This third volume of Gail Simone’s stories about the Hyrkanian warrior wraps up the author’s fantastic run on Red Sonja series. Simone brings adventure, heart, and humor to a character that could easily be one dimensional in the wrong hands. She is kind of like Gronk in a chainmail bikini. (Thankfully, a hardcover collection of Simone’s run recently came out. I think all three volumes are of equal quality, so if you read the first one and enjoy it, just get the hardcover.)
Volume three is not a stand-alone collection. (Emmalita can fill you in with this review.) Sonja is dealing with the consequences of the first two volumes, both good and bad. You can follow the stories in this collection well enough without context, but you will be scratching your head wondering about some characters from previous stories occasionally popping up. Certain twists and turns in the plot won’t carry the same weight. Without revealing any spoilers, one of the most interesting part of this run is Sonja considering whether or not her avenging warrior lifestyle is how she wants to spend the rest of her days. I mean this not in a cliched angsty way, but in the way a barbarian very into fighting and passion would occasionally wonder about things in between bouts of ale and ravishing.
That being said, there are plenty of fun action sequences and quips. I believe volume one contains some notes from Gail Simone explaining that she has loved this character for decades. That comes through here.
This is a nice, open-ended finish to Simone’s great work with this character.