Last fall DMR Books announced Die By the Sword, the first of what will hopefully be many volumes of new sword-and-sorcery fiction. The response was tremendous, and we received nearly 200 submissions. Selecting the best of the best was no easy task. Only the 11 most excellent stories made the final cut. Offering anything less than the finest stories available would be cheating you, the reader, and that is something we will never do!

What can you expect in Die By the Sword? You’ll meet some familiar characters, such as Richard L. Tierney’s Simon of Gitta, whose continuing adventures here are chronicled by Glenn Rahman, Tierney’s longtime friend and collaborator. Karnov, the Phantom-Clad Rider of the Cosmic Ice, makes his return as well, traveling the planes in search of more vampyres to destroy.

If you’re looking for action-packed tales of blood and thunder, stories such as Dariel R.A. Quiogue’s “Ardax in Antillia” and Howie K. Bentley’s “Secrets Only Dragons Know” will surely satisfy you. The more mystical, exotic side of S&S is represented as well. Fans of authors such as Jack Vance, Clark Ashton Smith, and Schuyler Hernstrom will be thrilled to read Chase A. Folmar’s “The Sorcerer’s Scion” and M. Stern’s “The Tears of Blood.” Die By the Sword even offers some slightly unusual, experimental tales, such as Rose Strickman’s horror-tinged samurai story “Snow Fox and Ice Witch” and Elias Varsity’s thought-provoking “The Sacrifice.”

Die By the Sword features a cover painting by John Pound. It will be released in early May in trade paperback, hardcover, and digital editions. If it proves to be as well-received and successful as expected, details on submissions for Volume II will be announced shortly thereafter.

Table of Contents:
“Ardax in Antillia” by Dariel R.A. Quiogue
“The Tears of Blood” by M. Stern
“Rites of the Black Goddess” by Paul D. Batteiger
“The Sorcerer’s Scion” by Chase A. Folmar
“The Hound of the Cherusci” by Glenn Rahman
“The Heart of Vengeance” by Gregory D. Mele
“Secrets Only Dragons Know” by Howie K. Bentley
“The Key to the Blood Pyramid” by Matthew Knight
“Snow Fox and Ice Witch” by Rose Strickman
“The Abartachs’ Hostage” by Ethan Sabatella
“The Sacrifice” by Elias Varsity