S&S Roundup #55

The Latest in Contemporary Sword & Sorcery

Welcome back to another exciting episode, er, roundup! I hope Issue #55 gives you as much pleasure as looking at paintings of trebuchets. ;-) Send me links any time!

New Projects and Releases

+ The Path of the Dragon by Glenn Rahman and Richard L. Tierney - Book 4 of the Simon of Gitta Chronicles. “Simon of Gitta has journeyed to ancient Britannia to learn from the island’s druids. There, he hears dark rumors of dragons rampaging across the countryside, smashing and scorching… but these are only rumors. A more pressing crisis arises when the Romans invade Britannia—again.” (Jan 17 from Amazon)

+ The Witch-Queen of Samorrah by William M Hope. “A fun adventure in the mold of Robert E. Howard’s Conan, with flashing swords, mighty warriors, and beautiful slave girls.” (Dec 23, 2024, from Lulu.)

+ Adrian Cole Updates: 1) The Dream Lords is now out in paperback from Cirsova Publishing. 2) Elak of Atlantis series is complete now with Book 3 - Sea Hawks from Atlantis - now out from Parallel Universe Publications.

+ EDIT and UPDATE: There is also a new issue of Crimson Quill Quarterly on Amazon, now up to five issues! Includes stories by Jason M Waltz, Thomas Grayfson, David A. Riley, Teel James Glenn, Ismail Soldan, Gregg Stewart, and Dariel R.A. Quiogue.

+ Look for The Saga of Starkad the Old, a 3 book Viking series by Gavin Chappell.

+ New Release & New Reviews of The Fall of the Grey Fortress by Elí Freysson. Freysson is also the author of The Silent War Series. (Amazon. See Goodreads summaries here.)

News, Views, and Reviews

+ Review from Paperback Warrior of Snakehaven #01 - Doom of the Dark Delta by James Reasoner, western author of Stagecoach Station, Longarm, Trailsman, and others. “As of this writing there are three installments – Doom of the Dark Delta, Fear on the Fever Coast, and Lair of the Serpent Queen.”

+ Steve Dilks reviews (on Facebook) Oaths of Blood by Logan D. Irons. “The first few opening chapters following the protagonist and his Crusader mercenaries as they storm the walls of Jerusalem are brutally awesome. The historical elements are gritty and the author knows his Crusades.”

+ Do you agree? The 75+ Best Sword and Sorcery Movies from Ranker. Also, check out The Best Sword & Sandals Movies, Ranked.

+ Free short fantasy story from Ryan Lance - “The Earth Waited to Drink”. Also read the latest from Swords & Heroes eZine - Gustavo Bondoni's “Oblivion's Key”.

+ More free stories! At Swords & Sorcery Magazine, Issue 155 features “A Ritual of Thieves” by Malcom North, “A Blackened Shield” by Jay Requard, and “The Iron Bells of Xylinthia” by Jeffery Scott Sims.

+ Check out Zub Tales - the official blog of Jim Zub, “a writer, artist and art instructor based in Toronto, Canada… His current comic projects include acting as the flagship writer for Conan the Barbarian.”

+ Coming Soon from Tule Fog Press: Welgar the Cursed by David A. Riley. “For those enjoying the current surge of interest in Sword & Sorcery, David Riley's Welgar is definitely one to follow. Skilfully crafted, spiced with lively action and a healthy dash of humor, these yarns are a delight, and stand out on a crowded battlefield.” - Adrian Cole, author of the Voidal Trilogy, The Dream Lords, Elak, King of Atlantis, and more.

+ Also coming soon: Path of the Swordsman by Tim Hanlon. “Tim Hanlon sends his sword & sorcery hero on an adventure tour with a bloody blade – which is just the kind of tour many fans of the genre are waiting for.” – Charles Gramlich, author of Swords of Talera (Talera Cycle) and the Concho series (writing as A. W. Hart)

+ Look for The Eternal Assassin Chronicles: Life and Times by Andrew Darlington as well. Kickstarter backers get the e-books first; should be up on Amazon by late Feb.

+ English artist, Jim Pitts, turns seventy-five. Tribute by Deuce Richardson at DMR. So you like art? Check out "The Art Of Lone Wolf" by Gary Chalk - from J.Q. Graziano at Rediscovered Realms.

+ Sensor Sweep at Castalia House: Howard A. Jones, Farnsworth Wright, William Hope Hodgson.

A Few Howard Andrew Jones Tributes…

• Howard Andrew Jones, a Mentee’s Perspective - from Jason Ray Carney at Black Gate.

• An Important Life – Howard Andrew Jones (1968 – 2025) also at Black Gate.

• Howard Andrew Jones Has Fought His Last Battle - from Deuce Richardson at DMR.

• Rest in peace, Howard Andrew Jones - from Brian Murphy at The Silver Key.

• Remembering Howard A. Jones - from Morgan at Castalia House.

• Acclaimed fantasy writer and Prometheus finalist Howard Andrew Jones, R.I.P. - from Michael Grossberg.

Conan and the Pulps

+ Madness on the Mound: A Conan Short Story by Matthew John - reveiewed by Vincent N. Darlage at Sprague de Camp Fan. Also, check out Michael Moorcock: Conan and Elric - from by Gary Romeo at Sprague de Camp Fan.

+ An Eternal Champion’s Legacy: 64 Years After his Debut, Fantasy’s Original Edgelord Still Reigns Supreme - a review of Michael Moorcock’s Elric novels from Ismail D. Soldan at Black Gate. Also, check out The Sword and Planet of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Part I from Charles Gramlich at Black Gate.

+ Review from James Reasoner at Rough Edges: The Bride of Osiris by Otis Adelbert Kline as published in the Aug, Sept, Oct 1927 issues of Weird Tales.

+ Announcing: PulpFest 2025 - August 7 - 10, 2025, in Pittsburgh, PA.

+ Vampirella Archives volume 4 - Review of Issues 22 to 28 (1973) of the Vampirella magazine at Vintage Pop Fictions.

+ In the Land of the Monkey-Men from G. W. Thomas at Dark Worlds. (Brought to you by the up-coming Strange Adventures, a collection by G. W. Thomas. A companion volume to Strange Detectives available on Amazon.)

+ A Grognardia Repost: Conan of Cross Plains - Tribute to Robert E. Howard from James Maliszewski. Here’s another HBD post at Howard Days blog. Speaking of Howard Days, Mark Wheatley is the Howard Days 2025 Guest of Honor.

+ The 2025 Robert E. Howard Awards nominations opened on January 13.

Podcasts…

• Monsters, Madness and Magic Podcast - EP#303: (Jan 20) Into the Stygian Abyss - An Interview with Warren Spector. (Ep #302 with Keith Taylor.)

• Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 112 (Jan 20) - Stewart Sterling.

• Strange Shadows - (Jan 19) Bonus Episode 10 - The Dark Chateau. “We look at one of Smith’s poetry anthologies and read and discuss six poems. Song of the Necromancer, Warning, Harlot of the World, The Dark Chateau, Exorcism and Zothique.”

• Baen Free Radio Hour - (Jan 17) - Sean Hazlett interviews D.J. Butler and M.A. Rothman on Ice Trials; and Tinker by Wen Spencer, Part 81.

• The Cromcast - S21 E4: The Last of the Mohicans & The Revenant (Dec 21)

• Rogues in the House - “A Fellowship of Rogues” (Dec 12).

• Dungeons & Damsels - “Soldier, Arrow, Horse” (Part 4 of 4, Nov 29)

And on YouTube…

• Rogue Blade Presents “24 in 42” - latest episode with L. D. ‘Logan’ Whitney.

• Michael K. Vaughan’s latest - Book of the Week: Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration by Scott Tracy Griffin.

• Skallagrim’s recent vid: The Best Swords for Beginners: Cheap / Easy / Safe / Effective.

• 2 Hour Audio on YouTube: Conan – The Scarlet Citadel by Robert E. Howard (complete audiobook) from The Cybrarian.

Also, Some Kickstarters…

• Sîan: Thief of Khor-Shavarah #1 - “A Double-Sized Sword & Sorcery Comic by Craig A. Taillefer. Wizards, Demons, Thieves, and an Adventure Heroine for the ages!” (15 Days to Go)

• SwordRealm Graphic Novel Saga Issue #1 - taking “sword and sorcery, fantasy, and science fiction in a new and unique direction.” (Launching Soon)

• Reign of Dragons: Illustrated Hardcover Anthology (Launching Soon)

• Tales from the Turning Leaf Tavern - “An anthology of fantasy stories that take place in and around taverns, with included recipes.” (Launching Soon)

• Realm Travelers - A Fantasy/Adventure Anthology: “Explore different worlds in the 6 thrilling stories full of action, drama, mystery, and horror!” (Launching Soon)

• Green Hornet Epic Anthology - Timothy Zahn & Kevin Anderson - “Follow the exploits of the Green Hornet and Kato in this anthology featuring top writers in sci-fi and fantasy.” (Launching Soon)

• Terror from the Underdeep: A Giant Box of 5E Adventure from Goodman Games (via BackerKit - only 14 days left).

For Writers

• These markets seem to be always open: Swords & Sorcery Magazine // Savage Realms Monthly // BFS Horizons // Schlock! // Swords & Heroes // Peasant Magazine // Iron Age Media // Do you know of any others?

• Raven Tale Publishing is open for ‘Creature Feature’ stories.

• FB page: Open Submission Calls for variety of genres. (Must join the group.)

• Robert’s Recurring Nightmares (see guidelines here) Deadline: March 31, 2025.

• If I Die Before I Wake, Volume 10: Tales of Cryptid Chaos Deadline: Feb 10, 2025.

• Raconteur Press - Open Calls for 2025.

• Sci-Fi And Fantasy Magazines and Journals for Short Stories.

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Until next time, keep swinging! - Lyn Perry