Lords of Dyscrasia by S. E. Lindberg (IGNIS Publishing, July 7, 2011). Cover by S. E. Lindberg

One of the most unique voices working in Sword & Sorcery today is S. E. Lindberg. I met Seth a few years back and we’ve corresponded frequently as well as running into each other here at Black Gate, where he is the Managing Editor, and at Goodreads. Lindberg has put together a unique setting for what he calls Dyscrasia Fiction.

Dyscrasia means “a bad mixture of liquids,” which is related to the Greek concept of the four “humors” of Blood, Phlegm, Black Bile, and Yellow Bile. In Dyscrasia fiction, these humors are sources of magical power and often soul and body corrupting influences.

The three novels available now are

Lords of Dyscrasia (2011)
Spawn of Dyscrasia (2014)
Helen’s Daimones (2017)

Although Helen’s Daimones was the most recently published, Lindberg suggests new readers start with it since it sets the tone for the other books.

Wherever you start, though, you’ll find a combination of beautiful language and powerful imagination. These works are hallucinogenic, dream-like, full of wraiths and apparitions — and sometimes horrors. Ideas and images pile one on top of another with an intensity that is far from common in fantasy literature.

Spawn of Dyscrasia (IGNIS Publishing, July 17, 2015). Cover by Ken Kelly

I admire the author’s ability to maintain that intensity throughout his works; his world-building never stumbles, and the result is a unique fantasy vision that rises to the level of art.

A word about the covers for these books. The first was created by Lindberg himself, who also has other artistic skills in addition to writing. Spawn of Dyscrasia has an amazing cover by Ken Kelly, and Helen’s Daimones has a great cover by Daniel Landerman.

There are also a number of short stories tied to the Dyscrasia setting. For more information, check out Seth’s webpage or his Facebook page, or have a look at Joe Bonadonna’s 2015 review of Lords of Dyscrasia, here at Black Gate.

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Charles Gramlich administers The Swords & Planet League group on Facebook, where this post first appeared. His last article for us was a review of The Barbarian Swordsmen, edited by Peter Haining. See all of his recent posts for Black Gate here.