If I were to distill the elements of Swords-and-Sorcery to their essence, what story would I find pooled at the bottom of the alembic? To answer such a question, I’d first have to gather the elements. It requires a confident man or an arrogant fool to think he knows what those elements are. Let’s take… Continue reading The Quintessence of S&S
Author: admin
Writer of two-fisted fabulism.
A Snippet
I thought I’d offer a change of pace this week. Something different from my usual blathering. I’m offering a snippet from my novel Thick As Thieves. I hope you get a kick out of it. If you’re intrigued enough to want to read the rest, Thick As Thieves is available in print and digital formats here and here, and I suppose… Continue reading A Snippet
Flashing Swords #3. Pack Your Bags.
I have a number of well-worn anthologies on my shelves. It has been said that shorter fiction is the proper length for Swords-and-Sorcery. Maybe so. At least in an anthology the reader has access to multiple imagined worlds in a single volume instead of the single world of a novel. I thought I’d investigate this… Continue reading Flashing Swords #3. Pack Your Bags.
The Dresden Files: Sword-and-Sorcery?
I had intended to write another post on anthologies. However, I was about three and a half stories through a collection when Peace Talks arrived. So much for that plan. I’m about halfway through the latest of Harry Dresden’s series of unfortunate events. Once I’m done, I’ll get back to revisiting Fafhrd and Gray Mouser’s shenanigans. Reading Peace… Continue reading The Dresden Files: Sword-and-Sorcery?
Anthologies: Warlocks and Warriors, Emphasis on the Warlocks.
This one is a gem. And take a look at that cover. Interestingly, it promises cover-to-cover hand-to-hand combat, but while there is plenty of sword-swinging in this Sword-and-Sorcery anthology, the emphasis is on the sorcery. Perhaps that theme is hinted at in the title Warlocks and Warriors, giving precedence to the Warlocks. The supernatural takes center… Continue reading Anthologies: Warlocks and Warriors, Emphasis on the Warlocks.
A Weekend at the Cabin Means a Snippet Day.
I spent the weekend at a forested cabin on a riverbank. A cabin weekend means relaxation. I did get some work done on the third Karl Throson novel, but otherwise the time was dedicated to playing board and card games, reading, strolling about a bit, and relaxing. That means the Sunday afternoon at home is… Continue reading A Weekend at the Cabin Means a Snippet Day.
Where There’s Smoke…
You may have noticed that the West Coast is on fire. I certainly have. My house has been blanketed by an apocalyptic miasma for days. At least the color has shifted, from a Martian orange, to powdered-urine yellow, to what it is now, a sort of dry white fog. One of the major fires reached… Continue reading Where There’s Smoke…
Mighty Swordsmen…and Guest
The Mighty Swordsmen comes close to delivering precisely as advertised, and even its single lapse is excellent. I admit to a lack of familiarity with the editor, Hans Stefan Santesson. He provided a short introduction, rambling about sorcery and what we’d probably now refer to as “deep time.” It doesn’t seem to have much to do with… Continue reading Mighty Swordsmen…and Guest
Rereading “Janissaries”
Jerry Pournelle’s Janissaries was first published in 1979. I was ten. My copy is the 1982 edition. So I probably first read this in ‘82 or ‘83 in my early teens. I’ve gone through it and the sequels a couple of times. Now I’m starting again, preparatory to reading the final, posthumous volume, Mamelukes (hoping a paperback edition will… Continue reading Rereading “Janissaries”