This review originally appeared on Goodreads on January 21, 2022.

Return of the Sword: An Anthology of Heroic Adventure

Edited by Jason M. Waltz – Rogue Blades Entertainment – January 1, 2008

Review by Robin Marx

This anthology focuses primarily on sword & sorcery tales, with a touch of historical adventure as well. As with all anthologies, some stories stood out more than others.

Neither “Mountain Scarab” by Jeff Stewart nor “Red Hands,” a 1935 Cossack tale by Harold Lamb, directly involve the supernatural, but both are vigorous adventures with exciting swordplay.

Some of the best stories in the anthology have an element of humor. “To Be a Man” by Robert Rhodes involves an exhausted fellow trying to escape his lusty and bloodthirsty amazon-like bandit paramour. “An Uneasy Truce in Ulam-Bator,” by Allen B. Lloyd & William Clunie, involves a spell gone wrong, turning a callow sorcerer and his barbarian mercenary into unlikely allies.

For me, the highlight of the book was “The Red Worm's Way,” by James Enge and starring his Morlock Ambrosius character. The story combines weird occurrences and a creepy supernatural threat with clever twists and Morlock's wry wit.

While I wouldn't call it a misstep, necessarily, the inclusion of a writing advice article by E.E. Knight is a bit mystifying. While perhaps helpful to budding writers, the advice isn't particularly tailored to sword & sorcery fiction (Star Wars and Titanic are frequently used in the examples), and as the only non-fiction entry in the anthology it feels fairly superfluous.

Overall this is an entertaining look at fairly recent sword & sorcery (with the exception of classic author Harold Lamb) and wholeheartedly recommended to fans of the sub-genre.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on December 29, 2020.

Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology

Edited by Milton J. Davis & Charles R. Saunders – Mvmedia, LLC – August 7, 2011

Review by Robin Marx

Griots is an anthology of African-inspired sword & sorcery, or “Sword & Soul” as dubbed by the sub-genre’s first proponent, Charles Saunders. The anthology sets out to provide fantasy stories in a neglected milieu (nearly all the stories take place in Africa or an Africa-like fantasy setting), with Black heroes and heroines in a genre that has long had a tendency to put dark-skinned characters in the roles of supporting characters or antagonists.

The anthology gets off to a strong start with “Mrembo Aliyenaswa,” an adventure by active sword & soul promoter Milton Davis. Much like many Robert E. Howard stories, it’s set in a historical African setting with a light touch of magic. I’d never read any of Davis’ other stories featuring his hero Changa, but this story encourages me to check them out.

“Awakening” by Valjeanne Jeffers is less testosterone-drenched than the bulk of the stories in this anthology, but it serves up an interesting blend of action and mythology.

“The Demon in the Wall” is a fun adventure involving a young warrior and his spry, alluring grandmother(!) fending off a supernatural invasion. The characters in this story are particularly fun, including one antagonist who isn’t fully committed to evil.

Other standout stories included “The General’s Daughter” (by Anthony Nana Kwamu), “The Queen, the Demon, and the Mercenary” (by Ronald T. Jones), and “Icewitch” (by Rebecca McFarland Kyle). The latter is notable for being the only story NOT taking place in an African setting, involving a Black character among a tribe of white people in the frozen north.

The best story by far is “The Three-Faced One,” an Imaro tale by Charles Saunders. I imagine it must have been intimidating for the newer writers appearing in the same anthology as the genre’s founder, and Saunders really delivers. Imaro remains an appealing hero, and the supernatural threat he faces is an intriguing one.

While it’s nice that this anthology collects and spotlights African fantasy and Black heroes, nearly any of these stories would just as easily be at home in any sword & sorcery anthology. So if you enjoy sword & sorcery but aren’t familiar with sword & soul, give it a try!

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on July 3, 2022.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth

By Cassandra Khaw – Tor Nightfire – October 19, 2021

Review by Robin Marx

Hilarity ensues when five deeply unlikeable characters who barely tolerate each other spend the night in a haunted Japanese mansion.

While the prose had its moments, the characters and story were deeply disappointing. I don’t require books to have an appealing viewpoint character, but everyone presented here is obnoxious and tedious, with only thinly veiled contempt for each other. Animosity within a group can work in a longer piece of fiction, where there’s more time to explore both the ties that keep people together and not just the things that irk them about each other (Adam Nevill’s The Ritual), but there’s no room for that in this brief story, and the characters are at each other’s throats even before anything supernatural occurs. Irritating characters that the audience enjoy watching get killed off is a common horror movie trope, but there’s usually at least one appealing character to root for. This story has ZERO, and the body count is also lamentably low.

The Japanese setting details also had issues. The characters stay in a neglected mansion from the Heian period (c. 794-1185), but less than two dozen buildings remain from this era, most of them temples or shrines, and certainly none of them could be described as abandoned. Japan’s climate and seismic activity is unkind to old architecture.

The characters also come across a book with a ritual to solve their problems, but rather than be in the form of a period-appropriate scroll (written in ancient text that nobody but a specialist scholar would be able to read, anyway), it’s a leather-bound vellum book. There are other apparent missteps, and that’s even after ignoring odd details that could possibly have a spooky supernatural rationale.

The author also name-drops several yōkai (spirits/monsters) without elaborating on them for the audience. I speak Japanese and am familiar with the folklore, but this felt a bit ostentatious, like the author was showing off her research. But given the various false notes in the Japan-centric details, I wasn’t much impressed.

I love horror stories and Japan, so I had high hopes for this book. Not only was I crushed by the actual story, I am mystified as to how this had the full marketing might of TOR behind it. How many novellas get a hardcover release and a $20 cover price? The acknowledgements mention support and encouragement from Ellen Datlow, who is an editor that can usually be counted on to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Avoid this one, folks.

★☆☆☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 15, 2022.

Rakehell: Issue 1

Edited by Nathaniel Webb – Young Needles Press – July 1, 2022

Review by Robin Marx

This is the first issue of what is promoted as “a modern magazine of swashbuckling adventure,” mentioning Robin Hood, the Three Musketeers, and Indiana Jones as touchstones.

The issue starts off strong, with “The Mortuary Sword” by H. R. Laurence. Featuring the heroine from the magazine's appealing cover artwork, it involves a highwayman who encounters a supernatural threat on the road. The tone of the story is pitch-perfect, and the low-key fantastic aspects add spice without overshadowing the swashbuckling swordplay.

“The Trans-Pacific Railway” by Mar Vincent follows. This is a vaguely steampunkish story with stuffy European aristocrats and academic types. The titular railway is set upon by kite-like jetpack-wearing Frenchmen, and the protagonists attempt to harness the occult to fend them off. I may have enjoyed this story more had I encountered it in a different context, but steampunk leaves me cold. The story also seemed to go out of its way to avoid thrilling sword combat and action in general. It felt out of place, given the magazine's mission statement.

“A Fool's Errand in Amberford” by Lawrence Harding involves a mercenary swordswoman escorting a reckless-seeming noncombatant client deep into a ghoul-infested city. There's a fair bit more action than the preceding piece, and I enjoyed the somewhat normalized portrayal of necromancy (the heroine ingeniously keeps paper packets of beetles in her pockets to squish, channeling their life force into magical effects) but it seemed like a straight-up fantasy story. None of the heroine's opponents are armed, making swashbuckling swordplay a non-starter.

Just as I'd begun to wonder if I'd picked up a general fantasy zine by mistake, it's “The Daisy” by T. K. Howell to the rescue! This historical adventure features Francis Drake as a teenaged deckhand trying to survive a mutiny sparked by a hidden cache of silver. This story has tense action, witty repartee, and was completely free of fantastical elements. It was exactly the kind of story I'd expected to find within the pages of the magazine.

“When Your Only Tool’s a Hammer” by J. B. Toner is a fun sword & sorcery story, in which a barbarian Cundar of Raelor goes to extreme—and otherworldly—lengths to halt a devastating war. I love sword & sorcery fiction a lot and found this to be an engaging addition to the subgenre. It wasn't much of a swashbuckler, though, and it may have felt more at home in a different venue.

The final story, “The Temple of the Ghost Tiger” by Dariel R. A. Quiogue, was the absolute highlight for me. Fantasy elements are present (the viewpoint character is a man transmogrified into a monkey through occult experimentation, for example) but restrained, with center stage yielded to hand-to-hand combat against pirates, a duel between well-matched opponents, and a desperate struggle against the titular Ghost Tiger. It's a fast-paced cinematic adventure in the tradition of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and the primary characters are all appealingly rendered despite their relatively brief “screen time.”

While I enjoyed nearly all of the stories in this magazine, I was leaning towards a three star rating until “The Temple of the Ghost Tiger” blew the doors off at the very end, earning an extra star by itself. My main issue with the magazine was my expectations compared to what was delivered. To me, swashbuckling adventure suggests a Renaissance setting or thereabouts, rapiers and flintlocks, snappy dialogue, and acrobatics. I love general fantasy fiction, but that wasn't what I bought this magazine hoping to read. Perhaps my definition of swashbuckling adventure is too narrow, but it may also be that—being a new publication—the editor lacked an abundance of traditional swashbuckling tales to select from. Compared to general fantasy, swashbuckling adventure fiction is a bit thin on the ground. Hopefully, with future issues, Rakehell will be able to distinguish itself from competing magazines by developing a tighter focus.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on July 16, 2017.

The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club

By Peter Hook – Simon & Schuster UK – October 1, 2009

Review by Robin Marx

This is the first of three books written to date by ex-Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook. It chronicles how he and a motley crew of other Factory Records idealists managed to create a now legendary nightclub that played a central role in Manchester's music scene despite a comical lack of business acumen and competency.

While an entertaining read, I found this to be the weakest of Hook's three books. There was a great deal of overlap between this book and his other two, with many of the most memorable anecdotes covered in more depth in his Substance: Inside New Order book. Fans without a nostalgic connection to the Hacienda and/or Madchester music scene in particular can safely skip this book in favor of his more engrossing Joy Division and New Order memoirs.

★★★☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on June 19, 2021.

The Eye of Sounnu

By Schuyler Hernstrom – DMR Books – May 2, 2020

Review by Robin Marx

The stories in this collection hearken back to the golden age of pulp sword & sorcery and science fantasy. Images and themes occasionally remind the reader of Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, and even maybe a bit of Gene Wolfe but happily the author avoids well-trodden ground. These stories share the spirit of the classics without aping them outright.

Particular stand-outs include “The First American,” in which a barbarian tribesman enlists the scientific aid of a stranded US astronaut to rescue a captured woman from reptilian adversaries, and “Mortu and Kyrus in the White City,” about a motorcycle-riding warrior and his monastic monkey companion encountering an idyllic metropolis hiding a dark secret.

I look forward to reading more by Hernstrom and DMR Books!

★★★★☆

#CapsuleReviewArchive #BookReview #SwordAndSorcery #Fantasy #SchuylerHernstrom #DMRBooks #TheEyeOfSounnu

This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 8, 2011.

Midnight Sun: The Complete Stories of Kane

By Karl Edward Wagner – Night Shade Books – September 15, 2003

Review by Robin Marx

This volume is packed with excellent sword & sorcery yarns in the tradition of Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock. The Kane short stories are even better than the novels (collected in another Night Shade Books companion volume).

I appreciated the inclusion of the modern-day horror Kane stories. They're quite different from the “barbarian fantasy” tales, and the transition from those to the Clive Barker-style stories was a bit abrupt, but Kane's presence just somehow works. Karl Edward Wagner's essay regarding the creation of Kane was also very enlightening. It's absolutely tragic that he didn't live to write dozens more stories.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 13, 2021.

The Time of Contempt

By Andrzej Sapkowski, David French (Translator) – Orbit – August 27, 2013

Review by Robin Marx

Second in the main series, the titular Time of Contempt refers to the war sweeping the Continent and the ensuing treachery and cruelty. The Nilfgaardian Empire continues to grind northward, and the divided kingdoms in its path both cooperate with and defect upon one another, each seeking some marginal advantage. Geralt, the Witcher, attempts to remain neutral in the conflict, but finds himself inexorably drawn in as he attempts to protect his young magically talented charge Ciri from those who wish to possess her.

This volume introduces a great deal of turmoil to the nations and organizations seen in previous books, upending the tenuous status quo. Ciri takes center stage for most of the narrative, with Geralt and sorceress Yennefer in prominent supporting roles. The events of the story are epic in scale, but I appreciated that—rather than through dry exposition—the author tended to relate events filtered through the eyes of messengers, spies, and mercenaries. This kept the human, ground-level perspective intact throughout.

Geralt gets comparatively little exposure in the narrative and he doesn’t do any monster-slaying, which may disappoint some readers. I enjoyed the tumultuous plot and Ciri’s school of hard knocks-style introduction to the wider world, however. This book left me excited for the next volume.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on May 28, 2019.

The Urth of the New Sun

By Gene Wolfe – Orb Books – November 15, 1997

Review by Robin Marx

In this follow-up to The Book of the New Sun, Severian, the Autarch of the Commonwealth of Urth, journeys deep into space. His goal is to acquire the New Sun, a star/energy source/person (or perhaps all of these), which is capable of replacing his planet's dying sun. While his success will ensure the survival of his planet, it carries with it a terrible price.

Much like the preceding four volumes that comprise The Book of the New Sun, I enjoyed this book but I do not feel like I entirely comprehended it. The imagery throughout the book is fanciful and layered. The narrative also has a mythic cast that reminded me a bit of Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah. Wolfe was apparently a devout Catholic and allusions are hidden in the text, but the alienness of the characters and events makes the story feel closer to esoteric Eastern mysticism than familiar Christian biblical scripture.

Adding more layers to the puzzle is the fact that Severian has absorbed the memories (and perhaps identities) of previous Autarchs, his interstellar journey appears to involve time dilation, and even after returning to Urth he encounters and reunites with various characters at different non-chronological points in their lives.

Not only is the story dense and cryptic, it is related by a narrator who is both unreliable and somewhat aloof from events. The reader is often told that he wept or contemplated suicide after some bleak or unexpected turn of events, but everything is related with a baffling degree of clinical dispassion. Severian is basically a messiah figure, but one that is not to be entirely trusted.

Whether or not a reader will enjoy this book depends a great deal on their tolerance for confusion. If vaguery and cryptic dialogue aren't turn-offs, there's a lot to enjoy here. And if you like re-reading and puzzle-solving, this series rewards it. But be certain to read this book soon after The Book of the New Sun, when it's fresh in your mind.

★★★☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on March 17, 2013.

Elric at the End of Time

By Michael Moorcock – DAW – May 7, 1985

Review by Robin Marx

I enjoy Moorcock and his Elric stories a great deal, but despite the “Seventh Book of Elric of Melnibone” billing on the cover this particular collection is pretty random and weak. It includes the title story, “The Last Enchantment,” a pair of Elric-related essays, a pair of Jerry Cornelius essays, the Sojan the Swordsman stories, and a short short called “The Stone Thing.”

Elric at the End of Time is a crossover between Elric and Moorcock's Second Aether stories. The pseudo-Victorian Second Aether stuff has never done anything for me, and the team-up here struck me as kind of clumsy. Not an essential work.

“The Last Enchantment” is much better, however, one of the better late Elric stories. Unlike some of the more out-there and psychedelic tales, it fits in well with the earlier Elric canon. Elric's dealings with the Gods of Chaos are intriguing, and the premise is original.

The essays were brief and not particularly essential. It also seemed odd having two essays devoted to the Jerry Cornelius character when no Cornelius stories appear in the book.

The Sojan the Swordsman stories were the highlight of the book for me. They represent Moorcock's earliest published writing and were featured in a Tarzan fanzine. The stories themselves are pretty generic sword & planet. Moorcock was probably influenced by Burroughs' Barsoom stories, but they read more like Lin Carter's Thongar the Barbarian tales. They're pretty poor, to be honest. The plotting is pretty simplistic, the dialogue laughable, and with no major setbacks Sojan's adventures tend to be tension-free cakewalks. Still, the goofy enthusiasm in the writing was fun, and it was also fascinating from a historical perspective seeing these stories. If one of the greatest living fantasists started out writing stories this silly, maybe I've got a chance, too.

“The Stone Thing” is an extremely brief joke story. It's funny, but kind of a weird note to end a book on.

This book seems like a bit of a cash grab, a way to make some extra money on a mix of lesser work. It's worth a read for hardcore Moorcock fans, but only half the book is Elric-related and all the good stuff has been re-released in Del Rey's collections. Sojan the Swordsman was fun, but not something casual fans would be incredibly interested in. Far from essential Moorcock.

★★☆☆☆

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