Tales from the Magician's Skull #1 in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Jan 05, 2018 S.E. Lindberg rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery, reviewed-by-se

"Behold! I have fashioned a magazine like those from fabled days of yore. It overflows with thrilling adventures. There are swords, and there is sorcery. There are dark deeds and daring rescues. There are lands where heroes fear to tread." - The Magician's Skull speaks on Kickstarter

Should you trust a talking skull? Well, no sane person would, but I attest this Skull does not lie. Tales from the Magician's Skull #1 spawned from a successful 2017 Kickstarter Campaign in which Howard Andrew Jones ...more

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Apr 20, 2021 Jason Ray Carney rated it it was amazing

My friends have been recommending this magazine to me ever since its Kickstarter a few years ago. I regret that I put off reading this because I mistakenly thought it was something like a *Dungeons and Dragons* or *Warhammer* anthology. While I enjoy this kind of setting-specific, game tie-in fiction, I made a huge mistake in assuming *Tales from the Magician's Skull* was this kind of fantasy. It isn't at all. Instead, *The Skull* is probably best described as a sincere and entertaining love let My friends have been recommending this magazine to me ever since its Kickstarter a few years ago. I regret that I put off reading this because I mistakenly thought it was something like a *Dungeons and Dragons* or *Warhammer* anthology. While I enjoy this kind of setting-specific, game tie-in fiction, I made a huge mistake in assuming *Tales from the Magician's Skull* was this kind of fantasy. It isn't at all. Instead, *The Skull* is probably best described as a sincere and entertaining love letter to a specific tradition of fantasy fiction that has been making a comeback recently: the "sword and sorcery" tradition (which is often connected to the famous "Appendix N" of Gary E. Gygax, i.e. the authoritative bibliography of mostly pulp works--e.g. Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, etc.--that influenced the creation of fantasy RPGs). Every element of this magazine production seems to have been thought out, from the textured paper, to the two-columned pulp text layout design, to the late-70s/early-80s high contrast black and white illustrations. Even though each story is adventure fantasy, there is a diversity of tone and style that really satisfies. The first story, "What Lies in Ice," by Chris Willrich, is a dungeon crawl about a group of adventurers raiding a sorcerer's shadowy tower. "The Guild of Silent Men," by James Enge, is a pulp fantasy murder mystery that incorporates skulduggery and dark conspiracy. "Beneath the Bay of Black Waters," by Bill Ward, takes place in a fantasy setting inspired by Chinese myth. "Crypt of Stars," by Editor Howard Andrew Jones, is a heroic tale featuring the haunted Hanuvar, a sword and sorcery version of an avenging Hannibal of Carthage (there is a historicity to this one). "There Was an Old Fat Spider," by C.L. Werner, is a Poe-esque revenge story set in a rustic hamlet haunted by murder. Finally, John C. Hocking's "The Crystal Sickle's Harvest" features a group of grave robbers plundering a sorcerer's tomb plagued by fell magical devices. All of these stories were a pleasure to read; read together, the spirit of old school fantasy RPG atmospherics rose again! The combination of great fiction, great art, and great production created... how can I put this right? ... a kind of "time-traveling hypnotic effect": reading this transported me to a warm summer night in 1991, Rush's *2112* on the turn-table, listening to the voice of my best friend describe the mossy dungeon, the darkness within, the scintillate treasure waiting, and the lurking, half-seen threats with lamplight eyes... Can't wait to read Issue 2. ...more

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Sep 30, 2018 John Meszaros rated it it was amazing

Tales From The Magician’s Skull is a magazine of sword and sorcery fiction drawing deep from the vein of classic pulps like Weird Tales and Amazing Stories. For those unfamiliar with the term, sword and sorcery is a darker, more personal brand of fantasy. In contrast to Tolkien-inspired high fantasy with its epic heroes performing feats of great magic amid world-shaking plots, Sword and Sorcery concerns heroes of often gray morality just trying to survive in a dangerous world where magic, if it ...more

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Apr 05, 2021 Jason Waltz rated it really liked it

Shelves: zine, heroic, s-s, fantastical, series, own

4 great tales, 3 okay storytellings. As a Werner and Hocking fan, it pains me to say these felt like lesser fare from both authors. Overall a great start to this new zine and a wonderful new addition to my library.

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Jul 20, 2018 Peter rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, short-story, magazine

I've been picking up a few of the newer sword & sorcery magazines and anthologies, and this one has been the best so far.

Sure, not every story is a my new favorite, but overall these are great adventure stories with great pulp sword & sorcery protagonists. While they have a old school vibe, they're not feeling outdated or overly nostaligic (I'm looking at you Cirsova). Great artwork, that reminds me of the old artwork in (A)D&D gaming books. Retro, but fresh.

My main gripe is the fact that the on ...more

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