Swords Against Darkness V

Swords Against Darkness #5

by Andrew J. Offutt (Editor), Ramsey Campbell (Contributor), Tanith Lee (Contributor)

Foreword to the Fifth Volume of Swords Against Darkness by Andrew J. Offutt
The Mouths of Light by Ramsey Campbell
Perfidious Amber by Tanith Lee
Awake, Awake, Ye Northern Winds by Simon R. Green
Rats by Robert Fester
The Forging by Robin Kincaid
Hungry Grass by Keith Taylor
The Tale of the Cat, the Mouse, the Sorcerer, and the Children by Edward DeGeorge
Golden Vanity by James Arthur Anderson
The Castle of Kites and Crows by Darrell Schweitzer
The Scream of the Rose by Paul McGuire
Joni by Gordon Linzner
Druin's Heritage by Richard K. Lyon

Genres: Fantasy, Anthologies, Sword and Sorcery

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1979

About the author

Andrew Jefferson Offutt was an American science fiction and fantasy author. He wrote as Andrew J. Offutt, A.J. Offutt, and Andy Offut. His normal byline, andrew j. offutt, had his name in all lower-case letters. His son is the author Chris Offutt.

Offutt began publishing in 1954 with the story And Gone Tomorrow in If. Despite this early sale, he didn't consider his professional life to have begun until he sold the story Blacksword to Galaxy in 1959. His first novel was Evil Is Live Spelled Backwards in 1970.

Offutt published numerous novels and short stories, including many in the Thieves World series edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey, which featured his best known character, the thief Hanse, also known as Shadowspawn (and, later, Chance). His Iron Lords series likewise was popular. He also wrote two series of books based on characters by Robert E. Howard, one on Howard's best known character, Conan, and one on a lesser known character, Cormac mac Art.

As an editor Offutt produced a series of five anthologies entitled Swords Against Darkness, which included the first professional sale by Charles de Lint.

Offutt also wrote a large number of pornographic works under twelve different pseudonyms, not all of them identified. Those known include John Cleve, J.X. Williams, and Jeff Douglas. His main works in this area are the science fiction Spaceways series, most of whose volumes were written in collaboration, and the historical Crusader series.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final volume of swords & sorcery stories that offutt edited. It's similar in feel to the fourth volume; I believe they were assembled concurrently. The stories range further afield into the fantasy genres than the earlier books; the definitions of the sword & sorcery sub-genre were starting to blur, and fantasy (heroic and otherwise) was becoming much more prevalent on the bookstore shelves and, indeed, on the bestseller lists. While remembered primarily as a writer, it's important to remember that offutt proved his excellence as an editor with the five SAD volumes. (Unfortunate acronym, eh?) This volume is notable for containing the first professional sale of Simon Green, who contributed a good pirate tale. (In the volume immediately preceding this one, offutt included Charles de Lint's first story.) My favorites were stories by Tanith Lee and Ramsey Campbell.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly weaker than the earlier volumes, but Ramsey Campbell returns with a great story.

[Jerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remember, O Man, when you make joyful celebration, in the darkness outside the bright circle of thy happiness there are wolves watching thee with hungry eyes.

It isn’t surprising there was never a Swords Against Darkness VI; there wasn’t really a Swords Against Darkness V. Even among the best of the stories here, there’s often a twist at the end that turns the story from “swords” (loosely defined) against some dark evil, to “life just sucks, everyone’s evil, and why bother?”

Richard K. Lyon’s “Druin’s Heritage” starts interestingly, although the swordplay is all offscreen, but by the end of the story everything that made Druin unique and interesting has been generalized and discarded. His heritage has practically no bearing on the ending of the story.

Robert Fester’s “Rats” is a cheap Jirel knockoff, with all of the brooding but none of the mystery.

On the upper end, Gordon Linzner’s “Joni” is a fascinating tale of swords, though very loosely defined, against darkness, and if the twist was foreseeable the way it happened was not.

Paul McGuire’s “The Scream of the Rose” was an intricate tale where the protagonists have little choice in their actions, bound by a strict sense of honor. But the only darkness is Japanese culture, and no one raises swords, metaphorical or not, against it.

Simon Green’s “Awake, Awake, Ye Northern Winds” is both among the best stories and among the closest to the supposed theme of the anthology. We are treated to pirates, undead, and lost treasures in an abandoned city, and Green makes full use of this exciting combination. It’s one of the few saving graces of an anthology that has repudiated its theme while giving it lip service in the introduction.

This is a far cry from the first anthology, and I’m a little worried about the ones in between. Nothing in here matches the quote I used for the opening of that review, “No man was alone and friendless if he had a proper sword.”

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any set of short stories, some good, some ho-hum. The last one was enjoyable though, so ended on a strong note.

[bluetyson]

Swords Against Darkness Five by Andrew J. Offutt (1981)