The Best Sword & Sorcery Stories

The Best Sword & Sorcery Stories

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second-landhkmarOver at SF Signal, editor John DeNardo asked ten science fiction and fantasy writers and editors to pick the best sword and sorcery stories, and explain what makes them so good.

The writers include Black Gate authors James Enge and Martha Wells, as well as Steven Brust, Mercedes Lackey, Mary Robinette Kowal, Mark Chadbourn, P.C. Hodgell, Gail Z. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, and Lou Anders.

Here’s what James Enge had to say, in part:

There’s no doubt in my mind that Fritz Leiber’s series about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are the uneven apex of the disreputable S&S mountain…. Leiber was a gifted storyteller and stylist who used the stories to explore what the world is, how it’s made, what the people there are like. Every story takes you someplace different and extends your knowledge — whether the heroes are fighting gods on Rime Isle, ghosts in the unnamed west, or rats or the Thieves’ Guild or advertisers in Lankhmar city, Leiber doesn’t do retreads. And Leiber understands, as few writers do, how horror and humor are two sides of the same coin; likewise love and grief.

It’s a fascinating list, and well worth reading. And you’re sure to find more than a few good recommendations, whether you’re new to S&S or an old sword-brother.

The complete article is here.

Goth Chick News: These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

Goth Chick News: These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

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6-5000This is the second of two installments which I pre-wrote for the Goth Chick Intern to gratefully post on my behalf.

In a strange fit of wanton generosity I found myself also agreeing to allow the little minion to come up with a title for this entry, so in the event it is lame (heaven help him if he used a Sound of Music reference) please accept my apology in absentia, and rest assured my response will be swift and merciless upon my return.

Rather than enjoying the wee bit of freedom he has recently been allowed, he will once again be banished to the windowless broom closet in the bowels of Black Gate headquarters. I should know better than to succumb to a flush of good will brought on by an impending foray into the paranormal.

But more on that later.

When last we discussed the mutual enjoyment we get from insinuating movie quotes into situations at wickedly appropriate (or inappropriate) times, it got me to thinking about the sources of those quotes – be they movie, book or music. It also occurred to me that everyone has a “Top Ten” list which represents their own mental comfort food; i.e. the entertainment you go to when you’ve had a bad day, or a good day, or just a bored-to-sobs-rainy-afternoon day, and are assured you’ll be welcome. These sources have seeped into our daily lives in the form of quotes or lyrics, and therefore permeated the lives of our friends and families as well.

So, it is to our own personal Top Ten lists that I wish to pay homage this week, and I invite you to share yours. If you love it, the rest of us just might love it too.

And as I have multiple top ten lists, I’ll stick to the one that pertains to my favorite genre (bet you can guess).

So here it is, in no particular order. 

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Writers, Readers, and Glorious Fools

Writers, Readers, and Glorious Fools

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Novels vs. Short Stories, and Why We Write

fool-11
The Fool -- a leap of faith.

“What fools these mortals be…”
–Puck, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

 “But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning around…”
–The Beatles, “Fool On the Hill”

 

A colleague of mine recently asked the question: “Why do we write short stories?” Good question. It set me to thinking: “Why do people READ short stories?”

Which set off a whole line of thought involving the reasons why writers write, and conversely, why readers choose to read what they read.

Readers: Which do you like best, novels or short stories? I may be a writer but I’ve been a reader a lot longer and my answer has to be “It depends on the novel or story.”

I’ve read novels that touched my soul and changed my life…and I’ve read short stories that did the same thing. In most of those instances, the novels seem to stay with me longer…maybe because of their greater size and time commitment. Yet I could never discount the power of marvelous short stories like Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” Robert Silverberg’s “The Reality Trip,” or Clark Ashton Smith’s “Xeethra.” (To name only three of hundreds.)

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Who Fears the Devil?

Who Fears the Devil?

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who-fears-the-devil-coverWho Fears the Devil?
Manly Wade Wellman (Paizo Publishing, 2010)

Paizo Publication’s Planet Stories has brought forth another collection of the kind of grand and weird fantasy that the chain bookstores want to keep hidden from you. Who Fears the Devil?, the complete tales of Manly Wade Wellman’s “John the Balladeer” character, is one of the Planet Stories volumes I’ve most anticipated; there’s no other fantasy character quite like John, and no one else but Wellman could have created him. He’s a contemporary fantasy hero who uses folk songs instead of swords, and faces wonders from the mountain legendry of Appalachia. He’s part Weird Tales, a touch of Unknown, plus Pete Seeger and Johnny Cash.

Also called “Silver John” in promotional material because he strings his guitar with silver, but always simply referred to as “John” within the stories, Wellman’s hero is a variant on the bard of the Middle Ages who wanders the contemporary Appalachians. Or semi-contemporary; the setting is really a fantasy land based on Wellman’s love of Appalachian folklore and the spirit of its musical tradition. In the stories readers will occasionally encounter cars, trucks, air travel, and mention of John’s Korean War service, but most of the time they will find it easy to imagine that this is an Appalachia frozen in the nineteenth century, when stories and songs at the hearthside were thinly veiled truths about wizards, witch-folk, and strange beasts.

John’s songs help combat evil, as do the silver strings on his guitar. (One of the few problems I have with the stories is that the “silver against supernatural” concept turns up a few times too many.) John not only sings the ballads, he’s a collector, and in some of the stories (“The Little Black Train,” “Vandy, Vandy”) his search for old ballads brings him into the action. “Call me a truth seeker,” he tells one curious inquirer, “somebody who wonders himself about riddles and life.” When then asked if he’s a “conjure man,” he answers: “Not me…  I’ve met up with that sort in my time, helped put two-three of them out of mischief. Call that part of what I follow.”

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Rogue Blades Entertainment special Black Gate subscription offer

Rogue Blades Entertainment special Black Gate subscription offer

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bg-special-ad-girl2-webRogue Blades Entertainment, publisher of fine fantasy anthologies such as Return of the Sword and Rage of the Behemoth, announced a special promotion on some of their newest titles in the pages of Black Gate 14.

Last week they made the details public on their website:

Now that Black Gate subscribers are receiving their 14th issue, it’s time to reveal a very special offer brought to new readers in a combined effort by RBE and BG. From now until Black Gate 15 is released, anyone can pick up their choice of Return of the Sword, Rage of the Behemoth, or Roar of the Crowd for $10 (plus tax and shipping) and a subscription to Black Gate!

That’s correct – all Black Gate subscribers get $6.99 off the cover price of one of three excellent anthologies. The offer is open to new and existing subscribers.

Return of the Sword, Rage of the Behemoth, and Roar of the Crowd contain stories by the rising stars of heroic fantasy, as well as more established names such as James Enge, Bill Ward, Ryan Harvey, David Bischoff,  Howard Andrew Jones, E.E. Knight, C.L. Werner, Mary Rosenblum, Brian Ruckley, Harold Lamb, and Richard K. Lyon & Andrew Offutt.

Here’s what Theo said about Rage of the Behemoth in his review right here on the BG blog: 

One of the more consistent anthologies I have had the good fortune to read. Editor Jason Waltz has done an excellent job… Rage of the Behemoth is an intriguing glimpse into a multitude of savage worlds. The anthology is a throwback to the glory days of Burroughs and Howard, with an icy, ominous edge.

How do you claim your discount?  New subscribers can select the anthology of their choice on as part of their order on our subscriber page. 

Already a subscriber? Just e-mail rbe@roguebladesentertainment.com, mention your Black Gate subscription, and request the anthology of your choice for just $10 (plus shipping).

Black Gate. Don’t thank us. It’s our job.

Starblazer and Mindjammer

Starblazer and Mindjammer

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spiritOne of the most promising new game systems I reviewed in Black Gate 14 was used for the pulp role-playing game Spirit of the Century from Evil Hat Productions. FATE is a streamlined set of rules based more on adjectives and descriptions than complicated and time consuming point allocations. Not only does the system make task resolution fast, it encourages players and game masters alike to storytell more than die roll.

I was unabashedly excited about Spirit of the Century and couldn’t help wondering how the mechanics designed for pulp 1930s role-play would work in another setting.

An English game company named Cubicle Seven must have been wondering the same thing, because they took up the system and retooled it for science fiction role-playing.

Starblazer Adventures is a beautiful, thick hardback of 629 pages, stuffed full of art taken from a popular British space opera comic from the 1970s and ’80s. Nearly every page is decorated with exciting action pics evocative of high octane adventure.

But more than 600 pages, I can see you asking, isn’t that… needlessly long? Is it crammed with charts that you must consult?

No. What it is crammed with is all the information that a game master could need to run a thrill-packed space campaign, and then some.

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Black Gate 14 Sneak Peek: “The Lady’s Apprentice” by Jan Stirling

Black Gate 14 Sneak Peek: “The Lady’s Apprentice” by Jan Stirling

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apprentice-277Lady Nyla was once rich and powerful. Now she lived in a hut on a lonely road. But tonight the Mother Goddess gave her back a measure of her old power — to set her against a terrible foe.

      Nyla lay upon her stomach on the frozen ground and watched the black magician work. He and his familiar concentrated on the task at hand, unaware of being watched. They had not wasted energy on wards against humankind, for they feared no mundane danger on this bitter night. But from the protections they had drawn they were mortally afraid of the thing they summoned.
      The baby lay upon the altar, loosely wrapped in purple cloth. Occasionally it wriggled and let out a weak cry as it suffered in the cold.
      The familiar, she decided, was the weak link.

Jan Stirling’s first sale was to Esther Friesner for Chicks In Chainmail. She lives in New Mexico.

“The Lady’s Apprentice” appears in Black Gate 14.  You can read a more complete excerpt here.

The complete Black Gate 14 Sneak Peek is available here.

Art by Matthew Laznicka.

Eberron Campaign Guide winners Announced!

Eberron Campaign Guide winners Announced!

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eberron-campaignIn February we announced we were giving away copies of the Eberron Campaign Guide, a 4th Edition D&D Supplement from Wizards of the Coast.

Contestants were asked to submit a two-sentence summary of a recent Eberron product. The most enthusiastic and literate responses (or the ones that made us laugh the hardest, depending), were awarded the prizes.

We received a wide range of entries, from gushing to gonzo. Our panel of distinguished judges sobered up just long enough to announce that Colin Marco, Luke Forney, Baron Swodeck, and Risen Fiend were the real standouts.

Our judges issued a special citation to Risen Fiend for his particularly insightful and tantalizing two-line treatise on the Secrets of Sarlona adventure supplement:

Secrets of Sarlona unveils a continent under the domination of the immortal Inspired who rule thorough charming guile as much as psionic might powered by their otherworldly connection to the insidious Dreaming Dark. While presenting in detail the homeland of one of the gravest threats to the world of Eberron, Secrets of Sarlona also features one of the greatest hopes against the Dreaming Dark in the stalwart Kalashtar refuge of Adar, allowing heroes to choose their side in this epic transdimensional struggle.

I once dated someone who “ruled thorough charming guile.” I still shudder when I think about it.

Congratulations to all the winners! You’ll be contacted shortly to receive your prizes.

Game on!

A Look at Matthew Sturges’ Midwinter

A Look at Matthew Sturges’ Midwinter

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midwinter-cover-sturgesMidwinter
Matthew Sturges
Pyr  (345 pages, Trade Paperback, March 2009, $15.98)
Reviewed by Bill Ward

Midwinter is the debut novel from comics writer Matthew Sturges, and it has elves in it. In fact, it’s all about elves, taking place as it does in the land of faerie. But these elves, dear reader, are not your Daddy’s elves — or, more to the point, they are not the sort of derivative elves that tend to find their way into the fiction of writers who have trouble thinking outside their last D&D campaign. Midwinter’s Fae, in all their variety, are much more reminiscent of  the Sidhe of Celtic myth that is clearly Sturges’ jumping off point, perhaps with a bit of Tolkien and Moorcock thrown in for good measure. Those who can’t stand heavily derivative fantasy need not worry — in fact, it’s Sturges’ willingness to play with tropes and inject his tale with the unexpected that is the main attraction of his world.

For an example of one of those ‘sit up on the edge of your seat and take notice’ turns, we have an event that occurs early in the book. The premise of the quest is established quickly, and this ‘dirty dozen with elves,’ as Sturges has described the book, kicks off in much the expected direction. We are introduced to disgraced Guard Captain Mauritane, in prison, as well as his despised enemy — a Fae who conspired to bring him down in the first place. The quest is laid out (though not explained — the revelation of the true purpose of the quest isn’t provided until the end), and Mauritane’s team of fellow prisoners assembled. But just when you think the direction of things is all mapped out, Mauritane, seemingly as an aside, ends up traveling back in time (!) and participating in an episode the significance of which is only shown later. Throughout the novel Sturges shows a willingness to make a hard right without taking his foot of the gas — leaving some rubber on the road and, just  maybe, making a few white-knuckled passengers uncomfortable —  in a way that reminded me of the more daring and fluid fantasies of the past.

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