Periklis’s Comments (group member since Sep 30, 2012)

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

"Guided by the Elven theives’ guild leader Sanawel, three groups attempt to commit the greatest robbery in the history of the world called “Alos”: to break into the royal vault of Draagsti, capital of the vast Human empire. Can the elf Silhouette manage the action and pull off the heist of the century?"

Having read the print version of this local, Sword & Sorcery flavoured, Graphic Novel I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a grim n' gritty take on a "heist-gone-wrong". With morally ambiguous Elves.
The art is fully-painted, by digital artist Othon Nikolaidis, a.k.a. Director 16.
Visit the Official Website for more information on the setting of Alos.

Read a preview of the first part and purchase for $0.99 (for a limited time) here .

S.E. wrote: "I will be hunting for more "Ward" soon...any suggestions?) ..."

Really enjoyed his The Last of His Kind. A wonderful genre-bending take on "Moby Dick" IMO, which I think is available on http://billwardwriter.com/publications/.
I'm hoping for a Bill Ward collection and/or novel in the immediate future...

K.V. wrote: "Nearly all the stories were episodes that could have been taken from a longer series of adventures; I think that's the nature of Sword and Sorcery..."

The episodic nature of the genre is one of its virtues I appreciate the most.
Thank you for joining the group read and more importantly, sharing your thoughts!

The latest issue of BCS looks very much S&S oriented:

Beneath Ceaseless Skies: Issue #114 - February 07, 2013

Paul wrote: "Hey everyone. I'm Paul Miller and I've been a fan of S&S since the first time my mom let me pick out library books from the adult section. Not surprisingly, I started with Robert E. Howard. I read ..."

Welcome Paul, thanks for joining us. Really enjoyed your, "The Sword of many Names". The latest Conan movie probaly didn't do much to popularise Howard's character, even to the viewers of "Dancing...".

Great news on the RBE front!
Among the superbowl news feed items storming Facebook today, there was Jason M. Waltz's announcement that the next RBE title is only ten days away:

" Good news is I just finally wrapped the interior for the first RBE title to be seeing release since 2010. That's Great News actually! Just have to finish the cover and she's golden. Expect new RBE goodness by Valentine's Day...why, there will be no better way to show your special loved one just how much you care :) "

And that the forthcoming title is going to be a non-fiction book:

"[...] you are free to share, help hold me to my word. Please note two things: This is not an anthology - this is the nonfiction how to write fantasy heroes book that's been in the works since 2010. And I'm promising print by 2/14, planning for electronic as well, but we'll see. It will follow for sure, don't worry! "

Sean wrote: "Everything seems to be all set, I paid Necropress directly through Paypal. I'll let you know when the book is received."

Good news, hope it arrives soon!

Gonji: Red Blade from the East is out and according to the official Facebook page:

"[...] Book 2 ought to appear for sale within the next few weeks. Very nice---this should mean a pretty tight release schedule for the entire re-issued series."

Here's the description of the first book, on Amazon:

"A legendary sword-and-sorcery hero returns! Gonji Sabatake, the conflicted samurai-Viking, seizes Destiny itself by the throat, as he pieces together and pursues the bizarre, mystical quest which powerful cross-world forces have forbidden--the mystery of the DEATHWIND! Cast out of his Japanese homeland, stalked by assassins both human and supernatural, Gonji surges across a barbaric, myth-infested 16th-century Europe, following the spoor of the creature called The Beast with the Soul of a Man-- But is this a wily Enemy, or an enigmatic Friend? Gonji's embattled, vampire-haunted flight brings him to the magnificent walls of Vedun, fabled and accursed city in the escarpments of the Carpathians, only to find the town vanquished and occupied by mercenaries and monsters, demons and foul sorcery, under the command of the storied, invincible King Klann. Here in Vedun begins Gonji's mighty, willful rebellion against an age-old tyranny which has held countless intertwined worlds in its thrall. This is just the first of many battles that will imperil loyal friends, comrades, and loved ones in a violent combat to restore universal free will and self-determination, to consign unchained supernatural menace to its foul curling place, to restore honor, faith and love to a world of enslavement and chaos. The adventure of Gonji's mind-boggling quest, revised and restored from its original publication, begins with RED BLADE FROM THE EAST, Book One of The Deathwind Trilogy!

Kai Meyer writes: "GONJI is the most important rediscovery of classic fantasy since CONAN. Dark, complex, and fantastically well-written.""

Gonji: Red Blade from the East is out and according to the official Facebook page, "Book 2 ought to appear for sale within the next few weeks".

I'll second any suggestion mentioned so far. I've been also following Morlock Ambrosius' adventures and although familiar with most stories in Campbell's collection, I'd follow in a group read. So, Seth's simultaneous group reads is also appealing.
I'd personally want to read more Sword & Soul books (The Trail of Bohu and Ki-Khanga: The Anthology) as well as Sword Noir books (finishing Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser and The Sword-Edged Blonde).

Janet wrote: "Periklis wrote: "Janet wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Periklis: I am the Muse of Hell (member of the Earthiest Swords & Sorcery group) and Janet Morris' editorial assistant, proofreader, copy-editor, all-r..."

Thank you for your kind words. I'm trying to do everything I can to help, as a reader/fan.

"Any chance we can create a page for the Heroes in Hell series?"

I'm, already in contact with the ever-helpful Muse of Hell and considering if the Perseid Press books in the series should be catalogued in the same, already existenting, Series Listing. So far I've made minor adjustments to the listings of the following titles:

Lawyers in Hell
Bridge Over Hell
Interview with the Devil
Rogues in Hell

Any group author that needs help in any similar matter, I'd be happy to assist.

I think it was an editor, Lou Anders or Andrew J Offut who referred to "Iliad" as heroic fantasy and "Odyssey" as Sword & Sorcery. It's interesting to think of Shakespeare in the heroic fantasy tradition. Especially, his "Tempest".

Janet wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Periklis: I am the Muse of Hell (member of the Earthiest Swords & Sorcery group) and Janet Morris' editorial assistant, proofreader, copy-editor, all-round Girl Friday and she wanted..."

You're welcome. I'd be happy to help.

Gamebooks or Choose-your-own-quest-books, are often S&S flavoured. Hamnasya - Part I: Askaryl's Grimoire is a digital App, for iPhone & iPad (to be released on Android) that promises just that:

"Askaryl’s Grimoire will take you on a thrilling adventure through the first part of the epic Hamnasya saga; a dark fantasy world created by Nicolas Lenain.
A grimoire with immense magical powers has been stolen from its guardians, the Council of Great Wise Men. You will become Edhan, a young barbarian tasked with a perilous mission to retrieve the stolen book, while avenging the death of his adoptive mother.
Edhan plays a vital part in recovering the stolen grimoire, and uncovers the truth behind an intricate plot that will change the world of Hamnasya forever. During your adventure, the truth about Edhan’s own origins can be exposed – if you survive long enough to make the right decisions."

Read more on the official Website, Facebook and watch the evocative trailer.

Phil wrote: "This is the only Morlock Ambrosius story I've read to date, but I enjoyed it a great deal. It reads a little like a spaghetti western mixed with Elric."

I have yet to read this myself, but from the first two Morlock books I've read, the shorter stories work far better than the longer ones. And "spaghetti western mixed with Elric" is a great Phil. I'd read more fiction in that definition.

"The story you are about to read features James Enge’s wondrous character, Morlock Ambrosius. Morlock is a swordsman, an exile, a hunchback, a drunk, and a wizard, though he himself would use the term “Maker” and say he is a master of the two arts, Seeing and Making. He is a modern descendant of the sword and sorcery adventurer that was birthed in the pages of Weird Tales magazine, and Enge himself has been favorably compared to Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, David Eddings, Steven Brust, and, interestingly, Raymond Chandler."

Read Traveller's Rest for free on Amazon Kindle and epub.

Read the Orks & Sorcery tale, Amarante: A Tale of Old Tharduin, and "the haunting tale of grief and revenge, set amid the splendor of Ancient Greece", Sanctuary.

Free on PDF, from Drive Thru.

Meet Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater, protagonists of the Riyria Series. Read The Viscount and the Witch for free, on Amazon Kindle.

To the world at large, he is a mercenary and assassin, a brutal killer with a deadly blade. In reality Kormak is a Guardian, one of an ancient order sworn to protect humanity from the servants of the gathering darkness.

Read the short story that introduces Kormak the Guardian, free on Amazon Kindle.

S.E. wrote: "Periklis, you rock at finding bargains. Just grabbed these. Thx!"

You're welcome Seth, hope you enjoy reading them.