Swords and Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume Seven
Parallel Universe Publications
Edited by David A. Riley
Cover and interior art by Jim Pitts
2023

David A. Riley's anthology series certainly has some longevity. With seven volumes to date it has eclipsed several seminal anthology series of the past. As I understand it volume eight will be published later this year with submissions reopening late this year or early next year for volume nine.

Eleven stories, many with recurring characters. Fans of the genre will readily recognize many of the author's names.

I have encountered Stephen Frame's “Pitiless” before. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had found print here. Like rediscovering a passing acquaintance. The mysterious swordsman and his actions kept my interest piqued. His dilemma had my full attention. Although, I felt like I missed something at the end.

Paul Batteiger's “Unhallowed Tombs” brings the dark. As the world deteriorates into conflict and madness, Turan leads his men, not into the fray, but away to claim his birthright. The journey is harrowing. The destination? A living nightmare. Initially I expected this story to progress in a traditional bend, but I was pleasantly surprised by the dark turn.

Unrest grips the city in “Sorceries in Assabar” by Andrew Graham. The priesthood, who abjures sorcery, seeks the aid of a local apothecary who also secretly dabbles in sorcery. As it does, things go from bad to worse. This is a traditional S&S story with all of the usual trappings.

“Schism of Spectres” by Phil Emery finds the character Zain in a city mid-sack. There are some pretty cool things introduced in this story. However, it's really just a brief glimpse of something larger. Perhaps I missed something because this one just didn't leave much of an impression.

“The Crossroads in the Forest” by Gavin Chappell has more turns and curves than a back road in eastern Tennessee. Our thief protagonist effortlessly moves from one situation and resulting setback to another. His luck doesn't always hold, but his quick wit keeps him one step ahead of pursuit.

Jason M. Waltz makes a departure from his usual protagonist, Direk. “Wisps” is a strange journey. A fever dream. An out of this world trip.

In “Dark the Sky, Radiant the Road” by Jalyn Renae Fiske the end is nigh. The gods are quiescent. The dead have risen. They seek the blood of the living. A small disparate group hunt the cause.

“The Blood of Khalid Al’Tahir” by Craig Comer is another standard S&S tale. An assassin discovers there is nothing simple about this job. Infiltrating his mark’s home is the easy part.

“The Dark Knight of the Soul” by Eric Ian Steele has an eerie horror vibe. I thought this was unusual for a story concerning Prester John. Children have been disappearing. The confrontation I expected, but the denouement was a special surprise I kick myself for not seeing sooner. Good stuff.

“Prohairesis” by Jon Zaremba is a long story. An isolated, controlled community. A prodigal child who balks at convention. I read this one carefully. While I didn't particularly enjoy this story, I cannot help but revisit it. I continue to mull it over long after reading it.

“Blades for a Bounty” by Harry Elliott is a continuing story of a trio of warriors in an interesting setting. Civilization seems to live in large arable canyons. What lies above the rim of the canyons? The trio are hired to slay a monster. Only to find that they are hunted by an adversary that knows them all too well.