S.E. Lindberg's Blog, page 7
January 31, 2024
“The Magical Power of Art” - Foreword and Interview for The Revelations of Zang
Black Gate simulcast Link: THE REVELATIONS OF ZANG BY JOHN R. FULTZ RELEASED BY ROGUES IN THE HOUSE: READ THE FOREWORD AND INTERVIEW (Jan 2024)
The Revelations of Zang by John R. Fultz. The Rogues in theHouse Podcast (2023). John Molinero cover art.
The Rogues in the House Podcast, publishers ofthe Sword & Sorcery anthologies A Book of Blades Vol I and Vol II, now bring us a re-release of John R.Fultz's The Revelations of Zang (available now in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover).John R. Fultz is no stranger to Black Gate having published in thehardcopy magazine and hosting his Skulls graphic story and two of hisshort stories on the website. We recently highlighted a 2017 interview with theauthor on his approach to creating weird worlds that are both beautiful anddark (reposted on Black Gate Dec. 2023).I was honored to provide the Foreword and Interview for the re-release, andprovided those here to reveal what you should expect, and why you should read, TheRevelations of Zang!
John R. Fultz has a burgeoning library. His published novels include SevenPrinces (2012), Seven Kings (2013), and Seven Sorcerers (2013),as well as The Testament of Tall Eagle (2015) and Son of Tall Eagle(2017). His short stories have appeared in Year’s Best Weird Fiction,Weird Tales, Black Gate, Weirdbook, That Is Not Dead, Shattered Shields,Lightspeed, Way of the Wizard, Cthulhu’s Reign, and plenty of other strangeplaces. His story collections include World Beyond Worlds (2021), DarkerThan Weird (2023), and The Revelations of Zang (re-released now,2023)! Now, we will reveal to you the secret arcana of thatlast volume...
“The Magical Powerof Art” - Foreword and Interview for The Revelations of Zang
The uninitiated may ask: who the hell is Zang? What is s/he going toreveal to me? Well, Zang is not human. It is the larger portion of the‘Continent,’ a forest mostly; but the land is so rich in character, it might aswell be sentient. This foreword reveals what to expect in The Revelations ofZang collection, avoiding spoilers, and it showcases the behind-the-scenescontext of the stories and the author’s rich history with creating illustratedand fantastical worlds.
If Karl Edward Wagner rewrote The Worm Ourborus (E.R. Edison,1922) for fans of The Dark Crystal (Jim Henson, Frank Oz, 1982) you’dget the Zang Cycle experience. It is tough to blend action-packed adventurewith weird milieus, with doses of royal intrigue and epic, elder lore. Wagnerdelivered this well with his Kane character; i.e., in Darkness Weaves(1978), and “Lynortis Reprise (1961). Fultz excels at this too. TheRevelations of Zang is an epic fantasy delivered in pulpy bites. Allepisodes share a single, coherent story-arc; each successive tale unearths alayer of Zang’s history with a single primary protagonist who performs as alone-wolf or general in a world war. Each sortie radiates heroic-fiction vibes.Indeed, seven of the twelve were written as standalone stories and published inesteemed journals such as Weird Tales and Black Gate printmagazines. Each episode delivers a wondrous ‘wow’, so expect twelve climaxes,not one (as one would with a novel).
This collection follows this tradition with seven of its twelve talespublished in magazines. Conversely, there are five tales that are onlyavailable in the collection and the sequence is greater than the sum of itsparts. The pages are saturated with sorcery and fantastical elements, but do notexpect classic tropes likes orcs and elves. The creatures here are freshlycrafted, often from corpses or alchemical elements. Lending awe to the world’sgods and monsters is Fultz’s style, which portrays them with accessible, poeticflare–descriptions reminiscent of Tanith Lee or Clark Ashton Smith. The pacingis rapid, akin to Michael Moorcock’s Elric tales, who had a knack for creatingnovels out of his short stories with his Eternal Champion cycles; Sword &Sorcery readers will sense echoes of the Melnibonéans’ adventures as Quill andTaizo, the two main protagonists, journey across the Continent. Incidentally,there are some powerful, ancient jewels herein that reminded me of Elric’s“Jade Man’s Eyes” (1973) journey, or even Kane’s titular Bloodstone adventure—hencethe call out to The Dark Crystal above. You’ll learn more about themystery of sacred, divine gems soon enough.
In The Revelations of Zang, Artifice the Quill (writer of the Endof Sorcery) and Taizo (a thief of weird renown) are your tour guides, bothdepicted by cover artist Josh Finney for the first publication of thiscollection (2013, Fantastic Books). For this 2023 edition from Rogues in theHouse Podcast, cover artist John Molinero focuses on Quill and beautifullyamplifies the demonic conflict the book delivers on. Meta-themes on how art(theater and books) can affect the outcome of warring civilizations arespotlighted–but don’t expect any less bloodshed and horror that one would getwhile reading Robert E. Howard. As Don Webb notes in his hilarious foreword toFultz’s Darker Than Weird - Fourteen Tales of Horror (2022) where heterms the Fultzian approach as being a one-two punch combination: “Come for thehorror, leave with deeper questions about history and metaphysics”, expect thesame from Fultz’s Zang Cycle.
The back cover blurb hints at the deep undercurrents: “The exiled author[Quill]… learns the magical power of art and the art of magical power.” In theopening chapter, the royal sorcerers arrest Artifice the Quill because of hisbook The End of Sorcery by sending out their Vizarchs (humanoids withsilver masks reminiscent of Fultz’s Skulls graphic novel 2010 Black Gatewebsite). Then characters in “The Liberation of Lady Veronique” storyexplain the power of the written word; first, Veronique explains: “What is thepower of a mere fiction that it can inspire such hatred among the powerful andsuch passion among the powerless”; and Arfos adds later, “The book [The Endof Sorcery]… is a tool… to free mens’ minds. To wake them from the falsedream woven about their hearts and minds.” Literally, both speak of Quill’sbanned tome, but figuratively the fourth wall is breached: by reading TheRevelation of Zang we are promised access to arcane secrets.
Well, it would be evil to disclose actual spoilers ahead of the stories,but we can gain a larger appreciation of the muses motivating the tales, andperhaps enjoy the stories even more, knowing context. As I prepared for thisForeword, I took notes with journalistic fervor, reading this collection, anddelving into my 2017 interview-with-Fultz and my review of his World BeyondWorlds. Instead of reporting those notes directly, I used that material tocraft intense questions and re-interview the author. We’ll have the embodimentof Artifice the Quill, Fultz himself, disclose over a dozen secrets:
Kent Burles' illustration for BlackGate's presentation of "Return of the Quill" depicts a performance ofArtifice the Quill's Glimmer Faire, an event that prepares the City of Narr fora mystical rebirth.
SEL: Let’s discuss the origins of theZang Cycle. The story “The Persecution of Artifice the Quill” (Weird Tales#340, 2006) opens the Zang Cycle. In our 2017 interview (link), when asked about your ‘Weird Fiction rolemodels’, we learned this story catalyzed your publishing journey. Witnessingthe Zang Cycle, and your portfolio, grow is exhilarating. Please share insightsabout this catalyst.
JRF: “The Persecution of Artifice the Quill,” which begins this book, wasmy first professional sale. Not only did the story appear in Weird Tales#340, but I’m pretty sure it got the cover illustration. A dark and menacingpiece by the great Les Edwards, which seems to capture the look of the undeadVizarchs chasing after Artifice in his debut story. So, it’s a milestone storyfor me. I had been trying for many years to sell a story to Weird Tales,so mission accomplished. They bought two more Zang stories before the mag’smanagement changed, and the next two were not published there after all.Luckily, I moved the Zang series to John O’Neil’s Black Gate, where hepublished several more stories. About half the stories in The Revelations ofZang were never published outside of its pages—they were new to the volumewhen it was first released ten years ago. That includes the climactic novella,“Spilling the Blood of the World,” which winds up thematic threads sewn intothe first ten stories. I’m forever grateful that I got to be a part of WeirdTales magazine, even if it was only a single story. It opened a gateway tothe rest of my career as a writer.
SEL: Is ‘Zang proper’ just the forest,or the whole Continent? I initially interpreted it as the latter, but I wantedto be sure.
JRF: Zang is one half of a mega-continent, and this half is largelydominated by the ancient Zang Forest (hence the name). The other half, Zin,lies beyond the north/south running mountain range known as the Spine. Theremay be one or more sleeping gods lying beneath those mountains…but no spoilers.Heh-heh. Most of the stories in The Revelations of Zang take place inthe Zang area of “The Continent”—but when Artifice travels abroad with theGlimmer Faire, they do a nice tour of the Zin regions. Only one story inRevelations takes place in Zin, and that is “The Bountiful Essence of theEmpty Hand.” RoZ focuses mainly on what’s happening in Zang, includingthe mystical advance and expansion of the Zang Forest. [However, there is onemore story set in Zin, “Where the White Lotus Grows,” and it appears in the WorldsBeyond Worlds collection.]
SEL: To follow that, is “Yael ofthe Strings” (2014, Shattered Shields; 2021, Worlds Beyond Worlds) aZang Cycle tale?
JRF: Well, it is a tale set in the World of Zang. So is “The Penitence ofthe Blade” in that same collection. Neither of these Zang tales is related to TheRevelations of Zang story-cycle, they simply share the same world oruniverse. And you could also consider “Where the White Lotus Grows” to be aZang tale, although it’s set on the other side of the Continent in Zin (as Imentioned above).
SEL: Sticking with digginginto origins, let’s hit on the bonus tale: “The Vintages of Dream” (firstpublished in Black Gate #15, 2011). This twelfth story is the only onenot explicitly in chronological order or even part of the canonical Zang Cycle;it is a fun piece that reveals how elements of Zang (i.e., carnivorous flowers,thievery of magical potions, etc.) developed. It is dedicated to BrianMcNaughton (Throne of Bones, WordFantasy Award-winning book, 1997) whom you must have corresponded with. Canyou explain your interaction with him?
JRF: I’m sure I’ve told this story before, but let me just say that Brianwas a huge fan of this story. After reading his World Fantasy Award-winningcollection The Throne of Bones, I became an instant super-fan. At somepoint I tried to get “Vintages” published but nobody wanted it. I ended upsending it to Brian, and he even called one mag’s publisher and asked them tobuy my story. It didn’t work, but I was astounded that he spoke up on mybehalf. Brian said my writing reminded him of Robert E. Howard, which was ahuge compliment for a young writer just getting started. When you’re firststarting out, you run on pure enthusiasm, and a kind word from an establishedwriter can really keep you going. Such was the case with Brian’s championing of“Vintages.” It would be many years later when the story finally saw the lightof day in Black Gate. I really wish Brian had lived a few decades longerso he could give us more stories of his wonderfully weird world Seelura. He wasa true modern master of the weird tale.
SEL: McNaughton’s Throne of Bones sequenceis ostensibly ghoul-focused but has omnipresent themes regardingbeing-an-abject-person and misunderstood-artist (perhaps offering moredepressing versions of your Quill who instead leans toward being an actionhero). As an artist yourself, creating protagonists who are also artists,please discuss how you see artists as heroes?
JRF: Great question. Artists ARE heroes. Like heroes, they have fans.Like heroes, they perform feats of wonder, courage, and bravery. My heroes havealways been Artists. (Sorry, Cowboys!) With the Zang stories, I wanted toexplore the link between Art and Sorcery. I believe that writing IS magic—Iteach writing, and I tell my students the same thing—I believe that all artforms have the capability of altering reality in significant ways that wemostly take for granted. Whether it’s a great novel sweeping you away toanother world, a film that transports you somewhere you’ve never been, orsimply a painting you could stare at all day, Art is a form of magic. It’s nocoincidence that when you write, you have to “spell” each word out. It’s nocoincidence that wizards “sing” their spells because music is a power all onits own. Writing itself may be the Original Magic, so wizards draw runes andsigils to concentrate their power. In the Zang stories, Artifice transitionsfrom an ivory-tower “scribe” to a wandering playwright whose sorcery manifestsin the transformational performances of the Glimmer Faire. I believe in thepower of Art to rewrite reality—to make it better—to transcend the mundane, theorganic, and the commonplace. To instill wonder, evoke awe, and elevate humanexistence. Stop me before I get too deep… Heh-heh. I also have to mention thatthe other “main” protagonist in Revelations is Taizo of Narr, who is notan artist but a smuggler and a thief. At least that’s how he starts…but again,no spoilers.
SEL: McNaughton intentionally avoidedmaking a map for his Seelura milieu; there was no map for the ZangCycle/Continent in its first two printings, but there was for your Books ofthe Shaper trilogy. Given your artistic skills and creativity, you arelikely to have had one. Did you have a map of the Continent? If so, do you havethoughts on sharing maps for fantasy worlds?
JRF: Nice of you to point that out! I hadn’t realized it, but I guess Idid the same thing that Brian did with Seelura: no map. I have this “mentalmap” of the World of Zang in my head, but I’ve never drawn it out on paper.With the Books of the Shaper trilogy, the publisher (Orbit) asked me ifI wanted to do a map for the novels, so I did a rough and they hired aprofessional artist to do the final version. It looked great. But I don’t thinka map is actually needed for Zang. As Brian said of Seelura, the lack of a mapkeeps the invented world more mysterious. It’s more like wandering through adark and shimmering dream without any guideposts or direction. I dig that.
"Oblivion Is the SweetestWine" introduced the Zang series secondary lead, a clever thief namedTaizo. Black Gate magazine commissioned two great interior pieces by Mark Evansto accompany the story. (left) Syyra, Taizo's erstwhile love interest. (right)The catacombs beneath the spider-worshipping city of Ghoth.
SEL: I’m curious about inspirationsfor the story “When the Glimmer Faire Came to the City of the Lonely Eye” (BlackGate.com2013, available online) that involves Quill adventuring with atroupe of powerful, weird actors led by the stage master & sorcererMordeau; they venture into a haunted city with lofty goals and the reactionfrom the crowd/world is beyond epic. Loved this story. The last time I remembera troupe in adventure fiction would be the Grillards featured in James Silke’s FrankFrazetta’s Death Dealer novels (Old Brown John being the stage master);note, the Glimmer Faire is magnitudes more powerful and exciting than theGrillards. Anyway, can you discuss your motivations/muses for creating atheatrical group of heroes?
JRF: As mentioned previously, I wanted to explore the link between Artand Sorcery. So, when Artifice learns to be a playwright (and simultaneously, asorcerer), it allowed me to explore how the magical power of Drama canliterally change the world. I’ve always been a big fan of Shakespeare, and I’dhave to say one of the influences for The Glimmer Faire was A MidsummerNight’s Dream. The parallels are obvious, what with the Woodfolk musiciansbeing part of the troupe. I wish I could remember more about what inspired theLonely Eye concept, but I think the title came first, then the plot. I can’trecall anything beyond that, except that I wanted this story to really show howthe Faire’s performance could work miracles and wonders—how their High Arttransforms an entire community. But in my ongoing quest to avoid spoilers, Iwill say no more. Except this: Right around the same time I came up with theGlimmer Faire concept (2003), I saw an excellent historical-drama film called TheReckoning that sort of confirmed and inspired my approach. It stars WillemDafoe and Paul Bettany as members of a medieval troupe of traveling actors.Fascinating movie. highly recommend it.
SEL: In your World Beyond Worlds collection,you have a story dedicated to Kung Fu actor David Carridine, “Where theWhite Lotus Grows” (Monk Punk, 2011), that harmonizes demon-killing with theambiance of TV series. In the Zang Cycle, “The Bountiful Essence of the EmptyHand” features a culture seemingly inspired by Kung Fu too. Any connectionthere? Do you have martial art muses?
JRF: Absolutely. I grew up watching Kung Fu in the 70s. Revisitedit in the 90s, and eventually collected all three seasons on DVD in the 2000s.Immensely inspiring show, and it introduced my young mind to Easternphilosophy. It’s still one of my all-time favorite TV shows. I do sometimeswonder how different it would have been if Bruce Lee (who co-created the show)had been allowed to play the main role. That went to Carradine instead, but heknocked it out of the park and became one of the biggest TV stars in the worldduring the 70s. The tragedy is that David walked away from the show afterseason three, when its popularity was white-hot, and he would never find thatkind of widespread audience again. At least not until 2004, when QuentinTarantino cast him as “Bill” in KILL BILL. But I also love old-school ShawBrothers Kung Fu films, and many other directors in the genre. The FiveDeadly Venoms has always been a favorite, and a few years back I discoveredthe seminal genius of Come Drink With Me. I could go on and on aboutmartial arts cinema, but I prefer the movies that are set deep in the past.They could very well be fantasy films set in alternate worlds, and they inspireme in that way. In “Bountiful Essence” I got to explore the Zin side of TheContinent, and I wanted to explore a culture somewhat akin to the Shaolin monksof ancient China, but not be limited to historical accuracy or concepts. So,the residents of the Invisible City in “Bountiful Essence” are visited by theGlimmer Faire in its tour of the eastern realms. Later, I wanted to explore thefate of Kantoh, one of the monks introduced in “Bountiful Essence,” so Ireturned to Zin and wrote “Where the White Lotus Grows.” It only seemed rightto dedicate the story to David Carradine, since he inspired me at such an earlyage with his portrayal of Kwai Chang Caine. I love the martial arts films ofZhang Yimou, Ang Lee, and Yang Lu. I also find the show Warrior to befantastically good and totally inspiring. It’s almost like an answer to myabove question since it’s produced by Bruce Lee’s daughter and based on hiswritings. I can confidently say it’s the best martial arts show since theoriginal Kung Fu, and it’s set in the same time period. Great stuff.
SEL: There seem to be crossovers ortie-ins, such as the Ghothian spiders (that have a dominant focus in “OblivionIs the Sweetest Wine (Black Gate #12, 2008), but also appear in World BeyondWorlds - ‘Yael of the Strings” (originally published in ShatteredShields (2014)). Less explicitly, the nine Sorcerer Kings and DivineCouncil of the Zang Cycle seems to resonate with the Seven Sorcerer Kings fromthe Books of the Shaper trilogy. Does the Zang Cycle spill over to other FultzUniverses?
JRF: No, no—very different concepts, and very different stories. Thekings in the novel Seven Kings are not all sorcerers. In fact, only acouple of them are sorcerers if I recall correctly; they are the kings ofvarious nations allied and/or divided by a coming war. That book is acompletely different universe, totally unrelated to Zang in any way—except thatI wrote both of them. In The Revelations of Zang, there are nineSorcerer Kings who rule a single city (Narr the Golden) and its surroundingempire. They are “the enemy” of our protagonists because long ago they castdown the Gods of Zang and all their temples, replacing the worship of gods withthe worship of themselves. They even refer to themselves as the Divine Council.So, a part of the journey in RoZ is the idea that you can’t really killthe gods, so what if they decide to come back? That’s the kind of thing we callan apocalypse…
SEL: Your Moroquin creatures remind meof fleshy versions of the Garthim (Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s 1982 DarkCrystal movie) which are giant clawed, exoskeletal elite guards/warriorsserving the antagonists. Did the Garthim inspire the Moroquin?
JRF: No, but I do enjoy the original Dark Crystal film. At thetime there was nothing else like it. I just wanted the Moroquin to beabsolutely disgusting brutes—the tools of blind fascism and decadent sorcery.Grotesque and demonic.
SEL: You are an accomplishedillustrator. Early in your storytelling career you wrote Primordia forArchaia Studios Press and wrote/illustrated the graphic novel Necromancy/SKULLS,available on Black Gate.com (table of contents here: link). Have you ever drawn Moroquin, Vizarchs, oranything else for the Zang Cycle? Please discuss how drawing informs yourwriting now. If you have illustrations, can we share?
JRF: Well, thanks for the kind words, but actually I’m an amateurillustrator. I don’t have the skill to do professional illustration, but I’vealways loved to draw. So, I indulge that fancy sometimes. In the case ofPrimordia, I got the great Roel Wielinga to draw it and he did an amazingjob. In the case of Skulls, that was back when I was trying to breakinto the comics industry and got tired of artists bailing out on pitches andprojects. So, I started drawing and inking myself. I learned a lot from doingthat, and I think my inking worked better than my pencils. Later, Ire-envisioned that story as a web comic and repurposed it to run at BlackGate. I don’t really draw comics anymore. I’d love to write them,however, if the opportunity arises.
SEL: Any other behind-the-scenescontext you’d like to share about the Zang Cycle?
JRF: Just that I’m so grateful that the Rogues in the HousePodcast crew have decided to publish this second edition of Revelations ofZang. It’s been out of print for several years, so it will be great to makeit available again for new readers. The Rogues also found a terrific artist,John Molinero, to paint a brand-new cover for the new edition. It rocks!
SEL: We hope that this collection canbe an entry into published Fultz works, or perhaps future ones. On socialmedia, there was a tease about two new novels called the Scalebornseries. Can you discuss future Fultz endeavors?
JRF: All I can say at this point is that the Scaleborn series islooking for a home, and I’ve got the first two books already completed. I’mhoping it will find a publisher before too much longer.
#WeirdBeauty Interviews on Black Gate
Darrel Schweitzer THE BEAUTY IN HORROR AND SADNESS: AN INTERVIEW WITH DARRELL SCHWEITZER 2018 Sebastian Jones THE BEAUTY IN LIFE AND DEATH: AN INTERVIEW WITH SEBASTIAN JONES 2018 Charles Gramlich THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE REPELLENT: AN INTERVIEW WITH CHARLES A. GRAMLICH 2019 Anna Smith Spark DISGUST AND DESIRE: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNA SMITH SPARK 2019 Carol Berg ACCESSIBLE DARK FANTASY: AN INTERVIEW WITH CAROL BERG 2019 Byron Leavitt GOD, DARKNESS, & WONDER: AN INTERVIEW WITH BYRON LEAVITT 2021 Philip Emery THE AESTHETICS OF SWORD & SORCERY: AN INTERVIEW WITH PHILIP EMERY 2021 C. Dean Andersson DEAN ANDERSSON TRIBUTE INTERVIEW AND TOUR GUIDE OF HEL: BLOODSONG AND FREEDOM! (2021 repost of 2014) Jason Ray Carney SUBLIME, CRUEL BEAUTY: AN INTERVIEW WITH JASON RAY CARNEY (2021) Stephen Leigh IMMORTAL MUSE BY STEPHEN LEIGH: REVIEW, INTERVIEW, AND PRELUDE TO A SECRET CHAPTER (2021) John C. Hocking BEAUTIFUL PLAGUES: AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN C. HOCKING (2022) Matt Stern BEAUTIFUL AND REPULSIVE BUTTERFLIES: AN INTERVIEW WITH M. STERN (2022) Joe Bonadonna MAKING WEIRD FICTION FUN: GRILLING DORGO THE DOWSER! (2022) C.S. Friedman. BEAUTY AND NIGHTMARES ON ALIENS WORLDS: INTERVIEWING C. S. FRIEDMAN (2023) John R Fultz BEAUTIFUL DARK WORLDS: AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN R. FULTZ (2023 report of 2017 interview) John R Fultz “The Magical Power of Art” – Foreword and Interview for The Revelations of Zang (2024 Interview) interviews prior 2018 (i.e., with Janet E. Morris, Richard Lee Byers, Aliya Whitely …and many more) are on S.E. Lindberg’s websiteS.E. Lindberg is a Managing Editor at Black Gate, regularlyreviewing books and interviewingauthors on the topic of “Beauty & Art inWeird-Fantasy Fiction.” He is also the lead moderator of the Goodreads Sword & Sorcery Group andan intern for Tales from the Magician’s Skull magazine. Asfor crafting stories, he has contributed six entries across Perseid Press’s Heroes in Hell and Heroika series,has an entry in Weirdbook Annual #3: Zombies He independentlypublishes novels under the banner Dyscrasia Fiction; short stories ofDyscrasia Fiction have appeared in Whetstone, Swords & Sorcery online magazine,Rogues In the House Podcast’s A Book of Blades Vol I and Vol II,DMR’s Terra Incognita, and the 9th issue of Tales From theMagician’s Skull. For several years he has played leading organizationalroles for the Gen Con Writers’ Symposium.
December 9, 2023
NEW EDGE SWORD & SORCERY MAGAZINE FIRST TWO ISSUES RELEASED
Posted originally on Black Gate Dec 6, 2023
NewEdge Sword & Sorcery Magazine, Vol. I Issues #1 and #2. Cover art byCaterina Gerbasi (Fall 2023); and Gilead (Winter 2023)
October 2022, Michael Harringtonhosted an interview with Oliver Brackenbury on Black Gate;Brackenbury is the editor and champion of New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine.That post coincided with the release of the teaser Issue #0 includingshort fiction & non-fiction (free in digital format, or priced at cost onAmazon Print-on-Demand, through theNew Edge Website). In Feb. 2023 Black Gate announcedthe magazine’s Kickstarter which succeeded andspurred the creation of the illustrated Issues 1 & 2 that are beingreleased now (Nov 2023). This post shares the official press release ofthese issues and adds the Table of Contents for both. New Edge issetting a strong foundation with these, with illustrations and heavy-hittingauthors.
NEWEDGE SWORD & SORCERY ISSUES 1&2 IMPENDING RELEASE!
New Edge Sword &Sorcery will be releasing issues#1& #2 in mid-November for directsale through their website. Until then, the new issuesare available for pre-order through Backerkit. Those whopre-order issues #1 & #2 will be paying slightly less than final retailprices, all the more reason to runover to the NESS pre-order shop now!
Issue one features an originalElric tale by Michael Moorcock! He joins twenty-three other authors across bothissues, such as Canadian horror master Gemma Files, Margaret Killjoy, S&Sveteran David C. Smith, Hugo Award-winner Cora Buhlert, Milton Davis, and more.There’s also a tale by Jesús Montalvo, an author from the burgeoning S&Sscene south of the US border, translated from its original Spanish by GonzaloBaeza.
Twenty artists are spread acrossthe two issues, including Morgan King, who directed Lucy Lawless in his 2021rotoscope-animated Sword & Sorcery film The Spine of Night.
Each issue features seven or eightoriginal stories and four works of non-fiction: one book review, one essay, onein-depth interview, and one historical literary profile of figures like CharlesSaunders or Cele Goldsmith. All stories, essays, and profiles are to be pairedwith two original B&W illustrations.
“Made with love for the classicsand an inclusive, boundary-pushing approach to storytelling”, these Sword &Sorcery tales take place in settings inspired by Asian, African, and CentralAmerican, as well as European, cultures; featuring prominent disability,neuro-divergent, and LGBTQ+ representation; all while delivering high-qualitywriting in a wide variety of styles. Sword & Sorcery can be many things andstill be Sword & Sorcery.
New Edge Sword &Sorcery #1 & #2 are available indigital, perfect bound softcover, and sewn-stitched hardcover formats which layflat for ease of reading. Interiors are printed on eighty firm, 100gsm creampaper pages sized at a spacious 8½x11 inches. The hardcovers are also enhancedwith bookmark ribbons in colors taken from the gorgeously painted cover art.
Brackenbury has plans forpublishing further issues, as well as expanding into book publishing with aline of themed anthologies & novella series. News of future crowdfundingcampaigns and more can be found via the New Edge Sword & Sorcery newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Twitter accounts.To help cut post-crowdfund turnaround in half, the NESS editorial team arealready editing stories for next year’s issues.
Exampleillustrations for New Edge Magazine Vol I, Issue #1
VOLUME I, NUMBER 1 – MMXXIII
Cover art by Caterina Gerbasi
FICTION
CARNIVORA by Kirk A.Johnson, Illustrated by Daniel Vega
COME LAY THE CRONE TO REST by Margaret Killjoy, Illustrated byGary McCluskey
SISTER CHAOS – Bryn Hammond, Illustratedby Dan Rempel
CHAK MUUCH – Jesús Montalvo, Translatedfrom Spanish by Gonzalo Baeza, Illustrated by Carlos Castilho
TEARS OF EB by SarahA. Macklin, Illustrated by Trevor Ngwenya
THE PILLARS OF SILENCE by Prashanth Srivatsa, Illustrated byHardeep Aujla and Gary McCluskey
THE FOLK OF THE FOREST – Michael Moorcock, Illustratedby Sapro
NONFICTION
WHY (NEW EDGE) SWORD & SORCERY?by Brian Murphy, Illustrated by Sara Frazetta
CELE GOLDSMITH LALLI—MIDWIFE TOTHE SECOND SWORD & SORCERY BOOM by Cora Buhlert, Illustratedby Chuah Shih Shin
FRESH BLOOD AND NEW THUNDER!BRINGING NEW READERS TO SWORD & SORCERY, WITH SOF MAGLIANO – OliverBrackenbury
REVIEW: WOMAN OF THEWOODS BY MILTON J. DAVIS – Robin Mar
VOLUME I, NUMBER 2 – MMXXIII
Cover art by Gilead
FICTION
THE DEMON OF TASHI TZANG by Dariel Quiogue, Illustrated byAldo Ojeda
FANG by Jacquie Kawaja, Illustrated byUrsa Doom (Björn Magnusson)
REVELSTOKE by GemmaFiles, Illustrated by Saprophial
A DEBT FORGOTTEN, A DEBT UNPAIDby Jeremy Pak Nelson, Illustrated by Damiano DiMarco
THE EYES OF THE DEMON by J.M. Clarke, Illustrated byMorgan King
WATER, WHICH LAUGHS AT ALL THINGSby T.K. Rex & L. Ann Kinyon, Illustrated byMagda Kulbicka
ATONEMENT FOR A RESURRECTED GODby David C. Smith, Illustrated bySimon Underwood
HOW MANY DEATHS TILL VENGEANCE?By June Orchid Parker, Illustrated byMatthew Spencer
NONFICTION
NEURODIVERGENCE IN SWORD &SORCERY by Jonathan Olfert, Illustrated by Remco Van Straten
SWORD & SOUL BROTHERS by MiltonJ. Davis, Illustrated by Chuah Shih Shin
SWORD & SILK: AN INTERVIEW WITHDARIEL QUIOGUE by Oliver Brackenbury
REVIEW: RETURN OF THESORCERESS BY SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA by Kris Vyas-Myal
Example illustrations for New Edge Magazine Vol I, Issue #2
December 4, 2023
Happy Holidays from the Lindbergs - 2023
Happy Holidays 2023 - Card by Heidi Lindberg, 2023Happy Holidays 2023
Heidi took the lead again on the annual card. She has a ton of material to choose from, including this cardinal she drew last year from a photograph she took in our backyard (photo below, along with two versions of the timelapse of her drawing in Procreate).Previous cards (since ~1997) are displayed as a montage, and posts about each one. This past year, Connor completed a second rotation of co-oping at the Army Corp of Engineers in Louisville, KY (for his Environmental Engineering degree at the University of Cincinnati). Erin surpassed a year at P&G making Power BI Dashboards! Seth juggled authoring a few short stories outside of work and managed to Chair the Gen Con Writers' Symposium. Heidi continues to create lots of art while serving as a teacher's aide at Lakota.
Best to everyone in 2024. Peace, the Lindbergs
Photography of Cardinal in Hawthorn Tree by Heidi LindbergTime-lapse Videos - 30sec version
~6min Timelapse below
November 20, 2023
Good Vibes from Demons: Re-release and Commentary
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Rogue Blades Presents Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology ISBN-13: 9798863079608 (print) ASIN: B0045Y1LMS (Kindle); Cover Artist: Johnney Perkins. Interior Graphics: M.D. JacksonDec 2012, I reviewed Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology.Dec 2023, through Black Gate, I broadcasted the re-release of Demons, which updated its electronic version (link): ROGUE BLADES ENTERTAINMENT RE-UNLEASHES DEMONS: A CLASH OF STEEL ANTHOLOGYJason M Waltz (Publisher of RBE/RBF) had dedicated the re-release to Robert Mancebo, author for several Rogue Blade Entertainment anthologies, who sadly passed away in 2023.For this "Good vibes from Reviews" tag, note the response from Robert Mancebo's daughter in the Black Gate commentary. Breathtaking. Reviews and announcements rarely are emotive. Writing and reading is often a solitary hobby, but as Rachel points out, books bring us together in ways often not told.
Here is my mini-review and re-release notice:
In 2010, Black Gate announced RogueBlades Entertainment Conjures DEMONS. This October 2023, thethird edition has been issued and with it a revamped Kindle version! Theoriginal Kindle edition lacked a functioning, linked Table of Contents, butthat’s all brought up to modern standards. It is dedicated to Robert Mancebo,author for several Rogue Blade Entertainment anthologies, who sadly passed awayin 2023.
Jason M Waltz is well known amongst adventure fictionreaders, especially the Swords & Sorcery crowd. With his Rogue Blades Entertainment Books andassociated Foundation, he’s brought us the epic Return of the Sword (BG review)and then Rage of the Behemoth, and Demons. He’sedited/published a varietyof other anthologies with themes of Weird Noir, Pirates, and Sword& Planet with Lost Empire of Sol (BG review),and splendid nonfiction like Writing Fantasy Heroes (BG review)and recently Robert E. Howard Changed My Life (BG review).He recently ran a successful Kickstarter for another anthology as spotlightedon BG: “NeitherBeg Nor Yield – A Sword & Sorcery Anthology with Attitude.” As youawait Neither Beg Nor Yield, you’ll want to revisit Demons.
Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology – Blurb
When the gates of Hell open, who stands between Man and theAbyss? From mankind’s infancy, people have huddled in the dark, drawing signsin the air, muttering quiet prayers, quivering with dread at what roams in thenight. Demons. Creatures of the Darkness. Evil spirits riding dark winds. Andmankind trembled. Yet a few stood, drew steel imbued with magic to hue spiritas well as flesh, and walked out into the night to meet the foes of mortal men.Join the struggle in these 28 masterful tales of adventure and mayhem asheroes, forged as strong as the steel they wield, defy foes from the realms ofnightmare.
Mini-Review
In Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology, RogueBlades Entertainment (RBE) delivers what it claims: a sampling of demon storiesand adventure. Your chance of finding appealing stories is decent with 28entries. Chock full of demons, champions, possession, witches, etc.. Kudos toRBE for keeping these tales alive from a 2006 publication (Carnifex Press). Thepurpose of an anthology is to provide an array of options, allow new readers toexplore the genre, allow self-described “veteran readers” to identify newauthors, and enable reading in small doses (i.e. great for traveling or parentswith small children constantly interrupting their activities). “Demons”delivers this.
For anthologies, we expect to experiment with doses of newmaterial/authors. For me, three stories that emphasized personal demons (orpersonal challenges) were outstanding. They stuck with me and are worthrereading; my favorites are in bold below in the Table ofContents listing. But you may have your own favorites! Check them out:
Demons: Table of Contents
“Foreword” by Armand Rosamilia “The Man with the Webbed Throat” by Steve Moody “Imprisoned” by Carl Walmsley “Toxic” by Steven L. Shrewsbury “Azieran: Bound by Virtue” by Christopher Heath “Bodyguard of the Dead” by C.L. Werner “Kron Darkbow” by Ty Johnston “The Vengeance of Tibor” by Ron Shiflet “The Beast of Lyoness” by Christopher Stires “Fifteen Breaths” by Phil Emery “The Pact” by Jonathan Green “Blood Ties” by Trista Robichaud “Zeerembuk” by Steve Goble “The Fearsome Hunger” by Rob Mancebo “The Furnace” by Sandro G. Franco “The First League Out from Land” by Brian Dolton “The Sacrifice” by Jason Irrgang “Son of the Rock” by Laura J. Underwood “Into Shards” by Murray J.D. Leeder “Through the Dark” by Darla J. Bowen “Joenna’s Ax” by Elaine Isaak “The Lesser: A Swords of the Daemor Tale” by Patrick Thomas “When the Darkness Grows” by Frederick Tor “Demon Heart” by Bryan Lindenberger “Azieran: Racked upon the Altar of Eeyuu” by Christopher Heath “Born Warriors” by TW Williams “Mistaken Identity” by Robert J. Santa “Box of Bones” by Jonathan Moeller “By Hellish Means” by Bill Ward
November 18, 2023
Annual Barczak Retreat - 2023
During my annual trip to the IASR surfactant consortium meeting in Norman Oklahoma, well before breakfast was served, I sought out my author/artist friend Tom Barczak (link to prior join-ups) and we snuck in a few minutes of drawing together.
This time we convened at the newly opened DIAK office, the architecture firm owned by Tom's wife Shannon Barczak. Their clients are mostly indigenous (Native American) communities. Below is a blurb from their website.
DIAK Architects is a Full-Service Native Woman Owned Architectural Firm, a leading design firm that specializes in producing a wide range of innovative architectural and interior design applications.
DIAK is an Apsaalooke word, meaning “To make.” To make something, to create something, that wasn’t there before, and to take on the honor and responsibility for its effect on everything and every life that it touches. It is a gift, and a responsibility not to be taken lightly.
November 9, 2023
Authors serving the Skull meet at Dingles Irish Pub
Had a blast meeting up with fellow Sword and Sorcery authors at the local pub. With Andy Fix and Bill Pearce ... we salute Howard Andrew Jones whom we've admired and perhaps even served as Skull Interns. All hail the Skull!
With Bill Pearce has a story in Tales from the Magciain's Skull issue #11 (link to Gen Con 2023 when we first met),
November 7, 2023
OLD MOON QUARTERLY ISSUE V REVIEW PLUS A KICKSTARTER FOR VII AND VIII
OLD MOON QUARTERLY ISSUE V REVIEW PLUS A KICKSTARTER FOR VII AND VIII
Simulcast on Black Gate magazine Nov 6th, 2023.
Old MoonQuarterly is a magazine of dark fantasy and weirdsword-and-sorcery. In the tradition of Clark Ashton Smith, Tanith Lee and KarlEdward Wagner, it contains stories of strange vistas, eldritch beings, and thebloody dispute thereof by both swordsmen and swordswomen. Old MoonQuarterly emerged in 2022 led by Editor-in-Chief Julian Barona,flanked by Assistant Editors Caitlyn Emily Wilcox and Graham ThomasWilcox. This May 2023, Black Gate reviewedIssue #3 (with an overview of #1 and #2). True to what theeditors promise, the magazine consistently delivers strong doses of weird Sword& Sorcery.
This post reviews OldMoon Quarterly Issue V; shared below is the table ofcontents with summaries of each story and excerpts (these were selected toavoid spoilers while conveying the feel of each). As with previousissues, expect stories that push the boundaries of uniqueness, blending poeticwriting with horror and adventure. If you read tropes they’ll lean toward thetwisted or bizarre.
But first a quick call out to the ongoing Kickstarterfor Issues VII & VIII; This campaign runs now through Nov31st, 2023 and, if successful, would fund two more issues paying contributorsprofessional rates!
Here is a key blurb from and about the Old Moon Quarterly crew.
Old Moon Quarterly is an award-winning print anddigital magazine of sword-and-sorcery and dark fantasy fiction, featuring over20,000 words of original fiction as well as poetry and original nonfiction.We’ve a love for the classics of the genre and a desire to push for some new,strange takes on our old favorites. And of course, the magazine is made with aparticular love and affinity for the eldritch aesthetics and weird storytellingof Berserk, Bloodborne and Dark Souls.
We’ve published five issues so far, with a sixth issue onthe way. Since our inception in June 2022, we’ve increased our pay for authorsfrom 5c a word to 8c a word, making us the only sword-and-sorcery focusedfantasy magazine that pays what the SFWA considers a “professional” rate. Wefirmly believe that dark fantasy and sword-and-sorcery authors deserve a venuewhere they can receive fair pay for stories that are often very difficult toplace in other venues. We started Old Moon Quarterly to giveauthors that venue.
With the funding from this Kickstarter, we’ll be able tomaintain that payrate for issues 7 and 8, which will release in 2024. And notonly will we be able to maintain that payrate, we’ll be able to increase theamount of fiction in each issue from 20,000 to 30,000+; we’ll be able toinclude (for the first time) interior artwork in a classic black-and-whitestyle!
OldMoon Quarterly Issue V: Stories and Poems
1) “Together Under the Wing” by Jonathan Olfert
The perspective and scale of this story are simply huge: theprotagonists are mammoths, and they pale in size versus their giantantagonist! Epic duels drive this revengetale. Walks-like-a-Rockslide seeks revenge for the death of his mother (Grass-Wisper)by the hands of the ancient Giant King.
The matriarch Grass-Whisper had lived in a grove in thehills, now stomped flat by vast human-like footprints. Her carved tusks lay incracked-off chunks; they and the blood were all that remained—that, and thehuge flint used to skin her before eating. A flint five times the size of thequartz blades bound to his tusks… (p11)
2) Champions Against the Maggot King by K.H. Vaughn
Get ready for some Warhammer/Grimdark-Tolkien fare. Thesoldier Grath narrates this tale. He details an epic battle against the MaggotKing. The titular, heroic champions lead an army of >60 thousand that ridein landships made from living stone, armed with canons, and fueled by elementalsorcery. The champions include the Dwarf Ko Mon who has a lengthymorning-star-like prosthetic, the sword-wielding elf-who-never-smiles lIhar,and their demoness leader Sergeant, the female Sorrow Mai.
A wave of wild men break against the ship. They arepathetic. Pale and soft, but secure in their sense of power, waving theirgenitals at us as they come. They howl in impotent rage as they die, mowed downby arrows and lances. The ship rolls over them and churns their corpses intodirt. No one will find their bones or mourn their deaths. Where does the MaggotKing find them? There must be thousands of them in the dim light ofsubterranean caves, thinking nothing but their eventual victory. (p49)
3) “The King’s Two Bodies” poem by Joe Koch
I enjoyed this so much, I read it three times to soak in thewords. It is beautiful, but too cryptic to understand on its initialpass. Two souls with liquid properties are contained within one body. Onemay exit the vessel via a ritual of exiting the body and filling a cup.
4) “The Origin of Boghounds” by Amelia Gorman
Samphire is a female bounty hunter searching out a snake-oilsalesman at the edges of Sichel, the stained city that radiates a New Orleansswamp vibe. She’s not the only bounty hunter seeking a payout. Several otherhunters stumble into her and boghounds as they track down their prey whileunearthing mysteries and monsters.
Samphire blows out her candle and sips into the dark cornerbetween the headboard and wall. She disappears into the dark sod and crouchesdown in a knot in the tiny crawlspace, barely fitting with her giant pack ofunguents and vinegars. [A boghound] hops silently off the straw, pads over toher and crawls under the bed, looking up at her with those affectionate goldeneyes like two stars in the dirty dark. As the dark obscured their faces,Samphire catches voices she’s butted against time and again. (p56)
5) “Well Met at the Gates of Hell” by David K. Henrickson
An amoral warrior arrives in Hell and is met at the entranceby three antagonists (two humanoids, one not) seeking to duel. Lots ofbanter makes this more of a light-hearted read.
In that moment, the newcomer skims the plate he has finallyfreed from his armor toward the giant’s eyes and throws himself in a roll.
Automatically, the giant flinches away from the spinningmetal. ‘Faithless!” he cries out, aiming a blow at the tumbling figure as itdives past.
The newcomer is already inside and below the other’s guard.His blade flashes out in a backhand swing, shearing through the giant’s thighjust above the greave. (p73)
6) “A Warning Agaynste Woldes” poem by Zachary Bos
As the title suggests, this poem has an Old Shakespearetone. It is cryptic like the previous poem. It conveys that nature, and itsforests, are a type of temple or church. Be wary of entering the forest, sinceit is full of fear, faith, and spirits.
7) “The Skull of Ghosts” by Charles Gramlich
Confession: I’m a huge Gramlich fan and frequently seek outhis Krieg stories (Iinterviewed him for Black Gate in 2019, and wediscussed his Krieg character). Here the sorcerer-warrior receives ahaunting call from “Amma”, so he seeks out his old acquaintance (of the samename) in a plagued city. An evil sorcerer is seeking bodies to possess, and asKrieg starts to put an end to the madness, he learns he’s jumped into a trap.
Krieg slipped to one side, caught the swordman’s hand andtwisted. A raw shriek burst from the man’s lips; bones ground audibly togetheras his blade turned inevitably upward to point at his face.
The assailant’s hood fell back, revealing swarthy skinmarked by plague skulls. A topknot of greasy reddish hair invited a hold. Krieggrabbed it, slammed the man’s face forward onto the sword. Once, twice, thrice.Wiping his hand on the man’s cloak, the black-eyed warrior let the body falllike a burden he’d grown tired of… (p87)
8) “The Headsman’s Melancholy” by Joseph Andre Thomas
This could easily be a Twilight Zone episodewritten by Edgar Allen Poe. Executioner Jack meets a robber multiple times onthe chopping block. Written as a series of journal entries. The ending isemotive, and a bit abstract, as Jack seeks peace by stopping his profession,leaving town, or pursuing other options. Loved this.
The man screeched laughter as he eviscerated himself, Hisblood poured down my face, into my mouth. It seeped between my teeth andbeneath my tongue.
I screamed.
His smile was no longer cocky, but overjoyed. He reachedinto his chest cavity and grabbed hold of something, pulled it out. His heart,I realized, still attached to whatever tubes and capillaries govern theviscera. He hung it out above me with one hand… (p129)
September 3, 2023
Gen Con 2023 Game Playtesting and Playing
Dante: Invasion of Hell Creative Games Studio made chronicles of Chronicles of Drunagor, a miniature-heavy dungeon crawler. Since I watched their Gamefound page for their next project (Dante: Invasion of Hell) I was able to secure a seat to play with the developer, Mauro Carvalho (also joined by friend Dirk Domaschko). Dante currently has two phases: (a) a narrative choose-your-own-adventure phase followed by (b) a tactical boss battle. Very promising.
Hodl Up!Free Market Kids game founder, Scott Lindberg plays his educational game Hodl Up: it is all about Bittcoin mechanics (the actual currency, not the investment in digital currency). The game is fun by itself, and since it is based on real mechanics it helps teach why things like 21 million, and halving events, and cold wallets matter! Turns out, Magic the Gather artist Dan Scott is into this topic, and they played a game.
Scott Lynch GameYes, another "Scott" infiltrates my post, this time it is well-known author Scott Lynch and partner Elizabeth Bear. During our Writers' Symposium social event, he led a group of us through a comical, cooperative game he made.
Conan Prototype?
Even More Conan?Heroic Signature's "consigliere" Steve Booth previewed a cool map that may be a portent of the future:
Gen Con 2023: Tales from the Magician's Skull
This post focuses on the Skull (from Tales from the Magician's Skull magazine) appearing at the Goodman-Games publishing booth, Gen Con 2023. Check out the range of issues available from Goodman-Games here (link).
Witness the chaos unfold as the Skull appears from his ziggurat via this 4min footage created by mediocre interns with uncertain futures:This is front-line reporting from the Booth-that-Goodman-Built around the Skull's Ziggurat (that was daring of Sir Goodman; tensions flare!) War-seasoned military liaison Sean CW Korsgaard from the land of Baen joined two interns to witness the chaos. See the Skull emerge from the ziggurat, play pinball, battle interns, accept the tome of Shattered Lands, and then battle Sir Goodman for control of the Booth!
See more photos at the Tales from the Magician's Skull website (link)
The Skull blesses Matthew John (who has a tale in Issue #10) and wallops me in the head)
The Skull materializes a copy of Issue #9! Therein my story 'Orphan Maker' appears.
With Bill Pearce (has a story in issue #11) & the esteemed Howard Andrew Jones
Visiting Joseph Goodman of Goodman-Games in front of the Skull's Ziggurat
Gen Con 2023 - Connections and Selfies
Partaking in the Diana Jones Award celebration at the Slippery Noodle (known for their live music) I got to make funny faces with Peter Adkison (owner of Gen Con and first owner of Wizards of the Coast)
En route to the Heroic Signature social, Matthew John and I crossed paths with Joe Manganiello (Matthew John is >6' tall)
At the Heroic Signature's social event with Matthew John (Monolith Games), Fredrick Malmberg (publisher, producer, and CEO of Cabinet Entertainment, which holds the rights to Robert E. Howard), Howard Andrew Jones (author; editor of Tales from the Magician's Skull)
Met Erik Mona, publisher and chief creative officer of Paizo Inc., and discussed gamifying events at Gen Con
Jeszika Le Vye - Got her to sign C. S. Friedman's new Nightborn: Coldfire book (which she did the cover art for!) Review of Nightborn, Coldfire Rising by C.S. Friedman on Black GateInterview of C.S. Friedman "Beauty and Nightmares on Alien Worlds" by SEL
Met Bill Pearce (contributor to Tales from the Magician's Skull #11) with HAJ
Byron Leavitt, Diemension Games writer whom I've interviewed and contributed two scenario stories in their latest Kickstarter and expansion for Deep Madness.
Fellow Black Gate contributor, Brandon Crilly
Got to know Dedren Snead while on a few panels. Awesome Sword & Soul champion, and founder of Subsume Studios! See Panels: Sword & Sorcery & Handling New Releases.
Howard Andrew Jones & Sean CW Korsgaard; blessed with the first-ever book signing of HAJ's new Lord of a Shattered Land book.
My Aikido sensei and longtime friend (who got me hooked on Gen Con) , Dirk Domaschko, and my game-designing brother, Scott Lindberg, blended well with the Sword & Sorcery group
Visiting Joseph Goodman of Goodman-Games in front of the Skull's Ziggurat
Playtesting Matthew John's prototype with Scott Lynch, Howard Andrew Jones, Sean CW Korsgaard, Elizabeth Bear, and the mad Canadian.
Quackalope! Stumbled across the game review couple in the JW Marriot
