‘Black Beth: Vengeance be thy name’ – Gallego, Worley, DaNi (Rebellion)


I’m fighting off my eldest daughter’s cold (which I suspect may have teamed up with a work colleague’s cold to really do some damage) and yesterday was a ‘heavy work day’ so not a lot of time to read when I finally made it home. I wanted to read something though and ‘Black Beth’ looked it would work within time constraints (weighing in at a tiny 80 pages) and satisfy my need for a little fantasy/sword & sorcery in my reading. ‘Don’t Go To Wheelchair Camp’ was very good but damn does it sit with you for a long time after you’ve finished it… I was after something a little lighter and I was hoping that ‘Black Beth’ would be that read. And as it happened… Yes, yes it was…

A warrior with a name born of the black rage that filled her heart!

In a world of swords and sorcery, the evil tyrant Rassau discovers that he is destined to be killed by a fearsome warrior called Beth. Together with his men, Rassau seeks Beth out, destroying her village and killing all held dear to her. With the aid of a former warrior - the blind Quido - Beth becomes a skilled fighter and sworn enemy of all that is evil! She will not rest until her people are avenged!

A quick read so a quick review…

I enjoyed ‘Black Beth’ on the whole, it’s just that the scarcity of her stories can make for a frustrating read at times where you want to find out more but you know that’s not going to happen because what’s in front of you is all you’re getting. Like… what happened to Beth’s husband? He escaped the sacking of their village, in the first story, and then we never hear from him again. The stories may feel a little lightweight but there is still plenty here to keep you reading and to leave you wanting answers to your questions. Whether it’s Gallego or Worley telling Beth’s story, that story is full of everything that makes ‘Sword & Sorcery’ such a fiercely entertaining sub-genre, all headed up by an engaging lead who has an intriguing hint of darkness in her soul. Seriously, this book has everything you need.

And the artwork is so good that my limited ‘art knowledge’ has officially run out of words to describe it. ‘Vengeance be thy name’ may look like a short read but when you can spend ages just looking at the art… It’s not that short a read after all, and in the best way. Gallego and DaNi absolutely bring Black Beth and her world to life and in a sub-genre that needs it’s readers to get on board quickly and get going, this is exactly what’s needed. It’s definitely a book that I can see myself going back to for the artwork.

‘Vengeance be thy name’ is a quick(ish) read that makes great use of those pages to give you an exhilarating burst of Sword & Sorcery. Definitely worth a look if that is your thing; it’s absolutely my thing and I got loads out of it.

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