Category: fant2020 Onward

Skallagrim – In the Vales Of Pagarna

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Neither Beg Nor Yield: Stories with S&S Attitude

Can you handle the truth? Sword & Sorcery has always been about the attitude. Stop seeking elaborate definitions. Cease arguing over semantics and accoutrements. Quit making it more difficult than necessary. Learn the fundamental immutability of the S&S Riddle: Protagonists Read more

Mage, Maze, Demon (Veridical Dreams Book 3)

A BEAT to a PULP SHORT STORY ---------------------------------------------------- Having narrowly survived a raging fire, the warrior, Bryle, finds himself caught in a labyrinth of treacherous caverns. It isn’t by accident. An eyeless sorcerer has summoned Bryle. He wants the barbarian Read more

Skallagrim - In the Vales Of Pagarna
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“And those monsters saw not a young man with a sword but a scarred and screaming horror with the rising red doom of the sun at his back and a hellishly shrieking, flashing, living sword in his hands.”

Skallagrim wakes in the middle of a fight for his life with only the vaguest idea of who he is. Facing an angry mob of murderous cutthroats, he watches helplessly while the love of his life is abducted before his eyes. Finally, with a crushing sense of despair, he realizes he’s going to die without even knowing her name.

But he doesn’t die.

To find the girl and take his revenge upon the fiend who took her, Skallagrim, wounded and exhausted, must endure a journey like no other. He’ll face madmen, ghouls, tentacled horrors, and witches, both foul and fair, as he races toward a final showdown that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

An awe-inspiring tale of adventure, triumph, and tragedy, set in a brutal, unforgiving wilderness and packed with heart-stopping action, Skallagrim – In The Vales Of Pagarna marks the first installment of an outstanding new series.

“Stephen R. Babb ranks along with names like Stephen Lawhead or Jeffrey Overstreet. Excellence from beginning to end!” Grandfather Rock – WCWP New York.

“Filled with bloody action, fantastic settings, pithy dialogue, and unforgettable characters, Skallagrim is a bold success from beginning to end.” Bradley J. Birzer – Author of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth

“Babb describes the horrors of Skallagrim’s nightmarish encounters vividly, every parry and thrust, every horrifying contact with monstrous flesh, every misstep into putrid slime. The dangers and unpleasantness of this barbarian landscape are made viscerally real, pulling the reader deeper and deeper into the tale.” Bert Saraco – The Phantom Tollbooth

 

The Maleficent Seven

The Maleficent Seven
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A “wickedly inventive” grimdark fantasy full of non-stop bloody action, shocking plot twists, and snarky gallows humor as a mismatched team of villains gets their shot at heroic glory (SFX).

When you are all out of heroes, all that’s left are the villains.

Black Herran was a dread demonologist, and the most ruthless general in all Essoran. She assembled the six most fearsome warriors to captain her armies: a necromancer, a vampire lord, a demigod, an orcish warleader, a pirate queen, and a twisted alchemist. Together they brought the whole continent to its knees . . . Until the day she abandoned her army, on the eve of total victory.

Forty years later, she must bring her former captains back together for one final stand, in the small town of Tarnbrooke—the last bastion against a fanatical new enemy tearing through the land, intent on finishing the job Black Herran started years before.

Seven bloodthirsty monsters. One town. Their last hope.

A War to End All

A War to End All
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A war, then. A war of our own. A war for perfection and cleanliness and order.
A war to end suffering.
A war to end filth and disease.
A war to end immorality and injustice.
A war to end blasphemy.
The last war this world would ever see.
A war to end all.

REVIEWS:

“The epitome of grimdark fantasy; a bloodbath of irredeemable characters and terrifying monsters duking it out in a delusional world covered in muck. If you call yourself a fan of the sub-genre, this series is a necessity. My Top Read of 2023.” –FanFiAddict

When Valor Must Hold

When Valor Must Hold
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Fifteen tremendous authors. Fourteen extraordinary stories. One outstanding anthology.

It is a time of high adventure! A time for noble men and women to say “No!” to the evils that will befall their families and friends if they don’t rise to the task at hand. If their valor doesn’t hold, civilization will fall.

Fifteen authors have spun fourteen tales of hateful wizards, treacherous seas, and scheming foes. Of times when ancient evils roamed the Earth, looking for souls to claim, and dark prophecies foretold what would happen if the Evil Ones were allowed to succeed. This anthology has all of this and more.

When Valor Must Hold focuses on heroes worthy of facing such enemies. A tiny brownie stands up to a massive ogre. A mother races to protect her children. A hunter chases raiders. A guardian serves his king. Heroes lead forces into battle against overwhelming odds. There’s even a goblin trying to save his people by stealing dwarven rum.

Inside are fourteen fantastic stories of enemies testing the valor of heroes great and small. If their valor should fail, they will lose far more than their lives.

Will their swords shatter shields? Will their magic shine forth? Or will they see their homes and families perish when they fail? Step inside and find out!

The Return of the Knights (The Dance of Light Book 1)

The Return of the Knights (The Dance of Light Book 1)
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Mark Lawrence: One for the worldbuilding fans. A fantasy world with an extensive history thoroughly explored for you to an accompaniment of swordplay, sieges, and drama.

Grimdark magazine: The Return of the Knights is recommended for epic fantasy fans wishing to quench their thirst for all the classic tropes. Gregory Kontaxis clearly has a lot of talent, and I look forward to reading more from this up-and-coming author.

——————-

The Palace of the Dawn will soon be stormed. The most ruthless man of all time is one step away from assailing on Iovbridge and dethroning Sophie Delamere. The Queen of Knightdorn is now alone, with neither allies nor an army capable of rebuffing the enemy which is approaching her city. Everything appears to be over, until a mysterious young man, Elliot, makes his appearance.

Entangled in a web of lies and politics, Elliot will try to draw Walter away from Iovbridge and face him in the stronghold of Wirskworth. He will attempt to rekindle relations and revive the old alliance between the Queen of Knightdorn and Syrella Endor, the Governor of Wirskworth. Elliot’s mission will take every fibre of his will and if he fails, so shall the kingdom.

Game Of Thrones meets Greek mythology in this explosive epic fantasy story, packed with war, medieval lore, magic, loyalty and bravery. The first book in the series, The Dance of Light, will take you on an epic journey to a fantasy world of men and mythical creatures which will keep you spellbound till the very end.

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The Double-Edged Sword: A Tale of the Fallen Hero

The Double-Edged Sword: A Tale of the Fallen Hero
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A disgraced swordsman leaves town one step ahead of justice.

In search of gainful(ish) employment, he heads for a former haunt, the seaport city of Cray. His past, however, soon catches up with him in the form of Julia, a notorious thief and sometimes assassin. He finds himself thrust into an impossible situation, caught in the midst of a bitter feud between the city’s two ruling families, and is forced to embark on what will surely prove to be a suicide mission.

A novella of sword play, betrayal, and derring-do, seen from the perspective of a cynical anti-hero who struggles to live up to expectations but excels at living down to them.

“A cheerfully brutal story of betrayal and skulduggery, vicious fun from start to finish.” – Adrian Tchaikovsky

“A quick, highly readable, swords & sorcery romp… you can see Whates has learned his craft.” – Mark Lawrence

“The Double-Edged Sword is a slice of pure golden-age sword and sorcery action, packed with rogues, betrayals and dubious morals.” – Jen Williams

“Action, deception, a daring heist and lots of twists and turns. Excellent world building and intriguing characters. I really enjoyed it!” – Gail Z. Martin

The Sword Defiant (Lands of the Firstborn)

The Sword Defiant (Lands of the Firstborn)
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THE SWORD CARES NOT WHO IT CUTS

Many years ago, Sir Aelfric and his nine companions saved the world, seizing the Dark Lord’s cursed weapons, along with his dread city of Necrad. That was the easy part.

Now, when Aelfric – keeper of the cursed sword Spellbreaker – learns of a new and terrifying threat, he seeks the nine heroes once again. But they are wandering adventurers no longer. Yesterday’s eager heroes are today’s weary leaders – and some have turned to the darkness, becoming monsters themselves.

If there’s one thing Aelfric knows, it’s slaying monsters. Even if they used to be his friends.

Set in a world of dark myth and dangerous prophecy, The Sword Defiant launches an epic tale of daring warriors, living weapons and bloodthirsty vengeance.

‘The front runner for my book of the year . . . The Sword Defiant is a love letter to roleplaying games, to Tolkien, to what epic fantasy has been about for me through my whole life. I adored this book from the first page to the last. Hanrahan has taken the best of the old, the best of the last two decades, and then brought it screaming into the modern era. Fans of Gemmell and Abercrombie need this on their shelves’
Ed McDonald, author of Blackwing

Neither Beg Nor Yield: Stories with S&S Attitude

Neither Beg Nor Yield: Stories with S&S Attitude
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Can you handle the truth?

Sword & Sorcery has always been about the attitude.

Stop seeking elaborate definitions. Cease arguing over semantics and accoutrements. Quit making it more difficult than necessary. Learn the fundamental immutability of the S&S Riddle: Protagonists with nonchalant mercenary motivations & indomitable wills. It’s all in their attitude.

The definition of S&S has never been clearer.

Sword & Sorcery warriors are very, very dangerous people, considered barbaric, who act according to their own codes of honor in pursuit of their own ends. Brothers (and sisters) to THE WILD BUNCH, comrades of the SEVEN SAMURAI, partners of every MAN IN BLACK, and riders in every WILD HUNT. They don’t just seize the day—they seize Life itself by the throat and squeeze until it begs. They don’t falter in the dark or before the unknown—they spit in the face of Death itself and stomp it into the dirt until it yields.

“Life is not breath but action.” ~ Jean Jacques Rousseau

“Fear won’t stop you from dying, but it can stop you from living.” ~ James Norbury

“We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.”
~ Charles Bukowski

“Laugh or die.”
~ Angélique Kidjo

NEITHER BEG NOR YIELD: STORIES WITH S&S ATTITUDE is filled with over 180,000 words in 20 stories! This is THE BOOK OF SWORD & SORCERY that will define the genre for generations. Reading the powerful tales from these storytellers will permanently answer the question: WHAT IS SWORD & SORCERY?

It’s always been its attitude!

Discover the truth as Eadwine Brown, Adrian Cole, Glen Cook, Steve Dilks, Chuck Dixon, Phil Emery, Steven Erikson, John R. Fultz, Steve Goble, John C. Hocking, Howard Andrew Jones, William King, Joe R. Lansdale, David C. Smith, Jeff Stewart, Keith J. Taylor, Frederick Tor, Eric Turowski, Bill Ward, Lawrence A. Weinstein, and C.L. Werner share it!

Age of Ash (The Kithamar Trilogy)

Age of Ash (The Kithamar Trilogy)
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From Hugo award-winning, and New York Times bestselling co-author of the Expanse, Daniel Abraham, Age of Ash is the first book in an epic fantasy trilogy that unfolds within the walls of a single great city where every story matters —and the fate of the city is woven from them all.

“An atmospheric and fascinating tapestry, woven with skill and patience.” – Joe Abercrombie, New York Times bestselling author of A Little Hatred

Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold.

This is Alys’s.

When her brother is murdered, a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why.  But the more she discovers about him, the more she learns about herself, and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives.

Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar, where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones, the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything.

“An outstanding series debut, which instantly hooks readers with Paul mysteries . . . Readers will eagerly anticipate the sequel.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Dark Harvest (Warhammer Horror)

Dark Harvest (Warhammer Horror)
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A Warhammer Horror novel

A disgraced warrior-priest who prowls the Greywater Fastness is forced to confront his past when a message from an old friend sends him on a perilous quest. In an isolated village full of untrusting souls, his darkest secrets threaten to come to light.

THE STORY

Harran Blackwood was a Warrior-Priest of ruthless virtue. Now he’s a man with a scorched reputation, prowling the back alleys of Greywater Fastness, content to fight the petty wars of racketeers for survival. But when a desperate message arrives from an old friend, Blackwood is forced to confront a past he thought long buried.

Summoned to the isolated village of Wald, Blackwood sets off on a perilous trek to ensure the sins of his former life remain forgotten. He soon discovers that Wald is a hostile, secretive place with sins of its own. Deep in the murky marshes, where the cruel chants of village folk echo and the stink of death hovers low,

Blackwood must channel his bitterness and rage to defy the ancient darkness that now hunts him before he is devoured, body and soul.

READ IT BECAUSE

Explore a corner of the Mortal Realms full of dangerous characters and dark secrets in a novel by Josh Reynolds, master of the sinister.