Thune's Vision

by Schuyler Hernstrom

The reader's heart does not easily decide in which world of Hernstrom's to homestead. The sea elf's expansive beach just beyond the broken tombs and stunted trees? Or under the red and green moons of the lands where the Ige roam? The exact locale is of less importance than the weird and dire contests he will discover therein. Hernstrom, like his characters, shares a vision quickened by instinct and the will win the field. For none ofthe five original pieces or the three new ones, published here for the first time in this new edition, really admits for settlers. Surely, one will witness hordes, beasts, storms, hard rides for a dark timberline, eldritch visions not witnessed since Howard or Ashton Smith or Vance strode the earth. Hernstrom feeds on an autochtone rage, speaks directly but not simply in tones strong enough to convey sibilant victory or the clamor of disaster. Somehow he also manages to imbue dark tales with a mordant wit many admire, but few can match. He sings no simple paean. He tells no careworn tale. He advances no fallen guidon but has instead fashioned his own standard from those of the fallen. A contemporary reader can instantly mark the salient staked out by this collection across a no-man's land mired in imitation. Hernstrom's flag is one to which stout hearts rally. This book is a passport to new country, a point of departure for even wider vistas. Here is a voice which can tell of beauty in a moment, a heretofore unremarked weirdness in the old constellations, a sly joke. Here is a voice up for anything.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Collections, Sword and Sorcery, Short Stories

178 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2016

Reviews

[Michael Fierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

[S. Zahler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thune's Vision is a 140-page collection of Sword & Sorcery tales from Schuyler Hernstrom and a delightful surprise for this reader, a long time fantasy fiction fan who is turned off by the plague of gigantism infecting the genre today.
Every single story in this is book good, especially the more fabular tales, "Challenger's Garland," which brings to mind Clark Ashton Smith (my all time favorite fantasist), and the wry, "The Ecology of a Unicorn."
Hernstrom's writing is terrific. Stories of honor, fate, gods, knights, barbarians, lizard men, and sorcerers are deftly sketched with his efficient, yet poetic prose, which contains few commas and excisable words. Like the writing in M. John Harrison's superb The Pastel City, many sentences feel crafted to stand on their own as things to relish. It's great to read a new fantasist doing something that feels so archaic, someone delivering entertainment with allegory, someone creating grand scale tales with depth and a real sense of place in so few pages.
Thune's Vision is possibly my favorite standalone fantasy book published since Brian McNaughton's notable Throne of Bones twenty years ago. And Hernstom's science-fantasy novella "Images of the Goddess" in Cirsova #2 is as good as the best of these tales, while also being a bit weirder and funnier.
Fantasy fans: Seek out this author's work!

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories, and writing, generally seemed to improve as I progressed through these, culminating in the final story, The Saga of Adalwolf, which is the longest of the bunch and I think the most memorable. It reads like a Viking style fable of revenge, bloodlust and conquest, with some elements of Nordic myth, rather than the sword & sorcery type tales I was expecting from this collection, but good fun nevertheless.

[James Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today my review is for Thune’s Vision by Schuyler Hernstrom



I have to admit I have not been reading much lately. I have been in a huge reading slump. I don’t like anything I start reading anymore. Modern Fantasy and Modern Fantasy authors have got me down. In my quest to find my fantasy reading mojo again I decided to go back to my fantasy roots. What got me into loving fantasy in the first place. Well my favorite author of all time is Robert E. Howard, I just can’t get enough of Conan and his other outstanding characters. So I have been on a Sword and Sorcery mission as of late, rereading all of my old books. Then I thought to myself are there any authors writing this type of S&S, pulp, weird fiction anymore? Well yes, there is and the best I have found is Schuyler Hernstom.

He has written some fantastic stories for magazines like Cirsova, and I became a fan. When I saw he had a book of stories for sale I jumped all over it! This book Thune’s Vision is a spectacular collection of stories that will remind you of a time past. When fantasy did not have to be bloated, long series. When the focus was on quality and not quantity. He has done a masterful job of creating modern stories that live up to the greats of the past.

Thune’s Vision is a collection of four short stories (The Challenger’s Garland, Athan and the Priestess, The Movements of the Ige, and The Ecology of the Unicorn) and the novelette The Saga of the Adawolf.

All of these stories are quite good and I immensely enjoyed all of them but I have to admit I did favor the Adawolf story. It is a saga in every since of the word. A modern story that could have been pulled right out of the text of the great Norse sagas in the Poetic Edda.

In conclusion, I am no longer in a reading slump. I have found my reading mojo once again thanks to Mr. Hernstrom and his epic stories. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you are a fan of REH, ERB, Vance, or any of the other great authors of an era gone by this book should be on your radar. I want to make one thing very clear, these stories are NOT pastiche! This is new and original with everything that made the stories of REH and others so great. I can’t wait for more from this promising new author. I will be first in line, money in hand for more stories!

As you know if you have read my reviews before I am not about long reviews with synopsis and spoilers. I just give my opinion on my experience with this book and you can take it from there. Now on to the next book.

5/5 STARS - Mighty Thor JRS

All of my reviews can be found here: https://mightythorjrs.wordpress.com/

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen this title shared around on GR. I've wanted to read it, but with all the other books I already own, I forgot about it. Recently my friend Michael commented on one of my reviews, reminding me of this title. I looked it up, and couldn't pass up a paperback copy for $5. So here I am.

Challenger's Garland is the first story of the collection. Honestly it's my favorite. It's very, very short. Reminded me a lot of Darrell Schweitzer in tone and execution. Essentially it is becoming that which you fight. 5/5

Athan and the Priestess is next. This read more like a partially fleshed out outline. It just didn't feel complete, regardless it was enjoyable. The title of the collection is from a character in the story. 3/5

Next up is The Movements of the Ige. Strange, bizarre alien creatures fighting in emulation of the heavenly movements; living to fight and die. That is until a silver egg falls from the sky disrupting the harmony of the Ige. 3/5

The Ecology of the Unicorn is second to last. Malathiksos, the great sorcerer, has run out of time. Death is ready to collect, but Malathiksos has other ideas. Striving for an answer, he discovers that the unicorn may hold the key. Very reminiscent of Jack Vance's The Dying Earth. 3/5

Finally The Saga of Adalwolf. An eye for an eye, and all that goes with it are clearly displayed here. Where does the violence end? Seeking vengeance for the death of his family, Adalwolf is given the tool he needs. Getting carried away with the power he now possesses he grows blind and careless. 4/5

Well worth checking this collection out. I look forward to more from this author.

Recommended!

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was a pleasant discovery, all the more because I have no idea who Hernstrom is, and it looks like he hasn't written much (yet).

The collection shows an ability to write in diverse styles. "The Challenger's Garland" is an austere work in spare, mythic language. "Athan and the Priestess" is plainly told but with grandeur. "The Movements of the Ige", to duck into science fiction, is Vancean in concept if not in narrative language, with a alienness of thought and a formality of their speaking that reminded me of Vance's "The Narrow Land" or even "The Dragon Masters". "The Ecology of the Unicorn" is fantasy Vance without the ironic tone or the linguistic curlicues, but with the prissy formality of dialog. "The Saga of Adalwolf", finally, is a rich implementation of "the whole Northern thing" reminding me of Poul Anderson's work.

"Garland" was perhaps the weakest of them, unfortunate because it was the Kindle sample. I never warmed to its stripped-down writing. "Athan" is intriguing for the post-apocalyptic implications of its setting and the possibility of an epic story launching from it. "Ige" is excellent, as is "Ecology".

But "The Saga of Adalwolf", as the lion's share of the collection, deserves the most mention. The tragedy--this is no spoiler--becomes apparent early on, and it is a long path to watch it fruit, seeing the small subtle signs Adalwolf stops correcting the exaggerations of the number of men he fought and killed and the irony of his rule he is kind and just, and his vassals egg on his worldly ambitions out of their own interests. His final act of consuming hubris is a cataclysm of tragedy, all the more because there were so many opportunities to avert disaster, and because Adalwolf in his simple love for Phaidyme proves himself a decent man.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah so, this slim book has received high recommendations from lots of folks who influence lots of other folks in the new world of loving fiction from the days of ole. That snagged me in.

Three stars is what I landed on, to many that sounds like a non-recommendation, but such is not the case. It is a good collection of stories and I will seek out more Schuyler Hernstrom, and maybe someday I will be able to spell the author’s name without directly referencing it; Hell, maybe someday I will even be able to pronounce it. One never knows.

This just did not feel like the strongest work. It felt more like a solid first collection; which I believe it was Hernstrom’s first collection, possibly self-produced and now in a new edition with a fabulous cover and an extra story.

I enjoyed the last story the most, “Servants of the War God”. It is a story of Mortu, a barbarian from the North with a mysterious past and his travel companion Kyrus, who is a monk dedicated to Christ and he has been trapped in the body of a monkey via sorcery. The two travel about a dystopian world on Mortu’s motorcycle. If that doesn’t entice you, we probably can’t be friends. It feels like part of a good series and I will seek out more of them.

Honestly, the Mortu and Kyrus story saved this book for me. It elevated it from okey-dokey to an enjoyable read.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology was very good. I didn't knew Schuyler Hernstrom but it seems he is a very good writer of sword and sorcery in the same vein of Robert E Howard and the such.

Don't expect Conan like characters where nothing really bad happened to your main characters.

There are five stories... all of there were very good (minus the Movements of Ige) which I didn't enjoy.

The first story - the Challenger's Garland regards a tale where Black Knight has a dream of a citadel and after telling to it's master he says that he must go there and defeat it. There is some really surprising ending which made me say - I am going to enjoy this.

The second is the tale of a man who goes behind a barrier to fulfill Thune's Vision. It's very good tale and again a really interesting ending that made me think. We thought from the begining that he was a chosen one but... is he? Mindblowing.

Then we've got the one I didn't enjoy and I cannot really talk because I will admit was a bit lost.

The fourth tale is a new take on the all fae immortality and unicorn while it has an interesting finish as previous tales. You think it will go one way then it goes another.

The last story, is not a short story but a novellete that deals with the story of Adalwolf. A man that was betrayed by everyone he love except his brother and is keen on revenge. Then the all-father (odin?) lend him strength. After achieving his revenge, will the All-Father still support or can he become the king of all northern tribes? It was a very interesting tale and made me read and read. Thank the lords I bought another collection of short stories by him BECAUSE he is that good. Let us see If I am going to read next next or leave it for a while...

Keep this stories coming Herr Schuyler

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hernstrom is an outstanding author who has managed to revive the classic models of sword and sorcery with new and more powerful variations. This collection showcases following works penned by him~
1. The Challenger's Garland;
2. Athan and the Priestess;
3. The Movements of the Ige;
4. The Ecology of the Unicorn;
5. The Saga of Adalwolf;
6. The Palace of the Androgyne;
7. Alien Mercy (only story which felt off-kilter);
8. Servants of the War God— a Mortu & Kyrus adventure.
For lovers of speculative fiction, this is an essential and absolutely must-read collection.
Highly recommended.

[H. P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schuyler Hernstrom wrote my favorite stories in Cirsova No. 1 and in Cirsova No. 2. So when the boys over at the Puppy of the Month Book Club announced that Hernstrom’s self-published collection of short fiction was their pick for November, I rushed out and bought it (figuratively; literally I was sitting at my computer the whole time). I wasn’t disappointed. The stories in Thune’s Vision might not rise to the heights of The Gift of the Ob-Men or Images of the Goddess, but Hernstrom is still the king of one particular corner of Retro SF and has shown he can consistently deliver.

The Challenger’s Garland
In which the champion of a physical manifestation of death makes his challenge, and Death always wins in the end. The titular challenger immediately calls up the image of Frank Frazetta’s iconic Death Dealer. (Although I also can’t imagine a Death attended by a giant crab without thinking of the Pulp Librarian.) It’s a good example of how Retro SF can draw from imagery imprinted on even the unlettered modern by the pulps, without being clumsy or overly sentimental about it. It also has one hell of a twist ending. Watching the original Twilight Zone episodes and reading Hugo nominees and the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction over the past year, a killer twist is one thing you don’t see nearly as much in modern speculative short fiction.

Athan and the Priestess
In which a steppe warlord is convinced it is his destiny to swim under the barrier to another world and bring it down. Hernstrom is the master of the mini-epic. Who else can tell a truly epic tale in a short story? Athan and the Princess doesn’t have quite the breathtaking scope of The Gift of the Ob-Men, but it’s epic nonetheless. There is a suggestion that the magical barrier at issue that has split masculine and feminine societies has been to the detriment of both, although befitting Hernstrom’s work, no change will come without a price. It also has a tremendous, and freaking scary, scrape with sea monsters.

The Movements of the Ige
In which a dance-off among bipedal lizards is rudely interrupted by a crashing spaceship. This is a nice spot of sword and planet. The titular Ige feel more fantastical than alien, as they should, because the story is told entirely from their perspective. The spaceship may be manned by humans, based on the description, or not, but they’re treated as utterly alien because that is what they are to the Ige. As a story, though, this is the weakest in the collection.

The Ecology of the Unicorn
In which a wizard tries to cheat death and fairies, and death (and fairies) always wins in the end. Hernstrom is probably most often compared to Jack Vance. The Ecology of the Unicorn is the Vancian story in Thune’s Vision and suffers for it, as good as Hernstrom is. It works because it has the vast sort of thematic weight that Hernstrom is a master at fitting into just a handful of pages of fiction, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like a Hernstrom story. And that I can talk about “Hernstrom stories” tells that he’s doing something very right, and not just creating crude simulacra of the works of lost giants.

The Saga of the Adawolf (novelette)
In which a Germanic warrior is defeated and sent on the run, receives a boon and gets revenge and a crown, and the Roman Empire always wins in the end. The Saga of the Adawolf is the longest story in the collection (taking up about half the page length) and is another epic. It’s a grand tragedy. Given a boon by the All-Father, Adawolf’s existing skill as a warrior allow him to avenge the death of his family and his defeat at the beginning of the story. But his existing fatal flaws ensure a bitter end nonetheless. The scenes of Adawolf fighting with a magic spear are fantastic and remind me a lot of scenes in The Traitor Son of Gabriel fighting with a Wyrm-blessed ghiaverina. This is another story that feels BIG without needing either a huge word count or to wear BIG IDEAs on its sleeve. It’s by far the most historically grounded and low-magic of any Hernstrom that I’ve read, though. His wild imagination is always a highlight, but as The Saga of the Adawolf helps show, there are thematic depths to his work, dancing lizards and giant crabs or no.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thune’s Vision: A Collection of Stories is the first book by Schuyler Hernstrom. Released in 2016, this slim volume includes four short stories and a novella. The opening piece, "The Challenger’s Garland," first appeared in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly 20 (2014); other stories included are original to the volume. The cover of this paperback, replete with pastel vista of a lizard-rider approaching a skull-domed hillock, as well as a Yr rune of the Younger Futhark accompanying the book title, signals to the reader what lays in wait.

Hernstrom’s rich prose situates the author in the best traditions of classic sword and sorcery (S&S) and Appendix N. In an online interview at The Dacian, Hernstrom has cited Jack Vance as a strong influence on his writing; indeed the fatalism inherent to the Dying Earth stories is likewise present in Thune’s Vision. "Doomed" is perhaps the best singular term to describe the protagonists and worlds in Thune’s Vision. Even so, this book is not a dour read. Rather, Hernstrom’s protagonists have little time for self-pity, and his characters face their fate head on. Further, the author manages to imbue every story with a feeling of triumphant defiance. In that regard, Hernstrom’s literary voice is one of the most powerful and invigorating in the burgeoning contemporary wave of sword and sorcery.

As another constant, Hernstrom’s stories possess a mythic, mystical quality. Magic is deific, rarified, and unknowable in Thune’s Vision. Invisible threads connect the characters in Hernstrom’s worlds, and while his characters (and readers) may feel the presence of such connections, the why and how of the connections are tantalizingly unknowable. Prophecy guides the narratives of "The Challenger’s Garland" as well as "Athan and the Priestess," Foreshadowing in "The Saga of Adalwolf" is omnipresent. The lattermost story is a novella with a plot that unspools heartbreaking destiny reminiscent of Poul Anderson’s The Broken Sword. Given its length, "The Saga of Adalwolf" is the dominant narrative in the collection. Here, Hernstrom presents his own edda, blending of Germanic tribal culture and Norse myth. Lest the story be spoiled, it will suffice to state the seasons of Adalwolf’s life are truly epic; a longer narrative approach allows Hernstrom to better plumbs the depths of humanity and hubris.

As a final thematic line, the barbarous nature of Hernstrom’s protagonists lends verisimilitude to story settings--Hernstrom’s protagonists aren’t heroes. The Black Knight of "The Challenger’s Garland" serves dark forces, Athan of the eponymous "Athan and the Priestess" is a slave-owning warlord of the steppes, the alien race in "The Movements of the Ige" are blood-crazed zealots, the seemingly playful jabs between the faerie and wizard of "The Ecology of the Unicorn" bely deadly seriousness, and the aforementioned Adalwolf’s hubris telegraphs the story’s ending. Hernstrom’s characters and settings are not necessarily likeable, but they are relatable. This fact ensconces the characters of Thune’s Vision in the S&S tradition of those such as Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane.

Herntrom’s more recent The Eye of Sounnu was published by DMR Books in 2020 to much praise, and is readily available. While Thune’s Vision has been an affordable print-on-demand paperback from Amazon, it has recently become unavailable. Here’s to hoping a reprinting or second edition of this volume is forthcoming. While varied in plot and setting, the stories in Thune’s Vision share a masterful use of genre elements that establish Hernstrom as a force in the modern S&S resurgence.

[AoC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rarely have I found the description blurb to be as apt as with Thune's Vision where, seeing it's a collection of handful of stories, author truly manages to dance between Vance's and Howard's own styles. If I had to pinpoint in which direction he swings to more confidently it would most assuredly be the barbarian saga of the latter to which Hernstrom dedicates half of the page count. I'll briefly go into each scenario before offering my own thoughts.

Collection opens with The Challenger’s Garland offering a brief take on the cyclical nature of good vs evil, and their respective champions not being entirely aware of just what is going on. This is the most transparent story in terms of how it unfolds even with magical elements at play. We move on to Athan and the Priestess as it takes us back a notch in terms of civilization and into the shoes of our eponymous warrior where he is charged with greater destiny by a dying wizard. Can he see the bigger picture or does it remain beyond his narrow mind? The Movements of the Ige appears to be the only SF story included as it handles two different Ige groups. Their "joyous time of dancing and killing" is cut short by strange shining objects from the stars. One curious individual decides to investigate just who these beings who can kill from afar are. As if to purposefully counter the previous tale we have The Ecology of the Unicorn delving into straight up fantasy territory with wizard Malathiksos looking to cheat death and fae Rutu who hides the secret of immortality. What follows is a series of shenanigans as they try to one-up each other with gradually escalating stakes. And lastly, there's The Saga of Adalwolf staying very true to its title. Adalwolf has vengeance on his mind only to end up favored by the All-Father who graces him with a certain spear at his lowest point in life. From then on Adalwolf tempts fate with his choices as he marches towards the decisive battle with southern men fighting wielding short swords and doing combat in tight formations...

If there's one thing I especially liked it would be the way author does not skimp over battles. In fact, gory combat scenes in general make for quite the chunk of these stories, otherwise airing light on the narrative side. Needless to say The Saga of Adalwolf gets the most to work with since it's essentially a novelette in its own right, but Athan and the Priestess ended up as my favorite. I won't spoil anything beyond saying it's equal part Conan and Bran Mak Morn albeit with a protagonist you'd visualize as a more regular representative of the "barbarian leader" type rather than those outstanding exceptions breaking the mold. It had a bit of everything in just the right doses.

Would I recommend Thune's Vision? Taking length into account and the way it reads like a throwback to yesterday pulps, I tentatively would. You won't get your deep characterization or page-turning narrative, though. Two standout stories are about rough men claiming whatever they lay their eyes on, and they're rarely nice in how they go about it.

[Jason Waltz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my kind of stories, though I can appreciate the style of storytelling. Unlike the other stories, the final "Servants of the War God" was mega-long and poorly edited. Best story of the entire collection is the opener, "The Challenger's Garland." Book for sale if anyone is interested.

[Emperorponders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of the best fantasy books I've read; the keyword being "fantasy.' If the goal of the fantasy genre is to give your reader the feeling of exploring a fantastic, mysterious, or weird land, many fantasy books fail at that. They may have the scenery, props, overused tropes, and special effects and pyrotechnics (i.e. "balls of light" AKA magic) but they lack that sense of wonder fantasy should create. Those may do the trick when you are younger and you don't know better, but as one grows older those novels you once read are almost impossible to read now.

Thune's Vision doesn't have those problems. This is fantasy (and a little science fiction, but still fantastical,) as it should be, as it should have become.

There are four short stories and one novelette in Thune’s Vision. The short stories are The Challenger’s Garland (first published in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, issue 20), Athan and the Priestess (where Thune appears,) The Movements of the Ige (a weird anthropological science-fiction tale,) and The Ecology of the Unicorn (a funny Vancian short story.) The novelette is The Saga of Adalwolf (a literal saga in the Nordic sense) and takes up half the book.

Although the book can be read just as fun and entertainment, almost all the stories have a deeper layer, a certain "gravitas." Perhaps with the exception of The Ecology of the Unicorn, all the stories in the anthology have, as a hidden or overt theme, an epic subject. Epic not as in “OMG this is SO epic” in a Youtube comment, but epic meaning the (usually ancient) lyrical tales whose plot and meaning transcend the actions of the individual actors. They are about something more, something deeper. For that reason and others, although the roots and style of Hernstrom are clearly inspired by the pulps (think Robert E. Howard,) I would not describe his stories as just pulpish.

[That was a shorter version of the review I wrote on my blog]

[Robert Defrank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely an author I'll be following.

Hernstrom presents the very heart and soul of Sword and Sorcery and Jack Vance inspired fiction in this collection of short stories topped by a novella. In each, he wastes no time in setting up a central character and a dillema to draw the reader in. Whether a knight who must defend his kingdom from Death's own champion, a wizard who risks bargaining with the ever-tricky fae for the means of further extending his own life, a warrior who must venture far from home into the lands of his enemies while following the vision of the eponymous Thune - a land that is in many ways the diametric opposite of his but doomed to the same decline - or an alien who inadvertantly hijacks a space ship from some human explorers and inacts his culture's version of an apotheosis among the stars.

The reader is swept right along, and while you can never predict where the story will end up, you - and the heroic or doomed characters - will find many an ominous signpost along the way.

[Gregory Mele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little collection of four stories and novelette, that are reminiscent of Jack Vance and Poul Anderson (the writing style particularly evokes Anderson). Our first story is a fairly lackluster tale; intriguing in concept, rough in execution, but after that the collection comes together with two stand-outs:

1. The Movements of the Ige is an old-school SciFi story about a primitive, reptilian warrior race and their encounter with human astronauts. Told from the alien's point of view, this really feels like it could exist in the same universe as Vance's "Dragon Masters". Very old-school, fun feel.

2. The Saga of Ardawulf make up a little over half of the collection and is exactly what it sounds like. Although it is never specifically said that this is our world, the setting is clearly Europe at the end of the Roman Empire, as the Germanic tribes are pushing south -- or a world so similar as not to matter. The story is truly a Saga in its style, filled with vengeance, the price of hubris and a reminder that the All-Father's gifts are ever a mixed blessing.

[Pardeep Aujla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection

A great collection of well written pulp fantasy stories. Personally I found the earlier stories preferable to the final, longer story, which for me lacked the originality and imagination displayed earlier.

[Hardeep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the best fantasy by a contemporary author I've read.

The Challenger's Garland: 5/5
Athan and the Priestess: 5/5
The Movements of the Ige: 4/5
The Ecology of the Unicorn: 3/5
The Saga of the Adalwolf: 4/5

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice collection of stories. Good and interesting reads. Recommended

[John Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're gonna hear more about this guy in the future. He's good enough to revive the sword and sorcery short story genre.

[J.B. Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of fantasy and sci-fi short stories that had me amazed. The stories had the same vibe as those of my heroes: Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, and none of the stylistic elements that I find problematic with today's writers. A highlight of this collection is "Servants of the War God" which should appeal to anyone who loves Leiber's Fafhrd & Gray Mouser stories. There's one more Mortu and Kyrus story I think I have yet to read--I must track it down! (Btw, Kyrus is one of the great sidekicks in all of fantasy.) Indeed, if I dug out one of my sword & sorcery anthologies from the golden era and "Athan and the Priestess" was in it, I would have no trouble believing it was written in 1970 and I mean that in the very best way possible. The were moments where I had to stop reading and say, "Wow," at some of Hernstrom's language. He not only knows how to tell a story, but the language is often really beautiful. And for an indie publisher, this collection is shockingly well-edited. If you like your fantasy "old school" then Thune's Vision is for you. Hernstrom belongs at Robert E. Howard's table.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hernstrom has been making waves in the S&S/Pulp fields for a number of years now and it is easy to see why in this short collection of stories. This may be his earlier work but it seems the trade of story telling was born in him fully formed. From good and evil fables of knights, an alien first contact gone wrong, a Vancian fantasy tale, to a saga of viking revenge and doom in the vein of Poul Anderson's Northern work, this collection ranges the gamut of the pulp traditions of olde. Highly recommended.

[SOTERO RIVERA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Conan style stories.

Hernstrom is not the best and most articulate writer out there, but the stories are good. He reminds me of Robert E Howard, except Hernstrom is much more straight forward. There's not much expounding on description and story drivers.
All in all, I enjoyed the book.

[Jan Pospíšil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonably fun collection of short stories - you get the usual mix of genres and quality.
I wasn't a fan of "The Saga of Adalwolf", it was too long to stay fresh and there wasn't anything surprising or innovative. Just what you'd expect - revenge, brutality, hubris and tragic downfall.
I think my favourite might be "Challenger's Garland" - very simple and short, which is why it also works well.
The writing is a passable pastiche, it flows well enough.
A note of warning if you care about these things (though knowing the fans of the genre, many will care the opposite way): The publisher - Pilum pub. - is a Trump supporter and seems to revel in bigotry on social media. If you'd rather not support someone like that - there you go.
I'm also suspicious of Hernstrom himself, because it's the second publisher of his (that I've seen) that leans into that worldview.
Sword and Sorcery is definitely not beating those allegations anytime soon.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent sword and sorcery style tales. Reminded me a bit of Poul Anderson.

[DS May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories from start to finish. My favorite perhaps being The Saga of Adalwolf but all are beautifully written.

[TOM SERVO · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quality S&S Pulp. Three stories. 2 short, one longer.

[Micah Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some highs and lows. It got a bit repetitive after a while and the titular story was slightly disappointing.

[James T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a review of the second edition of Thune’s vision containing three bonus stories.

Hernstrum’s early work is a bit rougher around the edges than the stories that appear in the Eye or Sounnu collection. However, they’re still very good and incredibly imaginative. The Challenger’s Garland is a masterpiece.

The newest story in this reprint, a new Mortu and Kyrus yarn is just phenomenal. It’s both stunning violent, yet humorous and hopeful. For fans of this duo you’ll get more world building (but without any bloat). I think when all is said and done Mortu and Kyrus will be talked about in the same breath as Conan, Elric, Fafrhd and the Gray Mouser. These stories are just that good.

[Pilum Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pilum edition is the debut of the the strongest new voice in genre fiction.