Terra Incognita: Lost Worlds of Fantasy and Adventure in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

May 02, 2022 Richard rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery, dmr-books, anthologies

Gas prices may have you sticking close to home this summer, but with this new anthology from DMR Books you can take a trip without leaving the house. Venture into seven distinctly different worlds imagined by some of the best authors working in the field today.

The cover art reminds me of something I would have seen on the shelf of the video store back in the mid 80s. Very nostalgic. The artist is none other than Lauren Gornik, whose art has also graced such DMR releases as Manly Wade Wellman's C ...more

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Jan 15, 2025 Jason Ray Carney rated it it was amazing

This anthology is excellent--every story delivers. It begins with “Shadow of the Serpent” by David C. Smith, a brutal and compelling tale of revolution, violence, sorcery, and vengeance. It’s an intense opening that sets the tone for the anthology.

Next is Adrian Cole’s “The Place of Unutterable Names,” a cosmic horror gateway fantasy that immediately brought to mind Clark Ashton Smith’s “City of the Singing Flame.” This story blends unease and wonder seamlessly.

S.E. Lindberg’s “One Hive, Two Que This anthology is excellent--every story delivers. It begins with “Shadow of the Serpent” by David C. Smith, a brutal and compelling tale of revolution, violence, sorcery, and vengeance. It’s an intense opening that sets the tone for the anthology.

Next is Adrian Cole’s “The Place of Unutterable Names,” a cosmic horror gateway fantasy that immediately brought to mind Clark Ashton Smith’s “City of the Singing Flame.” This story blends unease and wonder seamlessly.

S.E. Lindberg’s “One Hive, Two Queens” follows, a beautifully crafted, lushly written tale about a golem goddess and the flaming of her molten heart. The prose is rich and vivid--phantasmagoric, almost overwhelmingly strange, like plucked sitar mixed with weird synth warbling layered with distorted sampling of mating lyrebirds.

J. Thomas Howard’s “The Siege of Fire” offers a gripping gateway sword and sorcery adventure, where a modern protagonist finds himself battling Fomorians in ancient Ireland. It’s a fascinating blend of time periods and mythologies and reminded me, albeit vaguely, of Thomas Covenant.

Milton Davis’ “Warriors of Mogai” brings an African-themed sword and soul story to the collection, filled with mythological and quest-driven elements. It’s refreshing and bold, adding psychological depth to the anthology. Someone could read this through a Jungian lens and find some cool stuff lurking beneath the surface.

John C. Hocking’s “Necropolis Gemstone” has a wonderfully lost-world feel, balanced with classic fantasy adventure. The monster haunting the tale should have been a sympathetic Harryhausen creation. The story’s characters have depth and the headlong pacing keep the reader hooked.

The anthology concludes with Howard Andrew Jones’ tale, a Hanuvar story that is atmospheric, tense, and a slow-building blend of quiet fantasy and creeping horror. It’s a fitting and memorable finale to the collection. I love Howard's writing. Obviously this is influenced by the Doomed Demeter.

I truly loved this anthology and found every story engaging. There wasn’t a single miss for me, and it’s hard to even pick a favorite--picking one would be like choosing pizza, wings, or beer. It can't be done.

More readers should discover this gem (or pouch of gems, I should say). If not for the challenges of the sword and sorcery niche (too many writers, not enough readers), this collection could have / should have garnered an achievement award. ...more

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May 02, 2022 Clint rated it it was amazing

Shelves: anthologies-and-zines, fantasy, sword-sorcery, ebook, 2022

The last book I reviewed, published by DMR, was Renegade Swords III. In that review, I mentioned that some books highlight the classic writers of sword & sorcery fiction, and others bring new writers of the genre to the forefront. Renegade Swords III fell into the first category; Terra Incognita: Lost Worlds of Fantasy and Adventure, is solidly in the second.

Emphasis on the word “SOLID”. I will say this upfront, over the past two years, I devoured every DMR book I could lay hands and eyeballs up The last book I reviewed, published by DMR, was Renegade Swords III. In that review, I mentioned that some books highlight the classic writers of sword & sorcery fiction, and others bring new writers of the genre to the forefront. Renegade Swords III fell into the first category; Terra Incognita: Lost Worlds of Fantasy and Adventure, is solidly in the second.

Emphasis on the word “SOLID”. I will say this upfront, over the past two years, I devoured every DMR book I could lay hands and eyeballs upon. I have not read them all, but I have read a strong percentage. This is my favorite DMR book so far. There are some authors that are well known to the modern sword & sorcery reader: David C. Smith, Adrian Cole, John C. Hocking and Howard Andrew Jones; and there are some names that will be, my prediction, well known: S.E. Lindberg, J. Thomas Howard and Milton Davis.

David C. Smith's opening story is set in his world of Attluma. A few decades back, Mr. Smith wrote a series of books about the hero Oron of Attluma. Recently, his Attluma stories are making a comeback with new stories. “Shadow of the Serpent” features the protagonist Akram. I first read Akram in the 1978 novel The Sorcerer’s Shadow. Rollicking great tale. I get excited every time I see David C. Smith in an anthology. I have read much of his newer, and older, work in the past two years and have enjoyed each read.

“The Place of the Unutterable Names” by Adrian Cole feels like a homage to H.P. Lovecraft with its plot device of a discovered notebook. Clues are followed and a gruesome demise is discovered. That may seem slightly spoiler-ish; to some extent, the statement is, but it is a fun, almost, pastiche of a story.

“One Hive Two Queens” by S.E. Lindberg is a story of two sisters. I have read one other story by S.E. Lindberg in the online magazine Whetstone. Lindberg has created his own unique world that is a blend of Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. The two stories I have read by him are convincingly good. I will seek out more of his writing. In mention, Mr. Lindberg is a sometimes contributor to Black Gate. His fiction is as well done as his non-fiction.

“Siege of Fire” by J. Thomas Howard is a Burroughs inspired story of a modern age man transported to another, more primitive world. It was a fun read. I have encountered Mr. Howard in Whetstone before. I will seek out more by him as well.

“Warriors of Mogol” by Milton Davis. Milton Davis is an author I am peripherally familiar with and I am grateful I received the chance to sample his writing. Mogol is a story of a young hunter set upon a mission to rescue his people. It meanders a bit in an episodic way. My favorite part was his confrontation with his older, bully of a brother.

“Necropolis Gem Stone” by John C. Hocking. I first encountered JCH with his Tornan (Conan novels published by Tor Books) novel Conan and the Emerald Lotus; since then, I have been enjoying his Benhus stories in Tales From the Magician’s Skull. Hocking’s Benhus stories have appeared off and on, mostly on, from issue #1 forward. They are always a favorite of mine, and I look forward to them. “Necropolis” does not feature Benhus, but it is in the same world. I enjoyed reading a tale from Hocking’s world that does not feature his usual character.

“From the Darkness Beneath” by Howard Andrew Jones finishes the volume and it finishes it with a dazzling last shot fireworks display. “Darkness Beneath” is another crossover usual from Tales from the Magician’s Skull from the editor of said magazine. This is a Hanuvar tale and an interesting one with a nice twist on common folklore. I am thrilled to see crossover between Tales from the Magician’s Skull and DMR books, not to mention at least two authors formally featured in Whetstone.

Too often, I see the question on social media platforms, “are there any authors producing stories like the sword and sorcery tales of old”? The answer is resoundingly YES! However, not enough folks know where to look. DMR books is one of the first three stops I recommend to them on their journey, and I would position Terra Incognita as a fine place to get a fantastic sampling of newer authors, and older treasured authors that are still putting out the stories I crave.

Bluntly: if you enjoy sword and sorcery and want more of it, buy this book and enjoy. ...more

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May 22, 2022 S.E. Lindberg added it · (Review from the author)

Shelves: reviewed-by-se, weird-fiction, sword-and-sorcery, dyscrasia-fiction

This post also available on: https://www.selindberg.com/2022/05/te...

Since I am a contributing author, I will bypass any rating and just provide a perspective that readers may appreciate.

Readers of Black Gate will be familiar with D.M. Ritzlin (champion of DMR books) and Doug Draa (editor of Weirdbook Magazine and Startling Stories). For this, they gathered seven authors, including many Black Gate veterans (contributors or featured in the articles): David C. Smith, Adrian Cole, S.E. Lindberg, J. ...more

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Jul 05, 2023 Jason Waltz rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, anthologies, fantastical

Lived up to its description of lost worlds. David C. Smith opened it strongly and John C. Hocking and Howard Andrew Jones resoundingly closed it with a clash of swords. Jones writes an especially exciting tale filled with danger, mortal and sorcerous, and violent battle. A great conclusion!

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Oct 09, 2022 Jim Kuenzli rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

Excellent! Call it Terra Incognita, lands of fantasy and adventure, sword & sorcery, fantasy, heroic fantasy, dark fantasy, and everything in between! Seven authors present seven great short stories. DMR is knocking it out of the park.

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