Whetted Bronze by (1978) Manning Norvil (Kenneth Bulmer)

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Prolific British author Kenneth Bulmer wrote over 160 novels and numerous short stories (mostly within the science fiction genre), both under his own name and a variety of pseudonyms. He may be best known for the Dray Prescott series of sword and planet books published as Alan Burt Akers. I didn’t know when I started this book that it is actually the second in a three-book series detailing the adventures of Odan, a Conan-like demigod in a revisionist version of Bronze-age Mesopotamia. 

The mid-70s saw huge interest in the concept of extraterrestrial alien visitation in ancient history that directly influenced human culture. This theory was popularized by books, of which the first and most famous was Erich von Daniken’s Chariots of the Gods. Clearly this inspired Bulmer as he embraces this concept as the source of the origin of the gods who visit earth in Whetted Bronze. And to be honest, it was a strong enough hook to cause me to buy this book off the racks as a teen, though I had never read it until now. 

The son of an alien god and a human mother, Prince Odan wants to attain full godhood in order to marry his human half-sister, but is forbidden by the reigning king, forcing him to take his requests to his father who ignores his pleas. However, a goddess from a nearby city-state fortuitously learns of his desire and agrees to help him achieve this goal if he will use his superior strength in battle to conquer the neighboring cities. After this setup I was expecting lots of action, but instead much overwrought political intrigue ensues. 

Throughout Bulmer writes in an overly stylized archaic style intended to evoke the language of older classic literature, but in the end, it just makes most of the book taxing and difficult to follow. On top of that, Odan comes across as pretty thick-headed and is easily tricked and manipulated repeatedly throughout. 

I don’t know how the long-running Dray Prescott series compares, but I can’t recommend this one with so much top-tier sword and sorcery easily available.

Review by Steve Carroll

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