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Rakehell : Issue 1
Packed full of action!
Flashing blades, rapier wit, flying Frenchmen, cursed ghouls, and one very smart monkey! All this and more awaits you in the pages of Rakehell #1, the thrilling debut of a new magazine of swashbuckling fiction.
Contents
“The Mortuary Sword” by H. R. Laurence. Captain James Aidee, gentleman of the road, has seen many dark things in his life of banditry… but nothing prepared him to meet Amelia Blood and her strange family.“The Trans-Pacific Railway” by Mar Vincent. Thomasina is no stranger to mystery—but when an airship full of Frenchmen captures her train, she must leave academics behind and become a lady of action!“Fool’s Errand in Amberford” by Lawrence Harding. Between her rapier and her magic, Finestra Dunbarton doesn’t usually worry about ghouls. If only her new employer wouldn’t walk toward every one he sees.“The Daisy” by T. K. Howell. Before he was an admiral, Francis Drake was a scared, seasick teenager on a leaky merchant ship. Will the terror of mutiny break him, or set him on the path to knighthood?“When Your Only Tool’s a Hammer” by J. B. Toner. Cundar of Raelor is used to winning battles. In fact, it’s become a bit boring. What happens when a barbarian decides to end the war, not just fight it?“The Temple of the Ghost Tiger” by Dariel R. A. Quiogue. Khalid of Barisa is strong, handsome, and foolish. Fortunately he has loyal Wali to advise him—unfortunately, Wali is a monkey!
Flashing blades, rapier wit, flying Frenchmen, cursed ghouls, and one very smart monkey! All this and more awaits you in the pages of Rakehell #1, the thrilling debut of a new magazine of swashbuckling fiction.
Contents
“The Mortuary Sword” by H. R. Laurence. Captain James Aidee, gentleman of the road, has seen many dark things in his life of banditry… but nothing prepared him to meet Amelia Blood and her strange family.“The Trans-Pacific Railway” by Mar Vincent. Thomasina is no stranger to mystery—but when an airship full of Frenchmen captures her train, she must leave academics behind and become a lady of action!“Fool’s Errand in Amberford” by Lawrence Harding. Between her rapier and her magic, Finestra Dunbarton doesn’t usually worry about ghouls. If only her new employer wouldn’t walk toward every one he sees.“The Daisy” by T. K. Howell. Before he was an admiral, Francis Drake was a scared, seasick teenager on a leaky merchant ship. Will the terror of mutiny break him, or set him on the path to knighthood?“When Your Only Tool’s a Hammer” by J. B. Toner. Cundar of Raelor is used to winning battles. In fact, it’s become a bit boring. What happens when a barbarian decides to end the war, not just fight it?“The Temple of the Ghost Tiger” by Dariel R. A. Quiogue. Khalid of Barisa is strong, handsome, and foolish. Fortunately he has loyal Wali to advise him—unfortunately, Wali is a monkey!
- GenresSword and Sorcery
116 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2022
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 12, 2025
The first story by H. R. Laurence and the last story by Dariel Quiogue are worth the price alone. Some of the other stories are a mixed bag, yet each offers something even if it’s not my style. If you’re a fan of action/swashbuckling or sword and sorcery fiction, you should enjoy this.
September 15, 2022
This is the first issue of what is promoted as "a modern magazine of swashbuckling adventure," mentioning Robin Hood, the Three Musketeers, and Indiana Jones as touchstones.
The issue starts off strong, with "The Mortuary Sword" by H. R. Laurence. Featuring the heroine from the magazine's appealing cover artwork, it involves a highwayman who encounters a supernatural threat on the road. The tone of the story is pitch-perfect, and the low-key fantastic aspects add spice without overshadowing the swashbuckling swordplay.
"The Trans-Pacific Railway" by Mar Vincent follows. This is a vaguely steampunkish story with stuffy European aristocrats and academic types. The titular railway is set upon by kite-like jetpack-wearing Frenchmen, and the protagonists attempt to harness the occult to fend them off. I may have enjoyed this story more had I encountered it in a different context, but steampunk leaves me cold. The story also seemed to go out of its way to avoid thrilling sword combat and action in general. It felt out of place, given the magazine's mission statement.
"A Fool's Errand in Amberford" by Lawrence Harding involves a mercenary swordswoman escorting a reckless-seeming noncombatant client deep into a ghoul-infested city. There's a fair bit more action than the preceding piece, and I enjoyed the somewhat normalized portrayal of necromancy (the heroine ingeniously keeps paper packets of beetles in her pockets to squish, channeling their life force into magical effects) but it seemed like a straight-up fantasy story. None of the heroine's opponents are armed, making swashbuckling swordplay a non-starter.
Just as I'd begun to wonder if I'd picked up a general fantasy zine by mistake, it's "The Daisy" by T. K. Howell to the rescue! This historical adventure features Francis Drake as a teenaged deckhand trying to survive a mutiny sparked by a hidden cache of silver. This story has tense action, witty repartee, and was completely free of fantastical elements. It was exactly the kind of story I'd expected to find within the pages of the magazine.
"When Your Only Tool’s a Hammer" by J. B. Toner is a fun sword & sorcery story, in which a barbarian Cundar of Raelor goes to extreme—and otherworldly—lengths to halt a devastating war. I love sword & sorcery fiction a lot and found this to be an engaging addition to the subgenre. It wasn't much of a swashbuckler, though, and it may have felt more at home in a different venue.
The final story, "The Temple of the Ghost Tiger" by Dariel R. A. Quiogue, was the absolute highlight for me. Fantasy elements are present (the viewpoint character is a man transmogrified into a monkey through occult experimentation, for example) but restrained, with center stage yielded to hand-to-hand combat against pirates, a duel between well-matched opponents, and a desperate struggle against the titular Ghost Tiger. It's a fast-paced cinematic adventure in the tradition of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and the primary characters are all appealingly rendered despite their relatively brief "screen time."
While I enjoyed nearly all of the stories in this magazine, I was leaning towards a three star rating until "The Temple of the Ghost Tiger" blew the doors off at the very end, earning an extra star by itself. My main issue with the magazine was my expectations compared to what was delivered. To me, swashbuckling adventure suggests a Renaissance setting or thereabouts, rapiers and flintlocks, snappy dialogue, and acrobatics. I love general fantasy fiction, but that wasn't what I bought this magazine hoping to read. Perhaps my definition of swashbuckling adventure is too narrow, but it may also be that—being a new publication—the editor lacked an abundance of traditional swashbuckling tales to select from. Compared to general fantasy, swashbuckling adventure fiction is a bit thin on the ground. Hopefully, with future issues, Rakehell will be able to distinguish itself from competing magazines by developing a tighter focus.
The issue starts off strong, with "The Mortuary Sword" by H. R. Laurence. Featuring the heroine from the magazine's appealing cover artwork, it involves a highwayman who encounters a supernatural threat on the road. The tone of the story is pitch-perfect, and the low-key fantastic aspects add spice without overshadowing the swashbuckling swordplay.
"The Trans-Pacific Railway" by Mar Vincent follows. This is a vaguely steampunkish story with stuffy European aristocrats and academic types. The titular railway is set upon by kite-like jetpack-wearing Frenchmen, and the protagonists attempt to harness the occult to fend them off. I may have enjoyed this story more had I encountered it in a different context, but steampunk leaves me cold. The story also seemed to go out of its way to avoid thrilling sword combat and action in general. It felt out of place, given the magazine's mission statement.
"A Fool's Errand in Amberford" by Lawrence Harding involves a mercenary swordswoman escorting a reckless-seeming noncombatant client deep into a ghoul-infested city. There's a fair bit more action than the preceding piece, and I enjoyed the somewhat normalized portrayal of necromancy (the heroine ingeniously keeps paper packets of beetles in her pockets to squish, channeling their life force into magical effects) but it seemed like a straight-up fantasy story. None of the heroine's opponents are armed, making swashbuckling swordplay a non-starter.
Just as I'd begun to wonder if I'd picked up a general fantasy zine by mistake, it's "The Daisy" by T. K. Howell to the rescue! This historical adventure features Francis Drake as a teenaged deckhand trying to survive a mutiny sparked by a hidden cache of silver. This story has tense action, witty repartee, and was completely free of fantastical elements. It was exactly the kind of story I'd expected to find within the pages of the magazine.
"When Your Only Tool’s a Hammer" by J. B. Toner is a fun sword & sorcery story, in which a barbarian Cundar of Raelor goes to extreme—and otherworldly—lengths to halt a devastating war. I love sword & sorcery fiction a lot and found this to be an engaging addition to the subgenre. It wasn't much of a swashbuckler, though, and it may have felt more at home in a different venue.
The final story, "The Temple of the Ghost Tiger" by Dariel R. A. Quiogue, was the absolute highlight for me. Fantasy elements are present (the viewpoint character is a man transmogrified into a monkey through occult experimentation, for example) but restrained, with center stage yielded to hand-to-hand combat against pirates, a duel between well-matched opponents, and a desperate struggle against the titular Ghost Tiger. It's a fast-paced cinematic adventure in the tradition of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and the primary characters are all appealingly rendered despite their relatively brief "screen time."
While I enjoyed nearly all of the stories in this magazine, I was leaning towards a three star rating until "The Temple of the Ghost Tiger" blew the doors off at the very end, earning an extra star by itself. My main issue with the magazine was my expectations compared to what was delivered. To me, swashbuckling adventure suggests a Renaissance setting or thereabouts, rapiers and flintlocks, snappy dialogue, and acrobatics. I love general fantasy fiction, but that wasn't what I bought this magazine hoping to read. Perhaps my definition of swashbuckling adventure is too narrow, but it may also be that—being a new publication—the editor lacked an abundance of traditional swashbuckling tales to select from. Compared to general fantasy, swashbuckling adventure fiction is a bit thin on the ground. Hopefully, with future issues, Rakehell will be able to distinguish itself from competing magazines by developing a tighter focus.
July 13, 2022
This is an excellent new publication that fans of old school adventure fiction should pick up. It’s comprised of 6 stories all of which were solid and just a good time to read. It’s the kind of fiction that just puts a smile on your face and a swagger in your step.
The Mortuary Sword - this one has a bit of a horror element to it accompanied by great swashbuckling banter. I really enjoyed it and look forward to its companion piece that’s forthcoming from DMR books in Samhain Sorceries.
The Trans-Pacific Railway - this isn’t exactly what I think of when I think swashbuckle as there’s no real swordplay, but the world is so creative and freewheeling and it’s a good time. I would like to see more of this character and setting. Magic trains crossing the pacific getting attacked by frenchmen in dirigibles is the kind of wild imagination and wanton abandon of realism that makes me love fantasy fiction.
Fools’s Errand in Amberford - this has a bit of a gothic vibe to it. If you like ghouls you’ll dig this horror influenced swordplay.
The Daisy - this one is the closet to what I imagine when you say Swashbuckle. The banter between Drake and the noble is top notch. It’s a good time and an Errol Flynn/10.
When Your Only Tool’s A Hammer - this one is a pretty classic sword and sorcery story. The banter in the bar gives it that swashbuckler edge.
The Tempe of the Ghost Tiger - my favorite in the collection. It’s very humorous and made me laugh out loud at a couple points. I love that the protagonist is a person trapped in monkey’s body. Between this and The Mortu and Kyrus series we seem to have a burgeoning “sword and sorcery where the protagonist has been turned into a monkey” microgenre brewing. I’m on board for more! The adventure in this story is charming and has a bit of an Arabian Nights feel to it. Just a fantastic read all around. It’s the kind of fun I’m looking for.
Anyway - this is just a fun time and anyone looking for “new school” old school pulp fiction won’t be disappointed.
The Mortuary Sword - this one has a bit of a horror element to it accompanied by great swashbuckling banter. I really enjoyed it and look forward to its companion piece that’s forthcoming from DMR books in Samhain Sorceries.
The Trans-Pacific Railway - this isn’t exactly what I think of when I think swashbuckle as there’s no real swordplay, but the world is so creative and freewheeling and it’s a good time. I would like to see more of this character and setting. Magic trains crossing the pacific getting attacked by frenchmen in dirigibles is the kind of wild imagination and wanton abandon of realism that makes me love fantasy fiction.
Fools’s Errand in Amberford - this has a bit of a gothic vibe to it. If you like ghouls you’ll dig this horror influenced swordplay.
The Daisy - this one is the closet to what I imagine when you say Swashbuckle. The banter between Drake and the noble is top notch. It’s a good time and an Errol Flynn/10.
When Your Only Tool’s A Hammer - this one is a pretty classic sword and sorcery story. The banter in the bar gives it that swashbuckler edge.
The Tempe of the Ghost Tiger - my favorite in the collection. It’s very humorous and made me laugh out loud at a couple points. I love that the protagonist is a person trapped in monkey’s body. Between this and The Mortu and Kyrus series we seem to have a burgeoning “sword and sorcery where the protagonist has been turned into a monkey” microgenre brewing. I’m on board for more! The adventure in this story is charming and has a bit of an Arabian Nights feel to it. Just a fantastic read all around. It’s the kind of fun I’m looking for.
Anyway - this is just a fun time and anyone looking for “new school” old school pulp fiction won’t be disappointed.
November 13, 2022
Rakehell # 1 is a small anthology of swashbuckler tales, an interesting midpoint between regency and sword & sorcery, both of which I am a fan of. Here historical elements-likely often in England around the regency or Victorian era I think-move along side elements of adventure, romance, and sometimes the supernatural, with an emphasis on danger and action. Noteworthy to is that the protagonist may well be an outsider, similar to s & s in that respect. Overall, a perfect genre that I am excited to explore more.
The stories so selected within often remind me of my creative writing classes, for there is a lot of brilliant creative energy while some of the writers, though gifted, are clearly not very established and done if their work-though once more fun to read-has a sparkling amateurish quality that I found energizing and enchanting: a luster that more established authors oft loose further along the path of their careers. The stories are of fair to great quality so that I rate this anthology 4 out of 5 swords and I’d recommend it for anyone with a love of adventure, exciting mysteries, magic, and daring tales.
The anthology opens strong with “the mortuary sword” with symbols of death and growing mortality which are all parts of the human experience we are all familiar with. As per the genre, action is near immediate with a quick release of supernatural mystery and several characters, two of which I felt like there was some romantic tension potentially, made stronger by the bear immediate adversarial role of the characters. Overall what small moments there were flowed well with the narrative and I couldn’t wait to read what would happen next. I dearly hope to read more tales of our good captain and Amelia to see who is really behind the castings begun here. Bravo!
“The Trans-Pacific Railway” is a bit of a turn from the previous story, being a lot on cryptids, magically augmented steam age technology (I think), and lost civilizations, though we still have villainous French men. Overall, it was a fun little train ride of a story though I did kind of feel like to many rabbits were being drawn out of hats after a while-still, I’d gladly read a sequel and I still think this train was firmly on the track. Probably the very limited character interaction amidst the back drop of mysterious pseudo sciences was more favorite part.
“Fools Errand in Amberford” continues the trend on magic, this time with a unique world and society with necromancy as a sort of back drop. While the prot and premise should seem interesting, this story seemed to drag a bit for me-perhaps to many info dumps, to much action without substance, and that the characters didn’t seem real enough. After a while I just felt like a ghoul following the words and walk of the story and characters, my sense of wonder being crushed like some poor beatle. I don’t know-it wasn’t terrible and I can see some of the universal themes present in the concluding talks, but this story didn’t quiet do it for me either.
“The Daisy” moves us back to the realm of historical speculative fiction a sword swing away from magic-there isn’t a single fizzling spell in this piece which is fine with me. It’s a fast action pirate story about Sir Francis Drake as a lad highlighting his first encounter with danger. Well written, in particular I loved the amputation scene. I felt like I was there during the surgery!
“When Your Only Tools a Hamer”, though a good story, is a story that challenged me a bit-it’s not straightforward. It starts as what you’d assume is a formulaic sword & sorcery piece but keeps evolving, changing into a different sort of story. If you miss a paragraph here or there you will become quickly confused-at least I did, so I ended up having to reread much of it. That said, it was overall enjoyable with a couple good bits of humor and philosophy thrown in and an interesting strong character and tone.
“The Temple of the Ghost Tiger” seems to have vague Arabian Nights vibes with its talk of djinn, monkeys, and jewel like princesses; added to that is also the age old motif of a man seeking to rise above his station, be that a monkey into a man or a merchant’s son into the husband of a princess. Overall the tone is fun and the monkey’s voice is wise and sometimes sardonic entrapping an enchanting tale full of adventure and magic. It is a wonderful story which more than surpasses the author’s maxim found in his biography section-“simple stories, powerfully told.” While I’d argue that this is no minimalistic work-and I’m glad it’s not-it is beautiful and fun and indeed powerful. 5 out of 5 ghost tigers for this story alone-is gladly read more of this authors work. What a fun tale!
I really hope this magazine succeeds and there will be a second volume. Can’t wait to read it!
The stories so selected within often remind me of my creative writing classes, for there is a lot of brilliant creative energy while some of the writers, though gifted, are clearly not very established and done if their work-though once more fun to read-has a sparkling amateurish quality that I found energizing and enchanting: a luster that more established authors oft loose further along the path of their careers. The stories are of fair to great quality so that I rate this anthology 4 out of 5 swords and I’d recommend it for anyone with a love of adventure, exciting mysteries, magic, and daring tales.
The anthology opens strong with “the mortuary sword” with symbols of death and growing mortality which are all parts of the human experience we are all familiar with. As per the genre, action is near immediate with a quick release of supernatural mystery and several characters, two of which I felt like there was some romantic tension potentially, made stronger by the bear immediate adversarial role of the characters. Overall what small moments there were flowed well with the narrative and I couldn’t wait to read what would happen next. I dearly hope to read more tales of our good captain and Amelia to see who is really behind the castings begun here. Bravo!
“The Trans-Pacific Railway” is a bit of a turn from the previous story, being a lot on cryptids, magically augmented steam age technology (I think), and lost civilizations, though we still have villainous French men. Overall, it was a fun little train ride of a story though I did kind of feel like to many rabbits were being drawn out of hats after a while-still, I’d gladly read a sequel and I still think this train was firmly on the track. Probably the very limited character interaction amidst the back drop of mysterious pseudo sciences was more favorite part.
“Fools Errand in Amberford” continues the trend on magic, this time with a unique world and society with necromancy as a sort of back drop. While the prot and premise should seem interesting, this story seemed to drag a bit for me-perhaps to many info dumps, to much action without substance, and that the characters didn’t seem real enough. After a while I just felt like a ghoul following the words and walk of the story and characters, my sense of wonder being crushed like some poor beatle. I don’t know-it wasn’t terrible and I can see some of the universal themes present in the concluding talks, but this story didn’t quiet do it for me either.
“The Daisy” moves us back to the realm of historical speculative fiction a sword swing away from magic-there isn’t a single fizzling spell in this piece which is fine with me. It’s a fast action pirate story about Sir Francis Drake as a lad highlighting his first encounter with danger. Well written, in particular I loved the amputation scene. I felt like I was there during the surgery!
“When Your Only Tools a Hamer”, though a good story, is a story that challenged me a bit-it’s not straightforward. It starts as what you’d assume is a formulaic sword & sorcery piece but keeps evolving, changing into a different sort of story. If you miss a paragraph here or there you will become quickly confused-at least I did, so I ended up having to reread much of it. That said, it was overall enjoyable with a couple good bits of humor and philosophy thrown in and an interesting strong character and tone.
“The Temple of the Ghost Tiger” seems to have vague Arabian Nights vibes with its talk of djinn, monkeys, and jewel like princesses; added to that is also the age old motif of a man seeking to rise above his station, be that a monkey into a man or a merchant’s son into the husband of a princess. Overall the tone is fun and the monkey’s voice is wise and sometimes sardonic entrapping an enchanting tale full of adventure and magic. It is a wonderful story which more than surpasses the author’s maxim found in his biography section-“simple stories, powerfully told.” While I’d argue that this is no minimalistic work-and I’m glad it’s not-it is beautiful and fun and indeed powerful. 5 out of 5 ghost tigers for this story alone-is gladly read more of this authors work. What a fun tale!
I really hope this magazine succeeds and there will be a second volume. Can’t wait to read it!
February 4, 2024
Rakehell
Swashbuckling Adventure Magazine
Issue # 1
Edited by Nathaniel Webb
Cover art by Elena Nedeleva
2022
To me, the word Rakehell conjures images of swashbuckling derring-do and perhaps a little illicit romance. Historically a rakehell was a man who habituated immoral conduct. Particularly womanizing. Typically, a man who wasted his money on games of chance, women, distilled spirits, and song. All the while incurring enormous debts. Exactly the kind of character I want to live vicariously through in print.
I am quite taken with the painting by Elena Nedeleva featured on the cover. It certainly illustrates the time period, and she is definitely a beauty that any cad would certainly fight over.
This issue includes six stories of varied interest and relevance to the title. The first, The Mortuary Sword by H. R. Laurence, the fourth, The Daisy by T. K. Howell and the last, Temple of the Ghost Tiger by Dariel R. A. Quiogue all strike the mark dead on. The second, The Trans-Pacific Railway by Mar Vincent is compelling with its imaginative setting and steam punk trappings but doesn't quite win me over. The third, Fool's Errand in Amberford by Lawrence Harding and the fifth, When Your Only Tool's a Hammer by J. B. Toner both seemed out of place. Fool's Errand has a horror vibe with an unexpected ending. And Toner's Hammer story is a very short S&S style story about a barbarian who gets to the root of the problem. Neither really seemed to fit.
Rakehell magazine appears to be a one off. Perhaps it was soft sales? Perhaps it was the busy schedule of Nathaniel Webb? The sister magazine, Wyngraf, seems to be chugging right along. In today's digital market I imagine that it is exceedingly difficult to stand out.
Swashbuckling Adventure Magazine
Issue # 1
Edited by Nathaniel Webb
Cover art by Elena Nedeleva
2022
To me, the word Rakehell conjures images of swashbuckling derring-do and perhaps a little illicit romance. Historically a rakehell was a man who habituated immoral conduct. Particularly womanizing. Typically, a man who wasted his money on games of chance, women, distilled spirits, and song. All the while incurring enormous debts. Exactly the kind of character I want to live vicariously through in print.
I am quite taken with the painting by Elena Nedeleva featured on the cover. It certainly illustrates the time period, and she is definitely a beauty that any cad would certainly fight over.
This issue includes six stories of varied interest and relevance to the title. The first, The Mortuary Sword by H. R. Laurence, the fourth, The Daisy by T. K. Howell and the last, Temple of the Ghost Tiger by Dariel R. A. Quiogue all strike the mark dead on. The second, The Trans-Pacific Railway by Mar Vincent is compelling with its imaginative setting and steam punk trappings but doesn't quite win me over. The third, Fool's Errand in Amberford by Lawrence Harding and the fifth, When Your Only Tool's a Hammer by J. B. Toner both seemed out of place. Fool's Errand has a horror vibe with an unexpected ending. And Toner's Hammer story is a very short S&S style story about a barbarian who gets to the root of the problem. Neither really seemed to fit.
Rakehell magazine appears to be a one off. Perhaps it was soft sales? Perhaps it was the busy schedule of Nathaniel Webb? The sister magazine, Wyngraf, seems to be chugging right along. In today's digital market I imagine that it is exceedingly difficult to stand out.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews