S&S Roundup #35

The Latest in Contemporary Sword & Sorcery

Back from Chicago in time for Easter! Family news: my mom-in-law is doing a lot better. Thanks for prayers and concern. Her 90th is in May, so we’ll visit again then. I’m sure many of you have aging parents and know the issues. Hang in there.

Now let’s get going. And let no one stand between us and our dipping sauce!

New S&S and Adjacent Projects

+ Korvix and the Treasure of Pyre (Korvix the Axe Warrior Book 2) by Matt Hilton. A novella length story of Sword & Sorcery featuring Matt Hilton's Korvix the Axe Warrior. E-book and paperback from Amazon.

+ Now on Audio (10 hours, unabridged) - Woman of the Woods: A Sword and Soul Epic by Milton Davis and narrated by Darla Middlebrook from MVmedia, LLC. (Amazon)

+ New in the Heroic Legends Series - Bran Mak Morn: Red Waves of Slaughter by Steven L. Shrewsbury (Savage Tales Short Fiction, Book 7) - 27 pages from Amazon.

+ David Riley of Parallel Universe Publications writes: “Volume 8 of our Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy series has now begun the process” of publication for “the beginning of May as a paperback and kindle eBook. Submissions for Volume 9 will open on the 1st October for one full calendar month, with publication scheduled for November. More details later.” As always, writers, wait until the sub window opens before sending in your stories.

Reviews & Interviews

+ Microreview from Paul Weimer at nerds of a feather: The City of Marble and Blood by Howard Andrew Jones (March 1)

+ Independent Author Spotlight: Robert Mammone from D.M. Ritzlin (March 26)

+ Also this Independent Author Spotlight: K.T. Elfering (March 19) at DMR Books.

+ Book Review from Out of this World SFF (March 14): The Sword Unbound by Gareth Hanrahan. Coming from Orbit, May, 2024, Book 2 of Lands of the Firstborn. (Amazon)

+ Crafting Realms and Revelations: A Conversation with John R. Fultz (March 14)

Stories to Read Free Online

+ Heroic Fantasy Quarterly–Q59

+ Swords and Sorcery Magazine (Issue 145, Fe 2024)

+ Schlock! Webzine (they are also open to submissions!)

+ All 8 issues of Whetstone can be read as downloadable PDFs.

+ Anvil Iron Age Magazine is for sale, but their blog has plenty of content.

For Writers:

+ From WolfSinger Publications, the antho, The Dragon’s Hoard 2 closes March 31.

+ From Phobica Books, the pirate horror antho, Shivering Timbers! closes June 1.

+ Crimson Quill Quarterly: "We will open for submissions on April 1st for Volume 3, set to release in July." Send subs starting next week to crimsonquillquarterly at gmail

+ Hexagon Magazine opens their sub window May 1.

Conan Corner & Related News

+ Three Months Until Howard Days.

+ REH World: A complete list of all of Howard’s titles, stories, and notes.

+ Quick Review by Ed McBride: The First Kothar the Barbarian 'Megapack' - 3 Sword and Sorcery Novels by Gardner F. Fox. (An older review I might’ve missed.)

+ Hyborian Reviews: Savage Sword of Conan Is Back!

+ The Savage Sword of Conan No. 1, Titan Comics: A review from Brian Murphy at The Silver Key (March 9). Brian also looks at “50 Years of Dungeons and Dragons.”

+ James Reasoner at Rough Edges also reviews The Savage Sword of Conan #1.

S&S Discussions/Communities

+ Whetstone S&S Tavern Discord Channel - if anyone wants an invite, let me know.

+ Contemporary Sword and Sorcery Fandom Wiki - check out this resource!

+ Archive: Thews You Can Use (roundups from 2022)

+ Sword & Sorcery Book Promotions on Facebook - find new projects!

+ Contemporary Sword And Sorcery on Facebook - lots of interesting posts.

+ There are a lot of communities on FB, what are some of your favorite groups/pages?

Cool Kickstarters and Crowdsourcing Projects

+ Gilead's Fantasy Art: 18 Month Calendar - Half way there and only 9 days to go to fund this project. Just one $30 tier for the print calendar. Spread the word!

+ Quest #1-3: Swords & Sorcery Action in a Magical Realm! from Scott Harris. (9 days, $1,000 left to fund.) “Left for dead, the paladin Vhess fights from beyond the grave to save her friends...and the world!”

+ Tales of Argosa from Pickpocket Press: “A Sword & Sorcery Emergent Play Adventure Game, for groups and solo.” Over $35,000 raised! (10 days left)

+ Check out my own "Sherlock & Friends: Eldritch Investigations" - An anthology of 8 novelets featuring Holmes’s friends & rivals as they pit their detection skills against Lovecraftian horrors. Coming in April, 2024. Click the notify me on launch button.

Roundup & Podcasts

• Links of Steel from DMR Books (March 24)

• Sensor Sweep from Castalia House (March 25)

• The Cromcast - Season 18 Episode 22: Red Nails Redux (Feb 28) - A second look at Red Nails, ten years after visiting the lost city of Xuchotl for the first time.

• Rogues in the House - The Rogues React! (Part 1, March 11) - The Rogues react to the audio subs from some of our listeners' first brushes with the genre of S&S!

• Dungeons & Damsels - “The Hunt” S4E1 ~ A Side Quest short story (Feb 29)

• The Worldshapers - Episode 161: Jared N. Michaud – Brightstar (March 24)

• Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff - Episode 591: Good Fun That Barbarians Have (March 22)

• Strange Shadows - SS3 05 The Seedling of Mars (March 9)

• Monsters, Madness and Magic Podcast - EP #248: Reigning By Fire - An Interview with John Bush (March 26).

• Faenon's Fantasy Fiction Newsletter, Saga of the Jewels. The Crossroads of the East (March 1).

• YouTube: Jay Requard, Fantasy Author & Podcaster.

• YouTube: Echoes of Crom Records. Sword & Sorcery Heavy Metal: Episode 11 - Worms of the Earth Discussion. (March 25)

Odds & Ends

+ For St. Patrick's Day, a little "Fantasy Celtic Fun" from J.Q. Graziano at Rediscoverd Realms. Check out some other cool Substacks, like Rob Rimes’ Talking Pulp Press and The Obelisk. Do you subscribe to any other newsletters?

+ Came across this Indie Fantasy Readers Survey - quick to do, no email required.

+ From Grognardia (March 26) - sha-Arthan Appendix N (Part I) - “Last week, I pointed out a ‘problem’ with Gary Gygax's Appendix N, namely, it's just a list without any explanatory apparatus...”

Until Next Time!

For those who celebrate, have a blessed Paschal Triduum and Easter Sunday. If you want to support this newsletter, then check out my own “The Sword of Otrim” by Lyndon Perry. It’s not quite S&S, maybe sword and sandal? I call it epic fantasy, but it’s rather concise, lol. It’s in the Christian fantasy category since it has spiritual underpinnings, but a few reviewers wouldn’t call is specifically religious. Anyway, free to read in KU. E-book and paperback available from Amazon.

Swords up! - Lyn