A 5-star review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 10 on Goodreads

An interesting, in-depth review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 10 has been posted on Goodreads by Richard Fisher. Check the review here.

DMR Books website shares review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7

Our friends at DMR Books have just shared on their website an excellent review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 by Richard Fisher, opening with:

"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."

In actual fact submissions will open for volume nine on the 1st October for the full calendar month, with publication in November. And volume eight will be published on the 1st May. 

To read the full review click on this link: DMR Books

 

First review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7

Craig Herbertson has written and published the first review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7 on his website Heavenmakers. 

"The seventh in the popular sword and sorcery anthology series edited by David A. Riley contains eleven more appetising tales. Dedicated to the late Charles Black and illustrated by Jim Pitts, Parallel Universe Publications continue their policy of welcoming old favourites and newcomers to the world of Fantasy..."

To read the full review, in which he gives detailed comments about each story, click on the link above. 

Although he enjoyed reading all of the stories in this book, he picks out one in particular for special mention: "I don’t often say this. Jon Zaremba’s Prohairesis is stunningly brilliant. It’s a masterpiece. I don’t think I’ve read anything from a relatively new author which I would describe as faultless. This is. It has everything from conceptual genius, perfect plotting and authentic characterisation to brilliance of expression and a genuine original voice. Not a word is wasted, each sentence seamlessly carries the reader along. Prohairesis should win awards."

 

 

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 Reviewed on Big Hits Radio UK this Sunday

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 will be reviewed on Big Hits Radio UK this Sunday by Trevor Kennedy between 12 noon and 2 p.m. The review was originally published in Trevor's Phantasmagoria Magazine. You can read the full review here.

Great new review for Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 on Amazon

Thank you to Richard Fisher for this great, detailed review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 on Amazon. 

"Like a freight train Parallel Universe Publications continues to come down the line filled with S&S stories from authors new and old..."

"I eagerly look forward to Volume Seven which should be out sometime later this year."

For the full review click on this link: amazon.com

 

Lucilla - a novella reviewed on the Vault of Evil

The first review of my novella Lucilla is available to read online on the website The Vault of Evil. 

"At 90 medium print pages, Lucilla is equivalent to a slimline 'seventies NEL, and moves like one, too."

amazon UK £13.99 in hardcover/£2.99 in kindle

amazon.com $17.85 in hardcover/$3.70 in kindle

 

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 reviewed in the latest issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine

Trevor Kennedy, editor and publisher of Phantasmagoria Magazine gives a great review of the 6th volume in our Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy anthology series. 

Many thanks to Trevor for giving us permission to quote his review in full:

NOW IN ITS sixth volume, editor and publisher David A. Riley and illustrator Jim Pitts’ “Swords & Sorceries” series of high fantasy anthologies returns with more of the sort of swash-buckling tales of epic heroes and dastardly villains, sorcerers, witches, gods and monsters that its fans have come to expect, some novella length, and penned by a team comprising of several of their regular contributors, alongside some newbies.
Proceedings get off to a very impressive start with Dev Agarwal’s ‘Land of the Dead’, an imaginative entry involving his recurring characters of the Stone Snake and Princess Irene being imprisoned as we join the adventure, and one which also features the haunting “Land . . .” of the title. This is followed by ‘The House of Bones’ by Carson Ray which sees his hero Knox out for vengeance against the delightfully monikered “Doctor Grimm”. Andrew Darlington’s ‘A Place of Ghosts’ is a superb story with a neat twist of an immortal being sent on a mission by a mage, while one of the S&S genre’s
finest sons, Adrian Cole, is featured in the series once more with his Atlantis-set ‘God of the Dreaming Isles’.

Other highlights would be ‘Wardark and the Siren Queen’ by Craig Herbertson, Tais Teng’s ‘Raiding the Graveyard of Lost Ships’, which is accompanied by a very nice illustration by the author, and ‘Golden Witch of Adzelgar’ by Scott McCloskey.
With no shortage of swords-for-hire, blood-soaked gore and battles, well thought out world-building, creatures of myth and legend, and other tropes aficionados of this particular brand of epic fantasy will surely enjoy, Riley and Pitts’ series continues to grow and give a platform to some of the best writers within this particular field, certainly contributing strongly to a resurgence of sorts within it at the same time.
I think it can be safely assumed that the Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy series is currently in a healthy position, with several more volumes in the planning stages, something that its regular readers will welcome with open arms, and swords and shields at the ready.
Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 is published by Parallel Universe Publications and is available to purchase from Amazon and other outlets. For more details please go to:
paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com
—Trevor Kennedy

Phantasmagoria Magazine is available online from amazon and in certain selected shops, including some branches of Forbidden Planet. 270 pages of articles, interviews, reviews, fiction and loads of first-rate illustrations for a mere £13.99. Amazon.co.uk

First review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6

Contributor Craig Herbertson recently posted this review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6:

Off we ride again into other worlds and other times. David A. Riley brings us the sixth volume in the Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy series of anthologies. First up is Dev Agarwal who in “The Land of the Dead”, continues the tale of the Stone Snake and Princess Irene. There is a Moorcockian feel as we enter in and out of dreamscapes. There are great images; I was particularly taken by the Hall of Clocks. I am a sucker for description and Agarwal delivers.

In “The House of Bones” Carson Ray recalls his hero, Knox, whose lopsided grin insouciantly smiles on one and all, particularly when he is cutting one and all into little pieces. Knox springs to life from the pages and his protagonists are colourful, particularly Doctor Grim who is mainly coloured an evil black. A hint of Jack Vance emerges in the use of bones as furniture. Ray has built, with similar invention and craft ,a story that has five stars written all over it.

In “Threnody of Ghosts” The Corlaar Banshees surround the city of Demaghor. Zain, commander of the mercenaries hired to protect the castle, orders the arbalests to fire. Might as well shout at the wind. It’s a story with a poetic thread, poetically told, beginning in an elegant whorehouse and ending in an ethereal mist. Top marks.

My story, Wardark and the Siren Queen, returns to the world of Gobeln and Gauntspider and the quest for a Warlock’s tomb, a quest interrupted by the dismal prospect of a watery death.

Lyndon Perry’s “Otrim” is all about rites of passage. The young boys of the tribe need to make a kill to become men. Tzedron has made his first kill. Otrim is keen to follow in his footsteps. Cozum’ll apparently isn’t. Breathing in magical air offers a vision of the future and it’s not very promising. This is followed by “Gods, Men, and Nephilim”, David Dubrow’s third story in the Swords and Sorceries series and he brings new, vivid characters to the game – Abelia Agelastus Priestes of Tiberinus, Emmer-Yahad of Enoch. While Perry’s “Otrim” is very tribal, Dubrow is very Graeco-Roman. Although neither mode is my particular favourite in the genre (there’s a certain restraint in the use of magic) they are both consistent, polished and well told.

In Scott Mcloskey’s ‘The Golden Witch of Adzekgar’ an aspiring, and somewhat privileged witch, elects to resurrect a champion of the Ysir whose appellation Blood of Ten thousand should have been taken as a hint. This is up with my favourites. From first to last scene you are in the world.

“Raiding the Graveyard of Lost Ships”. Tais Teng, whose haunting illustration accompanies his tale, entertains again with a relaxed and easy prose which makes the unbelievable seem quite believable and the terror almost palatable.

Veteran Andrew Darlington treats us with a longer story. I’ve always been an admirer of Darlington’s imagery which, like malt whiskey only appears better with age. I wish this tale of the immortal Addsiduo Sicarious (or his host) would quietly transmogrify into a novel: Another favourite.

“Those Who Wear Their White Hair Proudly” by Lauren C. Teffeau was first published in 2017 and is only one of Lauren’s impressive bibliography: Sidika is no longer her father’s child, other purposes will guide her life. She doesn’t like it and it’s not going to be easy.

In “Trials for Treasure” Harry Elliot’s splendid prose reads like the Welsh author Kenneth Morris who remains in my top five fantasy authors. What more can I say,

Finally, there’s a reason that Adrian Cole has a story in every volume for the series and “God of the Dreaming Isles” is a pleasant reminder.

Again, the strength is in the variety. There are no duds. And, like a child in a sweet shop, you’ll find it difficult to pick your favourite. But this time I’ll go for “The House of Bones” by Carson Ray. Knox is a stand-out sword and sorcery hero and I can’t wait for his next adventure.

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 6 is available as a paperback and ebook (kindle)

 

amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

 

 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 reviewed in the latest issue of Phantasmagoria

Reviewed by John Gilbert in Phantasmagoria 22:

FRITZ LEIBER COINED the term “sword and sorcery” in 1961 after British author Michael Moorcock requested a name for the type of fantasy-adventure stories he had written. Originally, Moorcock  proposed the term “epic fantasy”, but, in early 1961, Leiber replied in the journal Ancalagon, suggesting “sword and sorcery” as a good popular catchphrase for the field.

A consensus of literary opinion describes the S&S sub-genre as comprising fast-paced, action-rich, fantasy stories set in quasi-mythical or fantastical worlds. As opposed to high fantasy, sword and sorcery tales tend to be more personal, with danger confined to the moment of telling. Sword and sorcery stories are more often than not set in exotic locales, and protagonists are inclined to be morally compromised.

Whilst sales of high fantasy have soared in recent years, support for sword and sorcery has declined amongst the big publishing corporations and imprints. It has fallen to independent publishers, such as Parallel Universe Publications, to keep it alive with reprints of classics and new tales with anthologies such as the Swords & Sorceries series, which contains this very mix. It is, as always, expertly edited by fantasy champion David Riley and illustrated by genre maestro Jim Pitts.

Volume 5 of this series – published towards the end of 2022 – is dedicated to Charles Black who inspired the series, and commences with a fulsome introduction by the editor which introduces the authors and provides background to some of the tales.

The anthology kicks off with a newcomer to the series but a veteran American author, editor and poet, Charles Gramlich, whose works include Swords of Talera, Wings Over Talera and Witch of Talera, novels inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars series. His contribution to this anthology, ‘The Rotted Land’, a fast paced, atmospheric tale, is the third instalment in a series featuring the the legendary warrior Krieg, who this time becomes entangled in a conflict between a witch and a sorceress whilst travelling through a gloomy, reptile-infested swamp.

British SF&F author Harry Elliott, largely known for his military fiction, showcases his prodigious genre-hopping talents with ‘Skulls for Silver’, featuring Mann and Hel, creature-hunting sell-swords who hitch up with a caravan of travellers with a monstrous, slave trading, secret.

Gustavo Bondoni’s ‘For the Light’ has the feel of ancient Rome, with bloody sport for the glory of the gods and a high stakes chariot race, while ‘People of the Lake’ by Lorenzo D. Lopez takes us back to the swamps as Morwenna runs from an army of skeletons sent after her by Skeloric, a sorcerer who will conjure anything to make her his bride.

Dutch writer Tais Teng’s silkily narrated ‘Free Diving for Leviathan Eggs’ stands out amongst cut and thrust of most heroic fantasy fare due to its ethereal style. It is more of an Arabian fable – somewhat in the mould of fiction by Ursula Le Guin or Tanith Lee – than a sword swinging action romp and unlike the previous entries in this anthology, it is a first-person narrative. His “heroine” is the third wife of a 300-year-old magician who keeps his spouses young with magic – his first wife is 90 years old and still looks young and voluptuous. Her aunts pity her plight, chained, as they see it, to such a decrepit old man. She is sanguine about the arrangement but when he turns her into a sea creature and uses her to further his own magical ends, she begins to understand the cost of the love she so desperately wants from him.

Dungeons and caves are the focus of the next two, much more traditional S&S stories. ‘The Black Well’, by Darin Hlavaz, tells the story of an expedition into the gloomy depths of the Well of Oanjuntoo in a quest to recover a sorcerous staff. It is very much a story in the tradition of H. Rider Haggard, a fast-paced adventure with natural and supernatural hazards along the way. ‘Degg and the Undead’ by Susan Murrie Macdonald, is similarly subterranean, but there the similarities end as Degg is a lone adventurer who incurs the ire of a necromancer when he steals an enchanted sword.

The next two stories have a historical twist to them and again read more like legends than straight S&S. Fantasy mixes with history in David Dubrow’s ‘The Mistress of the Marsh’ when a legion of Roman soldiers, sent to occupy the town of Parma and keep the peace, are suddenly afflicted with a deadly illness that turns man against man and which may have been inflicted by the Thucers, a mysterious tribe of swamp people.

‘Silver and Gold’, by Earl W. Parrish, begins on a Roman road where Pierre, a Holy Knight, rescues Jeannette, a woman, impaled by an arrow and hanging from a tree, who is about to be burned alive. As they journey on together, and she refuses to leave his side, he begins to wonder whether she was ever truly a maiden in distress.

‘Bridge of Sorrows’, by Dev Agarwal, is part three of the legend of Lord Commander Simeon, also called the Stone Snake – the first two tales, ‘Stone Snake’ and ‘The Iron Woods’ having been included in earlier volumes of the anthology series. Accompanied by Princess Irene, and guided by ben Kim as they journey towards The Bridge of Sorrows, they are not prepared for another confrontation with Silver Mask and the evil brood of Dagonists – yes, a nod towards Lovecraft’s Mythos – awaiting them there.

No contemporary sword and sorcery anthology would be complete without an entry by “Dream Lords” and “Star Requiem” author Adrian Cole. In the final entry in this anthology, Adrian takes us to the world of Elak of Atlantis, originally the creation of American pulp author Henry Kuttner, with ‘Prisoners of Devil Dog City’. King Elak has unified the Atlantean continent and his people are enjoying a time of prosperity and peace. And yet, in this tale set at sea and wrought with supernatural dangers, the gods and monsters will continue to have their battles.

Of the eleven tales laid out in this fifth volume of Swords & Sorceries, those that stand from the pack are the ones that exhibit a freshness, style and sophistication all of their own. They are ‘Free Diving for Leviathan Eggs’, which bears the form of a silkily written fable, ‘Silver and Gold’, which defies the more traditional, Conan-esque, tropes of the sword and sorcery sub-genre, and the gripping ‘Prisoners of Devil Dog City’, which demonstrates the versatility of a true master of the fantasy/SF genre. That said, each story in the anthology earns its inclusion and stretches the boundaries of what would normally be considered under the banner of sword and sorcery. This volume may be the fifth instalment of this anthology series but it ably demonstrates that the sub-genre continues to survive and to draw a lively audience.

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 is published by Parallel Universe Publications and is available to purchase from Amazon and other outlets. For more details please go to:

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com  

Phantasmagoria magazine 

Amazon UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BXNBF1XK

Amazon USA link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXNBF1XK

 

Volume 1 of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy

Over two years after it was published, Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 1 is still getting 5-star reviews. The latest is from India.

amazon.co.uk

amazon.com

 

New detailed 5-star review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 on Amazon

There's a new detailed 5-star review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5 on Amazon.

To read it in full click on this link.  

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4 reviewed in the latest issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine

There is a great review of Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4 in the latest issue of Phantasmagoria Magazine by editor Trevor Kennedy:

NOW IN ITS fourth volume, David A. Riley and Jim Pitts’ Swords & Sorceries high fantasy series returns with eleven new tales of faraway mystical lands, swash-buckling heroes, blood-soaked battles, powerful wizards and sorcerers, pissed offgods (aren’t they all?!) and strange creatures. 

Although more suited to aficionados of this genre, with the stories all unconnected and with no overall arc, any reader can jump on at any point with any of the volumes, or indeed stories, with the excellent illustrations of stalwart Pitts throughout livening up proceedings further once again.

All of the offerings within this latest anthology from Parallel Universe Publications are at very least solid and worthy of inclusion, varied and differing, some even of almost novella length, though all still very much belonging to the general theme and genre. 

Dev Agarwal’s opener, ‘In the Iron Woods’, sets things up well with a hero named Simeon taskedwith ferrying Princess Irene to safety. Of the other stories included, the following really stoodout for me: 

‘At Sea’ by Geoff Hart, a fun pirate-based romp which sees a couple of strange woman board a sea vessel. 

Frank Sawielijew gives us ‘The Flesh of Man’, and it’s another very enjoyable yarn involving a barbarian warrior, flesh-eating harpies, giant lizards and pterodactyls! 

Adrian Cole’s ‘City at the Mouth of Chaos’ is great, although this is no surprise either as I have yet to be disappointed with the author’s work and I always look forward to reading his tales when I see his name pop up in an anthology’s list of contributors. This particular story is one of his Voidal works set in the “omniverse” and is as fast-paced and imaginative as you would expect from the author. 

My absolute favourite of the entire volume, though, would have to be the delightfully titled ‘My People Were Fair and Wore Stars in Their Hair’ by Andrew Darlington. It’s a relatively short piece but a very memorable one at the same time and features reanimation/reincarnation of the dead through dark magic and time travel (of sorts), fascinatingly and vividly rendered by Darlington. 

Riley and Pitts have selected well for this fourth entry in their popular series and with them now averaging around two volumes per year, I would expect that numbers 5 and 6 are already in the works. Long may their series continue! 

Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 4 is published by Parallel Universe Publications and is available to purchase from Amazon and other outlets.  

 

For more details please go to: paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com
—Trevor Kennedy