Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" discussion

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland

Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development by K.M. Weiland

Dariel wrote: "Mary wrote: "The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History by Tonio Andrade"

How are you liking it? I've been interested..."

A related title, Dariel, which I got affordably on Kindle and can highly recommend, is Peter Lorge's The Asian Military Revolution: From Gunpowder to the Bomb.

Bryn wrote: "Dariel wrote: "Mary wrote: "The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History by Tonio Andrade"

Thanks Bryn!

Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K.M. Weiland

Raknar: The Northman by Ryan W. Aslesen

I'm revisiting some childhood favorites: The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.

Joseph wrote: "I'm revisiting some childhood favorites: The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander."

Love that series. 👍

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 8 by Waco Ioka

Tales of the Wild: Sword & Sorcery Anthology by Yazar Quin
Over 400 pages of sword swing adventure with a female hero.
Available in Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and paperback.

Finished the Prydain books (including the short story collection The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain, which I had never read back in the day) and, on a whim, started Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn, the no-longer-canonical book that started the whole Star Wars revival back in the 90s.

My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's Manga, Vol. 4 by Matsuri Akai

Cloak of Masks by Jonathan Moeller

Die By the Sword

@Richard, as am I. It’s another solid collection. I’m on the last story, have been for three days. I need to finish it up and get my review posted. I feel bad that I have fallen behind on my reviews on advance copies, but work life has been rough sailing of late, and I don’t Se that changing soon

Practical Exercise by George Phillies

Futures That Never Were




Sword-Bearer

FORGE OF THE HIGH MAGE, Ian C. Esslemont's latest piece in the Malazan world.

Babylon Black by Kit Sun Cheah

Dungeon Born

Monster Within: A Battleborn Mage Short Story by Angel Haze.

Reading Sundial by Catriona Ward

Listening to Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Cupcake Girls: Part 5 of The Vixen War Bride Series by Thomas Doscher

Which, despite the title, is military SF

I'm reading issue #10 of the excellent s&s magazine Tales From the Magician's Skull, edited by Howard Andrew Jones.

Let's see ... recently finished Dan Abnett's Triumff and Amanda Downum's The Poison Court, and am now rereading Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars for about the hundredth time.

By a Silver Thread by Rachel Aaron

The Exorcism Engines by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio

Mary wrote: "The Exorcism Engines by Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio"

I really like Phil Foglio's stuff but I haven't read any of the Girl Genius. I used to read his What's New With Phil and Dixie in Dragon Magazine wayyyyy back in the day. Also his Myth Adventures comics based on the Richard Asprin series was hilarious.

I am going to give the Larry Correia Forgotten Warrior series a try.

Jason M wrote: "I am going to give the Larry Correia Forgotten Warrior series a try."

It's good reading

Reading The Suicide Motor Club

Listening to The Latecomer

After blasting through the entire* John Carter of Mars series in about two weeks, I'm starting my vacation reading a couple days early -- this year it's Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Death Gate cycle, beginning with Dragon Wing.

*These days, I skip "John Carter and the Giant of Mars", the first half of John Carter of Mars, because it was apparently ghost-written by his son, is canon-breaking, and is kind of terrible.

another prelude story of Raistlin & Caramon. Quite good to my surprise though I still prefer Weis/Hickman

Phantasm: An Isekai LitRPG by Christopher Hall

Free Conan comic book on Kindle right now:

https://www.amazon.com/Conan-Barbaria...

Beyond Kings and Princesses: Governments for Worldbuilders by Oren Litwin

I'm reading https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

It's quite a ride so far.

those Rimes books look promising, have you read more than this one?

Cloak of Dragonfire by Jonathan Moeller

Finished The Hand of Chaos (fifth in the Death Gate Cycle) and had to pivot to Thieves' World for an upcoming book club discussion I'm taking part in.

I read the first 4 books of Larry Correia's Forgotten Warrior series (book 4 came out recently). I was swapped and gifted them, and told these should be considered among Baen's S&S titles.

They are pretty good heroic fantasy. By no stretch of any definition of Sword & Sorcery that I am aware of (beyond the basest 'Have sword, have sorcery, must be Sword & Sorcery), is it S&S. That is not a negative unless you insist so.

Overall it is a good to great story. I will freely admit that if I had not been given all 4 books, I would not have continued after #1. It didn't connect with me. Books 2 and 3 are pretty good, my favorites of the first 4. And I will read #5 whenever it comes as I wish to know how several characters (not really the protag) shake out.

Savage Realms Monthly: May 2023: A collection of dark fantasy sword and sorcery short adventure stories


XLZABK001: Jon Zaremba: Book 01

Currently reading:

This article!:

John Carter Reboot Series In The Works

https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent...

I'm reading Shagduk right now which isn't S&S but a creepy retro horror. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

Next up is The Long Moonlight that my book club buds at Periapsis press are reading. Seems like a mix of S&S and pulp crime. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

I finished this story collection which includes the very first Swords & Sorcery story ever written


Kull: Exile of Atlantis by Robert E. Howard
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the next installment in my Publication-Order reading of the Discworld books


Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

Sword of Sorrow, Blade of Joy by J.F. Lee

Finally started Jade War.

Magician's Gambit


(2nd UK hardcover printing)
Book3 of The Belgariad. Slowly moving my way through, I generally break up long series and read other stuff in between so I don't get burned out. Picking this up and realizing that I really enjoy Eddings makes me a lil disappointed that I let so much time go since I read book 2! Ahhh well... I enjoyed all the other stuff I was reading too!

Fangs of the Black Tiger by J.F. Lee

Arranged Companions: Marriage and Intimacy in Qing China by Weijing Lu