Sometime Lofty Towers by David C. Smith
Pulp Hero Press
Cover Art by Tomas Aranda

David C. Smith is a titan of Sword and Sorcery fiction. His novels are highly coveted, but most are sadly out of print. Last year Pulp Hero Press released a collection of his stories titled Tales of Attluma; and more recently the novel Sometime Lofty Towers. While it's exciting to see these new releases, I surely hope this leads to more of his work being republished for a new generation.

“I see his ghost in dreams. One day I'll chase him down in Hell, and you'll hear him screaming from the other side of Death.”

Haunted by a betrayal many years gone, Hanlin is a man full of rage. Many factors have led him to the decision to finally return north to his homeland. Procrastination over this decision has allowed a past comrade to locate him and try to enlist his aid in one more small war. The mention of the name Ardodan changes everything.

“And what is wisdom?"
"To be content with life and accept it, despite everything we confront in life.”

Hanlin's anger is palpable, giving other men pause. To him killing was just a job. His time living with the Westlings has given him a depth and wisdom that he lacked in his youth.

“The past is seldom what we think it is. We choose to remember what we wish to remember, but that is not the past. The past does not hold us; it’s that we do not let go. We hold the past to us as if it were a wild animal, then blame the animal for our own strong grip. Why blame the animal? Why blame the past?"
"How then do we ever let go?"
"As we would that wild animal, very carefully.”

Smith has attempted to give us a fair, impartial look at both sides of this border dispute. Although, like Hanlin, I believe most of us would side with the Westlings. This conflict is reminiscent of the American west, but of course this type of incident wasn't exclusive to any one place or time throughout history.

The interview after the story was a nice touch. Gives the reader insight into the poignant personal connection between Sometime Lofty Towers and Smith.

Sometime Lofty Towers does not disappoint. It certainly kept me riveted from start to finish. Bonds are forged, allegiance is betrayed, and one bloody afternoon will settle the score, at least for now. A satisfying, self-contained story, but with room to revisit if Smith chose to do so.

Sometime Lofty Towers is available from Amazon in print and digital formats.