Red Sonja: Consumed

Red Sonja: Consumed

Cover of Red Sonja: Consumed - 1st Edition 2024
Author	Gail Simone
Audio read by	Felicia Day
Cover artist	Mike Heath, Lauren Panepinto
Genre	Fantasy
Publisher	Orbit Books
Publication date	November 19, 2024
Media type	Book
ISBN	978-0316475679

Red Sonja: Consumed is the debut novel by Gail Simone, first published in 2024 by Orbit Books. The story follows the adventures of Marvel Comics/Dynamite Entertainment sword and sorcery heroine Red Sonja as she deals with a murderous supernatural entity emerging from the ground and pulling its unsuspecting victims to their deaths as well as the consequences of her dark past in Hyrkania.

Characters

• Red Sonja: "The She-Devil of Hyrkania"; a warrior-for-hire who is the last surviving member of her village after a tribal massacre.
• Queen Ysidra: Sonja's former betrothed, from whom Sonja steals a valuable asp-shaped circlet.
• Sylus Temptree: An assassin working for the Falcon, the criminal who commissioned Sonja to steal the circlet.

Style

Red Sonja: Consumed is written in third person and follows the narratives of several different characters. Each chapter opens with excerpts from fictional documents, records, and poems. ^[1]

Development

Simone was hesitant to begin a full-length prose novel, but began with an idea for a short story, which became one of the novel's early chapters. ^[2] After positive reactions from publishers, she developed an outline for the full story.

In 2025, Simone announced she is working on a second novel in the series. ^[3]

Reception

Publishers Weekly praised Simone's balance of violence and humor, which "makes her heroine feel simultaneously larger-than-life and deeply human." ^[4] SFFWorld applauded Simone's depth of characterization in the novel which makes Sonja "a more detailed character with nuances that go beyond the comic book version." ^[5]

References

1. "Gail Simone almost didn't write Red Sonja. But her mom changed her mind". Orange County Register. November 19, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
2. McCauley, Tara (November 13, 2024). "Gail Simone Offers a Refreshing Deep Dive into Red Sonja in Her Upcoming Novel [Interview]". The Escapist. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
3. "Gail Simone Talks Bringing the She-Devil with a Sword to Life in a New Medium with Red Sonja: Consumed". Paste Magazine. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
4. "Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
5. Yon, Mark (November 23, 2024). "Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone – SFFWorld" . Retrieved December 3, 2024.