Brak the Barbarian Books In Order

Publication Order of Brak the Barbarian Books

Brak the Barbarian refers to a literary series– and the first book contained in the series too– authored by American man of letters John Jakes. For starters, Jakes was born in March 1932 and his birth name is John William Jakes. Jakes’ place of birth is Chicago upon Illinois, in the US; presently, Jakes lives in Florida and sometimes in South Carolina. For his undergraduate studies, Jakes attended the Evanston-based Northwestern University whereby he studied acting. Jakes also undertook undergraduate studies at the Greencastle-based DePauw University wherein he signed up for a creative writing program and ultimately got a bachelor’s degree in 1953.

For his postgraduate studies, John Jakes attended Ohio State University wherein he studied literature and received his degree in the mid-1950s. Did you know that about five institutions have proffered honorary doctorates to Jakes, among them Ohio State University?

The literary figures that influenced Jakes include famed Englishman Charles Dickens, French penman Emile Zola, American penman Scott Fitzgerald, Belgian scribbler Georges Simenon, and French playwright-cum-novelist Honore de Balzac. Jakes started working in the pharmaceutical and advertising industries hard on the heels of finishing schooling. Among the notable advertising companies that he worked for include the New York-based advertising agency called Dancer Fitzgerald Sample. He has also worked in theater in the position of an actor, theater director, and scriptwriter. Jakes, who has also published novels under the nom de plume Jay Scotland, has co-authored books with American scribbler Robert Randish, the late journalist-cum-writer Elmer Kelton, Laurence M. Janifer, and S.J. Treibech.

John Jakes: Formative Writing Years
Jakes has been writing since his schooling years at Northwestern University when he penned a story that he earned him $25 in 1950; by then he was merely a teenager. In his formative years, Jakes juggled a day job and wrote during the night in a move that saw him publish about 200 short stories and tens of books whose genre ranged from western to mystery to science fiction. In matters novel-length books, Jakes debuted in the early 1950s.

John Jakes: Section on Books
Jakes, whose niche is particularly historical fiction, juvenile literature and science fiction, has authored several series of books. The novel series in his bibliography comprise of an ongoing 1-book series, two duologies, two trilogies, a quartet, a heptalogy, and an octalogy. In this context, the heptalogy is titled Brak the Barbarian series.

To labor the point, there are seven books in the Brak the Barbarian series. There are ten editions of the first book in the said series. The first edition was initially published in 1968, named Brak the Barbarian; this book is classified under the fantasy (notably sword and sorcery, and heroic fantasy sub-genres), science fiction, and fiction genres.

The featured main character in the Brak the Barbarian series is named Brak. Protagonist Brak is an extraordinary warrior in virtue of his exceptional swordfighting skills. The swordsman possesses a broadsword. He is a wanderlust and adventurous man. On the flip side, Brak who hails from the north, is barbaric and exiled in a southern region called Khurdisan wherein he gets a cultural shock. What’s more, Brak is often unlucky and likes courting danger though his swordsmanship always augurs well for his safety.

Brak’s lifelong desire is traveling to Khurdisan the Golden, a dreamlike well talked of location worth sacrificing yourself for. But the journey is fraught with dangers as Brak soon realizes when he acquires a pony and embarks on his quest for the magical place. Evil creatures such as Septegundus, which robs others’ souls, and a damnable demonic thing called Ariane are some of the dangers that throw a wrench in Brak’s journey.

Brak the Barbarian Awards
John Jakes was the recipient of the Western Heritage Literary Award in 1995; Western Heritage Society proffered it to him thanks to his story entitled Manitow and Ironhand. In 1995, Jakes clinched the Celebrity-Citizen’s Award; a White House task force proffered the prize to him. Jakes became a South Carolina Academy of Authors inductee in 1996. In 1977, Jakes won the Porgie Award; in 1978, he won the Ohioana Book Award, Fiction category, courtesy of his work titled The American Bicentennial Series.

In 1997, Jakes bagged the Professional Achievement Award from an alumni organization associated with Ohio State University. South Carolina Humanities Association gave Jakes the Career Achievement award in 1998. In 2002, he bagged the Cooper Medal.

Brak the Barbarian Books into Movies and TV Shows
There are several film adaptations of Jakes’ books. For instance, the first three books in Kent Family Chronicles were made into films. There is a 1978 film named The Bastard based on the 1974 book The Bastard; Andrew Stevens starred, appearing as Philippe Charboneau.

The 1979 TV movie named The Rebels is based on a similarly titled 1975 book. The starring actor is Andrew Steven who plays Philip Kent’s role. A 1979 miniseries called The Seekers was adapted from the 1975 book The Seekers. Randolph Mantooth starred in the film, acting as Abraham Kent.

Jakes’ trilogy, The North and South, was adapted for the silver screen. The 1985 miniseries is named North and South; the starring actors are Patrick Swayze and James Read who portray Orry Main and George Hazard, respectively.

Best Brak the Barbarian Books
The first three books in the Brak the Barbarian series are the best. The first is Brak the Barbarian. In the second book in the series, Brak is traversing a dangerous section of his journey wherein he must triumph over a hypnotic sorceress lest he become a human offering. In the third book in the Brak the Barbarian series, protagonist Brak’s journey is now a stretch of desert; when he and another caravan travel in a convoy and warriors attack them, his swordfighting skills saves the day.

Other Book Series You May Like
Readers who liked Brak the Barbarian series also liked these literary series. The first one is named Hawkmoon series, a heptalogy penned by Michael Moorcock. It features protagonist Dorian Hawkmoon, a multiverse hero. The second is named Swords Against Darkness series, a quintet penned by Andrew J. Offutt. This revolves around swords and sorcery. The third is called Battlestar Galactica series, authored by Richard Hatch. It is all about self-preservation in the face of intelligent man-killing cybernetic beings.