S.E.’s Comments (group member since Nov 01, 2012)

S.E.’s comments from the Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" group.

Skaith groupread? Poll about to go up

Just heard via a post by Steve Dilks on Facebook that C. Dean Andersson passed away this month.

Christopher Fulbright announced it on Realms of the Night:
http://realmsofnight.com/2021/07/06/r...

More to come on this (a possible tribute group-read of the Bloodsong/Hel trilogy too.).

I interviewed him in 2014, and his website has featured it ever since.
Terry Ervin II also had a featured interview there.
https://cdeanandersson.com/

I'm targeting a reposting of my 2014 interview on Black Gate soon with some added context.



For now, let us modify his warcry in his honor: "Andersson, Bloodsong and Freedom!"

Thanks to Richard and Clint, Prehistoric Adventures has some thoughtful reviews. Nice.

Check out this interview on the literary qualities of S&S.

THE AESTHETICS OF SWORD & SORCERY: AN INTERVIEW WITH PHILIP EMERY (on Black Gate)

Are you haunted, perhaps obsessed, with Sword & Sorcery? Let us consider the case of Philip Emery (whose condition resembles the afflictions/abilities of Lovecraft’s Charles Dexter Ward and Richard Upton Pickman). Emery’s passion for expanding S&S is a wonderful journey, and his work is worth studying as well as reading for pleasure.

Looking at everyone's choices....DMR really has a nice line-up.

I'm three stories (of the 11) into Fultz' Worlds Beyond Worlds: The Short Fiction of John R. Fultz.

This is a neat mix of (a) Dunsanian weird world-building/narrative with (b) urgen paced action. Refreshing S&S.

Oliver wrote: "I loved the classic Roy Thomas Conan comics as a kid, then wandered off the reserve until two years ago when I got back into sword & sorcery with a vengeance. I've been devouring S&S / Appendix N b..."

@Oliver. I love the portraits of your heroine!

@Matthew, welcome to a bunch of like-minded readers/authors.

Hi Phil! Your blue collar hero comparison is really interesting.

I justed started Fultz's Worlds Beyond Worlds.

Hi Mick. Welcome. Congrats on the debut. You're among many other aspiring & published authors and readers.

I moved your comment into the promotional area.

We have a continuing thread for introductions you may want to chime in on.

Check out our intro documents to help you navigate the site:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Martin wrote: "I have a story in one of the Parallel Universe anthologies. Would it be remiss of me to mention my own books?" Please do, Martin!

Lot's of ideas. Just off the cuff, I drop some. I trust others will chime in,

Have you checked out DMR books or Pulp Hero Press or Rogue Blade offerings?
-https://dmrbooks.com/print-books
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_He...
-https://rogue-blades.com/rbf/

Most of the members here are authors, though most of us don't promote ourselves well since that seems taboo. I'll name a couple of folks that I happen to be a big fan of... Charles Gramlich and Joe Bonadonna, David C. Smith too. Scott Oden's Grimnir series is a great Norse inspired S&S series. Ted Rypel's Gonji books infuse Oriental with European S&S.

Anyway, I hope members feel welcome to post a short blurb on their own work.

If you like sorcery over swords (weird but still S&S..that seem to push the genre into horror), you may enjoy Jason Ray Carney's Rakefire or Phil Emery's Shadow Cycles. Or maybe Hypocampus Press (they recently published "A Sorcerer of Atlantis by John Shirley"). I've three novels in my Dyscrasia Fiction series that are on the weirder side of S&S. I just read BJ Swann's Crimson Crown, which was extremely intense, but did push the genre with good storytelling while making me uncomfortable.

Of course, there are magazines (beyond Tales from the Magician's Skull) too:
-Whetstone
-Weirdbook
-S&S Magazine
-Grimdark Magazine
-Heroic Fantasy Quarterly
-Beyond Ceaseless Skies

Various anthologies too...
I'm thinking of a few by Parallel Universe Publications...that have two recent volumes of S&S.
http://paralleluniversepublications.b...

Other ideas, folks?
I know I am missing a lot.

Kickstarter opens today, JULY 1st

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...


ABOUT ISSUE 4
In Swords and Shadows you'll venture into an ancient world of mythology and legend!

STORIES

• Four heroic fantasy sword and sorcery tales of seductive swordsman and barbarian babes, of mystery, wonder, danger, horror, love and adventure including:

• First tale in a new series by classic fantasy author, Adrian Cole:

The Burning Blade

Dark magic, alien horrors, and a mysterious hero wielding a weapon of dread legend that may be humanity's last hope! The kind of exciting imaginative new fiction that you can expect from classic sword and sorcery author, Adrian Cole.

• A new Rogues of Merth: The Adventures of Dareon and Blue story:

For those of you who have thrilled to Dareon's and Blue's adventures either in Book 1 or in the audiodrama versions of the stories on Literary Wonder & Adventure Show, issue 4 will premiere a new adventure as text...

And Audiodrama!

The Vale of Silent Dread

When the poet swordsman, Dareon Vin, his Indari warrior comrade known as Blue, and the Khulanese dancer Malika are forced by hostile soldiers to take a detour through a shunned valley at sunset, they find an unnatural stillness and encounter something far stranger than anything they have experienced before.

Featuring the voice talents of Robert Zoltan, Kori Wilson and Allyson Rice, immersive sound effects, and a full symphonic score, The Vale of Silent Dread will transport you to a world of mystery, wonder and adventure unlike any you have experienced before.

Warhammer fans, this August 2021 be on the lookout for "Warhammer + "... a streaming service that will have animated shows, how-to-videos....access to digital archives (eBook, I think).

Cost is ~5usd a month.

Subscribers get "free" miniatures.

Some Links:

https://www.polygon.com/22547359/warh...

https://www.polygon.com/22451632/warh...

Cool. You've a whole series to read!

Thanks Richard! They get me stoked to delve in.

This July-Aug we have two 2-month Groupreads. Here are the Links:
A) DMR books - Discussion Link
B) Bard series - Discussion Link

Banner Credits:
-DMR publications represented by the cover from Worlds Beyond Worlds: The Short Fiction of John R. Fultz (author John R. Fultz, and core artist Brian LeBlanc) 2021
- Keith John Taylor's Bard series represented by 1986 cover to Bard IV: Ravens' Gathering, artist Don Maitz
,

Keith Taylors Bard Series (available in Kindle now!)

Bard
Bard 2
Bard III: The Wild Sea
Bard IV: Ravens' Gathering
Bard V: Felimid's Homecoming

The official topic that won the poll is "Fresh Meat from DMR books."

Highlighted books were Worlds Beyond Worlds: The Short Fiction of John R. Fultz and The Chronicles of Caylen-Tor Volume II.



But...any DMR book is worth discussing. Check out their releases:
DMR book releases

Ohh...while you are there. Check out the awesome blog.
DMR Blog

The King Must Fall - Anthology"Link to Kickstater, brought to you by Adrian Collins, the editor in chief of Grimdark Magazine
This project will only be funded if it reaches its goal by Thu, July 15 2021 7:57 AM EDT.

BLURB:

The King Must Fall is a dark fantasy anthology featuring 14+ authors writing about rogues, assassins, mages, blackguards, and warriors on quests to kill their kings, rulers, and leaders. We’ll be offering ebook, hardcover, numbered signed edition hardcovers, and a leatherbound signed lettered edition.

Wrapped in Felix Ortiz’s beautiful cover art, designed by the legendary Shawn King, and with a stretch goal to fill it with Carlos Diaz’s interior art, The King Must Fall will be a gripping read and an eye-catching addition to your bookshelf.


We have an epic line-up of authors from epic, dark, and grimdark fantasy whose list of awards, best-sellers, and accolades is as long as your polearm:

Bradley P. Beaulieu (The Song of the Shattered Sands, The Lays of Anuskaya)
Kameron Hurley (The God’s War Trilogy, Worldbreaker Saga)
Michael R Fletcher (Manifest Delusions, Black Stone Heart)
Anna Smith Spark (Empires of Dust)
Shawn Speakman (The Annwn Cycles, Unfettered)
Daniel Polansky (Low Town, Those Above)
Devin Madson (The Reborn Empire)
Adrian Tchaikovsky (Shadows of the Apt, Children of Time)
Anthony Ryan (Raven’s Shadow, The Draconis Memoria)
Lee Murray (Into the Mist, Hounds of the Underworld)
Jeremy Szal (The Common)
Justin Call (The Silent Gods)
Trudi Canavan (The Black Magician, Age of the Five)
Peter Orullian (The Vault of Heaven, The Astonishing)

Robert Zoltan's Sexy Fantastic magazine has an urgent call for S&S stories. It's for a Kickstarter run coming soon for Issue #4: Swords & Shadows
Link to info on KS for #4


From a message from the editor: "We still need at least one more great story for Swords and Shadows. .... please send to editor@sexyfantasticmagazine.com. Deadline is July 1st."