Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" discussion

Jan-Feb 2022: Annual 2month groupread of Anthologies (and Magazines). All are fair game. Online. Print. Old. New.


Banner Cover Art Credits
Sanjulian - Tales from the Magician's Skull #5
Jim Pitts - Sword and Sorceries #3
Mark Wheatley - Blood on the Blade

Feel welcome to add any anthology you plan to read to the "poll" which serves to advertise what is being read or discussed (rather than a "winner").
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...



Whetstone (Free, online) magazine


Swords and Sorceries by Parallel Universe


DMR books


Rogues Blades Entertainment/Foundation


HFQ online or collection


Sword and Planet due out Dec 21

Getting a head start because my selection is a big'un: I decided to end 2021/begin 2022 by just wallowing in epic fantasy, so started rereading Robert Silverberg's 1998 anthology Legends, where he got a bunch of well-known authors (Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, George R.R. Martin, Raymond E. Feist, etc.) to write new novellas in their famous worlds.

Will I follow it up with Legends II? Stranger things have happened.

I started early, I suppose, I recently finished Swords and Sorceries Vol. 3 and Blood on the Blade which were both good anthologies. My reviews are up for anyone to see. I have also picked up my accumulated Savage Realms Monthly issues; I’m started issue 4 today. Be sure to check them out. I also just finished The Sword of Hel which sounds fantastic but had some problems. The Heroic Fantasy Quarterly collections were great. And any of the DMR collections are well worth reading. Rogue Blades’ Death Sting and The Lost Empire of Sol are great choices too.

Richard wrote: "I started early, I suppose, I recently finished Swords and Sorceries Vol. 3 and Blood on the Blade which were both good anthologies. My reviews are up for anyone to see. I have also picked up my ac..."

Here's the link to Richard's epic review of Blood on the Blade.
--> https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm about to write my review...but it is tough to contribute more than that review.

Thank you for the praise, Seth.

I’m eager to read Sword and Planet too! I keep forgetting that one.

Here's my review of Blood on the Blade.
(noting again that Richard already covered this with journalistic excellence.)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I admit that Shrewsbury's “Knock the Hell Out of You” story had some tropes that I don't enjoy much anymore (tavern scenes and overpowered protagonists)...but his Gorias La Gaul character (and daughter Roan) intrigued me the most. I find myself wondering about them. And apparently, more books/work covers them.

Also D.M. Ritzlin's "More Blood" and Paul R. McNamee's Polynesian “The Island of Shadows” stood out to me.

I've moved onto Savage Realms Monthly: May 2021: A collection of dark fantasy sword and sorcery short adventure stories and Whetstone: Amateur Magazine of Pulp Sword and Sorcery #4

I've moved onto:
Savage Realms Monthly: August 2021: A collection of dark fantasy sword and sorcery short adventure stories

Finished Legends and decided to carry on with Legends II, which I haven't read before. The first story is by Robin Hobb, set in her Elderlings world, and it has an almost Lovecraftian feel to it -- not the language, but some of the structure of the story.

Joseph wrote: "Finished Legends and decided to carry on with Legends II, which I haven't read before. The first story is by Robin Hobb, set in her Elderlings world, and it..."

Epic review for a collection of epics. I admit being intrigued by Ursula Le Guin's and Raymond Feist's contributions.

...and @Richard, kudos for highlighting Savage Realms. They weren't on my radar until you gave them some press.

I've changed gears from sword and sorcery to sword and silk. I eagerly purchased this after reading one of his stories in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, and of course never got around to reading it.
Swords of the Four Winds: Tales of Swords and Sorcery in an Ancient East That Never Was

A tad late but I started reading Robert E. Howard Changed My Life: Personal Essays about an Extraordinary Legacy

Having just read Bill Cavalier's essay I should say I'm shocked someone would steal REH footstone, but I'm not... I wonder where it is now? Sitting "proudly" in one's collection somewhere or has it been forgotten even by the thieves themselves, tossed aside and thrown out?

Also the passing and fading away of those people in Bill's life, who he met on his REH pilgrimage, all except one, has left me in a sombre mood. Time moves so quick for all of us, people we meet briefly or for longer periods of time change us and then their gone. Hopefully we leave tales worth telling like this one.

@Richard, REH Changed my Life is full of moments that make you think, or immediately connect with. It was my favorite read of 2021.

I hear you, Christian. It is amazingly un-amazing what some folks will do. Anyway, you have many more memorable essays ahead - thank you for reading this book.

Thanks, Clint! I am grateful for your enthusiastic appreciation. I think it a monumental collection and hope more people find the time to read and engage with it. By the by, the book can be nominated for an REH Award through the end of January. https://rehfoundation.org/2022-nomina...

Jason, thanks for advertising that. Act soon, folks! Nominations due Jan 31!

A guide from Jason:

If any of y'all who've read the Rogue Blades Foundation 2021 release ROBERT E. HOWARD CHANGED MY LIFE consider it worthy of recognition, please consider nominating and recommending it for nomination in the following categories:

The Valusian - for the collection and editor as a whole
The Hyrkanian - for a particular essay and author contained therein
The Rankin - for the cover art

KEY BLIURB from https://rehfoundation.org/2022-nomina...

Thank you in advance for your support and consideration.

You do not have to currently be a member of the Robert E. Howard Foundation to send in nominees at this stage of the process. All nominees must have the name of the publication for printed works, and the internet address for works available on the internet in the nomination. Only work that was published from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021 is eligible to be nominated.

All nominations are to be sent to the following email address:

rehawardsjb ”AT” gmail ”DOT” com (replace the AT and DOT with their corresponding symbols)

Richard has his review up on the esteemed DMR blog:
https://dmrbooks.com/test-blog/2022/1...

This is great. Glad to see different aspects of the S&S community feed off each other.

Thank you for the shout out, Seth.

I've read a few more so far and a small complaint I have is that the author isn't stated at the beginning of the piece. I'm reading the kindle version so I can't just easily flick to the table of contents or end of the particular essay.

BUT, it keeps me guessing like a whodunnit. Like this one I just read right now, said person grew up in East Texas, young at the time, 19, wanted to write but didn't know where to start or who to contact, couldn't really finish any stories he wrote, married too young so under pressure to make everything work while going to college. And I'm thinking to myself have I heard of this person before, who just is this?

And then he picks up a used paperback of Wolfshead by Howard that ultimately changes his life. Turns out it's Joe R. Lansdale. Joe ******* Lansdale. You don't get much bigger than that in genre fiction. And imagine that no one most likely would of read him let alone heard of him if it wasn't for REH speaking to him from that paperback. Amazing.

Christian wrote: "I've read a few more so far and a small complaint I have is that the author isn't stated at the beginning of the piece. I'm reading the kindle version so I can't just easily flick to the table of c..."

Ah, I noticed that too about the Kindle TOC Links not having the Author's Name beside them (in REH Changed my Life). There is a TOC in the beginning...and each essay is signed at the end by the author, but totally understand. I've been reading a few out of order, and had that experience.

The contributor list is impressive.

I've missed the past few group reads, but this time I'm reading Savage Realms: Monthly Tales of sword and sorcery.

Just finished up, Swords of the Four Winds: Tales of Swords and Sorcery in an Ancient East That Never Was which was great.

Now I'm moving onto Savage Realms Monthly: October 2021: A collection of dark fantasy sword and sorcery short adventure stories

The Joy of Erudition wrote: "I've missed the past few group reads, but this time I'm reading Savage Realms: Monthly Tales of sword and sorcery."

Welcome back Joy!

I just finished reading Return of the Sword: An Anthology of Heroic Adventure by Rogue Blades Entertainment.

I'd owned the book for a number of years but had never gotten around to it. The group read seemed like a good chance to rectify that.

I thought it was a good anthology. The highlight was a Morlock Ambrosius story by James Enge. I've read a few others in scattered anthologies and they're always a treat. I need to pick up some of his actual books sometime...

hey Phil! new Morlock appears in every issue of Tales from the Magician’s skull. I recently hunted down the six Ambrosius novels. I think they are out of print. I wonder if they'll have digital versions for you.

Because of his story in Blood on the Blade I've moved onto:

Theok the Indomitable: A Spill Of Sorcerer's Blood

I haven't read much this past week but I'm still slowly making my way through REH Changed My Life.

I also began reading Warlords, Warlocks & Witches ed. by D.M. Ritzlin

I have just finished reading Whetstone: Amateur Magazine of Pulp Sword and Sorcery #4. Below is my review.

My grading per story;
A Chance Burden : 3/5
A Boarding Action : 2/5
The Princess’s Plunge Pool : 2/5
Siz Heads for Gullahm Khullgosh : 3/5
Kyla-Selin : 3/5
The Beast Mistress : 4/5
The Phoenician : 4/5 (Though story looks more like a historical fiction to me, lacking certain “fantastic” elements)
The Eldest Edda : 3/5
Cat and Mouse : 1/5 (Narration was very confusing to me)
Wolfskin and Pale Kings : 2/5
In Dust and Dead Desire : 3/5
The Symbol on the Ring : 4/5 (my favorite one in this collection)
Terror and Talon : 2/5
The Assault on Mourengrad : 4/5
Muse and the Monstrous : 3/5

Some thoughts about stories;
* I do not understand why some authors prefer way long portrayal of characters / places in a short story ? While a well-executed description when needed does not stand out much and works as intended, overdoing so certainly bores readers, at least likes of me.
* What is the notion of an undead mercenary ? Why does an animated corpse need money anyway ?
* Frankly speaking, I did not understand who is who at the story “Cat and Mouse”. So I gave up reading at some point.

Conclusion;
I found the stories bit shorter to tell their tales, especially when some of them contain long-ish portrayals. Still some stories are entertaining and might lead to longer stories or maybe even novels. I suggest the word count per story might be raised to increase the quality of stories.

It is a free magazine anyway, you can always download and try it yourself, which I would suggest you do so.

@Devrim

I'm currently reading this particular issue and I have to agree with your assessment.

The shortness of the stories makes them quick reads, but this shortness hinders the storytelling.

I'm having a hard time working my way through my selection of Savage Realms 1. I have to take back what I said about the Adobe Reader's liquid mode making PDFs "good enough" to read on a small tablet. It doesn't. There's no bookmarking ability, and if I come back to it after having used some other app, it has to reload the PDF and re-flow it from the beginning, losing my place, so I have to search through the thing again to get back where I was. If I use my proper ebook reader, it keeps my place and provides bookmarks if necessary, but because it's a PDF I'm stuck with rigid blocks of text with print-sized margins that can't adapt to the size and shape of my screen, and have to scroll back and forth with every line if I want the text zoomed in enough to make it readable on this size of device. And if I use PDF conversion, even the best of them end up putting lines of other people's dialogue in the same line as the first person's, and all kinds of other formatting issues that interfere with readability. Digital fiction needs to be in ebook format for accessibility purposes, not PDF, unless you like reading at your computer desk, or you have a large tablet, or your vision allows you to read very small text on a smaller tablet or other device.

But that generality isn't the main thing that kept me from getting into the first story in this collection. "God of the Mountain" was full of spelling errors throughout the whole thing -- of the sort that a spellchecker can't catch, because they're valid words, just the wrong word. Rather, I suspect spellchecker did catch them, but corrected them to the wrong words. This issue clearly didn't have a proper editor (and who knows if future issues do), and yet this is the issue that they give away free as an enticement to subscribe.

The story itself is not much to speak of. The characters have no development, no inner reflection, no personalities. There are periods of excessive word repetition. Certain exchanges of dialogue are hard to believe. The plot moves by multiple coincidences.

I've heard the next story, by Steve Dilks, is the best in the issue, so I look forward to seeing an improvement.

@Joy, I concur on the first story. I too selected Savage Realms 1 for my group read. The Dilks story is more enjoyable than the first. I have not yet tackled the next two. Life has not left me much leisure reading time of late.

The release of Tales from the Magician's Skull #7 just started, currently to Kickstarter Backers who got links to the digital copies. Print copies coming soon.

Should not be long until it is available for everyone via goodman-games.com and DriveThruRPG.com.

@Seth. I received mine today. I’m bummed I decided not to continue with print copies, but costs must be cut, budgets met and all that.

Clint wrote: "@Seth. I received mine today. I’m bummed I decided not to continue with print copies, but costs must be cut, budgets met and all that."

The awesome layout and premium paper gives a nice experience... but it is costly too!

It’s been too long since I have participated in a group read.

My review of Savage Realms January 2021 for discussion https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

So, funny story. The review that I linked to, I submitted to Amazon. They would not post it, stating “inappropriate content”.

Clint wrote: "So, funny story. The review that I linked to, I submitted to Amazon. They would not post it, stating “inappropriate content”."

Must have been the quote about Odin's nut sack.

@Joy, huh. You are probably right.

I wonder if it could have been my mention of Whetstone or TftMS? Perhaps they thought I was advertising?

@Richard, did you seek out any material, outside of that printed in the magazine, of writer’s published in Savage Realms; other than Steve Dilks that is.

@Clint

Dilks is the only author that I have read previously. Most of these other authors are just getting started and I don’t think there is much out there by them yet.

I finished reading the Dilks story, and although it was an improvement over the first, I can't say I enjoyed it. In fact, I'm almost ready to abandon this collection.

"The Tomb of Orthun-Rah" had its own set of issues, mostly in the form of awkward exposition through forced dialogue and some astounding lack of observational skills in the characters, but had only one or two spelling errors, and near the end it had improved enough that I liked it a bit more than "The Festival of the Bull", which didn't even have any sorcery in it. And that's despite all of the characters being unlikable anti-heroes. Now all that's left is "Serpent Lord of Bryson Metals", which definitely sounds unconventional for S&S.

I revised my commentary and I guess the Gods of Amazon deemed it fit for public consumption. I removed the bit about Odin’s but sack and scrubbed any references to price. The Amazo Bots don’t like it when you mention $$$, regardless, as in my case if you are being price neutral, or price positive/negative (the last is sure to raise their wrath).

Clint's journey for getting an Amazon review cleared is killing me.

I just finished Savage Realms Monthly: January 2022: A collection of dark fantasy sword and sorcery short adventure stories



I am not a literary critic, but I rather enjoyed this issue. Especially The Glass Crypt by Tim Gerstmar. My review is up here and on Amazon.

I read Clint Werner’s “Snake in the Fold” with my Saturday morning coffee today. It did not disappoint. I enjoyed this tale of Oba the Demon Slayer a great bit. 4/5.

Reading Tales from the Magician’s Skull #7, and regretting my decision to go digital only with my renewal. I miss that thick paper and the joy of the tangible in my withered, clawed hands.

Why is it that I'm just now learning of this publisher? David Malaski was sharing a new book with me and I looked up the publisher. New Mythology Press (www.chriskennedypublishing.com) Here are a couple of anthologies ripe for our group read.
When Valor Must Hold

Songs of Valor