Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" discussion

Discuss what you're currently reading, here...

I'm not presently reading anything hard core "Sword and Sorcery" at the moment, but I do have The Sword & Sorcery Anthology on my "to be read" shelf. Also Gods in Darkness: The Complete Novels of Kane by Karl Edward Wagner. That one will be a re-read, but it's been a long time since I've read any of the "Kane" novels. On the non sword and sorcery front, I'm currently reading Years in the Making: The Time-Travel Stories of L. Sprague de Camp.

Thank you for joining Steven! Please feel free to add books, invite friends or suggest anything for this group's improvement.
I'm currently reading Bones of the Old Ones, which is a terrific S&S read...

I'm currently reading Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines and The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie.

I'm most of the way through Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov, which I'd say definitely has sword & sorcery influences (by way of D&D).

Libriomancer looks very interesting. I've read a review of Shadow Prowler on Black Gate and will probably read it. I'm currently reading the 3rd volume in the Swords Against Darkness series and can't figure out why those books are out of print all these years.
Thank you, both, for joining and feel free to add any S&S themed books on the "Bookshelf".

I'm reading "The Heirs of Hammerfell" by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It's a Darkover novel. fantasy but not exactly Sword & Sorcery. Definitely skirts that genre though. I just finished writing a S & S short story called "A Whisper of Ashes," and am working out ideas for another.

@Joseph - do you like Shadow Prowler - I have a copy of it here (received from World Fantasy iirc) but haven't started it.

Michael wrote: "@Joseph - do you like Shadow Prowler - I have a copy of it here (received from World Fantasy iirc) but haven't started it."

I enjoyed it and am proceeding with the rest of the trilogy. The first-person narration is engaging and I think that you get enough of the Russian original leaking through that it doesn't feel completely generic.

Having said that, if you do eBooks and you want to check it out without making quite so much of a commitment, I'd recommend the first story in A Pehov Duet, which is a standalone although it's told by the trilogy's narrator, and will give you a good sense of Pehov's style (as interpreted by the translator).

(And Periklis, I'm officially jealous that you got the ARC for Bones of the Old Ones. As some consolation, though, I'm getting a free autographed copy of Knife Sworn from Mazarkis Williams thanks to a Facebook post.)

Joseph wrote: "(And Periklis, I'm officially jealous that you got the ARC for Bones of the Old Ones. As some consolation, though, I'm getting a free autographed copy of Knife Sworn from Mazarkis Williams thanks ..."

I'm waiting for my copy of Knife Sworn from the recent fb giveaway, too! ;)
Haven't read Emperor's Knife yet though...

And (because it's a pick in the Fantasy Book Club this month) I just started David Gemmell's Legend, which has been sitting on my shelf for rather a long time. Not sure if I'll continue on with the series right away (there are a lot of books) but I'm enjoying it thus far.

Joseph wrote: "And (because it's a pick in the Fantasy Book Club this month) I just started David Gemmell's Legend, which has been sitting on my shelf for rather a long time. Not sure if I'll continue on with th..."

You'll definitely enjoy "Legend". I'm a bit intimidated by the lengthy Drenai series myself, but I'm planning to ignore continuity and read "White Wolf" next.

Periklis wrote: "You'll definitely enjoy "Legend". I'm a bit intimidated by the lengthy Drenai series myself, but I'm planning to ignore continuity and read "White Wolf" next."

I did enjoy Legend but decided to go in a completely different direction afterwards --Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan. But after that I was thinking maybe it was time to move onto the next Del Rey Robert E. Howard volume, or maybe even Harold Lamb.

There really isn't much continuity in the Drenai series, I wouldn't worry about reading order.

And Joseph, you can never go wrong with Howard or Lamb!

Bill wrote: "And Joseph, you can never go wrong with Howard or Lamb!"

Nope! In fact, I just started Warriors of the Steppes: The Complete Cossack Adventures, Volume Two.

Is anyone willing to write a post on Harold Lamb, here, on the group?

I'd not be the person for that, having read only a couple of Lamb's works back years ago. I need to read more.

Although I had picked up some of his books over the years previously, everything I actually know about Lamb came from The Curved Saber put together by Howard Andrew Jones who is, I believe, a member here, when he was editing the Bison Press collections. I highly recommend the site. (And I highly recommend Lamb as well.)

I'm currently reading the sword & planet (and humor) novel Jane Carver of Waar, by Nathan Long. I'm also slowly working throughMidnight Sun: The Complete Stories of Kane, although I've read most of the Kane tales before in paperback, they are certainly worth the reread. I do find I enjoy them more when I dole them out over a longer period rather than sit down and go at them cover to cover.

Jason wrote: "I do find I enjoy them more when I dole them out over a longer period rather than sit down and go at them cover to cover."

Hello Jason and welcome to the group.
I feel the same way about collections/ anthologies. In fact, I'm about to start re-reading We Are All Legends after a long hiatus.

Thank you very much for the welcome.I have that volume as well, and have read the first four tales. I think part of the reason I read them slowly is they have such drive, energy and focus being short form, and also such heavy tone. With the Wagner especially. I remember he stated something in one of his Afterwards or interviews about his work being gothic, really heavy on the mood, and for me a byproduct of his success in that regard is that I can only read so much at a sitting. The mood can be, after all, pretty oppressive.

Jason, I wonder if you are referring to one on my favorite Wagner quotes. In "The Once and Future Kane" essay (featured at the end of Night Shade's Midnight Sun: The Complete Stories of Kane) Wagner critiques his own writing of Bloodstone, and writes:

"The prose was a bit heavy, but I liked it that way..."

And a bit later he admits his inspiration from gothic novels

"..but what I really liked out of the [gothic novel] was the careful--indeed, obsessive--attention to mood and atmosphere..."

His essays are always filled with awesome tidbits. From the above in which he explains his inspiration for Kane, to his prologue Bran Mak Morn: Legion From The Shadows to his intros to his editing of Red Nails and Conan: People of the Black Circle in which he explains the Sword & Sorcery genre... those 1970's books are worth tracking down just for his short entries.

Right now I'm finally reading Tim Willocks' novel, The Religion. I've just started, so I can't tell if it will live up to all the great things I've heard about it. Supposed to be a wonderful historical adventure novel.

As to a brief education on Lamb, my old site, The Curved Saber, should tell you a lot of what you need to know. I really need to update the site. I set it up so long ago that the computer I had that old web site design on (bought from a box) is long dead. I'd have to rebuild it from scratch, and I just can't steal the time to do it right now.

Last, two thumbs up for the Waar novel by Nathan Long. I got to read that in manuscript and was mightily pleased.

Howard wrote: "As to a brief education on Lamb, my old site, The Curved Saber, should tell you a lot of what you need to know...."

More than a brief education, if I may say so, The Curved Saber looks like THE place to read about Harold Lamb. Thank you for sharing this!

S.E. I think you definitely pulled out some of the quotes that inspired my reply. I might also have been mixing in some information posted on Jessica Amanda Salmonson's website (but it may very well have been some of the same passages you supplied above). I agree that his interviews and essays have a lot to inform. I look forward to reading those he supplied for Red Nails and Black Circle, as I have not yet come across his editions of those works.

Howard, it was actually your posting about the Waar novel that brought it to my attention and I figured I'd give it a go.

Jason, what do you think of Waar so far?

Howard, I'm just getting started but so far I am finding it a hoot, heightened especially by comparison to ERB (which I've not read in a long while), although it does stake out its own ground and stands just fine on its own.

And now it's time: Just started The Bones of the Old Ones.

I need to pick the second up for myself. I read it in manuscript, but I know Nathan was planning some changes, and I'd like to see what he did!

Thanks for trying out BONES, Joseph!

I'm not actually reading anything at the moment as I'm on a tight deadline, but next up on my Kobo ereader is "Red Seas Under Red Skies" by Scott Lynch - I bought it for my previous ereader ages ago, but the pesky DRM thing meant it wasn't compatible with my new one :(

Anne wrote: "I'm not actually reading anything at the moment as I'm on a tight deadline, but next up on my Kobo ereader is "Red Seas Under Red Skies" by Scott Lynch - I bought it for my previous ereader ages ag..."

With The Bones of the Old Ones and Red Seas Under Red Skies , seems it's a Sword-and-Sorcery Duos themed month for most of us here. As I've already enjoyed Dabir & Asim's latest adventure, I'll go back to the The First Book of Lankhmar omnibus.
Anne, DRM can be REALLY annoying. I'm trying Kindle for PC but I don't plan on investing on a device... :(

Fortunately my own publisher releases DRM-free ebooks via their webstore, so at least I'm not inflicting that headache on my own readers!

http://www.robottradingcompany.com/

(Not sure about the Kindle editions, since I don't own a Kindle and only use the iOS Kindle app if there's no other option).

Periklis wrote: "Howard wrote: "As to a brief education on Lamb, my old site, The Curved Saber, should tell you a lot of what you need to know...."

I've been dipping into Lamb off and on for a while now and really enjoying him. I'll have to check out the site.

After a couple of non-S&S offerings (Obsidian and Blood by Aliette de Bodard, which I'd recommend, and The Witch's Head by H. Rider Haggard, which was pretty meh), I just started Stealer of Flesh, one of the books William King has been self-publishing.

Joseph wrote: "After a couple of non-S&S offerings (Obsidian and Blood by Aliette de Bodard, which I'd recommend, and The Witch's Head by H. Rider Haggard, which was pretty meh), I just started Stealer of Flesh, ..."

A great read. Wiliam King explains his love for the genre and Kormak's genesis in: Author’s Notes: Stealer of Flesh. Also a short Kormak story, Guardian of the Dawn, is available for free.

"To the world at large, he is a mercenary and assassin, a brutal killer with a deadly blade. In reality Kormak is a Guardian, one of a dying order sworn to protect humanity from the servants of the gathering darkness."

Periklis wrote: "A great read. Wiliam King explains his love for the genre and Kormak's genesis in: Author’s Notes: Stealer of Flesh. Also a short Kormak story, Guardian of the Dawn, is available for free."

Thanks! I'll have to check out the author's note. I've read a fair bit of King over the years -- the first half dozen or so Gotrek & Felix books, then, more recently, his self-published Terrarch Chronicles (musket & sorcery -- the setting has more of a Napoleonic-era feel to it) and Sky Pirates, which was kind of Warhammer-flavored sword & planet, and enjoyed them all.

Finished Stealer of Flesh (fast and fun) and started Swords against Tomorrow for the group read.

I second that recommendation for STEALER OF FLESH - it's very good.

Currently reading the Brak the Barbarian * Mark of the Demons omnibus. I'm not too far into it, but so far it has exceeded my expectations. The characterization is a little slight, but there's some pretty cool imagery. I think I like it better than Lin Carter's Thongor the Barbarian stories.

Hey Phil -- do you mean the Thongor novels, or the short stories? I remember kind of digging the short stories, but couldn't get through the novels.

I gave up on the Brak novels, but sort of enjoyed the short stories. Which book is first for Brak? Maybe I gave up too soon.

Finished Swords against Tomorrow (it's only 175 pages), which I'd recommend tracking down specifically for the Poul Anderson story, and am moving to some non-S&S stuff for a bit -- I need to get caught up on the Dresden Files, so I just started Side Jobs: Stories From the Dresden Files.

I meant the Thongor novels, of which I've read the first and third. I haven't read any of the Thongor short stories, but it looks like Wildside Press has a collection for them.

I don't dislike Thongor, but ("Clonan" status aside) Brak seems like his own character, while Thongor always had kind of a "King Kull in Barsoom" vibe to me.

Brak the Barbarian is the first "novel," but so far it seems like short stories strung loosely together with a "must travel south" plot thread.

I'm not reading it (yet) but just wanted to mention that William King just published a new Kormak novel: Defiler of Tombs. (Which is available on Amazon and from the other electronic Usual Suspects but which doesn't appear to have a Goodreads entry yet.)

Joseph wrote: "I'm not reading it (yet) but just wanted to mention that William King just published a new Kormak novel: Defiler of Tombs. (Which is available on Amazon and from the other electronic Usual Suspect..."

Thanks for the heads up. I'm preparing an entry for the series and adding it to the group's Bookshelf. And my wishlist, which is getting ridiculously long...

Joseph wrote: "I'm not reading it (yet) but just wanted to mention that William King just published a new Kormak novel: Defiler of Tombs. (Which is available on Amazon and from the other electronic Usual Suspect..."

Thanks for the heads-up. I will definitely be looking at this one soon.

Jason wrote: "Joseph wrote: "I'm not reading it (yet) but just wanted to mention that William King just published a new Kormak novel: Defiler of Tombs. (Which is available on Amazon and from the other electroni..."

I got it immediately, and I will read it after finishing A MEMORY OF LIGHT.

Jonathan wrote: "I got it immediately, and I will read it after finishing A MEMORY OF LIGHT."

And per a recent entry on King's website, books 3 and 4 are in process. I'm glad someone is keeping alive the tradition of mid-1970's 200 page quick-reading S&S -- I just wish he could get some covers along the lines of what they used to use back then.

Joseph wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "I got it immediately, and I will read it after finishing A MEMORY OF LIGHT."

And per a recent entry on King's website, books 3 and 4 are in process. I'm glad someone is keeping a..."

As am I. I would like to do something similar myself.

Custom cover art is expensive, though, so I can definitely see why he's doing a template.

Jonathan wrote: "As am I. I would like to do something similar myself.

Custom cover art is expensive, though, so I can definitely see why he's doing a template."

Yes, I understand, especially given that they're only being published electronically. And honestly, once it's on my Kindle I'll never see the cover regardless.