S.E. Lindberg's Blog, page 23

July Aug Groupreads - Sword & Planet AND Oron / Attluma

Sword & Sorcery groupies on GoodreadsThe July-Aug groupread folders are set up and ready for you!Everyone is welcome to listen in, discuss, and read!

(A) Sword & Planet Folder Link

(B) David C. Smith's Oron and Attluma- Folder Link


Cover Art credits for groupread banner:

Edgar Rice Burroughs books:
Barsoom #11John Carter of Mars - artist Michael Whelan
Barsoom #3 The Warlord of Mars -artist Michael Whelan

David C. Smith books:
Tales of Attluma artist Tom Barber
Oron- arist Clyde Caldwell

   

Sharing: Sword & Sorcery Panel - June 12th

June 12 Tales From the Magician's Skull Kickstarter Update ... sharing since non backers may not see it, but would be interested... copy/pasted here:

Friday panel: "Swords & Sorcery of Appendix N"

Goodman GamesCreator

Greetings, O minions of the Skull!

This missive is to inform you of a particular gathering that may interest you. On Friday, June 12, at 8:00 PM Eastern time, the Goodman Games Twitch channel will host a seminar entitled, "Swords & Sorcery of Appendix N." The discussion will focus on swords and sorcery fiction, and features panelists no doubt familiar to many of you:

·         Howard Andrew Jones

·         John Hocking

·         James Enge

·         Michael Curtis

·         Joseph Goodman

The panel is part of the overall Twitch coverage for our current online gaming convention, DCC Days Online. Our test runs have almost been like a contest to see who can cram the most packed bookshelf into their backdrop. If you ever wanted to see 5 people gathered together who really love talking about books, this is the time! 

How to watch: Go to Twitch.TV and find the channel GoodmanGamesOfficial. (This link will take you there.) Simply tune in at 8:00 PM on Friday June 12 and you'll see the seminar start!

Other Seminars of Interest: Our Twitch channel will host quite a few streams over this coming weekend. There are several others that might be of particular interest to fans of swords & sorcery fiction:

·         The Appendix N Book Club podcast will make its vidcast debut at 1:30PM Eastern time on Sunday June 14. Wouldn't we all want to be a part of that book club?

·         Sanctum Secorum takes Appendix N fiction and applies it specifically to DCC games. This podcast will also make its vidcast debut at 10:00 AM Eastern on Saturday June 13.

There is also lots of live gaming and more. You can see the full schedule here.

Hope to see you online!

July-Aug Groupread Topic Poll is ready

Sword & Sorcery Group on Goodreads.com

Poll Topic poll for July-Aug groupreads. Usually the top two topics become a focus for the duration.
Tanith Lee with a focus on her just re-released The Blood of Roses or Flat Earth series (Night's Master... Death's Master) ,
Clonans like ... Kothar: Barbarian Swordsman or Brak the Barbarian or Thongor Against the Gods
Sword & Planet: for example... Thundar: Man of Two Worlds or Swords of Talera or Transit to Scorpio (Dray Prescot, #1)
David C. Smith and the Oron series including the newly released Tales of Attluma (Oron...Oron 5: The Ghost Army)
Just released Tales from the Magician's Skull #4...or any of the first three ,
Sword and Sea: some swashbuckling adventures like Waters of Darkness or Sea of Quills...or dare I say: Conan the Buccaneercomments and details· show results· invite friends

3D Printing Peru Monkey Discs

The resident mythologist of my household, daughter Erin Lindberg, was part of a student team scanning artifacts for the anthropology department at the University of Miami-Oxford, OH.

One of her scans and her description is online: Sketchfab - Miami University Anthropology (3D scan and STL file) As I try out our new 3D Printer (Ender 3 Pro), we downloaded and printed the Peru Monkey Disc that she is emotionally attached too.


Official Blurb:
"This copper-alloy disc bears a strong similarity to artifacts from the Chimú culture of northern Peru, 900-1470 CE, such as this example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art:https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/315221Northern Peruvian artisans typically worked with copper-arsenic alloys. These alloys are stronger, and easier to cast than copper alone. The process for making copper-arsenic alloy begins with burning charcoal in the bottom of a furnace bowl. Ores were crushed and mixed to make a smelting charge. By blowing through tubes into the furnace, artisans increased the heat in the furnace. However, it was not enough to liquify the charge, and produced prills, or droplets of pure metal, that were collected, and most likely remelted and made into small ingots (Shimada and Merkel 82-83).Shimada, Izumi, and John F. Merkel. “Copper-Alloy Metallurgy in Ancient Peru.” Scientific American, vol. 265, no. 1, 1991, pp. 80–87. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24936982. Accessed 15 Apr. 2020."

Heroika II: Skirmishers

Originally posted on BlackGate.com Sunday, May 3rd, 2020:
Heroika II: Skirmishers – Heroism on the History: Fantasy Battlefront
The Heroika anthology series is created by author and editor Janet Morris (known for her  Heroes in Hell,  Sacred Band of Stepsons , and  Kerrion Empire (Silistra)  series). The first volume Heroika I: Dragon Eaters featured seventeen stories from across the globe, from ancient to modern times arranged chronologically. Black Gate reviewer Fletcher Vredenburgh reported: “Too many anthologies pick a tone and then it doesn’t vary from story to story.  Heroika  avoids that. Connected by the themes of heroism and dragon-fighting, it allows room for varying styles of mythic tales and heroic fantasy as well as all-out pulp craziness.” Heroika II: Skirmishers follows suit, this time with twelve heroic tales spanning ancient history to modern times, arranged chronologically again. Most authors have a historical fiction bent, so Skirmishers really is 50% historical fiction and 50% fantasy. Brief forwards provide context to each story. This post offers a brochure-like tour guide of these battlegrounds.
The Official Blurb

HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS Conflict is a constant. When force on force is inevitable only the intrepid need come forth. Summon the Skirmishers to their eternal purpose, to face a foe who must be opposed at all cost. Gird yourself and join the brotherhood of 'do or die.' Created by Janet Morris and edited by Alexandra Butcher, HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS is an anthology of desperate struggles in far flung time-scapes, the age old smell of battle and death. SKIRMISHERS --Tales for the bold among you!

A skirmisher is typically a lightly armed soldier who relies on speed and maneuverability to be effective in battle, rather than heavy armor and weapons. While the goal of heavy infantry is to come to close battle with the enemy and slog it out, skirmishers try to outmaneuver the enemy, hit and run, break up enemy formations, wear down the heavy soldiers and win in the long game. – Sean Poage A Skirmisher, by definition, is one who goes forward, ahead of the lines, who seeks engagement alone with the enemy, that stands apart, ahead, to protect those that are behind them. They do this with steel on the battlefield, they do it with spirit on the battlefield of their soul. – Tom Barczak Any soldier roaming ahead of the core army, usually shield-less. Includes heroic civilians caught behind enemy lines. – SE Lindberg A Skirmisher is a fighter who engages in smaller battles where hit and run tactics can be used. They can serve as scouts to collect intelligence, and can also serve as a small, quick reaction force that can be used to harry the enemy and keep them unbalanced. A Skirmisher is a fast, smart, efficient fighter who knows how to hit the enemy hard before they can properly react. – Travis Ludvigson

TABLE of CONTENTSCONTENTS and INTERVIEW LINKSTIMEGEOGRAPHY HERO(INE) and SKIRMISH HABIRU by  Michael H. Hanson ~1175 BCEEgypt, Mediterranean ShoreBattle with Egypt's Ramses III and Amnon of the Habiru (ancient Hebrew) tribe against the Sea Peoples. A HANDFUL OF SALT by  Sean Poage 401 BCEAnatolia (Turkey)Experience the Anabasis ("The March of the Ten Thousand") with Gocha, a Taochi warrior of the Zurab tribe of Eastern Anatolia confronting the stranded Greek army of Cyrus the Younger. THE NAKED DAEMON by S.E. Lindberg ~400 CEEgypt, Alexandrian LibraryWitness the birth of alchemical warfare as the pacifist Appollonius of Tyanna guards knowledge from Bishop Theophilus and the Roman military. SOULS OF A LION by  Tom Barczak 73 CE ...and... 1943 CEMasada, Israel and Warsaw, PolandJoin Lavi assassinate Romans and Nazis alike, while wrestling with doing what-is-right. NITHING by  Travis Ludvigson ~990 CEGreenlandGo Viking with Grimolf an outcast tracker who is not afraid to challenge the offspring of gods. IN THE SEASON OF RUST by  Charles Gramlich ~1100 CENortheast, North AmericaJoin the Wild Hunt of classic myths with Sheaugu, a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) tracker, who could be predator or prey. BLACK QUILL by  Cas Peace ~1100 CE (dark ages)Wessex, BritainResist religion and ancient creatures with the heroine Gytha, a cripple seeking sanctuary in an abbey. OLD GOLD by  A.L. Butcher ~1500 CE (dark ages)Goldmead, Britain-analogueRaid the tomb of a skirmisher god with Moira, an herbalist hunted by zealots of the god Arun. A LION IN KAMERUN by Ken Kiser 1914 CE (WWI)Cameroon, AfricaHunt behind enemy lines for a dinosaur with Felix James Malory II, a tenured professor of Biology from the esteemed University of Cambridge. THE PATROL by  William Hiles 1914 CE (WWI)Sky above EuropeSurvive an intense air-dogfight with a WWI Royal Flying Corps patrolman ambushed by German pilots. LA PORTE EN ARRIERE by  Beth W. Patterson ~2010 CESt. Landry Parish, LouisianaTrack a serial killer with “Pichou” an 11yr -old, free-wheeling girl who has a penchant for trouble. DURENDAL by Bruce Durham ~2025 CE (or maybe next week!)Spain, FranceWield swords with Grace Matthews, a peace-keeping soldier embroiled in an ageless conflict of madmen, jihadists, and duty-bound warriors.

Skirmishers is completely stand-alone from Dragon Eaters, but there are echoes from the first volume.  Will Hiles is back, but his "Patrol" has nothing do with his impressive "Red Rain" from Vol.1 that had a serpent rampaging the civil war; this round Ken Kiser has us encountering a different type of winged-beast in WWI Cameroon. Beth Patterson's Pichou is back, she's the adventurous teenager introduced to us in Vol 1.'s "La Bétaill".  "The Naken Daemon" is an indirect follow up to "Legacy of the Great Dragon" which revealed the creation of the mystical Emerald Tablet (the alchemical Philosopher's Stone, this time used for chemical warfare). Also, Cas Peace, Travis Ludvigson, Tom Barczak, A.L. Butcher and Bruce Durham have returned with swords drawn. Then there are veteran writers new to the Heroika ranks: already mentioned is Ken Kiser; Michael H. Hanson from the Heroes in Hell group opens the collection; Sean Poage explores the raw, untold history of vanquished heroes, and Charles Gramlich enters with poetic, genre-bending horror. Each author has their own style, from frenzied-pulpy-madness, to darkly humorous, to plain entertaining.  Likewise, each time-period offers a different mythical aspect. As Fletcher indicated about the first volume, you can again expect wondrous stories, very varied in style but all focused on the theme. Heroika II: Skirmishers is available now in Kindle version, and paperback soon.

Heroika I: Dragon Eaters: The art of dragon killing: Dragons have been eating humans for centuries. Now heroes throughout history stalk their legendary foe. Learn how to hunt, kill, and eat the wild dragon. Never before has revenge tasted so good. A literary feast for the bloody-minded. In Janet Morris' anthology on the art of dragon killing, seventeen writers bring you so close to dragons you can smell their fetid breath. Tales for the bold among you.

S.E. Lindberg  resides near Cincinnati, Ohio working as a microscopist by day. Two decades of practicing chemistry, combined with a passion for the Sword & Sorcery genre, spurs him to write adventure fictionalizing the alchemical humors (under the banner Dyscrasia Fiction). With  Perseid Press , he writes weird tales in the same vein (Heroika and Heroes in Hell series). He co-moderates the  Sword & Sorcery group on Goodreads , and invites all to participate. He enjoys studying Aikido and creates all sorts of fine art in the family workshop. Touch base via  Facebook  or  Twitter .

May-June Groupread Topics: LOST WORLDS and MOVE ADAPTATIONS

Sword and Sorcery Group on Goodreads
Join us for the May-June 2020 Sword and Sorcery groupreads, with thematic topics:

A) Link to discussion on Lost Worlds, with tour guide moderator Master Ultan
Moderator Master Ultan is ultimately in charge of this as the "tour guide", but it's SE here setting up the folders. From the initial suggestions and book poll, the general idea is to tour a Lost World. Anyway... I'll pass off the "mic" to him....
This includes: Heroes of Atlantis & Lemuria by Manly Wade Wellman and The Magic of Atlantis by Lin Carter... and probably these too: Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Tales of Zothique by Clark Ashton Smith

   
B) Link to discussion on MOVIE adaptations/novelizations
Any S&S movie adaption, such as the below.
Nominate more! And, of course, feel welcome to discuss the movies too. Rewatch them!

Conan the Barbarian by Michael A. Stackpole, for the 2010 Conan

Conan the Destroyer by Robert Jordan ~1984

Solomon Kane by Ramsey Campbell ~2009

Dragonslayer by Wayland Drew ~1981
or the 1981 comic Dragonslayer #1 (by Dennis O'Neil and Marie Severin)

The Sword & the Sorcerer by Norman Winski ~1981

Conan 1982 comic
Conan the Barbarian Movie Special (1982) 1-2 Complete Movie Adaptation
or the novel....if you can find it
Conan the Barbarian by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine de Camp and Lin Carter

Clash of the Titans by Alan Dean Foster ~1981

      
Banner 2020 May June GroupreadsBanner credits are extended to:
Pellucidar 1: At the earth's core, cover art by J. Allen St. John 1922Heroes of Atlantis and Lemuria Cover Layout by Michael Greylord 2019Movie Posters:- Conan the Barbarian 2011- Solomon Kane 2009
   

Twilight of the Gods - Review by SE

This review was published on Blackgate.com April 8th, 2020:
The Doom of “Oden”: Twilight of the Gods (Grimnir #2)


With Grimnir #2 Twilight of the Gods (TotG), Scott Oden presents a novel take on Ragnarök, the apocalypse in Norse mythology. He masterfully integrates his historical fiction expertise (i.e., from Memnon, Men of Bronze) with gritty battles reminiscent of Robert E. Howard (i.e., the creator of Conan the Barbarian; Oden recently published a serialized, pastiche novella across the Savage Sword of Conan Marvel Comic series). Few can merge the intensity of low-fantasy Sword & Sorcery with high-fantasy Epics, but Oden does here.

TotG is second in this series; Fletcher Vredenburgh reviewed Griminr #1 A Gathering of Ravens (AGoR) in 2017, and reported: “Oden tells a story that feels lifted straight from the sagas and Eddas.” This February, John O’Neill posted a Future Treasures to reveal the Jimmy Iacobelli cover art to Twilight of the Gods.

This article is a review of the story, the style, and the lore. Read on to learn about the series’ namesake, the apocalypse in this second volume, and get teasers for the third book, The Doom of Odin.

“Mark this, little bird: you can judge how high you stand in your enemy’s esteem by the weapon he draws against you.” – Grimnir


Odin Fades and the Cross EmergesTotG blurs the line between fantasy and history.” With Odin losing power, the hymn-singers are stepping up to rule the world. The Christian commandment “Thou shalt not have strange gods before me” gave rise to much strife in real history, which even had converted Danes and Norsemen crusade for the Cross. The book opens with this conflict fueling Ragnarök (read Ch.1. online). These excerpts also capture Oden’s style, including Grimdark scenery:

Corpses sprawled atop a low hill, beneath a sky the color of old slate. They lay in their tattered war gear: mail riven, shields broken, and helmets split asunder by ferocious blows. There were scores of them, arranged not in the perfect windrows borne of clashing shield-walls, where the dead fall like grain beneath a thresher-man’s blade, but rather in heaps and mounds—as though the Tangled God himself, cunning Loki, had decided to reshape the land with the bodies of slain Northmen. Their blood mingled with other vital fluids, turning the early snow underfoot to a scarlet slurry.
A cold north wind moaned through the evergreen spruces ringing the hill. It rattled the shafts of spears that grew from bodies of the slain like corpse-flowers, their blades rooted in bellies and spines; it snapped the fabric of cast-off pennons. Some displayed a wolf’s head against a white field. Others, more numerous, bore a stark black cross. The wind faded; utter silence returned.

And… Howardian battle scenes:

Úlfrún did not flinch. She did not shy away from the whistling blade that sought to end her life. Instead, she stepped in and caught it on the knuckles of her iron fist. The sword sparked, rebounded; the clangor of impact reverberated. Far to the north, from among the cloud-wreathed peaks, came the echo of thunder as if in answer … The blade of her axe flashed in autumn’s pale light, and she rained blow after furious blow down upon the guard of her enemy. A rush of breath, a ringing crash, and the rasp and slither of steel on iron were the only sounds as she batted aside Heimdul’s clumsy riposte and very nearly took off his head. A hasty backward leap was all that saved him.

And… poetic horror:

And with a sound like the rattle of immense bones, the stranger’s cloak is borne up as by a hot breath of wind. There is only darkness, beneath. And that darkness grows and spreads, becoming monstrous wings that blot out the burning sky. The darkness crawls like a serpent across the ruin of Hrafnhaugr. It snuffs the flames and robs the air of its breath; it slays the living with a pestilence that rots the blood in their veins. It crushes and destroys. She turns to run as the darkness engulfs her. And in its hideous embrace, she opens her mouth to scream…

Via the current Goodreads Sword & Sorcery Groupread featuring this book, I learned from beta-reader Stan Wagenaar that this chapter was an intentional homage to REH’s Conan tale “Frost Giant’s Daughter” (1953, Fantasy Fiction). Between Étaín and Disa, Grimnir has sympathized with both sides of the religious war marking the end of the world (i.e., the Nailed-God versus the likes of Odin). Ultimately, he is out for his personal agenda, and there are plenty of antagonizing forces beyond human ones.
Frazetta, REH’s Frost Giant’s DaughterWho/What is Grimnir?In the Beowulf saga, the titular hero hints down the monstrous Grendel, then Grendel’s mother, then a dragon; the hero even becomes King of the Geats (the Geats of Scandinavia hailing from modern-day Sweden). TotG presents Grimnir as a demi-god hybrid of Beowulf & Grendel: half monster, half savior-to-be-worshipped) and king over the Raven-Geats no less! He has one working eye, but so do many suspicious characters ranging from Odin, a great wyrm, Nila, Grimnir, and the Grey Wanderer. So, you should not trust any one-eye, let alone Grimnr: he is a brutal bastard who is more out for self-preservation than for defending his human worshippers. He cares less about the threats of cross-bearing crusaders than he begrudges an ancient dragon—but more on wyrms below. TotG’s cursed crusader introduces us to Grimnir, emphasizing the various perspectives and clashes of cultures:

“Grimnir son of Bálegyr,” Konraðr said. “What a rough beast you are. You go by many names, I am told. Corpse-maker and Life-quencher, the Bringer of Night. Some claim you are the Son of the Wolf and Brother of the Serpent. The Irish called your kind fomoraig, did they not? They cursed your sire, Bálegyr, and the wolf ships that brought him to their fair isle. What did the English name you? Orcnéas? But to the Danes and the Norse your kind were always skrælingar. Accursed sons of Cain, you are …

Oden followers will note the “Orcneas” reference. The author has said: “Since young adulthood, I’ve wanted to write a book about Orcs—those foot soldiers of evil first revealed to us in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. I wanted to write it from the Orcs’ point of view. And I wanted to redeem them.” Inspect the Russian cover to A Gathering of Ravens (inset) depicting Grimnir, albeit with a gratuitous beard. Oden concurs of his appearance on his blog while explicitly developing the lore: “I’ve seen that gets his hair right. Really, give him a sharper nose and there you have the last of the fabled kaunar, that blighted race of monsters who would enter popular culture centuries later as Tolkien’s Orcs.”
Russian cover art for A Gathering of Ravens, and zoomed-in depiction of Grimnir
Grimnir’s Partner, Dísa Dagrúnsdottir:Étaín was the young female protagonist in A Gathering of Ravens. This round, Grimnir’s partner is young Dísa (a.k.a. “Little Bird”, a Raven-Geat). Whereas Étaín was a Christian, Dísa is a barbaric, maiden of war—or she dreams to become one, anyway. Motherless, her clan selects her to confer with their godly protector the “Hooded One” (Grimnir). This book is really about her coming of age while the world ends; her priestess role puts her smack-dab on the intersection of the corporeal and the supernatural. Disa is a likable, spirited character that you will be rooting for from the instant she is presented in chapter two.

[Disa], who springs from the loins of Dagrún Spear-breaker; she, who is a Daughter of the Raven, bearer of the rune Dagaz; she, who is the Day-strider, chosen of the Gods. She, who is skjaldmær, shieldmaiden.

A contemporary similar character would be Sensua from the acclaimed Ninja Theory video game series Hellblade (Sensua’s Sacrifice (2017) followed by Sensu’s Saga due out 2020). This January, S.M. Carrière posted on the sequel’s video trailer featuring the band Heilung. In short, if you like Sensua or Heilung, then you must experience Disa’s saga. The embedded video could easily be repurposed as a trailer for Dísa in TotG:


Serpents & Dragons:In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is triggered by the world (Midgard)-wrapping serpent Jörmungandr releasing the tail from its mouth, and uncoiling. So, readers should expect some form of dragon and we are gifted the spawn of the legendary Jormungandr’s (Midgard Serpent): Malice-Striker. The combination of lore and prose reinforcing Malice-Striker’s presence evokes classic dragons, such as Beowulf’s foe or J.R.R.’s Glaurung (the Worm of Morgoth/Angband from the Children of Hurin). Malice-Striker’s character and past are revealed, and [minor spoiler] he is set up for a key role in the next installment.

John Howe depicts Tolkien’s Glaurung and Alan Lee depicts Glaurun’s eyeThe Doom of Odin (Grimnir series #3)Twilight of the Gods delivered an apocalyptic nail-biter. It can be read completely stand-alone, but certainly builds on A Gathering of Ravens. Still the battle rages on for Grimnir. Oden plans to finish the third installment, The Doom of Odin, by the end of summer 2020 (publication at St. Martin’s discretion). From the author’s website, we find the likely book blurb:

As the Black Death rampages across Europe, two creatures of the Elder World clash over the rotting corpse of Christendom. 

Sicily, 1347 AD. A ghost ship from the east washes ashore at Messina. A ship of dead men, and hidden in its belly is a doom like no other: the dragon Niðhöggr, the Malice-Striker, an ancient vessel of destruction from the Elder Days. And while it is no longer the mighty wyrm of Ragnarök, the beast’s breath still bears upon it a pestilence, a plague that will echo through the ages as the Black Death.

But the world of Men has a strange champion – another creature of the Elder World: a snarling, spitting knot of hatred, profane and blasphemous, whose ancestors were the goblins of myth and legend; he is a monster in truth, though nevertheless he stands as the last bastion between humanity and the cold silence of oblivion. He is Grimnir, and he has hunted the Malice-Striker for more than a century, from the cold wastes of the Baltic to the dank cisterns beneath Constantinople.

Now, as the plague stalks through Western Europe – and as the dread wyrm slithers through Italy, bound for Rome on its mission to devour the head of Christendom – Grimnir must contend not only with the beast’s insidious cunning, but with the iron fist of the Papal Inquisition, and the army of a vengeful Italian condottiere. Grimnir, however, is not without allies of his own. Accompanied by a Jewish witch and mystic, and aided by the fey King of the Mongrel Court, a troupe of half-blooded creatures bound for Finisterre and the World’s End, Grimnir sets the stage for a final showdown. 

For at Avignon, the papal enclave on the River Rhone, the Doom of Odin will fall, and the Elder World will finally meet its bloody end. The only question that remains is: will Miðgarðr and the world of Men survive this deadly clash of titans?

On Scott OdenScott is the author of five novels, two historical fiction (Men of Bronze and Memnon), three fantasy with a strong historical bent (The Lion of Cairo, A Gathering of Ravens, and Twilight of the Gods), and a collaborative novel (A Sea of Sorrow: A Novel of Odysseus). He is the author of the Robert E. Howard pastiche Conan novella “The Shadow of Vengeance”, serialized in issues #1-#12 of Marvel’s The Savage Sword of Conan, as well as the Conan short story “Conan Unconquered”, appearing in the video game of the same name. In addition, he has written a couple of short stories, and a few non-fiction articles and introductions (notably, the introduction to Del Rey’s Robert E. Howard collection, Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures). He has been an avid tabletop role-playing gamer since 1979, beginning with Holmes-edition D&D. Scott was born in Columbus, Indiana, but was raised in rural North Alabama, near Huntsville. He currently splits his time between his home in Alabama, a Hobbit hole in Middle-earth, and some sketchy tavern in the Hyborian Age.

June-June- S&S Goodreads Poll

Sword & Sorcery Goodreads Group - GroupREAD poll

Poll June-July Group Read Poll Topics, usually top 2 votes get 2-months of attention.
Follow Master Ultan (moderator) on an expedition to a lost continent, like The Magic of Atlantis or Heroes of Atlantis & Lemuria
Film Novelizations like Clash of the Titans Conan the Barbarian, Dragonslayer, Solomon Kane: The Official Movie Novelisation
Whimsical Escapism: something like Equal Rites or Myth Conceptions
Pestilence: something like Companions on the Road, Blade of Tyshalle, Gotrek & Felix: The First Omnibus, or Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep
Isolation: something like The Time of the Dark or
Skin
Any Cover By Raymond Swanland like Sharp Ends, The Wizard LordNecropolis, The Books of the South
[listing on http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?36989]
comments and details· show results· invite friends

Witness the Birth of Alchemical Warfare

Heroika: Skirmishers – Witness the Birth of Alchemical Warfare!  With the release of  Heroika: Skirmishers , each contributor ... and one of their characters... is being interviewed by the Library of Erana. Hear directly from the Apollonius of Tyana, read “The Naked Daemon” by S.E. Lindberg, and experience alchemical warfare.  Click on the link for the full interview . Below are teasers for "The Naked Daemon": 
With SE Lindberg:How would you define a Skirmisher? Any soldier roaming ahead of the core army, usually shield-less and including heroic civilians caught behind enemy lines.What about your story?: "The Naked Daemon" pits the mystic Apollonius of Tyana (deceased ~100 CE) against zealots who destroy what remains of the Alexandria Library. In life, his principles had been aligned with those of the pacifist gymnosophists (a.k.a. naked philosophers); hundreds of years past his death, Apollonius finds himself reborn as a daemon empowered with Hermes’s Emerald Tablet. He observes the Roman oppression over pagan scholars and is challenged with an urgent need to defend knowledge. Will Apollonius rationalize war by unleashing the power of alchemy to do harm? Will he become an angel or demon? How will alchemy transform?
Apollonius With Apollonius:Tell us a bit about yourself. Many claim you are a miracle worker, rivaling your contemporary Jesus: “No need to compare one man, or woman, to any other. Misunderstood powers, used for good or ill, flow through we hierophants. In this respect, I am merely a conduit. A magos.”You look at your hands. How do you view yourself? “As a bloody daemon, for certain.”Are you an angel or devil? “In my life, I was angelic. Judgment awaits for what came next.”
 Alexandria Library
More Interviews From Skirmishers!This follows Sean Poage's interview. His story engaging, tragic war story in his "A Handful of Salt". Below is his forward... click on the link to learn more about him and the story through the eyes of Gocha, an elder warrior of the Zurah tribe of Taochi region:"At the dawn of the fourth century, BC, Cyrus the Younger hired an army of ten thousand Greek mercenaries to challenge his brother for the throne of the Persian Empire. His Greeks were victorious, but he was slain and the Greeks were stranded deep inside the Persian Empire without supplies. Their only way home was to fight their way north through the mountains of eastern Turkey to the Black Sea, as described through the eyes of one of their leaders, Xenophon.It is considered one of the greatest feats of military history and has often been recounted and reimagined, but never through the eyes of their adversaries, the Persians, or the ancestral tribes of eastern Turkey. One event, in particular, is haunting and tragic. Today we struggle to understand the mind-set of ancient cultures, often making the mistake of seeing their world through the filter of our own values. This story is an attempt to understand a heroic perspective alien to our own."
Thanks to Alex Butcher for the interview hosting, editing, and skirmishing.

Heroika: Skirmishers

HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERSby Janet E. Morris (Creator), Alex Butcher (Editor)Perseid Press
Conflict is a constant. When force on force is inevitable only the intrepid need come forth. Summon the Skirmishers to their eternal purpose, to face a foe who must be opposed at all cost. Gird yourself and join the brotherhood of 'do or die.' Created by Janet Morris and edited by Alexandra Butcher, HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS is an anthology of desperate struggles in far flung time-scapes, the age old smell of battle and death. SKIRMISHERS --Tales for the bold among you!

CONTENTS:
HABIRU by Michael H. HansonA HANDFUL OF SALT by Sean PoageTHE NAKED DAEMON by S.E. LindbergSOULS OF A LION by Tom BarczakNITHING by Travis LudvigsonIN THE SEASON OF RUST by Charles GramlichBLACK QUILL by Cas PeaceOLD GOLD by A.L. ButcherA LION IN KAMERUN By Ken KiserTHE PATROL by William HilesLA PORTE EN ARRIERE by Beth W. PattersonDURENDAL by Bruce Durham


HEROIKA 1: DRAGON EATERS 
HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS