Appendix N: The Eldritch Roots of Dungeons and Dragons in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Feb 14, 2021 Joseph rated it really liked it

So back in 1979, Gary Gygax wrote & published the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide.

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And in the back, between the encumbrance rules that nobody has ever used as written, and the random prostitute encounter table (did you run into a strumpet? a courtesan?), he included, as Appendix N, a list of books & authors he considered inspirational reading.

This book is a short story anthology drawn almost entirely from Appendix N authors, plus a couple that seem like they should have been in ...more

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Nov 24, 2024 Forrest rated it it was amazing

First off, thanks to Peter Bebergal, editor, who graciously sent me a review copy of this book. I've long admired Peter's work and he is definitely one of the better human beings on the planet. That said, I've been careful to keep a critical eye on the ball here.

The question to be answered is: Did the book hit its mark? Of course, the answer depends, in part, on the audience. For me, a reader, a writer, an editor, and a long-time gamer, the answer is yes, with some slight caveats. They will be r ...more

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Mar 05, 2021 Mary Catelli rated it really liked it

Shelves: appendix-n, high-fantasy, role-playing-games

A selection of works from the famous D&D Appendix N.

With some variation because, for instance, Poul Anderson was cited only in novel form, and he didn't want to do excerpts. Also drawing on his personal experience. Included a couple not on the list -- for instance, something from C.L. Moore, but nothing from Andre Norton who was on the list.

Besides its historical significance, also a sampling of sword and sorcery of the era. Tends to be bleak. ...more

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Mar 16, 2021 Clint rated it really liked it

Shelves: studies-in-fantasy, sword-sorcery, 2021, fantasy, anthologies-and-zines, dead-trees, pulp-studies, fantasy-worth-reading, sword-sorcery-group-read

Peter Bebergal is taking some flack for putting together an Appendix N anthology that isn’t exacting to the A to Z list put together by Gary Gygax. Some scream HERESY. I’m not so sure that those yelling loudest bothered to read the Introduction, in which Bebergal explained his odd choices.

Some are mad that he used the title Appendix N, which was used by Jeffro Johnson in his book Appendix N: The Literary History of Dungeons and Dragons. Johnson’s book and Bebergal’s book are apples and oranges. Peter Bebergal is taking some flack for putting together an Appendix N anthology that isn’t exacting to the A to Z list put together by Gary Gygax. Some scream HERESY. I’m not so sure that those yelling loudest bothered to read the Introduction, in which Bebergal explained his odd choices.

Some are mad that he used the title Appendix N, which was used by Jeffro Johnson in his book Appendix N: The Literary History of Dungeons and Dragons. Johnson’s book and Bebergal’s book are apples and oranges. Johnson’s is a collection of essays about the works that formed D&D; Bebergal’s is a collection of stories that inspired D&D. Besides, I’m not sure either can claim the title as their own.

Me? Meh. So it isn’t chained tightly; I don’t care so much. I like what it is: a kick-ass collection of great stories.

It has three of my favorite S&S stories: Robert E Howard’s “The Tower of the Elephant”, C.L. Moore’s “Black God’s Kiss” and Fritz Leiber’s “Jewels in the Forest”. Add to that stories by Poul Anderson, Jack Vance, Clark Ashton Smith, Michael Moorcock, Manly Wade Wellman and Lord Dunsany and I find it hard to not love this eclectic book.

All of the stories included by those authors are not new to me; however, I discovered new to me stories by other authors I have read: Ramsey Cambell, Tanith Lee and Margaret St Clair. Campbell’s “Pit of Wings” was a rousing dark tale of gruesome monsters. “A Hero at the Gates” by Lee was predictable, but clever fun. Margaret St Clair’s short entry deserves mention as a great new to me treat.

Add to that an author I have never encountered before, David Madison. His story “Tower of Darkness” was fantastic fun, and I’m sad to learn he died so young (only 27). I enjoyed this story so much, I wrote DMR books begging them to collect Madison.

The only negative things I can say: I was disappointed that the Fred Saberhagen selection was a poem. I like poetry, but I wanted a meal, not a snack. Saberhagen is an author I have always meant to get to, but have not yet. “The Doom that Came to Sarnath” by H.P. Lovecraft is not one of my favorites, I have never been a fan of his Dream Cycle stories.

Many will cry SACRILEGE!!! at the inclusion of the Frank Brunner “Sword of Dragonus” comic, but I love the hint in the Introduction that it might be a taste of Bebergal’s next collection “representative of the books and comics that came to define the D&D of my own childhood”.

I would read that book. ...more

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Jun 04, 2021 Jason Waltz rated it really liked it

Shelves: s-s, heroic, fantastical, own, keeper, reh, anthologies

Lord Dunsany's writing is simply poetic, a prose style that paints pictures and evokes emotions. Excellent concluding tale. Brunner's comic is a nice inclusion. The afterword is ridiculous, I cannot imagine it is what was sought.

Overall a nice book to have in the heroic library, though I must confess it is not the compelling compilation I anticipated. ...more

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Mar 22, 2021 Jeb Boyt rated it really liked it

An excellent collection of 20th Century fantastic fiction drawn from the list of inspirational reading in Appendix N of the first Dungeon Master's Guide. This collection prompted me to reread favorites, like Robert E. Howard's Tower of the Elephant, and gave me a chance to read a few classic tales for the first time, such as CL Moore's Black God's Kiss, featuring Jirel of Joiry, a powerfully driven character similar to many of Howards, who is sent on a journey that combines Lovecraftian terror a ...more

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Mar 26, 2025 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: appendix-n, science-fiction-fantasy, fiction

I stopped reading anthologies some time ago because I found that 80% of the stories suck, but this one is full of classics, as well as some tales that are new to me. I skipped around a little bit, having recently re-read "The Tower of the Elephant," for example, and "Black God's Kiss," but overall, I enjoyed just about every story in this book. I am a sucker for a weird tale, and this one is chock full of them. ...more

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