For the Witch of the Mists by David C. Smith & Richard L. Tierney (1978)

Plot: Bran visits an ancient cave in Pictland and finds he will travel to Rome to give an ancient Atlantean necklace to a woman there. This woman would be the reincarnation of the Moon Goddess of Atlantis, Aeysla. Bran is, of course captured by Drusus, a high-ranking Roman officer and sorcerer, sent to Rome where Bran ends up in a ludus for gladiators and finally fights in the Collosium. Sirena, a slave girl of the procurator proves to be the woman he is looking for. They escape along with Auctus, a slave who is Sirena's lover but are followed by the procurator's evil wife, Cornelia and Drusus, who are former lovers. Auctus leaves them once he realizes he has no place with Sirena/Aeysla and Bran and Sirena sail back to Britain, go around Hadrian's Wall with Cormac na Connacht's help and make it back to the ancient cave just as the Romans are showing up. The Winds That Eats Men, ancient spirits of the forest, kill the attacking soldiers. Drusus tries to use his demon-conjuring magic but it doesn't work because Cornelia sabotaged his spell components in a moment of paranoia. Cornelia kills him with a lightning bolt spell, then tries to attack Aeysla. She dies in the attempt, her own magic draingin her own life. Bran joins up with his now arriving army and the Picts route the Romans. Aeysla leaves everyone to go wander the world and worship the Moon Goddess.

Monsters:

The Winds That Eat Men - these invisible forces/ghosts are older than even Atlantis. They protect Aeysla and Bran from a host of Romans by tearing them apart with stones and branches.

History: One of the "pastiche" novels of the 1970s using Robert E. Howard characters. Technically the third book in the Bran Mak Morn series. The novel is kind of dull, being more interested in movement about the world of Rome often than in pulse-pounding action or evil sorcery though there are moments of both. Bran's battle in the arena is much too short and the rivalry between the two villain sorcerers in well done. The spirit of H. R. Haggard runs through this book with its Ayesha-like heroine. For history buffs the Roman details are well done though I think they slowed the book down at times. I think Tierney's Simon magus stories are better Roman era Sword & Sorcery. The ACE 1982 reprint version is horribly marred by typos. I would have been happy with one really good monster.

Rating

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