This post is brought to you by the Swords of Fire anthology series, with the fourth book due in Summer of 2026. Like the three previous collections, this one will feature four longer Sword & Sorcery adventures with one being “The Dragon God”, a Sirtago & Poet tale set in a country much like Japan. This is by Jack Mackenzie, of course. There is also the next adventure of Bradik the Slayer by M. D. Jackson, “The Star of Kanshalsus”. One of the other two tales is a new Arthan the Bear Man story, “The Twilight War” featuring an army of mercenaries versus giant spiders. And to round out the four, “Between the Dragon and His Wrath” by Will Parker. For the previous anthologies, go here.
Sword & Sorcery fiction is usually a treat to my ears. Especially when read by someone who doesn’t over do it with plenty of “Crom!s” and other exaggerations. (If you really want to hear them go at it listen to Michael Moorcock in “The Wizard Blew His Horn” (Hawkwind, 1975). It is funny that well-read exciting fiction should take the subtler path. I can’t guarantee that every reader here is an expert but I found them at least acceptable. I can sympathize with an author who dislikes the narrator. It’s like getting a crappy illustration next to your tale. (My own tale “Wekka’s Gold” by G. W. Thomas can be heard here. I think they did a good job despite the AI artwork.)
The selections I have grabbed for this post start with the classics: Howard, Moore, Smith, etc. from the pages of Weird Tales. Then a couple from the 1950s, a poor time for heroic fantasy but Vance and Anderson never disappoint. The 1960s saw the beginning of the Renaissance. Then a bunch from the 1970s, another good decade for the sword-swingers. Finally, I have Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind, one of the few newer books I loved.
Weirder Tales
“The Phoenix on the Sword” (Weird Tales, December 1932) by Robert E. Howard
The first Conan tale, a re-fit of a King Kull story, but still a good start to a great series. For more, go here.
“Black God’s Kiss” (Weird Tales, October 1934) by C. L. Moore
The first female sword-swinger and another great series with Jirel of Joiry. For the series overview, go here.
“The Seven Geases” (Weird Tales, October 1934) by Clark Ashton Smith
You can argue which CAS stories are closest to S&S, but the Commorian tales all seem to fit. For more, go here.
“The Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath” (written between 1926-1927, published in 1943) by H. P. Lovecraft
This one might be controversial but I think it was as close as HPL got to joining the S&S crowd. For more, go here.
“Spawn of Dagon” (Weird Tales, July 1938) by Henry Kuttner
Not Kuttner’s first Elak of Atlantis tale but my favorite. It is one of the S&S Break ‘n Enter tales. For the series overview, go here.
The Flippin’ Fifties
“Guyal of Sfere” (The Dying Earth, 1950) by Jack Vance
The Dying Earth is the closest anyone came to imitating Clark Ashton Smith, but it is much more. Vance has his own magic, selling the series as Science Fiction in a time that didn’t want that “Conan stuff”. The Dying Earth was one of the first S&S paperbacks.
“The Valor of Cappen Varra” (Fantastic Universe, January 1957) by Poul Anderson
Poul Anderson created Varra in 1957 but would resurrect him for the Thieves’ World shared universe. For more on the series, go here.
The Sorcerous Sixties
“The Dreaming City” (Science Fantasy June 1961) by Michael Moorcock
“The Dreaming City” is the opener of the Elric series. Moorcock openly stated he was writing an “anti-Conan” and basing his stories on Gothic fiction. A weird mix that re-energized the sub-genre. This story was influential again in the 1980s in comic book form.
“In the Witch’s Tent” (Swords Against Wizardry, 1968) by Fritz Leiber
Not the most famous of Fafhrd & Grey Mouser tales, but it is read by the author! Fritz wrote this tale as a bridging device when he collected the scattered stories into chronological volumes with Jeff Jones covers. Fritz Leiber is another of the men who saved S&S.
The Swingin’ Seventies
“The City of Madness” (Dark Fantasy, July-October 1974) by Charles R. Saunders
Saunders created Imaro in the 1970s, beginning the Sword & Soul movement. Imaro began his series as a DAW paperback that included this tale.
“Two Setting Suns” (Fantastic, May 1976) by Karl Edward Wagner
The 1970s saw other forms of Conan deconstruction with KEW’s Kane, an immoral immortal. Each story is a treat unto itself and “Two Setting Suns” is no exception. It also appeared in Year’s Best Fantasy 3, edited by Lin Carter.
Conan the Swordsman (1978) by L. Sprague de Damp, Lin Carter and Bjorn Nyberg
I limited each author to one entry but this doesn’t apply to characters. The Conan that REH invented in 1932 is not the same guy that de Camp and Carter pastiched for decades. Conan the Swordsman is not even the best collection but it does include “Legions of the Dead”, a wintry tale and “The People of the Summit”, one of Nyberg’s tales. As with most of the later ACE books, Lin Carter tends to dominate.
New Stuff
The Name of the Wind (2007) by Patrick Rothfuss
I know Rothfuss gets agro from some fans because he won’t crank them out. I can wait. I’m not sure where all the entitlement comes from (thinking of George R. R. Martin, too). We are so lucky to have the plethora of Fantasy that we do. Nobody promised you fourteen volumes. (Well, maybe Robert Jordan did. Even he needed Brandon Sanderson to fulfill that promise.) Rothfuss reminds me how good heroic fantasy can be.
Conclusion
Listening to a Sword & Sorcery story is a little different than simply reading it. For one thing, the pronunciation of strange names is always intriguing. How will the reader pronounce “Melnibone” for instance? (My preference is usually “melon balls”.) What is the pace like? Are they passionate during the fight scenes or do they keep that steady tone? You may or may not like how they do it, but a good story wins through. Pulp stories appeared in double columns with plenty of space breaks so they were easy on the eyes. How does the reader deal with those? Radio (or podcasts) are all about the ears. Ultimately, we are there for the action and the fantastic elements. These authors do not disappoint. Whether humourous like Anderson’s tale or serious to the point of melodrama like Elric, it is all Sword & Sorcery.
Sword & Sorcery from RAGE machine Books
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