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

Phil wrote: "Alan Dean Foster's novelizations (Total Recall and Alien in my case) were a great way for curious kids to enjoy R-rated movies."

Yep. Alien and Outland for me. Plus his Black Hole and Star Trek: The Motion Picture novelizations. And I actually read a fair amount of his original fiction back in the day. Midworld was always a favorite.

And something a bit more S&S-related: I just wrapped up Douglas Hulick's Sworn in Steel, which I'd recommend, and started Caesar Dies by Talbot Mundy.

I'll be interested to see what you think of the Mundy book.

I'm honestly not sure if I've read it before or not -- if I did it was years and years ago. I've read the Complete Tros of Samothrace and King of the Khyber Rifles and maybe a Jimgrim book or two? and have enjoyed pretty much all of it.

I just recently finished the first Tros book. Liked it, although I thought it was a bit slow

Having enjoyed Swords of Talera: Book One of the Talera Cycle as part of the Sword and Planet group read (see review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)

...I got sidetracked and stumbled into some compelling dystopia with swordplay and a disturbing lack of books: The Reader of Acheron
- Walter Rhein’s The Reader of Acheron is 'A Reader-Haunted World' (yes, that is a call-out to Carl Sagan) review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

OK, finished Caesar Dies. It wasn't great, but was a pleasant diversion. Next up, something brand-spanking-new: Veil of the Deserters by Jeff Salyards.

Charles wrote: "I just recently finished the first Tros book. Liked it, although I thought it was a bit slow"
Charles, he does take his time with the story but I enjoyed the build-up and found the pace speeds up as the story builds. I'm curious to hear what you think of the whole series (if you decide to continue with them).

gary

Currently reading THE READER OF ACHERON, by Walter Rhein. Published by Perseid Press.

Finally started Glen Cook's Working God's Mischief, which I've had sitting waiting since it came out, but reading time is so hard to come by. It's taking a little time to fall back into that world. I'm back to labelling everyone in my head with primary world religions to keep them straight (Cathar, Catholic, Muslim, etc.) but that will fade as I get further into it and memory of the previous three books returns. Piper's sister Heris is continuing to take on a significant role in the fight against the Night. Very gripping so far. But is it sword and sorcery? Artillery against the gods ...

Should've finished The Flood a couple of weeks ago but time has been against me lately. It's 'machine-gun and planet' action rather than sword and sorcery. While entertaining, it's not very deep, based as it is on the first-person shooter computer game, Halo.

Finished Baptism of Fire, the most recent Witcher novel to be translated into English. I'm definitely enjoying the series -- nicely grim & sardonic Eastern European feel to them -- but be warned that this book is mostly kind of a middle section in a longer narrative.

And for the next group read I'm starting The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard because that's the next Del Rey collection I haven't read yet.

I recently finished an ARC of Forrest Aguirre's Heraclix & Pomp (official release in Oct 2014).

Not strictly Sword & Sorcery, but should appeal to the same fan base. In brief, Heraclix & Pomp is a fun, well-constructed fairy tale that will appeal to fans of historical and speculative fiction.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Giveaway: here is a link to the a current giveaway: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Just finished Goblin Moon by Teresa Edgerton, Changa's Safari Volume Three by Milton J. Davis, and The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones. The last two are similar and both excellent historically situated S&S adventures. Goblin Moon is a more of a Gothic swashbuckler. Excellent reads all.

I am currently reading Pride of Carthage by David Anthony Durham (no relation that I know of...). The book is a bit slow so far, but hey, it's Hannibal!

Bruce wrote: "I am currently reading Pride of Carthage by David Anthony Durham (no relation that I know of...). The book is a bit slow so far, but hey, it's Hannibal!"

Which reminds me I need to read his third Acacia book at some point ...

I'm trying out Ways of the Stygia- Fallen Song, which is a mashup of CSI/Criminal Minds with a Moorcock-like multiverse.

I started A Dance of Cloaks. I'd know that one has been out a while but I've gotten leery of new authors with Indee published first books that have a large number of 5 star reviews. (I've been burned too many times.) but this really good.

I just finished The Toughest Mile by William Meikle, a short story. While an effective piece of recent sword & sorcery, the treatment of female characters (dehumanizing brutality, effectively) was a little jarring. My review is here.

Just finished some splendid Halloween fare: Tales from the Dark Tower, illustrated and co-authored by Joseph Vargo...known for his Nox Arcana music.

Gothic ghost stories / weird adventure

review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finished reading Hunger, which is a well-written book but a tougher reading experience than its predecessor due to the degree of cruelty and mortality in it (it's a YA novel). Now I'm wondering whether or not to start the third book in the Gone series, Lies, or read something else - some S&S maybe? - for a break.

Wizard and Glass (Dark Tower 4) by Stephen King. Enjoying it, but it's a lot easier to put down than Waste Lands was.

As for myself, I'm working my way through Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy (freaky stuff); then the next big thing on my agenda is E.R. Eddison Worm & Zimiamvia books, since they're just about to hit the Kindle.

Joseph wrote: "As for myself, I'm working my way through Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy (freaky stuff); then the next big thing on my agenda is E.R. Eddison Worm & Zimiam..."

Joseph, wow nice to know that The Worm Ouroboros will be on Kindle soon.

Having read The Black Company for group read #1, I plan to read Elak of Atlantis soon...but first I am taking break of sorts and reading a weird mashup of erotic-dark-fantasy: The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles.

I've never read anything with explicit elf-intercourse before...until now.

Well, Worm has been available for a long time in multiple editions -- it must be old enough to have dropped into public domain -- but this is the first time the Zimiamvia books have been released in the US.

And at the moment, at least, the only eBook version of the Zimiamvia trilogy is the omnibus edition that has all four books -- Zimiamvia & Worm. They don't currently have listings for individual titles.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Zimiam...

S.E. wrote: "I've never read anything with explicit elf-intercourse before...until now."

Thank you. I needed a good laugh today.

And The Worm Ouroboros is underway. It won't be a fast read, but it's shaping up to be a good one.

Fortunately(?), I have about 6 hours each in airports and on airplanes tomorrow & Monday, so I should be able to make significant progress ...

I have a 1960s copy of The Worm Ouroboros so I might consider reading it for the next group read.

But... I started reading The Turtle Boy earlier today, which is not S&S, I know, I know. Had to stop reading it to recharge my iPad but will return to it shortly.

I'm reading stories in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fantasy Scroll, and Lin Carter's The Xothic Cycle: The Complete Mythos Fiction of Lin Carter

Finished The Worm Ouroboros last night and will be starting E.R. Eddison's Mistress of Mistresses (first in the ever-so-lightly related Zimiamvian trilogy) tonight.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Joseph wrote: "Finished The Worm Ouroboros night and will be starting E.R. Eddison's Mistress of Mistresses (first in the ever-so-lightly related Zimiamvian trilog..."

Joseph, I assumed you liked Worm. I liked it a lot, but Mistresses was different enough for me to keep on my shelf for the time being. I'd be interested in your take on how they compare.

S.E. wrote: "Joseph wrote: "Finished The Worm Ouroboros night and will be starting E.R. Eddison's Mistress of Mistresses (first in the ever-so-lightly related Zimiamv..."

Yes, I liked Worm quite a bit. This is actually my second time through the cycle -- I read Worm and the Zimiamvia books I think 15 years ago; I remember the Zimiamvia books being very different, but I do remember enjoying them as well.

(But I was also reading them when on a family vacation, which meant that a) I didn't have many other options (pre-Kindle) and b) I had lots of time every day to read. Might be different trying to just fit them into my regular routine.)

Joseph wrote: "Finished The Worm Ouroboros last night and will be starting E.R. Eddison's Mistress of Mistresses (first in the ever-so-lightly related Zimiamvian trilog..."

I've bookmarked it to read once I've tackled the tome myself!

Just finished Nine Heroes: Tales of Heroic Fantasy, and have two anthologies in queue for the Jan-Feb 2015 Anthology Read: Azieran Adventures Presents Artifacts and Relics: Extreme Sorcery and Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology.

I'm just starting Rapture, the third book in Kameron Hurley's Bel Dame Apocrypha trilogy. And while not technically sword & sorcery (the setting seems to be SF, but on a desert planet on the ass-end of nowhere; think Tattooine settled by the Fremen or something), the heroine, Nyx, could certainly hold her own with any of the usual suspects -- she's a foul-mouthed, ill-tempered, hard-drinking, hard-wenching gone-to-seed bounty hunter scraping out a living on the ragged edge.

For obvious reasons, I had to add some Terry Pratchett to my queue; having finished those, I'm starting The Barrow by Mark Smylie, which seems like it'll definitely be S&S of a certain flavor.

Just finished Mad Shadows: The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser

This was an entertaining mash-up of film-noir, horror, and sword-and-sorcery. Fans of the ‪‎X-files‬, ‪‎Supernatural‬, or ‪‎Grim‬ will devour this. Link to review

My current-reading list is still huge, and unfortunately has no orcs or goblins in them (to help with the groupread).

Deapite being one of THE Orc guys, i'm reading something else right now too. Though, obviously, i'm still all up ffor talkin Orcs. I'm reading Law of the Wolf.

Currently reading The Assyrian by Nicholas Guild. Epic historical adventure on a grand scale. I don't really have anything featuring Orcs to read at the moment...

S.wagenaar wrote: "Currently reading The Assyrian by Nicholas Guild. Epic historical adventure on a grand scale. I don't really have anything featuring Orcs to read at the moment..."

Excellent book! I need to reread it (and it sequel, The Blood Star) one of these years.

I'm reading something more pulpy than S&S -- The Weird Company: The Secret History of H.P. Lovecraft's Twentieth Century.

And, having finished The Barrow, I do definitely recommend it.

Started reading Shadowlands earlier this week, which is described as psychological horror, and I like it so far. This is a book I promised the author's agent to read a couple of years ago so I'm doing some catching up. I have a few other books I've promised authors to read so I intend to focus in doing that when I can this year. However, I'm co-writing a book that started out as an article before turning into an ever-longer book chapter! LOL Hope to have this finished next month when my leisure reading will return to some normality.

I take it this isn't the Peter Straub book of that name.

Charles wrote: "I take it this isn't the Peter Straub book of that name."

No. This would be the Kessler version! It's a rather common book title if this list is anything to go by: https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=sh....

Egads!

Charles wrote: "Egads!"

LOL Maybe one could make a Goodreads challenge out of that list....

Greg wrote: "Charles wrote: "Egads!"

LOL Maybe one could make a Goodreads challenge out of that list...."

The ironic thing is that the Straub book isn't even on that list -- its title is Shadowland, singular. And there are many, many other books called Shadowland as well.

(I did read the Straub book many years ago and enjoyed it.)

Joseph wrote: "Greg wrote: "Charles wrote: "Egads!"

LOL Maybe one could make a Goodreads challenge out of that list...."

The ironic thing is that the Straub book isn't even on that list -- its title is [book:Sh..."

So maybe add the Shadowland (singular) titles to the list? :P

Greg wrote: "So maybe add the Shadowland (singular) titles to the list? :P

The more the merrier!

Greg wrote: "Joseph wrote: "Greg wrote: "Charles wrote: "Egads!"

LOL Maybe one could make a Goodreads challenge out of that list...."

The ironic thing is that the Straub book isn't even on that list -- its ti..."

Oh, I see a Shadowland groupread forming now....