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Broadswords and Blasters Issue 6: Pulp Magazine with Modern Sensibilities
In this action-packed issue you'll hero Bogerd and his troupe of warriors as they climb the mountain known as the Ogre. The Mechanical Marauder who holds up stage-coaches when he could clearly do so much more.DeShawn and his son Keeden as they dodge and weave around giant robot protectors trying to keep them safe from enormous city-destroying kaiju.Garrol and Jim, grim outsiders in desolation, who are forced to make tough choices.The crew of the Dalton Delivery 5, hibernating royalty, gigantic tardigrades, and crustacean space people who remind the pilot of spiders.Yourself as a spy, but all is not as it seems.Sylas, a young man with the power to reweave memories and ease pain, who sells his abilities to the wrong customers.A desperate brother whose experience with an experimental pharmaceutical breaks his grip on what is real.
108 pages, Paperback
Published July 13, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 28, 2019
Read the original review here.
It has been too long since I read another Broadswords & Blasters issue, so here is #6!
There’s something for everyone, from cowboys on mechanical horses to kaiju to experimental noir. Really have to hand it to editors Matthew & Cameron, they do a fantastic job!
Enjoy!
The Orge’s Secret by Robert Walton
Bogerd and his trusty right-hand man, Karl will brave Mount Ogre in search of something divinely treasured. Little do either of them realize that the gods themselves are invested in their quest.
This is a fun tale, in the tradition of Conan the Barbarian and other sword and sorcery stories. Bogerd is a somewhat masterful warrior entrusted with a vision and eventual mission, yet consistently aided by his brother-in-arms, Karl.
This story had some subversion going on, namely how incompetent Bogerd could be at times, although by the end the world opens up and it seems there’s a much larger drama afoot. Walton does a wonderful job injecting some humor alongside the gruff warriors. Will need to keep an eye out for the next installment.
Marshal Marshall Meets The Mechanical Marauder by Rie Sheridan Rose
Coraline has had it with her lot as a working girl and may have found her ticket out via her new daytime gig. Japheth Marshall is the new sheriff in town and a certain marauder astride a mechanical horse has his attention.
Another tongue in cheek story, where working girl Coraline is willing to do just about anything to change her current living situation. This was a fun weird western with steampunk elements that anyone who is a fan of the Old West can easily jump in on. Rose’s prose is light and with a few dashes of humor, which isn’t just restricted to wordplay.
Collateral Damage by Adam S. Furman
DeShawn only has one wish, to keep his son, Keeden safe. The only problem is that their city is under constant attack by kaiju and the giant manned robot protectors do little to actually keep them safe.
Reversing the old trope of giant robots and monsters tearing apart a city, we have a jarring narrative told with as much frenetic energy as Cloverfield. The intimate connection of father and son is front and center throughout this thrilling story. You can’t put this one down and Furman does everything he can to ensure it’s not a simple paint by numbers short of search and rescue. DeShawn is also given enough of his own flavor even in crisis to really blunt the utter terror he feels as buildings and rubble falls all around him. Don’t miss this one!
A Scent of Blood and Salt by Marcus Hansson
Garrol and Jim, an unlikely pair, are struggling to keep themselves alive in the wastes. What they choose to do next to survive will define them.
This story is honestly one of the best I have ever read in Broadswords and Blasters and Hansson does not let up in this. The story itself is quiet, but blends two classic works of literary bleakness, No Country for Old Men and The Road, which both belong to Cormac McCarthy.
It is a seemingly meandering story, following a broken man, who can see the end coming, but ends up missing what and who is already there. The stark emptiness makes this story hit all the harder, along with Hansson’s sparse, yet descriptive prose.
Royal Stowaway by Catherine J. Cole
Dalton Delivery 5 are about to get a little more than they bargained for when they go to retrieve a prince-ling amid tenuous alien relations.
With the feel of Flash Gordon and the craziness of Hitchhiker’s Guide, Cole has nailed pulpy science fiction in “Royal Stowaway.” A rather straightforward retrieval becomes more and more twisty when communication breaks down, as it always does. Lots to love here for sci fi lovers, from ugly aliens, to lasers, to warrior women, there’s something quick and fast about this story that really satisfies the reader’s palette.
Her Coffin is Colder than the Mink Glove by J.D. Graves
Are you the spy? Or is it the character? Are you retired? Or are you just on vacation? Yet, the mission still finds you and trouble follows.
Graves throws a curve-ball with this story, as do the editors of B&B. Not only is this a more experimental story, but it is told entirely in second person. Luckily, this is done for full effect and as a reader, I love second person, especially when it’s done this way. The immersion quality of this is taken to level 11 and we’re off on a tale of intrigue and possible murder. One must applaud Graves and the editors for taking such a risk.
Pigsty by Jared Mason
Sylas, a dream weaver, finds himself in a situation that he might not be able to smooth-talk himself out of.
This story was extremely personal and searingly intimate, which doesn’t happen in pulp often enough. Mason strikes directly at the heart when he places Sylas, our hero, in direct conflict with the hearts of those he’s attempting to help, even if under duress. There’s plenty of action and the antagonist is definitely one to hate for a little while, but while things seemingly get resolved with relative ease, there’s still a very haunting notion of the consequences that are left behind.
Tomorrow’s Eyes by David VonAllmen
After being part of an experimental drug trial, a desperate brother attempts to secure his future, while attempting to protect everything he loves most.
This was an almost entirely chemically induced wild ride of a story. Following a narrator who seems to be losing his grip on reality by the sentence, he is desperate to protect his younger brother from an impending doom. Yet, we are not sure there is a doom at all, based on his drug addled brain. This story contains plenty of tragedy, but overall a strong core, which VonAllmen uses to it’s fullest advantage and closes this issue on a strong note.
It has been too long since I read another Broadswords & Blasters issue, so here is #6!
There’s something for everyone, from cowboys on mechanical horses to kaiju to experimental noir. Really have to hand it to editors Matthew & Cameron, they do a fantastic job!
Enjoy!
The Orge’s Secret by Robert Walton
Bogerd and his trusty right-hand man, Karl will brave Mount Ogre in search of something divinely treasured. Little do either of them realize that the gods themselves are invested in their quest.
This is a fun tale, in the tradition of Conan the Barbarian and other sword and sorcery stories. Bogerd is a somewhat masterful warrior entrusted with a vision and eventual mission, yet consistently aided by his brother-in-arms, Karl.
This story had some subversion going on, namely how incompetent Bogerd could be at times, although by the end the world opens up and it seems there’s a much larger drama afoot. Walton does a wonderful job injecting some humor alongside the gruff warriors. Will need to keep an eye out for the next installment.
Marshal Marshall Meets The Mechanical Marauder by Rie Sheridan Rose
Coraline has had it with her lot as a working girl and may have found her ticket out via her new daytime gig. Japheth Marshall is the new sheriff in town and a certain marauder astride a mechanical horse has his attention.
Another tongue in cheek story, where working girl Coraline is willing to do just about anything to change her current living situation. This was a fun weird western with steampunk elements that anyone who is a fan of the Old West can easily jump in on. Rose’s prose is light and with a few dashes of humor, which isn’t just restricted to wordplay.
Collateral Damage by Adam S. Furman
DeShawn only has one wish, to keep his son, Keeden safe. The only problem is that their city is under constant attack by kaiju and the giant manned robot protectors do little to actually keep them safe.
Reversing the old trope of giant robots and monsters tearing apart a city, we have a jarring narrative told with as much frenetic energy as Cloverfield. The intimate connection of father and son is front and center throughout this thrilling story. You can’t put this one down and Furman does everything he can to ensure it’s not a simple paint by numbers short of search and rescue. DeShawn is also given enough of his own flavor even in crisis to really blunt the utter terror he feels as buildings and rubble falls all around him. Don’t miss this one!
A Scent of Blood and Salt by Marcus Hansson
Garrol and Jim, an unlikely pair, are struggling to keep themselves alive in the wastes. What they choose to do next to survive will define them.
This story is honestly one of the best I have ever read in Broadswords and Blasters and Hansson does not let up in this. The story itself is quiet, but blends two classic works of literary bleakness, No Country for Old Men and The Road, which both belong to Cormac McCarthy.
It is a seemingly meandering story, following a broken man, who can see the end coming, but ends up missing what and who is already there. The stark emptiness makes this story hit all the harder, along with Hansson’s sparse, yet descriptive prose.
Royal Stowaway by Catherine J. Cole
Dalton Delivery 5 are about to get a little more than they bargained for when they go to retrieve a prince-ling amid tenuous alien relations.
With the feel of Flash Gordon and the craziness of Hitchhiker’s Guide, Cole has nailed pulpy science fiction in “Royal Stowaway.” A rather straightforward retrieval becomes more and more twisty when communication breaks down, as it always does. Lots to love here for sci fi lovers, from ugly aliens, to lasers, to warrior women, there’s something quick and fast about this story that really satisfies the reader’s palette.
Her Coffin is Colder than the Mink Glove by J.D. Graves
Are you the spy? Or is it the character? Are you retired? Or are you just on vacation? Yet, the mission still finds you and trouble follows.
Graves throws a curve-ball with this story, as do the editors of B&B. Not only is this a more experimental story, but it is told entirely in second person. Luckily, this is done for full effect and as a reader, I love second person, especially when it’s done this way. The immersion quality of this is taken to level 11 and we’re off on a tale of intrigue and possible murder. One must applaud Graves and the editors for taking such a risk.
Pigsty by Jared Mason
Sylas, a dream weaver, finds himself in a situation that he might not be able to smooth-talk himself out of.
This story was extremely personal and searingly intimate, which doesn’t happen in pulp often enough. Mason strikes directly at the heart when he places Sylas, our hero, in direct conflict with the hearts of those he’s attempting to help, even if under duress. There’s plenty of action and the antagonist is definitely one to hate for a little while, but while things seemingly get resolved with relative ease, there’s still a very haunting notion of the consequences that are left behind.
Tomorrow’s Eyes by David VonAllmen
After being part of an experimental drug trial, a desperate brother attempts to secure his future, while attempting to protect everything he loves most.
This was an almost entirely chemically induced wild ride of a story. Following a narrator who seems to be losing his grip on reality by the sentence, he is desperate to protect his younger brother from an impending doom. Yet, we are not sure there is a doom at all, based on his drug addled brain. This story contains plenty of tragedy, but overall a strong core, which VonAllmen uses to it’s fullest advantage and closes this issue on a strong note.
July 24, 2018
Excellent short story magazine. The eight stories within hit that sweet spot of scientific or fantasy speculation, good characterization, and readability. Only one of the stories felt flat to me, but I've read enough to know that was more a matter of personal taste than any fault with the story itself, and seven of eight stories is still an excellent ratio. I plan on reading this every time it publishes, and I recommend other fans of the classic fantasy/ science fiction magazines (F&SF, Analog, Asimov's) check it out as well.
May 5, 2020
This fast-paced collection of 'pulp fiction with modern sensibilities' didn’t take much time to be read from cover to cover. My feelings about the stories are as under:
1. Robert Walton's 'The Ogre's Secret': Best story in this colection. This one simply crackles with humour and action. I would love to read more works penned by the author.
2. Rie Sheridan Rose's 'Marshal Marshall Meets the Mechanical Marauder': Meh!
3. Adam S. Furman's 'Collateral Damage': Too much of human interest in an otherwise interesting setting.
4. Marcus Hansson's 'A Scent of Blood and Salt': Drab.
5. Catherine J. Cole's 'Royal Stowaway': Witty and charming.
6. J.D. Graves' 'Her Coffin's Colder than the Mink Glove': Pretentious wordplay.
7. Jared Mason's 'Pigsty': Brutal! I must find out more of such sparse and evocative stuff.
8. David VonAllmen's 'Tomorrow's Eyes': Tame write-up.
Overall, not an essential or unmissable book. But if you can get it, you might enjoy it.
1. Robert Walton's 'The Ogre's Secret': Best story in this colection. This one simply crackles with humour and action. I would love to read more works penned by the author.
2. Rie Sheridan Rose's 'Marshal Marshall Meets the Mechanical Marauder': Meh!
3. Adam S. Furman's 'Collateral Damage': Too much of human interest in an otherwise interesting setting.
4. Marcus Hansson's 'A Scent of Blood and Salt': Drab.
5. Catherine J. Cole's 'Royal Stowaway': Witty and charming.
6. J.D. Graves' 'Her Coffin's Colder than the Mink Glove': Pretentious wordplay.
7. Jared Mason's 'Pigsty': Brutal! I must find out more of such sparse and evocative stuff.
8. David VonAllmen's 'Tomorrow's Eyes': Tame write-up.
Overall, not an essential or unmissable book. But if you can get it, you might enjoy it.
October 20, 2018
DISCLOSURE: This periodical has published my work in the past, and has purchased additional work from me for future publication.
Broadswords and Blasters continues its solid run with Issue Six. The usual strengths of the periodical are present here, particularly inventive concepts and genre diversity. This issue’s more than worth the price, both in terms of money and the reader’s time. I enjoyed it.
As a frequent reviewer, I’ve rated some previous issues more highly, and I feel I should be clear as to why. My first reason is somewhat subjective. Many pulp periodicals have a very clear niche and publish writers who write in a particular style—thus, fans of the periodical know what to expect. Readers are likely to get their itch scratched, but less likely to be surprised. B&B is much more into the creative and experimental. This means that, for any given reader, there’s going to be a number of stories that just don’t resonate, as well as a couple that resonate in a major way. For me personally, this issue had a higher-than-normal “miss” rate. It’s very possible that other readers will get a kick out of the stuff that didn’t work for me; I am, after all, the guy who gave Xenocide five stars and Speaker For The Dead only two.
There are also a couple of what I’d consider to be objective problems with the editing—usage and spelling errors both in the editors’ preface and in some of the stories, and formatting issues with the Kindle edition, such as titles off-center or bleeding onto the last page of the previous story. The Kindle formatting issues, which were also present in some early issues, seemed to be resolved in B&B #5, so I was surprised to see them here. These problems are infrequent and not huge in scope, but they do take some of the shine off of the finished product and detract from reader immersion.
As is always the case with B&B, there are some standout stories herein. I particularly valued:
THE OGRE’S SECRET by Robert Walton – Vikings climb a mountain in search of Aesir treasure. The climbing and battle scenes are excellent, full of vivid description, credible predicaments, and clever solutions.
ROYAL STOWAWAY by Catherine Cole. The opening is a master-class in clean, painless exposition, character introduction, and stakes-setting. The author’s imaginative exobiology contributes to a fun, frenzied action sequence with an entertaining resolution.
TOMORROW’S EYES by David VonAllmen. Trainspotting meets Donnie Darko. A deliberately disjointed tale of a runaway from a pharmaceutical test who’s dealing with some particularly problematic side-effects of his “medication”. Cleverly constructed, the story rewards careful and patient readers, which can’t always be said of modern pulp.
Broadswords and Blasters continues its solid run with Issue Six. The usual strengths of the periodical are present here, particularly inventive concepts and genre diversity. This issue’s more than worth the price, both in terms of money and the reader’s time. I enjoyed it.
As a frequent reviewer, I’ve rated some previous issues more highly, and I feel I should be clear as to why. My first reason is somewhat subjective. Many pulp periodicals have a very clear niche and publish writers who write in a particular style—thus, fans of the periodical know what to expect. Readers are likely to get their itch scratched, but less likely to be surprised. B&B is much more into the creative and experimental. This means that, for any given reader, there’s going to be a number of stories that just don’t resonate, as well as a couple that resonate in a major way. For me personally, this issue had a higher-than-normal “miss” rate. It’s very possible that other readers will get a kick out of the stuff that didn’t work for me; I am, after all, the guy who gave Xenocide five stars and Speaker For The Dead only two.
There are also a couple of what I’d consider to be objective problems with the editing—usage and spelling errors both in the editors’ preface and in some of the stories, and formatting issues with the Kindle edition, such as titles off-center or bleeding onto the last page of the previous story. The Kindle formatting issues, which were also present in some early issues, seemed to be resolved in B&B #5, so I was surprised to see them here. These problems are infrequent and not huge in scope, but they do take some of the shine off of the finished product and detract from reader immersion.
As is always the case with B&B, there are some standout stories herein. I particularly valued:
THE OGRE’S SECRET by Robert Walton – Vikings climb a mountain in search of Aesir treasure. The climbing and battle scenes are excellent, full of vivid description, credible predicaments, and clever solutions.
ROYAL STOWAWAY by Catherine Cole. The opening is a master-class in clean, painless exposition, character introduction, and stakes-setting. The author’s imaginative exobiology contributes to a fun, frenzied action sequence with an entertaining resolution.
TOMORROW’S EYES by David VonAllmen. Trainspotting meets Donnie Darko. A deliberately disjointed tale of a runaway from a pharmaceutical test who’s dealing with some particularly problematic side-effects of his “medication”. Cleverly constructed, the story rewards careful and patient readers, which can’t always be said of modern pulp.
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