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

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

Joseph wrote: "After a couple of non-S&S offerings (Obsidian and Blood by Aliette de Bodard, which I'd recommend, and The Witch's Head by H. Rider Haggard, which was pretty meh), I just started Stealer of Flesh, ..."

A great read. Wiliam King explains his love for the genre and Kormak's genesis in: Author’s Notes: Stealer of Flesh. Also a short Kormak story, Guardian of the Dawn, is available for free.

"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 a dying order sworn to protect humanity from the servants of the gathering darkness."

Howard Andrew Jones' Desert of Souls will be available for £1.00. Read more on the official announcement, along with a very nice series introduction from the publisher:

" My British publisher, Head of Zeus, is offering the book for one pound through January 7th![...] Also, Head of Zeus has cooked up a pretty nifty series introduction for The Chronicles of Sand and Sword. I like it so much I wish I’d thought of it[...] "

Jake wrote: "I'd never played the Witcher, and by chance it was on sale at Steam the other day for $9.99 -- so I bought it. It is fun, the best parts of the game are the 'romantic interludes.' My wife is pissed..."

I've actually only tried a demo of the first Witcher game and from the intro video seemed more action-oriented than the book. The collection of stories felt more like a deconstruction of epic fantasy tropes than an action pack, witch hunter tale. And the romance wasn't that explicit either (lol!).

Unless I find an affordable copy of Return of the Sword, I'll choose something between Thieves' World #1 and Heroic Fantasy, or continue with the next SAD volume, Swords Against Darkness IV.

"What is most daunting about writing such a tale is how many open avenues are available. I’m currently following the intended game story about the return of the ultimate dragon slayer known to the Nords as the Dragonborn. That is not the intended path for the character Strumbul War-Proud. He will break from that path eventually."

I've been playing Skyrim for more than a year (reached level 55 yesterday), without adding any expansion packs (PS3 players have to wait), and there is always more things to discover. It is a completely immersive experience. I'm really curious how Strumbul War-Proud's story will develop once he becomes entangled in the main storyline. I think the latest expansion requires to finish that in order to activate it.

I think MORROWIND has the best story of the Elder Scrolls series. Oblivion and Skyrim have good stories (and certainly better gameplay dynamics - fast travel was a boon), but the story of the Nerevarine was one of the best stories I have seen in a computer game."

I haven't played Morrowind, although the Nerevarine storyline seems to have many things in common with the Dovahkin (main) storyline in Skyrim. Here is a stream link that shows the Skyrim enhanced Morrowind from the latest expansion.

"I also enjoyed the original books (at least, the two translated into English so far), which I think are already on the bookshelf -- The Last Wish and Blood of Elves. "

I've read the first Witcher book (and liked it) but haven't played the games. There was also a nice (if low-budget) Tv series adaptation.

Janrae wrote: "I am a published author. My first professional sale was to the DAW anthology Amazons which came out in '79. I currently have three series out in ebook from Daverana Enterprises: Lycan Blood, Journe..."

Thank you for joining us!
I'm looking forward to reading In the Darkness, Hunting, which has been added on the group's Bookshelf for quite some time now. Please, feel free to discuss your work in the group.

K.V. wrote: "That's an interesting definition of sword and sorcery, "... live by their wits and weapon skills in deadly lands". I like it. I've always found the categorization a bit confusing once things start ..."

I really like the metaphor of "nucleus" and "electrons". There are also very interesting sub-categories (or self-definitions) of the genre, like Sword and Soul and Sabrepunk.

Teresa wrote: "Miserere: An Autumn Tale is dark fantasy with an edge. Author Ilona Andrews says that "Miserere reads like Ladyhawke had a baby in purgatory and Meljean Brook delivered it."

I can't do any better ..."

That's a very intriguing quote. I also noticed an interesting contest on your blog, regarding genre preconceptions in literature:

"Tell us, based on the prose, whether the scene was written by a man or a woman. At the end, I want to tabulate the results and see if readers can really tell the difference. If you want to, you may say why you feel a particular scene was written by a man or woman, but you don't have to."

And the prize:

"You have a chance to win free books. [...] Currently, I have six authors who are committed to this project and a few more that will get me their samples after the holidays. I will throw in a copy of Miserere, so the grand prize winner will be eligible to win at least seven books at this time. [...] The contest is open internationally."

K.V. wrote: "Thanks, Periklis, for the invitation. I guess like a lot of the people on here I'm more an occasional dropper-by than a regular on Goodreads, but I try to wander in once a month or so. By way of in..."

Thank you for joining us!
I discovered Blackdog from an SF Signal podcast dedicated to Sword & Sorcery. I'm looking forward to reading your work, which you are more than welcome to discuss in the group.

Jason wrote: "Periklis wrote: "I really liked The Duelist. There is a new story up today: The Renunciation of the Crimes of Gharad the Undying"

Hello Periklis. Thanks for taking the time to read The Duelist, an..."

I'm hoping for a print version too. Either that or a print version of Black Gate magazine...
Looking forward to read more of your stories!

Author William King, invited Howard Andrew Jones for a guest post on his website:

"What do I like about sword-and-sorcery? There are protagonists who must live by their wit and weapons skills in deadly lands, beset by schemers and intriguers."

He writes about early influences (like Appendix N), contemporary S&S writers and his passion about Sword-and-Sorcery.

I wonder if there is a (full) digital archive for Flashing Swords Magazine somewhere over the net...

I really liked The Duelist. There is a new story up today: The Renunciation of the Crimes of Gharad the Undying

Anne wrote: "Thanks, Periklis! I'm just adding mine to the promo thread, since I have another book out this Tuesday :)"

Thanks for posting!
Two days away from a UK release and here's the promo thread. I also noticed a very handy recap of the first novel on your website.

Anne wrote: "I'm not actually reading anything at the moment as I'm on a tight deadline, but next up on my Kobo ereader is "Red Seas Under Red Skies" by Scott Lynch - I bought it for my previous ereader ages ag..."

With The Bones of the Old Ones and Red Seas Under Red Skies , seems it's a Sword-and-Sorcery Duos themed month for most of us here. As I've already enjoyed Dabir & Asim's latest adventure, I'll go back to the The First Book of Lankhmar omnibus.
Anne, DRM can be REALLY annoying. I'm trying Kindle for PC but I don't plan on investing on a device... :(

Anne wrote: "Hi I'm Anne - I was invited here by Periklis, and like Teresa I'm more of a lurker on Goodreads than a regular participant, owing to limited time - deadlines looming and all that!

I'm not sure whi..."

Hello and thank you for joining us!
Although I have yet to read The Alchemist of Souls, I have added it on the Historical Fantasy Shelf on the group's Bookshelf.

Jake wrote: "Periklis wrote: "I'd love to. Are there any key points you'd like for me to highlight, or are you seeking a general overview of gamer-blogging/S+S style? "

That's great. Write whatever feels more relevant to you and anyone interested could discuss this under your post. Thanks!

[this is the introdustory post but you can start a new one (here) if you feel you need to take this more in your direction.]

David C. Smith is also re-releasing ten of his books on Wildside Press.

An interview between Charles Saunders and Balogun Ojetade, about "Steamfunk, Sword & Soul and Racism in Role-Playing".

[via The Swords & Sorcery League and Wagadu - The Home of Sword and Soul]

Also read, Balogun's, Sword & Soul, short story: The Hand of Sa-Seti.

Jake wrote: "Hi everyone,

I write Dark Fantasy and I'm the author of two novels published through Damnation Books, The Wrong Way Down and Crossing Mother's Grave. I live in the Portland area, the West Coast ca..."

Welcome Jake, thank you for joining us. Apart from your books, I noticed your Skyrim fiction blog. I'm truly enjoying your take on the game. Would you like to discuss Skyrim as Sword-and-Sorcery/Dark Fantasy on the post here?

"I hit my head against the wooden side rail as the wagon wheel bounced over a rock. Hitting my head didn’t hurt nearly as bad as when I opened my eyes. Like needles palmed into my eyes, my brain hurt from the light. I squeezed my eyelids shut and as the searing light burned away, so did the pain."

So begins Jale Elliot's Skyrim-fiction. He mentions on his blog that: "The Skyrim game is a platform. It is the story template. I will exaggerate, simplify, re-route, re-word, and reanimate the base story to make it a little fresher than what we already know..
Lou Anders (co-editor of Swords & Dark Magic), voiced his enthusiasm of Skyrim. Also, Charles Gramlich (author of the Talera series), writes about his immersion in Skyrim, on his blog.

As a big fan of Skyrim I agree with the notion that it is great Sword & Sorcery, in a medium where goal-achievement can get ahead of story & atmosphere. It also makes for a great first-person narrative, where every player's choices form an (almost) unique narrative. That's what, probably, makes Elliot's gameplay adaptation so interesting to read...