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Cormac Mac Art #4
When Death Birds Fly
A pastiche by Andrew Offutt and Keith Taylor using the character Cormac Mac Art, who was created by Robert E. Howard.
- GenresFantasySword and Sorcery
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1980
77 people want to read
About the author
Andrew J. Offutt
209 books72 followersAndrew Jefferson Offutt was an American science fiction and fantasy author. He wrote as Andrew J. Offutt, A.J. Offutt, and Andy Offut. His normal byline, andrew j. offutt, had his name in all lower-case letters. His son is the author Chris Offutt.
Offutt began publishing in 1954 with the story And Gone Tomorrow in If. Despite this early sale, he didn't consider his professional life to have begun until he sold the story Blacksword to Galaxy in 1959. His first novel was Evil Is Live Spelled Backwards in 1970.
Offutt published numerous novels and short stories, including many in the Thieves World series edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey, which featured his best known character, the thief Hanse, also known as Shadowspawn (and, later, Chance). His Iron Lords series likewise was popular. He also wrote two series of books based on characters by Robert E. Howard, one on Howard's best known character, Conan, and one on a lesser known character, Cormac mac Art.
As an editor Offutt produced a series of five anthologies entitled Swords Against Darkness, which included the first professional sale by Charles de Lint.
Offutt also wrote a large number of pornographic works under twelve different pseudonyms, not all of them identified. Those known include John Cleve, J.X. Williams, and Jeff Douglas. His main works in this area are the science fiction Spaceways series, most of whose volumes were written in collaboration, and the historical Crusader series.
Offutt began publishing in 1954 with the story And Gone Tomorrow in If. Despite this early sale, he didn't consider his professional life to have begun until he sold the story Blacksword to Galaxy in 1959. His first novel was Evil Is Live Spelled Backwards in 1970.
Offutt published numerous novels and short stories, including many in the Thieves World series edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey, which featured his best known character, the thief Hanse, also known as Shadowspawn (and, later, Chance). His Iron Lords series likewise was popular. He also wrote two series of books based on characters by Robert E. Howard, one on Howard's best known character, Conan, and one on a lesser known character, Cormac mac Art.
As an editor Offutt produced a series of five anthologies entitled Swords Against Darkness, which included the first professional sale by Charles de Lint.
Offutt also wrote a large number of pornographic works under twelve different pseudonyms, not all of them identified. Those known include John Cleve, J.X. Williams, and Jeff Douglas. His main works in this area are the science fiction Spaceways series, most of whose volumes were written in collaboration, and the historical Crusader series.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 14, 2016
Pretty good historical/S&S adventure. I am a fan of several of Robert E Howard's minor characters,like Bran Mak Morn, El Borak and Cormac Mac Art. I find them more interesting than a certain Cimmerian super star. This tale, along with Tower of Death, was co-written with Keith Taylor, and is better for it. Although Andy Offutt is tagged as the primary writer, I think Taylor is responsible for the best parts of the book; like the combat scenes, the elements of mythology and horror, and the in-depth historical research. Cormac is a great hero, but at times I thought Wulfhere stole the show-what a badass Danish warrior! Good fun, and worth a read for fans of Howard, or old-school adventure and S&S.
May 5, 2020
This was penultimate novel in the Cormac Mac Art series that offutt wrote based on the character that Robert E. Howard created. The previous books were published by Zebra, but this one appeared from Ace; this one (and the last, The Tower of Death) was written by offutt in collaboration with Keith Taylor. In this one, Cormac and Wulfhere are on a mission to replenish their crew of Vikings but soon get sidetracked by an evil sorcerer. The story shifts back and forth from true historical speculation and Irish mythology and the plot itself frequently, and is quite convincing and well researched. It's another good heroic fantasy adventure with more of an air of realism than most such.
November 25, 2019
Cormac mac Art and Wulfhere Skullsplitter are on their way to Denmark to get more Vikings for their depleted crew. Lucanor the Physician and Sigebert One-ear, left over from the last novel, team up to slay them. This works well as Cormac and Wulfhere plan to kill both of them anyway, and several attempts are made by each side. Many interruptions hamper everyone's attempts at murder, including Clovis I driving the last of the Roman Empire out of France, Hengist driving the last of the Picts out of England, a hunting trip, and a Midsummer Night's Dream. The main characters really would like to get around to killing each other but so many things keep getting in their way.
It's an interesting technique where the main story is subjugated to beneath other storylines, some including actual historical characters and events. The Battle of Soissons places this book squarely in 486. The fictional villains of Sigebert and Lucanor become almost cartoonish, Sigebert being ridiculously sadistic and wearing a black mask, while Lucanor is a mewling toady. Cormac and Wulfhere are unchanged, though Wulfhere in particular goes through some tough times. Heads are lopped off, skulls split to the teeth and torsos ripped to the spine, and enough entrails are spilt that footing becomes treacherous. Very satisfying.
It's an interesting technique where the main story is subjugated to beneath other storylines, some including actual historical characters and events. The Battle of Soissons places this book squarely in 486. The fictional villains of Sigebert and Lucanor become almost cartoonish, Sigebert being ridiculously sadistic and wearing a black mask, while Lucanor is a mewling toady. Cormac and Wulfhere are unchanged, though Wulfhere in particular goes through some tough times. Heads are lopped off, skulls split to the teeth and torsos ripped to the spine, and enough entrails are spilt that footing becomes treacherous. Very satisfying.
September 2, 2011
As a sword and sorcery fan, the Cormac tales run a close second behind Conan in terms of favorite literary characters of all time. That being said, I enjoyed the swashbuckling action of all the Offutt offerings, but this is by far the best.
January 1, 2009
Maybe 3 and a half stars. My favorite of the Cormac Mac Art pastiches written by Offutt.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews