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The Mighty Warriors
Come back to those mist-shrouded days of yesteryear when the land shook under the tread of barbarians, wizards and monsters! Join such legends as Lin Carter's legendary Thongor in a new tale of mighty deeds and fearless swords. Thrill to new characters who take up the bloody axe of war and adventure like Charles R. Rutledge's ageless Kharrn and Adrian Cole's Elak of Atlantis while discovering new characters destined to carve their names in bloody history. None can stand before them for they are THE MIGHTY WARRIORS!
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2018
23 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Robert M. Price
416 books240 followersRobert McNair Price is an American theologian and writer. He teaches philosophy and religion at the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, is professor of biblical criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute, and the author of a number of books on theology and the historicity of Jesus, asserting the Christ myth theory.
A former Baptist minister, he was the editor of the Journal of Higher Criticism from 1994 until it ceased publication in 2003. He has also written extensively about the Cthulhu Mythos, a "shared universe" created by H.P. Lovecraft.
A former Baptist minister, he was the editor of the Journal of Higher Criticism from 1994 until it ceased publication in 2003. He has also written extensively about the Cthulhu Mythos, a "shared universe" created by H.P. Lovecraft.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 10, 2018
The Mighty Warriors, Edited by Robert M. Price, Ulthar Press, 2018, 239 pages.
If you’re like this nearing 60-year-old, you may remember such great anthologies from the 1960s and 1970s as The Mighty Barbarians, The Might Swordsmen, Warlocks and Warriors, Savage Heroes, The Spell of Seven, Warlocks and Warriors, Swords & Sorcery, Swordsmen and Supermen, The Fantastic Swordsmen, The Barbarian Swordsmen, The Dark of the Soul, and the Flashing Swords and Swords Against Darkness series. These books were edited by such folks as L. Sprague De Camp, Lin Carter, Andrew Offutt, and Hans Stefan Santesson. They collected imaginative tales of sword and sorcery and heroic fantasy. Most included a story by Robert E. Howard, the father of the genre. I collected and devoured them all.
In 2018, along comes Robert M. Price, a well remembered name in his own right, to try and capture that fateful lightning in a bottle (or prose) again. I’m not sure exactly how the collection came about, but several authors well known in the S & S genre were persuaded to take part, including Adrian Cole, David C. Smith, and Charles R. Saunders, as well as quite a few relative newcomers. The collection contains eleven stories. Here is the TOC, followed by my thoughts:
"Know, O Prince: An Introduction" by Robert M. Price
"Spawn of the Sea God" by Adrian Cole
"The Corpse's Crusade" by Cody Goodfellow
"Thongor in the Valley of Demons" By Robert M. Price
"The Shadow of Dia-Sust" by David C. Smith
"Amudu's Bargain" by Charles R. Saunders
"The Secret of Nephren-Ka" by Robert M. Price
"The Temple of Light" by Milton J. Davis
"Kiss of the Succubus" by Charles R. Rutledge
"The Living Wind" by Ken Asamtsu, translated by Edward Lipsett
"The Last Temple of Balsoth" by Cliff Biggers
"Lono and the Pit of Punhaki" by Paul R. McNamee
Appendices I-III
While interesting, the introduction by Price could easily have been expanded. I would have liked to have seen a little more historical context myself, but I understand that many readers just want the stories and don’t much care about the history. I’m not sure that’s the case for most of the readers who will buy this collection, but I understand the impulse to keep the intro brief.
I recall Adrian Cole first from a wonderful trilogy of novels set in his own universe (Dream Lords), but here we have him telling a story about Elak of Atlantis--"Spawn of the Sea God". Elak was invented by Henry Kuttner. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Elak stories, since the character didn’t quite have the vitality that I associated with Robert E. Howard’s barbarians, but Cole does an excellent job of capturing the character and telling a fine, fun tale.
I don’t know anything about Cody Goodfellow. His "The Corpse's Crusade" is a tale of Zothique, which was invented by Clark Ashton Smith. Zothique is a continent of a future, dying earth. Again, I thought the author did a good job of capturing the sense of Smith’s Zothique. I liked this tale quite a bit with its twist of irony plot.
Next is Robert Price with a tale of "Thongor in the Valley of Demons.” Thongor is the creation of Lin Carter and was essentially a kind of mix between Conan and John Carter. He lived on the continent of Lemuria. Price has a whole collection of Thongor tales out called The Sword of Thongor. This is a new tale, though, not included in that collection. I have a soft spot for the Thongor tales and this is a worthy continuation of the character.
"The Shadow of Dia-Sust" by David C. Smith is a tale of Oron. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Smith wrote numerous stories and a couple of books about Oron. I much enjoyed them and was very happy to see a new tale of the character. Smith was also one of the best of the Robert E. Howard pastiche writers of the 70s and 80s so he knows how to write a tale of high adventure.
Charles Saunders is best known for his tales of Imaro, a warrior hero of Nyumbani, a kind of alternate Africa. There were three novels originally of this character and I read and enjoyed them all. It was good to see a fresh Imaro story, "Amudu's Bargain." I believe this one has a slight edge as my favorite of the collection.
"The Secret of Nephren-Ka" by Robert M. Price is next. This is a story of Simon of Gitta, originally a creation of Richard Tierney, although based on the Biblical character of Simon Magus. These stories tend to involve more sorcery and less sword than I typically like, but Tierney was a very fine writer and, again, Price captures the character well.
Milton J. Davis is next, with "The Temple of Light,” a tale of his hero Changa. Changa is an interesting character, a literary descendent of Imaro, I should think. Very good writing and setting. Davis has other stories of Changa out as well.
"Kiss of the Succubus,” by Charles R. Rutledge, features his hero Kharnn. This one is set in the 1500s. Kharnn is a time traveling barbarian. This is a straightforward blood and thunder tale of a battle against a demon. Fun stuff.
I’ve read a little bit of Ken Asamtsu’s work before. He is a Japanese author. I haven’t read his work in the original language but the translations have been exciting and enjoyable. "The Living Wind" is no exception. Lots of sorcery in this one too.
Cliff Biggers was also a new name to me. "The Last Temple of Balsoth" featured a character named “Gondar.” Gondar is out for revenge, a not unusual motivation in sword and sorcery, but this was a really fun tale that could easily have been set in REH’s Hyborian age.
Finally there’s “Lono and the Pit of Punhaki" by Paul R. McNamee. I’ve been in an anthology with Paul and know him as a very fine writer. This was a great tale to end the collection, and with a unique setting among Pacific islanders.
All in all, an enjoyable collection of robust red-blooded tales of adventure.
If you’re like this nearing 60-year-old, you may remember such great anthologies from the 1960s and 1970s as The Mighty Barbarians, The Might Swordsmen, Warlocks and Warriors, Savage Heroes, The Spell of Seven, Warlocks and Warriors, Swords & Sorcery, Swordsmen and Supermen, The Fantastic Swordsmen, The Barbarian Swordsmen, The Dark of the Soul, and the Flashing Swords and Swords Against Darkness series. These books were edited by such folks as L. Sprague De Camp, Lin Carter, Andrew Offutt, and Hans Stefan Santesson. They collected imaginative tales of sword and sorcery and heroic fantasy. Most included a story by Robert E. Howard, the father of the genre. I collected and devoured them all.
In 2018, along comes Robert M. Price, a well remembered name in his own right, to try and capture that fateful lightning in a bottle (or prose) again. I’m not sure exactly how the collection came about, but several authors well known in the S & S genre were persuaded to take part, including Adrian Cole, David C. Smith, and Charles R. Saunders, as well as quite a few relative newcomers. The collection contains eleven stories. Here is the TOC, followed by my thoughts:
"Know, O Prince: An Introduction" by Robert M. Price
"Spawn of the Sea God" by Adrian Cole
"The Corpse's Crusade" by Cody Goodfellow
"Thongor in the Valley of Demons" By Robert M. Price
"The Shadow of Dia-Sust" by David C. Smith
"Amudu's Bargain" by Charles R. Saunders
"The Secret of Nephren-Ka" by Robert M. Price
"The Temple of Light" by Milton J. Davis
"Kiss of the Succubus" by Charles R. Rutledge
"The Living Wind" by Ken Asamtsu, translated by Edward Lipsett
"The Last Temple of Balsoth" by Cliff Biggers
"Lono and the Pit of Punhaki" by Paul R. McNamee
Appendices I-III
While interesting, the introduction by Price could easily have been expanded. I would have liked to have seen a little more historical context myself, but I understand that many readers just want the stories and don’t much care about the history. I’m not sure that’s the case for most of the readers who will buy this collection, but I understand the impulse to keep the intro brief.
I recall Adrian Cole first from a wonderful trilogy of novels set in his own universe (Dream Lords), but here we have him telling a story about Elak of Atlantis--"Spawn of the Sea God". Elak was invented by Henry Kuttner. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Elak stories, since the character didn’t quite have the vitality that I associated with Robert E. Howard’s barbarians, but Cole does an excellent job of capturing the character and telling a fine, fun tale.
I don’t know anything about Cody Goodfellow. His "The Corpse's Crusade" is a tale of Zothique, which was invented by Clark Ashton Smith. Zothique is a continent of a future, dying earth. Again, I thought the author did a good job of capturing the sense of Smith’s Zothique. I liked this tale quite a bit with its twist of irony plot.
Next is Robert Price with a tale of "Thongor in the Valley of Demons.” Thongor is the creation of Lin Carter and was essentially a kind of mix between Conan and John Carter. He lived on the continent of Lemuria. Price has a whole collection of Thongor tales out called The Sword of Thongor. This is a new tale, though, not included in that collection. I have a soft spot for the Thongor tales and this is a worthy continuation of the character.
"The Shadow of Dia-Sust" by David C. Smith is a tale of Oron. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Smith wrote numerous stories and a couple of books about Oron. I much enjoyed them and was very happy to see a new tale of the character. Smith was also one of the best of the Robert E. Howard pastiche writers of the 70s and 80s so he knows how to write a tale of high adventure.
Charles Saunders is best known for his tales of Imaro, a warrior hero of Nyumbani, a kind of alternate Africa. There were three novels originally of this character and I read and enjoyed them all. It was good to see a fresh Imaro story, "Amudu's Bargain." I believe this one has a slight edge as my favorite of the collection.
"The Secret of Nephren-Ka" by Robert M. Price is next. This is a story of Simon of Gitta, originally a creation of Richard Tierney, although based on the Biblical character of Simon Magus. These stories tend to involve more sorcery and less sword than I typically like, but Tierney was a very fine writer and, again, Price captures the character well.
Milton J. Davis is next, with "The Temple of Light,” a tale of his hero Changa. Changa is an interesting character, a literary descendent of Imaro, I should think. Very good writing and setting. Davis has other stories of Changa out as well.
"Kiss of the Succubus,” by Charles R. Rutledge, features his hero Kharnn. This one is set in the 1500s. Kharnn is a time traveling barbarian. This is a straightforward blood and thunder tale of a battle against a demon. Fun stuff.
I’ve read a little bit of Ken Asamtsu’s work before. He is a Japanese author. I haven’t read his work in the original language but the translations have been exciting and enjoyable. "The Living Wind" is no exception. Lots of sorcery in this one too.
Cliff Biggers was also a new name to me. "The Last Temple of Balsoth" featured a character named “Gondar.” Gondar is out for revenge, a not unusual motivation in sword and sorcery, but this was a really fun tale that could easily have been set in REH’s Hyborian age.
Finally there’s “Lono and the Pit of Punhaki" by Paul R. McNamee. I’ve been in an anthology with Paul and know him as a very fine writer. This was a great tale to end the collection, and with a unique setting among Pacific islanders.
All in all, an enjoyable collection of robust red-blooded tales of adventure.
July 30, 2020
A generally solid collection of new sword & sorcery very much in the mold of the 70s revival, including new stories about classic characters (Adrian Cole writing a story of Henry Kuttner's Elak of Atlantis, e.g., and a new Imaro story by Charles R. Saunders, possibly the highlight of the collection).
As always with these anthologies, there were some that I liked more than others, but that's chiefly down to personal taste, and this introduced me to several new-to-me authors who may be finding their way to my nigh-infinite TBR pile when all is said and done.
As always with these anthologies, there were some that I liked more than others, but that's chiefly down to personal taste, and this introduced me to several new-to-me authors who may be finding their way to my nigh-infinite TBR pile when all is said and done.
March 11, 2019
Recalls the old Flashing Swords! collections: a number of established series by established writers, with a few other stuff added. In the conventional sword and sorcery style, for the most part, and nothing really surprising. I'm finding myself drawn to more unusual settings and perspectives.
"The Corpse's Crusade" is a tale of Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique that doesn't have CAS's language, but doubles down on outré ideas, leaving it lunatic and awesome.
"The Shadow of Dia-Sust" gave the opportunity to sample an Oron story, which is new for me. It is bloody and vicious.
"The Living Wind" had its own introduction, which was an odd thing to do in a collection. But the difference in perspective and imagery (and setting!) enriched the selection.
"Amudu's Bargain" was probably the best of the collection, being a new view of Imaro as he tries to distance himself from the violence surrounding his life and vocation, and finding trouble despite that.
"Lono and the Pit of Punhaki" goes for a Polynesian setting and story, and for that alone deserves a mention. It also deserves a mention because it's really good.
"The Corpse's Crusade" is a tale of Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique that doesn't have CAS's language, but doubles down on outré ideas, leaving it lunatic and awesome.
"The Shadow of Dia-Sust" gave the opportunity to sample an Oron story, which is new for me. It is bloody and vicious.
"The Living Wind" had its own introduction, which was an odd thing to do in a collection. But the difference in perspective and imagery (and setting!) enriched the selection.
"Amudu's Bargain" was probably the best of the collection, being a new view of Imaro as he tries to distance himself from the violence surrounding his life and vocation, and finding trouble despite that.
"Lono and the Pit of Punhaki" goes for a Polynesian setting and story, and for that alone deserves a mention. It also deserves a mention because it's really good.
July 22, 2018
A rollicking good time with characters old and new. Several stories are pastiches of characters such as Elak and Thongor; others are new? I wasn't aware of them before now. A couple of my favorite were the Oron story by David C. Smith and the Imaro story by Charles R. Saunders. A nice throwback to anthologies of the past and not to be missed.
Recommended!
Recommended!
July 13, 2020
I love S&S anthologies. My weak sauce 3 star rating isn’t a reflection of the stories. They ranged from good to great. My three favorites were the Imaro story, followed by the Changa tale with the Oron story nearly tied for second. There wasn’t a stinker in the batch.
However, the introduction should have been of greater substance. Those of us that read these, do so for a love of the genre that includes a history of the genre. I wanted more insight.
The appendix. Why do only two of the authors get an appendix? I wanted one for each so I can hunt down other works by the included authors.
However, the introduction should have been of greater substance. Those of us that read these, do so for a love of the genre that includes a history of the genre. I wanted more insight.
The appendix. Why do only two of the authors get an appendix? I wanted one for each so I can hunt down other works by the included authors.
February 25, 2022
This solid Sword & Sorcery anthology contains a fine mixture of old and new stories.
Following Robert M. Prices's "Know, O Prince: An Introduction" we have eleven action-packed pieces. There are three Appendices as well, providing us with some information regarding some warriors mentioned in the stories.
My favourites were~
1. Adrian Cole's "Spawn of the Sea God";
2. David C. Smiths's "The Shadow of Dia-Sust";
3. Charles R. Saunders's "Amudu's Bargain";
4. Milton J. Davis's "The Temple of Light";
5. Ken Asamtsu's "The Living Wind" (best story in this set, according to me);
6. Cliff Biggers's "The Last Temple of Balsoth";
7. Paul R. McNamee's "Lono and the Pit of Punhaki".
The other four stories were also eminently readable.
If you like fantasy in old style but with modern sensibilities, then this would be an excellent choice. Highly recommended.
Following Robert M. Prices's "Know, O Prince: An Introduction" we have eleven action-packed pieces. There are three Appendices as well, providing us with some information regarding some warriors mentioned in the stories.
My favourites were~
1. Adrian Cole's "Spawn of the Sea God";
2. David C. Smiths's "The Shadow of Dia-Sust";
3. Charles R. Saunders's "Amudu's Bargain";
4. Milton J. Davis's "The Temple of Light";
5. Ken Asamtsu's "The Living Wind" (best story in this set, according to me);
6. Cliff Biggers's "The Last Temple of Balsoth";
7. Paul R. McNamee's "Lono and the Pit of Punhaki".
The other four stories were also eminently readable.
If you like fantasy in old style but with modern sensibilities, then this would be an excellent choice. Highly recommended.
May 26, 2018
A nice mix of stories, not all being traditional sword and sorcery tales. My favorites being David C. Smith's Oron story and Charles R. Rutledge's Kiss of the Succubus. The only negative, the book was a little pricey.
June 1, 2019
Different flavors of the heroic warrior!
We're all familiar with lone warriors such as Hercules, Conan, Beowulf, and the like. Even though they don't feature in this anthology, the spirit of the heroic ideal does. In these tales, it shows how the lone heroic warrior as represented through the lenses of different cultures. There is a common thread throughout, whether the culture being represented is European, Asian, African, Pacific Islands, or any other. I personally enjoyed all the heroic "sword and sorcery" tales featured here. This is diversity done right and without the unpleasant, cringe-inducing , misguided crap usually associated with the term. Nothing feels forced or politically motivated, which is how I enjoy my fantasy tales. Kudos to the editors and the writers for these impressive selections and this is definitely one I'd love to add to my reading collection.
We're all familiar with lone warriors such as Hercules, Conan, Beowulf, and the like. Even though they don't feature in this anthology, the spirit of the heroic ideal does. In these tales, it shows how the lone heroic warrior as represented through the lenses of different cultures. There is a common thread throughout, whether the culture being represented is European, Asian, African, Pacific Islands, or any other. I personally enjoyed all the heroic "sword and sorcery" tales featured here. This is diversity done right and without the unpleasant, cringe-inducing , misguided crap usually associated with the term. Nothing feels forced or politically motivated, which is how I enjoy my fantasy tales. Kudos to the editors and the writers for these impressive selections and this is definitely one I'd love to add to my reading collection.
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February 14, 2021Tres astros, sin vacilación.
Cursar estas páginas es enfrentarse a una horda de aciertos y descalabros. Algunas inclusiones resultan excelentes (como “The Shadow of Dia-Sust” y “The Temple of Light”); otras adoptan la forma de lisonjas entre camaradas de cofradía (“The Secret of Nephren-Ka”, “Thongor in the Valley of Demons”…), aunque el editor ofrece una vindicación al respecto en su prefacio. Hay más, por supuesto: peripecias consumadas a tientas, o con demasiada prisa, pero no exentas de imaginación (y que van de los futuros horizontes de Zothique a Nyumbani, pasando por el Japón medieval, la Inglaterra isabelina y los Mares del Sur).
Seguiré de cerca la obra de David C. Smith, Milton J. Davies y Richard L. Tierney. Pero, ¡por Crom!, se requiere de mucho tiempo libre, y alforjas bien provistas, para agotar el venero del “Sword & Sorcery” en una sola vida.
Cursar estas páginas es enfrentarse a una horda de aciertos y descalabros. Algunas inclusiones resultan excelentes (como “The Shadow of Dia-Sust” y “The Temple of Light”); otras adoptan la forma de lisonjas entre camaradas de cofradía (“The Secret of Nephren-Ka”, “Thongor in the Valley of Demons”…), aunque el editor ofrece una vindicación al respecto en su prefacio. Hay más, por supuesto: peripecias consumadas a tientas, o con demasiada prisa, pero no exentas de imaginación (y que van de los futuros horizontes de Zothique a Nyumbani, pasando por el Japón medieval, la Inglaterra isabelina y los Mares del Sur).
Seguiré de cerca la obra de David C. Smith, Milton J. Davies y Richard L. Tierney. Pero, ¡por Crom!, se requiere de mucho tiempo libre, y alforjas bien provistas, para agotar el venero del “Sword & Sorcery” en una sola vida.
August 25, 2023
More filler than killer. Price's contributions to his own anthology are embarrassingly bad. The entries by Cody Goodfellow, David C. Smith, Charles R. Saunders and Paul R. McNamee, on the other hand, are quite good. Ken Asamatsu's entry is interesting but hampered by what appears to be a dodgy translation. The rest is pretty forgettable.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews