What Is the Single Best Sword & Sorcery Anthology?
A reader asked me a great question the other day. He asked: If you could only have one book to sum up the superstars of the [S&S] genre, which one would you pick?
Read MoreWhy (Human Generated) Sword-and-Sorcery?
Now our art is threatened not by derivative authors, but by machines capable of turning it out in choking quantities. What happens if an AI-generated story is good? Can we read and enjoy it? Should we?
Read MoreSword and Sorcery, Power-Fantasy, and Barbarian-Fantasy
From my perspective, sword and sorcery is not power-fantasy; it is barbarian-fantasy: the longing to return to the primitive, the past, the preindustrial, the raw of terrestrial nature, the simple.
Read MoreJoe Kubert -- Ten Years Gone
Joe Kubert passed on ten years ago today. An absolute legend in the comic book industry, Kubert's career spanned an astounding seventy-five years. Joe was one of the few comics giants to be admitted to various comic book halls of fame as a writer, artist and inker. In Comic Book Valhalla, Joe Kubert sits at the high table.
Read MoreWhen in Rome...
Their remarkable achievements notwithstanding, the Romans also did a lot of harm, physically, socially and politically. Conquered tribes and nations were absorbed into the Roman way of life. So you might ask, what has this got to do with Sword and Sorcery? I’m coming to that.
Read MoreThings That Are Undone and Ought Not To Be: A Sword-and-Sorcery Studies Wish List
It strikes that there is a lot left to be done in the field of sword-and-sorcery studies. To paraphrase the poignant lament of Roy Batty, I don’t want to see these bits of sword-and-sorcery history lost forever, though I fear they could be.
Read MoreKarl Edward Wagner: Born For Blood and Darkness
Karl Edward Wagner was born on this date seventy-five years ago. By the age of thirty, he was making waves in both the genres of Horror and of Sword and Sorcery. At the time of his untimely death in 1994, he was already a legend.
Read MoreUnto the Breach: Why I Wrote Flame and Crimson: A History of Sword-and-Sorcery
Sword-and-sorcery offers alternatives to fantasy doorstoppers, those ponderous epic quests to save The Land. It’s a unique expression of our desire for personal freedom, to explore new frontiers, and to resist the mantles of stifling custom and conformity. And most of all, it’s entertaining as hell.
Read MoreSword & Planet: A Genre of Mashups
Sword & Planet fiction (S&P) obviously has some relationship to Sword & Sorcery (S&S). In my opinion, both subgenres of fantastic fiction emerged out of a similar cultural background, during the period from WW1 through to the end of WW2.
Read MoreForefathers of Sword and Sorcery: Arthur Machen
Machen’s influence upon REH is patent. Yarns like “Worms of the Earth” would not exist without the fiction of Arthur Machen. Clark Ashton Smith, the other co-founder of Sword and Sorcery was also a huge Machen fan, citing “The White Powder” as one of his ten favorite weird tales.
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