Poll

I'd highly recommend Paula Guran's Swords Against Darkness if you want a nice mix of classic & newer stuff. Myself, I'm leaning towards The Book of Swords if I want something new, and/or maybe Kingdoms of Sorcery/Realms Of Wizardry for the old school.

Joseph wrote: "I'd highly recommend Paula Guran's Swords Against Darkness if you want a nice mix of classic & newer stuff. Myself, I'm leaning towards [book:The Book of Swords|2791..."

Great suggestions. All added to the poll!

Hopefully, the first volume of "Tales From the Magician’s Skull" will be shipped to backers and could probably fit in the group read...

Periklis wrote: "Hopefully, the first volume of "Tales From the Magician’s Skull" will be shipped to backers and could probably fit in the group read..."

Agreed! Kickstarter has a July 2018 delivery date for the print copy...but the electronic version is indeed January.

I could also go back to my collection of Black Gate back issues ...

Intrigued about reading some Warhammer but I have so much other stuff to read! The last Warhammer novel I read was Witch Hunter and that was years ago!

Wow, what a great set of options, it's difficult to vote! I had planned to donate e-copies of CHALLENGE! DISCOVERY when this annual anthology read began, but that might not even be enough against the stellar competition!

Jason M wrote: "Wow, what a great set of options, it's difficult to vote! I had planned to donate e-copies of CHALLENGE! DISCOVERY when this annual anthology read began, but that might not even be enough against t..."

To be clear: this poll is not a competition to select a choice for all... it is a fun means to publicize the book you suggest OR the book you plan to read. Any/all anthologies welcome.

Donated anthologies welcome too...lol

It was a tough call - Echoes of Valour vs Swords Against Darkness but I have to go with Karl Edward Wagner. I think one of these anthologies includes his short story with Kane and Michael Moorcock's Elric.

As per email.... the banner will be designed from covers on this "poll"

So, I'm new. I don't know what's going on. I don't have any of these books, so I don't know which one to pick.

Fee wrote: "So, I'm new. I don't know what's going on. I don't have any of these books, so I don't know which one to pick."

Well in general when it comes to Sword and sorcery there are two things:
1. You CAN judge a book by its original cover art - Look for Frank Frazetta or Peter Andrew Jones
2. Go for something published before 1990

Fee wrote: "So, I'm new. I don't know what's going on. I don't have any of these books, so I don't know which one to pick."

Fee! no worries. We have group reads every two months. They are themed based typically. Every Jan-Feb we read anthologies, since the S&S genre came from short stories. You can participate by reading ANY Sword and Sorcery anthology (includes many magazines). We are using this poll as means to declare the book you may read...and allow everyone to see who-is-reading-what in the event multiple people want to select the same book.

If you want to share the anthology you plan to read...you can "write-in"' the option instead of selecting the pre-existing ones

I'm tossing my lot in with KEW this time. I've had ECHOES I & II for awhile, 'bout time I read 'em... still looking for III.

And if anyone wants to read CHALLENGE! DISCOVERY, I'll still send along an e-version, only cost is a review promise.

Huh. . . looks at shelves. . . all my S&S with multiple short stories are collections, not anthologies.

Mary wrote: "Huh. . . looks at shelves. . . all my S&S with multiple short stories are collections, not anthologies."

I don't think anyone would complain too mightily if you went with a collection instead of an anthology ...

I would strongly recommend Heroes in the Wind: From Kull to Conan: The Best of Robert E. Howard (Penguin Modern Classics), exactly what it says on the covers.

Crap.. I screwed up on my vote. I tried to get the book cover in there but messed that part up. Can someone to fix it? I wanted to vote for The Sword & Sorcery Anthology

The write-ins don't get covers. It's a feature of the poll, since he didn't do a book poll.

Jon wrote: "Crap.. I screwed up on my vote. I tried to get the book cover in there but messed that part up. Can someone to fix it? I wanted to vote for [book:T..."

That was another great one.

David wrote: "Well in general when it comes to Sword and sorcery there are two things:
1. You CAN judge a book by its original cover art - Look for Frank Frazetta or Peter Andrew Jones
2. Go for something published before 1990."

Only in general. if you stuck to before 1990, you would skip over -- hmm -- Treachery And Spells, which I published within the last couple of years. 0:)

OK, I tried to convert all write-ins into Book covers + links (moderators have super powers sometimes).

Jon wrote: "Crap.. I screwed up on my vote. I tried to get the book cover in there but messed that part up. Can someone to fix it? I wanted to vote for [book:T..."

fixed, I think

Mary wrote: "Huh. . . looks at shelves. . . all my S&S with multiple short stories are collections, not anthologies."

At Mary? No anthology? Well, you are allowed to create a virtual one. Just read one story each from several collections and report back.

Or, try out some of the e-Zines online! Many have sets of ~3 stories per "issue"