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The Return of the Sword
Return of the Sword is a brand new anthology of blood-pounding, spine-tingling stories by some of fantasy's most critically acclaimed Sword and Sorcery authors. Stacey Berg, Bill Ward, Phil Emery, Jeff Draper, Nicholas Ian Hawkins, David Pitchford, Ty Johnston, Jeff Stewart, Angeline Hawkes, Robert Rhodes, E.E. Knight, James Enge, Michael Ehart, Thomas M. MacKay, Christopher Heath, Nathan Meyer, S.C. Bryce, Allen B. Lloyd, William Clunie, Steve Goble, Bruce Durham, and Harold Lamb present you with enough fast paced adventure to keep you reading for hours.
A hand painted, wrap around cover by fantasy artist Johnney Perkins ensures that Return of the Sword will not only be enjoyable to read, but also look good on your coffee table or bookshelf.
Too long have the halls of fantasy been dominated by packs of weak-kneed elves hunting goblins and doughty dwarves mining for gold.
Return now to the days of true adventure. Unsheath your sword and enter if you dare!
A hand painted, wrap around cover by fantasy artist Johnney Perkins ensures that Return of the Sword will not only be enjoyable to read, but also look good on your coffee table or bookshelf.
Too long have the halls of fantasy been dominated by packs of weak-kneed elves hunting goblins and doughty dwarves mining for gold.
Return now to the days of true adventure. Unsheath your sword and enter if you dare!
344 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2008
10 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Jason M. Waltz
34 books66 followersI edited and published numerous heroic titles under Rogue Blades as both RBE, a micro publisher of heroic adventure fiction, and RBF, a nonprofit literary publisher of explorations of the heroic. If you enjoy hard-hitting, fast-paced tales of ringing steel and dark magics found in the battles of lore and myth, updated and written for the modern reader, you should check them out.
Personally, I also write heroic tales. Jason M (with and without that pesky period) are one and the same. Jason M Waltz enjoys sharing tales of heroes who are willing to step into the gap...sometimes to fill it, sometimes to make it wider.
Personally, I also write heroic tales. Jason M (with and without that pesky period) are one and the same. Jason M Waltz enjoys sharing tales of heroes who are willing to step into the gap...sometimes to fill it, sometimes to make it wider.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 3, 2013
Highly recommended for new and veteran fantasy readers
The “Return of the Sword” is aptly titled: the Heroic Fantasy (Sword & Sorcery) genre may have originated with R.E.Howard’s Conan ~1920’s, but it is alive and well; this anthology captures the renewed direction(s).
Anthologies are a great way to discover new authors (well, new for the reader anyway). They offer a buffet of stories, so a well-done anthology should contain some stories that, despite being well written, are not what one may normally read. “Return of the Sword” does this job in superb fashion. It is full of great stories with wondrous variety. I wanted to discover more contemporary S&S authors/styles and am well satisfied. Some of my personal favorites I marked to re-read are:
-Wyrd of War (Bill Ward)
-The Last Scream of Carnage (Phil Emery)
-To Be A Man (Robert Rhodes)
-The Hand that Holds the Crown (Nathan Meyer)
-The Red Worm's Way (James Enge)
-The Mask Oath (Steve Goble)
-Storytelling(E.E.Knight) was an entertaining but serious primer--nice addition.
Amazon Reviews capture the synopses of all 21 stories well enough that I need not repeat them here. But to highlight the effectiveness of this anthology, I list three of my take-aways:
1)Author Discovered (for me): I was completely taken with Phil Emery's "The Last Scream of Carnage" (notably the editor's pick). It was poetic like his “Fifteen Breaths” contribution to the Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology, and pushed the bounds of the genre a bit. The delivery may prove off-putting to many others; I had to read it twice to really absorb it all. RESULT: not only did I enjoy this author, I enjoyed his style enough to want to track down more of his work (I just ordered Emery’s novel “Necromantra”).
2)Humor can be ok: I have a personal bias toward liking the grittier-horror side of the genre, but this book showed me that humor can be applied well without being distracting or “cheesy”. “To Be A Man” (Robert Rhodes) and “The Red Worm's Way” (James Enge) were engaging, well written, and laced with well-delivered humor.
3)Another Author Discovered: Key ingredients for tales I like include: deep motivations, vivid horror, realized myths, and a touch of artistic flare (poetic or aesthetic). The “Mask Oath” had these, and left me hungry for more. More “Faceless Sons” short stories are out there, but those stories were harder to track down than the author Steve Goble (whom I connected with in the Goodreads Sword and Sorcery group). RESULT: even though I considered myself a veteran S&S reader who read just about everybody in the genre, Return of the Sword revealed another author that hooked me again and set me searching for more.
In summary, Return of the Sword is recommended for fantasy readers looking for contemporary Sword & Sorcery authors… and to veteran readers who have exhausted the works of R.E.Howard, F.Leiber, M.Moorcock, and D.Gemmell.
The “Return of the Sword” is aptly titled: the Heroic Fantasy (Sword & Sorcery) genre may have originated with R.E.Howard’s Conan ~1920’s, but it is alive and well; this anthology captures the renewed direction(s).
Anthologies are a great way to discover new authors (well, new for the reader anyway). They offer a buffet of stories, so a well-done anthology should contain some stories that, despite being well written, are not what one may normally read. “Return of the Sword” does this job in superb fashion. It is full of great stories with wondrous variety. I wanted to discover more contemporary S&S authors/styles and am well satisfied. Some of my personal favorites I marked to re-read are:
-Wyrd of War (Bill Ward)
-The Last Scream of Carnage (Phil Emery)
-To Be A Man (Robert Rhodes)
-The Hand that Holds the Crown (Nathan Meyer)
-The Red Worm's Way (James Enge)
-The Mask Oath (Steve Goble)
-Storytelling(E.E.Knight) was an entertaining but serious primer--nice addition.
Amazon Reviews capture the synopses of all 21 stories well enough that I need not repeat them here. But to highlight the effectiveness of this anthology, I list three of my take-aways:
1)Author Discovered (for me): I was completely taken with Phil Emery's "The Last Scream of Carnage" (notably the editor's pick). It was poetic like his “Fifteen Breaths” contribution to the Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology, and pushed the bounds of the genre a bit. The delivery may prove off-putting to many others; I had to read it twice to really absorb it all. RESULT: not only did I enjoy this author, I enjoyed his style enough to want to track down more of his work (I just ordered Emery’s novel “Necromantra”).
2)Humor can be ok: I have a personal bias toward liking the grittier-horror side of the genre, but this book showed me that humor can be applied well without being distracting or “cheesy”. “To Be A Man” (Robert Rhodes) and “The Red Worm's Way” (James Enge) were engaging, well written, and laced with well-delivered humor.
3)Another Author Discovered: Key ingredients for tales I like include: deep motivations, vivid horror, realized myths, and a touch of artistic flare (poetic or aesthetic). The “Mask Oath” had these, and left me hungry for more. More “Faceless Sons” short stories are out there, but those stories were harder to track down than the author Steve Goble (whom I connected with in the Goodreads Sword and Sorcery group). RESULT: even though I considered myself a veteran S&S reader who read just about everybody in the genre, Return of the Sword revealed another author that hooked me again and set me searching for more.
In summary, Return of the Sword is recommended for fantasy readers looking for contemporary Sword & Sorcery authors… and to veteran readers who have exhausted the works of R.E.Howard, F.Leiber, M.Moorcock, and D.Gemmell.
January 22, 2022
This anthology focuses primarily on sword & sorcery tales, with a touch of historical adventure as well. As with all anthologies, some stories stood out more than others.
Neither "Mountain Scarab" by Jeff Stewart nor "Red Hands," a 1935 Cossack tale by Harold Lamb, directly involve the supernatural, but both are vigorous adventures with exciting swordplay.
Some of the best stories in the anthology have an element of humor. "To Be a Man" by Robert Rhodes involves an exhausted fellow trying to escape his lusty and bloodthirsty amazon-like bandit paramour. "An Uneasy Truce in Ulam-Bator," by Allen B. Lloyd & William Clunie, involves a spell gone wrong, turning a callow sorcerer and his barbarian mercenary into unlikely allies.
For me, the highlight of the book was "The Red Worm's Way," by James Enge and starring his Morlock Ambrosius character. The story combines weird occurrences and a creepy supernatural threat with clever twists and Morlock's wry wit.
While I wouldn't call it a misstep, necessarily, the inclusion of a writing advice article by E.E. Knight is a bit mystifying. While perhaps helpful to budding writers, the advice isn't particularly tailored to sword & sorcery fiction (Star Wars and Titanic are frequently used in the examples), and as the only non-fiction entry in the anthology it feels fairly superfluous.
Overall this is an entertaining look at fairly recent sword & sorcery (with the exception of classic author Harold Lamb) and wholeheartedly recommended to fans of the sub-genre.
Neither "Mountain Scarab" by Jeff Stewart nor "Red Hands," a 1935 Cossack tale by Harold Lamb, directly involve the supernatural, but both are vigorous adventures with exciting swordplay.
Some of the best stories in the anthology have an element of humor. "To Be a Man" by Robert Rhodes involves an exhausted fellow trying to escape his lusty and bloodthirsty amazon-like bandit paramour. "An Uneasy Truce in Ulam-Bator," by Allen B. Lloyd & William Clunie, involves a spell gone wrong, turning a callow sorcerer and his barbarian mercenary into unlikely allies.
For me, the highlight of the book was "The Red Worm's Way," by James Enge and starring his Morlock Ambrosius character. The story combines weird occurrences and a creepy supernatural threat with clever twists and Morlock's wry wit.
While I wouldn't call it a misstep, necessarily, the inclusion of a writing advice article by E.E. Knight is a bit mystifying. While perhaps helpful to budding writers, the advice isn't particularly tailored to sword & sorcery fiction (Star Wars and Titanic are frequently used in the examples), and as the only non-fiction entry in the anthology it feels fairly superfluous.
Overall this is an entertaining look at fairly recent sword & sorcery (with the exception of classic author Harold Lamb) and wholeheartedly recommended to fans of the sub-genre.
January 13, 2013
I read this book after the horrible SWORDS & DARK MAGIC, possibly the worst original sword and sorcery anthology to date. RETURN OF THE SWORD was a joy to read. The writers are for the most part unknowns, some do write for various small press and online publications. Remember the feeling of reading 1930s sword and sorcery reprints from WEIRD TALES, STRANGE STORIES, and UNKNOWN? This anthology has that feel. The stories are not the most sophisticated but they live and breathe. There is a sincerity and earnestness present so often missing from mass market fantasy. Turn off the T.V. and spend a few evenings reading this book. It will be time better spent.
February 3, 2024
This was a fun ride. Much better than I expected. Over 20 sword and sorcery and heroic fantasy stories with no bad eggs at all. I really enjoyed that RBE added the Harold Lamb story. What a way to finish! Highly recommend!
February 19, 2013
This is a first class S&S anthology.I especially appreciated its cohesion and that it serves as a primer for new storytellers writing in the genre. RotS has only a few minor notes that didn't fit this symphony of heroic deeds.
Most of my favorite tales fall, either into the "Gemmellian" - heroic last stand category ("The Wyrd of War", "The Battle of Raven Kill"), or stories that fit the "concept of the outsider" ("The Red Worm's Way", "Deep in the Land of the Ice and Snow", "The Mask Oath").
Stories that unfortunately didn't resonate, were: "Altar of the Moon" - a fabulist(?) take on S&S, "Fatefist at Torkas Nahl" - which felt like an excerpt from a longer, epic fantasy work and "Guardian of Rage" - which started-off as a satire(?) but lost me a few paragraphs in...
Authors whose stories I'll be looking out for in the future include:
- Bruce Durham- "Valley of Bones", who delivered an excellent tale of musket & magic, a military fantasy tale hinting at the absurdity of war and the "irony" of being a "war hero".
- Nathan Meyer - "The Hand that Holds the Crown" who wrote a viceral, cinematic tale full of lyricism.
- Lloyd & Clunie - "An Uneasy Truce in Ulam-Bator" for writing a fast-paced yarn with a very interesting "Heroic Duo".
- Michael Ehart, Angeline Hawkes, Robert Rhodes and Jeff Stewart, for writing stories in the classic mode of the genre, bringing back good memories of the past (the Swords Against Darkness series) with a modern voice.
- Harold Lamb - "Red Hands", a master storyteller.
- Phil Emery - "The Last Scream of Carnage", for writing cinematic prose, along with the pyrotechnic experiments of page layout and mixed media, which reminded me of the best, Alfred Bester books.
To conclude, "Claimed by Birthright" and "The Dawn Tree" showcased the glory of
Flashing Swords Magazine and E.E. Knight's essay on the craft was as enjoyable and insightful as Screenplay or The War of Art.
Most of my favorite tales fall, either into the "Gemmellian" - heroic last stand category ("The Wyrd of War", "The Battle of Raven Kill"), or stories that fit the "concept of the outsider" ("The Red Worm's Way", "Deep in the Land of the Ice and Snow", "The Mask Oath").
Stories that unfortunately didn't resonate, were: "Altar of the Moon" - a fabulist(?) take on S&S, "Fatefist at Torkas Nahl" - which felt like an excerpt from a longer, epic fantasy work and "Guardian of Rage" - which started-off as a satire(?) but lost me a few paragraphs in...
Authors whose stories I'll be looking out for in the future include:
- Bruce Durham- "Valley of Bones", who delivered an excellent tale of musket & magic, a military fantasy tale hinting at the absurdity of war and the "irony" of being a "war hero".
- Nathan Meyer - "The Hand that Holds the Crown" who wrote a viceral, cinematic tale full of lyricism.
- Lloyd & Clunie - "An Uneasy Truce in Ulam-Bator" for writing a fast-paced yarn with a very interesting "Heroic Duo".
- Michael Ehart, Angeline Hawkes, Robert Rhodes and Jeff Stewart, for writing stories in the classic mode of the genre, bringing back good memories of the past (the Swords Against Darkness series) with a modern voice.
- Harold Lamb - "Red Hands", a master storyteller.
- Phil Emery - "The Last Scream of Carnage", for writing cinematic prose, along with the pyrotechnic experiments of page layout and mixed media, which reminded me of the best, Alfred Bester books.
To conclude, "Claimed by Birthright" and "The Dawn Tree" showcased the glory of
Flashing Swords Magazine and E.E. Knight's essay on the craft was as enjoyable and insightful as Screenplay or The War of Art.
June 8, 2013
I read and have read a lot of anthologies. They’re great for “in-between-books-reading” and are perfect when you just want a story that you can start and finish in one sitting. Anthologies are also a great source for sampling different writers.
Jason M Waltz did a great job of picking out the stories to use for The Return of the Sword. Except for only one or two stories (even the ones that weren’t particularly something to my personal taste) I found these to be very well and interestingly written.
The Return of the Sword contains twenty sword-and-sorcery tales — too many for me to summarize and rate individually here. I’d say most of the stories fall between 3 and 4 stars, but my personal favorites — "The Battle of Raven Kill" by Jeff Draper, "To Be A Man" by (FanLit’s own) Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Jason M Waltz did a great job of picking out the stories to use for The Return of the Sword. Except for only one or two stories (even the ones that weren’t particularly something to my personal taste) I found these to be very well and interestingly written.
The Return of the Sword contains twenty sword-and-sorcery tales — too many for me to summarize and rate individually here. I’d say most of the stories fall between 3 and 4 stars, but my personal favorites — "The Battle of Raven Kill" by Jeff Draper, "To Be A Man" by (FanLit’s own) Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
July 9, 2014
A great little anthology of sword and sorcery fiction. Honestly, there just isn't enough of the straight up, no-holds-barred, fire-and-steel sword and sorcery stuff out there these days. This was a very fun read, and that was its intention! Glad to have Rogue Blades Entertainment doing what they do, and look forward to getting some more of their stuff.
January 16, 2013
I can't really review it, because I have a story in it. Fun stuff, though.
February 10, 2013
I really only got through the first three stories of this compilation before i was virtually slayed by a swath of purple prose.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews