Imaro: The Trail of Bohu Paperback – January 17, 2009

The warrior Imaro formerly of the Ilyassai has decided to settle down in the metropolis of Cush for a while, as he has been prophesied by the Kandisa to play an integral part in the looming war with the dark, sorcerous kingdom of Naama. Several previously adversarial warring nations are now banding together to fight against the threat of Naama, and their rulers, the Erriten, who want nothing less than the sole domination of Nyumbani itself, and to plunge the known world into darkness, as they plan to bring back their masters, the Demon Gods known also as the Maashatan from their interdimensional exile. With his wife, Tanisha, Imaro has sired a son, Kilewo, but, upon returning home one fateful day, Imaro finds his wife and child brutally butchered at the hands of a Naaman sorcerer known only as “Bohu.” Imaro doesn’t even stop to let himself grieve as he obsessively follows the trail of this sinister sorcerer to seek vengeance upon him…..Imaro: The Trail of Bohu, the third volume in the Imaro series differs from the preceding volumes in two ways; 1. It is a self-contained novel and not a fix-up comprised of short stories as the previous two were and 2. It has a very dark and tragic tone. Not that the preceding volumes didn’t have some degree of darkness to them, I mean, sword and sorcery is also referred to as “dark fantasy” after all, but the fact that Imaro comes home to his family butchered before his very eyes is a heartwrenching plot development and scene that only an unempathetic jerk would not be affected by. This adds a new level of darkness to Imaro’s brooding character as not only is he dealing with the demons and traumas of his past; he lets the spirit of vengeance fill him.As Imaro is preparing to face the murderer of his family, so too are the former warring kingdoms of Nyumbani casting off their differences and uniting to go to war against the threat of the darksome Naamans. This is not done easily or immediately but takes time as certain nations enter into the alliance reluctantly and it takes them a while to stop grinding the proverbial axe.The supporting cast of characters we know and love are back; the gentle scholar Pomphis and the Zanjian sea-captain Rabir and his colorful crew, including a host of new ones.There are some engaging battle scenes including a rather disturbing battle with the undead at sea, but a lot of this book focuses on Imaro being hot on the trail of the sorcerer Bohu and growing more deeply into who he truly is. This volume focuses way more on character development than the preceding volumes, and there are also plenty of surprises in store. While not as exciting and action-packed in some ways as the preceding volumes, I still enjoyed it. I’m just saddened to have recently learned it and its sequel, “The Naama War” are now out of print. I hope they are brought back so more can read this pioneering sword and soul saga of Imaro. Its place in sword and sorcery literature history is undeniable.I give Imaro: The Trail of Bohu a 4.5 out of 5.