Introductions

[Richard]

Samurai Cat Goes to Hell

I'm down.

[The Joy of Erudition]

Richard wrote: "
Samurai Cat Goes to Hell"

I forgot those books existed...and that I had read them.

[Richard]

@ Joy
Getting old?

Seriously though, people want way too much for some of these used. Why is that?

[Steve]

S.E. wrote: "Lyndon may have inspired a Cat groupread"

Fritz Leiber featured a big cat in his Stardock story. Fafhrd, the Mouser, and a big cat.

[The Joy of Erudition]

Richard wrote: "@ Joy
Getting old?

Seriously though, people want way too much for some of these used. Why is that?"

I think I forgot about them when I was still a teenager, so I doubt age would have anything to do with it.

People jack up the prices on anything they can get away with calling "rare". Basically anything that hasn't been actively produced for a while.

[Forest]

Hello everyone, I'm Forest Troutner. I love fantasy, science fiction and horror.

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

Welcome Forest!

[C.A.]

Forest wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm Forest Troutner. I love fantasy, science fiction and horror."


Hey Forest, welcome to the group.

[Clint]

Welcome Forrest

[Utopicdrow]

Hey, I'm utopicdrow! I love fantasy, science fiction, dark fantasy, litrpgs and gamelit.

[Michael]

Hi everyone. I am Mike, life long lover of fantasy and sci fi. Currently half way through the Honor Harrington books by David Weber. As there seem to be conversations about cats going on, Weber has an entire semi sentient species of tree cat hi his books. They bond with humans and are kind of cool.
Also I have two cats of my own, very semi -semi-semi sentient...but wouldn't be with out them.

I also write and have a couple of books out. parts 1 & 2 of a fantasy series called the Nine Fold Gate, which has very vague references to cats. If I need to beef that up, I am in the middle of writing book 3, so I can add cats.

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

Welcome Utopicdrow and Michael. Long live cats:)

[Hugh]

Hi everyone, I am Hugh, with a broad(ish) love of fiction largely historical, thrillers and horror but with a real penchant for fantasy.

I grew up in Narnia, Earthsea or Middle Earth before I came Melnibone or Cimmeria.

Probably spend most of my time in Westeros these days but I like to travel.

Recently published my own book which I had started over 30 years ago.

Nice to be part of the group

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

Hugh wrote: "Hi everyone, I am Hugh, with a broad(ish) love of fiction largely historical, thrillers and horror but with a real penchant for fantasy. I grew up in Narnia, Earthsea or Middle Earth before I came..."

Hugh, welcome! Nice to have someone who is so well traveled. Somewhere above there is a "getting familiar with the group" document you may want to peruse. We have groupreads too (usually two topics over two months), Nov-Dec we are honoring Sword & Soul creator Charles Saunders...if you have not been to Nyumbani yet....it's a fun & dark safari.

[Hugh]

Thanks for the welcome! I will read the document suggested.

Think I will be getting my passport out for a trip to Nyumbani.

[M.A.]

Hey group!

It's so cool to find a batch of fellow fantasy buffs. Someone asked recently what the last non-fiction book I read was. My answer: a university textbook in 2013.

I'm addicted to fantasy so much that I write it, having published two fantasy books and working on my third. Writing and working leaves me little to no time to actually sit and read fantasy books though. Thank goodness for audiobooks!

Last year I had the unbelievable experience of turning my first book into an audiobook. I worked with the most remarkable up and coming voice actor. I really worked to make it happen, arranging a full contract outside of ACX (Audible's platform), so it was rewarding when it all came together.

Right now I'm binging the Guild Codex series, along with the spinoffs. Annette Marie is addictive and the most fun author I've read in a long time.

Nice to meet you all!

[Jeb]

Hi all,

Long-time reader of sword & sorcery and sometime writer. Excited to have found what seems to be an active and engaging group. I'm sorry to have missed the Saunders groupread as I've had two of his books on my "to read" shelf for awhile.

Currently readng: REH's Sword Woman

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

Welcome @M.A. and @Ausjeb.
This group is full of writer-readers, and we're glad to have more join the fun. No worries about "missing" any group read: even though we have designated 2-month intervals, we just leave the topics open and folks come-n-go long after the official time.

Of course, we have our annual anthology read going on now. I think Ausjeb just posted there as I type. Cool.

Some getting started info is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

[Joseph, Master Ultan]

Yes, welcome!

[Mark]

Hi everyone,

My name is Mark and I live in the U.S. (upstate New York) with my wife and three kids. Like many others, I discovered the fantasy genre through the old Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance books. I’ve always loved the S&S aesthetic, but aside from REH (who I love) and a handful of stories from Fritz Leiber and Michael Moorcock, I haven’t really tackled too many of the classics. I recently purchased Flame and Crimson: A History of Sword-and-Sorcery to get some ideas and inspiration.

Some of my favorite authors are Glen Cook, Steven Erikson, and Ilona Andrews. I’m looking forward to meeting you all!

[C.A.]

Same here. Welcome to the group!

[Mark]

C.A. wrote: "Same here. Welcome to the group!"

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

Mark wrote: "Hi everyone, My name is Mark and I live in the U.S. (upstate New York) with my wife and three kids. Like many others, I discovered the fantasy genre through the old Forgotten Realms and Dragonlanc..."


Welcome Mark! We are just kicking off one of our 2-month, 2-topic discussion/reads which includes "Nostalgia". Should be a nice way for everyone (veteran and new members) to reflect and introduce themselves.

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

[Mark]

Oh, cool.. thanks for the link S.E.! I’ll definitely check that out along with some other threads here.

[Jason]

welcome Mark! listing Erikson and Cook, you've found a friend in me! haven't read Andrews though, have to find some.

[Mark]

Jason M wrote: "welcome Mark! listing Erikson and Cook, you've found a friend in me! haven't read Andrews though, have to find some."

Nice to meet you, Jason! I’m actually about ready to start a Black Company reread next month and I’m super excited about it. Ilona Andrews is actually Urban Fantasy, more a guilty pleasure for me! Very different from Erikson and Cook, but still a lot of fun, with good pacing and action.

[Oliver]

I loved the classic Roy Thomas Conan comics as a kid, then wandered off the reserve until two years ago when I got back into sword & sorcery with a vengeance. I've been devouring S&S / Appendix N books for fun and research, building to my currently writing an S&S novel!

I'm documenting the process of writing that novel, discussing the genre extensively along the way, in a brand new podcast called SO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... that you can find on iTunes etc as well as on the website.

I'm big on taking listener questions and otherwise interacting with folk. In a similar vein, I hope to become an active and useful member of this Goodreads group. Thanks for having me!

BTW here's an early attempt at capturing my protagonist, at three stage so the book/her life, in (commissioned) art:

[Matthew]

I’m Matthew Pungitore, writer from Hingham, MA. I’ve written essays/articles for the DMR Books blog, and I’ve self-published one anthology, one novel, and one novelette. A story I wrote should be published in the 2021 Winter issue of Cirsova Magazine.

I’ve joined this group to see if I could talk with readers, writers, artists, and thinkers. I’m not sure what y’all do in this group, but I’m curious. Thanks for having me.

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

Oliver wrote: "I loved the classic Roy Thomas Conan comics as a kid, then wandered off the reserve until two years ago when I got back into sword & sorcery with a vengeance. I've been devouring S&S / Appendix N b..."

@Oliver. I love the portraits of your heroine!

@Matthew, welcome to a bunch of like-minded readers/authors.

[Mario]

Hello everyone, I'm Mario. It is thrilling to be part of a group of fellow S&S fans, and I want to use this opportunity to thank the moderators, S.E. Lindberg, Periklis, and Joseph for creating and maintaining the group.

Having grown up with the Sword and Sorcery genre in both prose and comic form, my love for it has flourished as I got older to such an extent that it even kind of influenced my career choice, that of an bioarcheologist (or physical anthropologist, however you want to call it), because bones and old tombs simply weren't enough on the page. Apart from that, the genre has provided inspiration to delve into writing myself, and thus I dared add my little stamp on it. My work has appeared in the Swords and Sorcery Magazine, and will be featured in the upcoming issue of Whetstone as well as in one of the future issues of the Tales From the Magician's Skull.

I look forward to participating in the group (as much as time will allow), and sincerely hope I can contribute to it.

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

Welcome Mario! Congrats on all the sales. Glad to have you. Physical Anthropology does sound exciting...especially when you unearth good story material.

[Oliver]

Welcome Mario! Congratulations on your upcoming publications.

[C.A.]

Mario wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm Mario. It is thrilling to be part of a group of fellow S&S fans, and I want to use this opportunity to thank the moderators, S.E. Lindberg, Periklis, and Joseph for creating and..."

Welcome Mario, that's a good Italian name!

[Joseph, Master Ultan]

Kaor!, as they say on Barsoom.

[Michael]

Welcome Mario! I look forward to reading your upcoming story in the future Tales From The Magician's Skull.

Very cool occupation I might add as well!

[Jason]

Well-met, Mario! Illustrious acceptances news. Looking forward to your input as it appears - a common interaction from many of us, so no pressures.

[Mario]

Thank you all for such a warm welcome. I am overjoyed to see and communicate with so many familiar faces of the S&S/Heroic genre.

[David]

Hello everyone, I'm David, a debut author that's trying to learn what it actually means and takes to be a writer. I've felt a bit adrift in an uncharted sea at times. Hoping to gain some experience and insight from those authors that swing their swords from gold-laden galleons, and those also adrift or perhaps stranded on a lost isle. The latter might not be so bad though. A deserted island, some coconut trees, a cool spring to drink from...alone and writing in a quaint hut away from the cares of the world lol.

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

Welcome David to a group of writers-readers which has most of us grasping to flotsam, searching for respite on placid Islands of ignorance in black seas of infinity (cheers to HPL).

[David]

Love it and thank you! Just spotted my isle in the hazy horizon...

[Michael]

Welcome David! This is a fantastic group and you will find a lot of good reads and conversation here! I'd recommend checking out Whetstone -an excellent S&S zine(https://whetstonemag.blogspot.com) and their associated Discord. Absolutely essential!

[David]

Michael wrote: "Welcome David! This is a fantastic group and you will find a lot of good reads and conversation here! I'd recommend checking out Whetstone -an excellent S&S zine(https://whetstonemag.blogspot.com) ..."

Thank you so much!

[Mario]

Welcome, David! I hope you enjoy your stay in the group!

[Joseph, Master Ultan]

Greetings and salutations!

[Oliver]

David wrote: "Hello everyone, I'm David, a debut author that's trying to learn what it actually means and takes to be a writer. I've felt a bit adrift in an uncharted sea at times. Hoping to gain some experience..."

Hello David!
Welcome to the community. I can only imagine will be helpful for you as you try to navigate those seas. I hope it isn't crass of me to mention, but I do a podcast all about my journey writing a sword & sorcery novel, which may prove useful: https://soimwritinganovel.com

[Spidrax]

Hey everyone. I've been enjoying Conan comics for several years now, and have recently been diving into some S&S fiction. I tend to prefer pulpy short stories, which is great since there's no shortage of them in this genre.

So far I've dabbled in REH, Clark Ashton Smith, CL Moore, Clifford Ball, Fritz Leiber, and Manly Wade Wellman. I have yet to find a dull story among them! I have a big to-read list, but I'm always happy to add more, so feel free to share similar authors.

[Richard]

Welcome aboard Spidrax!

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

welcome Spidrax. I trust this group will only grow your TBR pile.

[Michael]

Yo! Welcome!! Yeah I concur about the ever expanding TBR pile!

[Jason]

Welcome Mario, David and Spidrax.