Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kothar: Barbarian Swordsman | 2017 | Gardner Francis Fox | Buy |
| 2 | Kothar of the Magic Sword | 2017 | Gardner Francis Fox | Buy |
| 3 | Kothar and the Demon Queen | 2017 | Gardner Francis Fox | Buy |
| 4 | Kothar and the Conjurer’s Curse | 2017 | Gardner Francis Fox | Buy |
| 5 | Kothar and the Wizard Slayer | 2017 | Gardner Francis Fox | Buy |
Kothar is a barbarian mercenary without a homeland, wandering through a fantasy world and getting drawn into conflicts involving gods, demons, and ambitious rulers. Each book in the series is largely self-contained, with Kothar arriving somewhere new, facing a threat, and fighting his way through it. Fox kept the plots moving fast and didn’t linger on worldbuilding.
The series came out during a period when Conan paperbacks were selling well and publishers were looking for similar characters. Fox had the pulp writing background to deliver exactly what the market wanted: clean action, exotic settings, and a hero who wins through brute competence rather than luck.
The 2017 reprints make the full five-book run available again. Readers who enjoy classic pulp fantasy and don’t mind the conventions of the genre will find Kothar a solid example of the form.