid collection.

**I will try and keep this spoiler free**

The book has a nice style to it. It is similar in color and layout as Return of the Sword. I wish I could have picked up one each of the limited edition covers, but did not have the money. I did pick up the one that has the 5 covers displayed wrap-a-round style and it's good.

There are also pages inside the book with the full covers (black and white), so we can see what we are missing. My favorite from these is a griffon and a bear fighting in mid-air. The bear has an interesting expression on his face.

It was of interest to see [[Mark Finn]] writing the forward, and [[John O'Niell] writing the introduction. I have been strongly considering picking up [Blood and Thunder] for some time. Of course, I have all of the available [Black Gate] magazines :)

There is a two page interior art in the front of each theme. It took me a while to place my finger on it, but they appear sketchy because there is little background behind the main characters in each picture.

Under Red Skies
This one has put down a good foundation for future tales. I did enjoy reading it, and the behemoth in this story is a great pick. Here we find Kaimer awakening in some kind of arena, surrounded by fresh human body parts. They are obviously bait for something.

DEPTHLESS SEAS

Portrait of a Behemoth
In this tale, we find a pirate, Tiana Highrider, in a somewhat amusing scam. Or has she been duped into perpetrating the scam? This behemoth is different, and original in some way. I detect Native American influence in the choice of the behemoth. The characters here are entertaining and there is a humorous touch to the situation. I had to stop and try to visualize some of the crazy colors in the clothes that were being described.

Black Water (my favorite of this theme)
Shabrak the Kabrisk. I'm not sure exactly what he is, but he grabbed my interest more than Kaimer or Tiana. There is very nice character development, and you can fully understand his motives, and even the behemoths motives. The behemoth here is very interesting, and actually scary if you thought such a thing could come to pass. The fighting here is pretty decent. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the locale, having grown up near a beach. Great ending. Very good.

Passion of the Storm Lord
I must confess, I wanted the behemoth to win this battle. I was hoping that three genie snipers would get triple head shots and free the girl. Probably because of recent world events.

The Beast in the Lake (2nd favorite of this theme)
This tale is a bit different, as it is related in first person. It works. I liked the main character here (Crow Thiefmaster). He is mysterious, even though it is told in a first person perspective. The behemoth practically steals the limelight in this tale. Another good ending.

FROZEN WASTES

Serpents Beneath the Ice
Good story, about an interesting group of travelers into the frozen wastes. There is a score to settle from one of their past. There is plenty of magic in this tale, and a very interesting monster. The character development is good for a short fic. Two in particular are a self-absorbed warrior who has a fighter/scribe following him around writing down all of his antics. And of course, he likes to re-write history even as it is being penned by the scribe.
I kind of figured out the end before I got there, but it was still a fun story.

The Wolf of Winter
another really good tale, this one is about a butcher, perhaps a dictator type of warrior/ruler. He is on a final trek apparently to face something and he relives a lot of his sordid past on the way into the wastes. What he finds there was unexpected, but most interesting. This one will have you thinking about it for a while after you finish.

Nothing Left of the Man (favorite of the theme)
A cast of viking style sailors who travel into a mysterious land for some trading. This is a story about being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. There is something stalking the land where they decide to set up shop, and they get caught up in a massive, and entertaining battle.

Blood Ice (2nd favorite of the theme)
Another excellent short, this tale seems as if it is another stepping stone to a much larger story. Here is a tale of a small kingdom that has been ravaged by an unknown assailant. A young man returns to find the place basically destroyed. There are hints of pacts that towns enter with dragons for protection. Very good battles, nice pace, good character development. The descriptions of the land, society, peoples are very good here.

SCALDING SANDS

Black Diamond Sands (tie for 2nd favorite of the theme)
A story of a young man who is forced into servitude after his fathers death, to repay a debt his father owed. The enemies here are the desert itself, and an interesting monster. I'd like to read more about this world.

The Hunter of Rhim
This story is different than the others so far. Its the tale of a society that is being preyed upon by (extradimensional?) creatures. The hunters that protect the populace become reviled in their own right, because of what they have to do to defeat these creatures. What would drive a man to continue to protect a populace that treats him with loathing and fear?

As From His Lair, the Wild Beast (Favorite of this theme)
Another story of Ninshi and Miri from the Servant of the Manthycore. This is a fun tale, the creature here was totally different. I liked the way that they dealt with this monster.

Stalker of the Blood Red Sands (tie for 2nd favorite of the theme)
Good story, it had an African feel to it, with a lot of elephants, mentions of lions, etc. Elephants play a big role in this story, and it was fun reading what they were doing. The main character here is an outlander princess recently joining her new kingdom. It was nice how there was such background to the people and places. And the creature here, is one that I would have expected in a previous story... This finishes the Scalding Sands on a very strong note.

MYSTERIOUS JUNGLES

Poisonous Redemption
This world has some interesting potential. This tale is an action packed hunting of a monster. The main characters here are interesting, and I would like to learn more about them. The creature selected here turned out to be a fun choice. This is another tale where the Jungle itself is a great enemy. The jungle as described here literally creeps and crawls in your mind.

Yaggoth-Voor
A Tale of Mortlock the Footman (tied for 2nd favorite)
Very good tale about a group of soldiers and sailors who run across a destroyed ship that has two survivors amongst the wreckage. One of them is a young girl, whom Mortlock feels a bond with since she reminds him of his daughter. He decides to be her protector, while most of the rest of the crew decides she is bad luck.
There is adventure, shipwrecks, jungles containing lost ancient ruins, and of course, a behemoth. The behemoth here is different than the others so far. The closest I would say is Black Water. Very interesting and well done.

Runner of the Hidden Ways (tied for 2nd favorite)
Ikuru is the main character here. His position is something known as a Runner, which is kind of like a Hermes at the disposal of the king. The setting is akin to Shermans march through the south, with revenge the motive for Ikuru.
There is one part after a skirmish, involving soldier ants, that I thought was excellent. I wouldn't try it at home though :P

Beyond the Reach of His Gods (favorite of the theme)
Exiled northern (Viking?) raiders journey beyond any known lands, and encounter a new world. This world is full of jungles, and we find them going upstream.
This tale is very well written, and I enjoyed the descriptions, language, everything about it. At one level I believe REH might have inspired this. The author has a great way of bringing out what it must feel like for someone from a cooler climate entering into the oppressive heat and humidity of a hot jungle area.
The behemoth here is truly gigantic. And the way it comes into the story is brutal and brings a sense of fear and impending doom.

AGELESS MOUNTAINS

The Rotten Bones Rattle 2nd Favorite of this theme.
Good samurai tale with a truly fearsome behemoth. There are ninjas involved, and the way they attempt to manipulate and deal with the behemoth in their midst is really cool.

Vasily and the Beast Gods
Vasily has to outwit a behemoth or two before he can call it a day.

Thunder Canyon
Rath is a man driven by revenge over the slaying of his family. In this tale, he finds he has much in common with the behemoth.

Where the Shadow Falls - Favorite of this theme
John Humble (who isn't humble) stars in a tale similar to the old fable of the guy pulling a splinter out of a lions paw. I've always like the behemoth used in this tale. ( )