Even though DMR Books is the preeminent publisher of new sword-and-sorcery fiction, we like to strike a balance between releasing work by current authors and reprinting classics from the past. For the next few months we’re going to focus on bringing obscure material by fantastic authors back into print. The first in this string of reprints was Manly Wade Wellman’s Cahena, which is already available, but there’s much more you can look forward to this winter.

In December we will release the first of two volumes of fantasy/sci-fi/adventure stories by Edmond Hamilton. Twilight of the Gods will contain eight stories which have rarely been reprinted, and in some cases, not at all. All the tales in this collection were inspired by various mythologies of the world, such as those of the Celts (“The Shining Land” and “Lost Elysium”), the Greeks (“Priestess of the Labyrinth”), and, obviously, the Norse (“The Daughter of Thor” and the title story).

The follow-up volume, The Avenger from Atlantis, will appear in January. Of the eight stories in Avenger, only four have been reprinted since their original appearance in Weird Tales. These stories are all from the era where wild ideas and exciting action were the most important elements in science fiction.

I’m a big fan of Tanith Lee, so it greatly pleases me to announce that in February we will release a collection of her short stories. The Empress of Dreams will include sixteen tales of sword-and-sorcery and heroic fantasy. Lee, known as “The Princess Royal of Heroic Fantasy,” wrote in a wide variety of genres, and many of her collections sample them all. The Empress of Dreams is the first Tanith Lee collection specifically devoted to her sword-and-sorcery (with the exception of Cyrion, released by DAW Books in 1982). The title of the collection comes from a quote by Donald A. Wollheim about Lee: “ ‘Princess Royal’… perhaps better the Empress of Dreams.”

Last year’s Renegade Swords was a big success, so it was only natural to do a sequel. Like its predecessor, Renegade Swords II will collect sword-and-sorcery stories that are obscure, out of print, or just don’t fit in elsewhere. At this point it’s too early to reveal many details about RS II, but I can say it will have tales by Michael Moorcock and Robert E. Howard. Look for it in March.

Much excitement looms on the horizon!