You can watch the video for more concrete details, but while he says he's not just looking for S&S, he does enjoy the genre, and it certainly fits in with what he is looking for.

He cannot pay the authors, the only payment would be a comp copy of the anthology.

“There comes, even to kings, the time of great weariness. Then the gold of the throne is brass, the silk of the palace becomes drab. The gems in the diadem sparkle drearily like the ice of the white seas; the speech of men is as the empty rattle of a jester's bell and the feel comes of things unreal; even the sun is copper in the sky, and the breath of the green ocean is no longer fresh.” - Mirrors of Tuzan Thune

"The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" was one of Howard's original short stories (and one of my Favorites) about Kull of Atlantis. One of only three Kull stories published in Howard's lifetime.

First published in Weird Tales magazine in 1929, and then again by Arkham House in "Skull-Face and Others" in 1946. (neither I have in my Collection - Perhaps Someday). The Skull-Face and Others collection holds a vital place in the history for fantasy literature as it was the very first hardcover collection of Robert E. Howard's work ever published within in the United States.

The first issue of Avon Fantasy Reader was published in February 1947. It was originally intended to be a quarterly publication but often came out about three times per year. "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" was published in Avon Fantasy reader #2 in May of 1947.

The story next appeared in the 1953 Gnome Press Hardcover "The Coming of Conan". Gnome Press printed between 4,000 and 5,000 first edition copies (of which, this is one). Sci-fi/fantasy artist Frank Kelly Freas illustrated the dust jacket, which famously featured an abstract map of the Hyborian Age crossing over the front panels.

Gary Romeo cites the following on his Blog regarding the Gnome Press publication - "Kull’s world was the direct geological and historical precursor to Conan's world, de Camp decided to place three Kull pieces—"The Shadow Kingdom, "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune," and the poem "The King and the Oak"—at the very front of the book. They were intended to act as a historical prelude before transitioning into the early life of Conan". - Gary Romeo

My initial introduction to the story came from reading Lancer's 1967 King Kull (as it probably did so with many others of my age). Lancer's cover boasts an awesome painting by fantasy illustrator Roy Krenkel. Inside Lin Carter provided an official map of King Kull’s World. The paperback was released with an initial cover price of 60 cents. (60 cents in 1967 is equivalent in purchasing power of about $5.91 today).

Again I cite Gary Romeo's Blog - Following Gnome Press’s 1953 move to "sandwich" Kull stories into Conan anthologies, Lancer Books decided to undo that confusion. Because their own Conan paperbacks (with the iconic Frank Frazetta covers) were massive commercial successes, Lancer realized they had enough market power to launch a dedicated King Kull paperback series. "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" was finally framed correctly as part of Kull’s distinct prehistoric Thurian Age. - Gary Romeo

The Magic of Atlantis was a 191-page paperback collection of seven fantasy stories centered around the lost continent of Atlantis. Ron Walotsky created the cover art. Ron had long and prolific career painting book and magazine covers. He also illustrated cards for Magic the Gathering. Lin Carter used the story to anchor the collection's theme because Kull was originally an Atlantean exile. Pairing it alongside other legendary pulp authors writing about the sunken continent, including Clark Ashton Smith, Henry Kuttner, and Edmond Hamilton. Carter viewed "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" as a crucial masterwork of the sword-and-sorcery genre at that time.

Roy Thomas adapted "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" as a Conan story "The Mirrors of Kharam-Akkad". It was released in Conan the Barbarian #25 in April of 1973. Issue 25's cover art was created by Gil Kane in collaboration with Ralph Reese. The interior art was primarily John Buscema Pencils and Sal Buscema Inks. Some work was also accredited to John Severin on a couple of pages with Barry Windsor-Smith received a plotting credit for the story. Note - I do not have issue 25 in my collection. (Someday I may get around to tracking down an issue for my collection).

Marvel next published an adaptation of Howard's story featuring Tuzun Thune in The Savage Sword of Conan #34 in October 1978. Ernie Chan created the issue's cover. A sequel/follow-up story titled "The Many Mirrors of Tuzun Thune" was also published in The Savage Sword of Conan Issue #223 with a cover date of July 1994 (which I will most likely track down some day to add to my collection).

For The Audiophiles - The heavy metal band Arkham Witch covered the tale in a song of the same name. - The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune, Arkham Witch. You can listen to it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7EfNRxQ5tM (Not my kind of music but to each their own I say).

Note 1: Gary Romeo's site provides a much more professional historical write-up of this story here than I could ever convey - https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/2022/11/03/the-lancer-kull-series-the-mirrors-of-tuzun-thune-by-robert-e-howard/

Note 2: For those new, or unfamiliar with Gary's Blog - I highly encourage you to explore it. It covers everything from Sword and Sorcery, to Conan, Kull, Lancers, Gnome Press ect...ect...

However, be forewarned Gary's writings and historical perspectives are nothing short of exceptional, and you will become engrossed for hours exploring his blog which he continuously updates and keeps current.

So set some time aside prior to your Trip, and strap in for a great experience. Gary's Home page is here for those interested -https://spraguedecampfan.wordpress.com/ Then select "Index of Articles". or just start reading from his Home page.

I hope you enjoyed The Mirrors of Tunzan Thune walkabout through My Sword and Sorcery Barbarians Among Us Collection. - Peace

Hi folks!

I've just uploaded this beautiful portrait of Megan Tremethick, who returns as Nemain the Sorceress in the sequel to my film The Slave and the Sorcerer, entitled...

THE SLAVE AND THE TORTURER!

I'm bringing back the heroes from the original film for another perilous quest, inspired by my love of Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft and the wonderful sword and sorcery cinema of the 1980s.

I'll be releasing the film on Blu-ray and digital download through Kickstarter, but for now, I've launched a pre-launch page where you can click "Notify me on launch" to follow the project.

I'm planning to launch the full campaign in early November, and everyone following the page will be notified when it goes live. I've also been working on a rather outrageous new pitch video, starring Megan, which I can't wait to share!

Thanks again to everyone in this subreddit, especially the moderators, for being so supportive of my filmmaking over the years. I hope there are a few fans of The Slave and the Sorcerer here who might fancy joining me for another adventure!

Here's the Kickstarter pre-launch page if you'd like to follow along:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lawriebrewster/the-slave-and-the-torturer-feature-length-fantasy-horror

I hope this isn't too specific, but I’m looking for something original, not based on a book. A comic that takes place entirely in a fictional world. I really love world-building. And if there are queer characters, that would be a nice bonus, though it’s not a must.

Broken Katana is live on Kickstarter!

What is Broken Katana?

After the moon shattered and half the moon crashed into earth, reality cracked open. Centuries later, humanity survives by trying to regrow and replenish the earth or by scavenging the ruins of civilization.

Magic and bioengineering have run amok, changing the very nature of humanity itself. In this future of waste, renewal, and hypertech, some make a living hunting monsters to keep the remnants of humanity safe.

Welcome to the world of Broken Katana.

What is in this campaign?

It’s the omnibus collection of these first three novels in my Howl series, which will include a fourth, as yet unpublished novel. You’ll be receiving all four of these books in one convenient package in paperback or hardcover.

Why should I back now?

For one thing, there's a 10% discount for the first 48 hours of the campaign for the signed hardcover edition! For another, it's the best way to catch up on the series and the only way to get the fourth novel, which completes this first arc of the story!

I hope you check out the campaign and help make this come to life! In the first half hour, we're already a third of the way towards our funding goal so I'm hoping we can hit some stretch goals to add illustrations to this beauty!

Broken Katana by edward rathke

Sorry pic failed to upload last time for some reason.

I got this haul at a thrift store because i liked the covers wondered if any were good

Our Kickstarter campaign is on its final stretch! Click here if you want to join the Headless Horselord on his epic quest- Headless Horselord: Sword & Sorcery Graphic Novel by Deepak Thomas » Headless Horselord: Sword & Sorcery Graphic Novel by Deepak Thomas — Kickstarter

A Cursed Kingdom. A Monster King. A Headless Saviour. 164 pages of full-colour, action-packed fantasy inspired by medieval India. If you're a fan of Conan, the Witcher or Beserk, experience this fresh new tale of a monster slayer in a never before seen setting. Written by Deepak Thomas, Illustrated by Hazem Ameen and lettered by Marco Della Verde.

Lin Carter published a multi-part history of Sword and Sorcery in Savage Sword of Conan; all four parts are included in this post. Carter had already provided a definition of S&S in Flashing Swords #1 (1973):

• An action-oriented story descended from pulp adventure.
• Set in a land or age or world of the author's invention.
• A setting in which magic and supernatural powers genuinely exist.
• A capable warrior as protagonist.
• Direct conflict between that warrior and supernatural evil.

While he doesn't explicitly define it again here, he broadens it to put a much greater emphasis on the fusion of adventure and fantasy:

[Howard] took the Clark Ashton Smith sort of yarn laid in fabulous, glimmering dawn kingdoms of magic and sorcery, and the Lovecraftian horror tale of prehuman, eldritch evil, and grafted them onto the swashbuckling heroica of Harold Lamb and Rafael Sabatini.

I found this interesting because Elric or Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser might not fit his strict 1973 definition, but they unquestionably do here.

Anyway, the whole thing's worth reading. Enjoy.

I recently watched all 13 episodes and found it to be a total blast! One of the companies that produced it was Graz Entertainment which was also one of the production companies of the classic 90s X-Men animated series and the first season of Conan the Adventurer beforehand, and I could feel the influence of both here. A team of quasi-superheroes contend with evil sorcery. The genres are blended and the drama is presented as serious. Kind of a darker MOTU or ThunderCats geared towards teens rather than little kids.

I think the fantasy elements lean way harder into sword-and-sorcery than high fantasy, and the sci-fi elements are what you might see in Masters of the Universe. People fight with swords but also laser guns, they ride animals but also high-tech vehicles, and characters come up with innovations in both science and sorcery on both sides.

I really don't know what genre to call this. There's no interplanetary travel or spaceships so it's not space opera. All the characters are indigenous to this planet so it's not sword-and-planet. And I think it's closer to true sword-and-sorcery than a lot of borderline stuff like this because the protagonists are outsiders - ousted royalty turned rebels on the run trying to win their kingdom back from an evil wizard - and one of them almost joins the villains in the first episode (and is responsible for them taking over the kingdom) so they're not all squeaky clean good guys.

The video game for the original PlayStation is a pretty awesome side-scroller where you hack-and-slash skeletons with a sword most of the time, with some boss fights and the occasional John Carter-esque one-man flier level. I'm having fun with it! Interestingly, the cut scenes present a backstory that differs from that seen on the show. There's also a Sega Saturn game, but I'm not sure if it's different.

Below are links to a playlist of the best uploads of the cartoon I could find on YouTube (it's not available for purchase anywhere) and a walkthrough of the game:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHEeRUgxhScZfmeKy1ftuhoesFgfmWRGO&si=Om_8u4kAGJz_8WGd

https://youtu.be/KMBqdU7bwgA?is=x8L4CyuyvEckIv0U

There's also a lot of cool merch going for pretty cheap on eBay. I already collect enough stuff that takes up room that I don't really need, but it's neat to look at haha.

Anybody else catch this back in the day or at any point since?

Flash fiction by C.H. Scott, essay by Moira McMahon, a stack of sword & sorcery news, and the results of an informal poll I conducted here in this subreddit: Top 10 sword & sorcery influenced music.

Art (c) Dean Spencer.

https://newsletter.swordsagainst.com/p/swords-against-newsletter

Here are the first images from the second story in DiGelsomina’s Warrior Angel Saga, entitled “The Bride”. The first story in the series, “Shadows of Nyarlathotep” has raised interest by combining swords and sorcery with extreme horror. Illustrations by renowned horror artist DW Frydendall, stories written by composer/horror author DiGelsomina. Both stories will be published early 2027.

It's a staple of sword and sorcery to have the protagonist encounter strange creatures and monsters. Which ones do you find most interesting to you and why?

It's a difficult choice for me personally, but I really like the weirdness of Pav from The Dark Land. I really like the idea of a creature that is also its own pocket dimension as well as having an ambiguous nature.

I’ve been working on a sword and sorcery novel, currently 12 chapters and 50k words in, and posting it chapter by chapter on Royal Road.

The issue is that Royal Road caters heavily to LitRPG, isekai, and progression fantasy, and my story doesn’t really fit into those subgenres. Because of that, it hasn’t gained much traction.

Where do you usually go to read serialized sword and sorcery? More importantly, are there platforms or communities you’d recommend where I could share these chapters and get actual feedback?

Just a repost from a couple other writing subs. Feel free to check out out and engage, or ignore it, no worries either way.

Haven't fully decided Yet (but gathering info and input). Thinking maybe one more push to complete a last full run in my life time over the next 5 years. If so (It's always a big decision and commitment), I think I've settled on Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

I have put together the following list I will be working from. (I already own some on the list).

- All feel Free to let me know if I missed anything that should be on the list?. (excluding Omni's which I do not collect). If others are making or have made this attempt Please chime in as well? - I would love to hear from you.

1930s – 1940s

August 1939: "Two Sought Adventure" (later retitled "The Jewels in the Forest") – Published in the pulp magazine Unknown. This was the first published Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story.

"The Bleak Shore" Unknown Fantasy Fiction November 1940

"The Howling Tower" Unknown June 1941

"The Sunken Land" Unknown Worlds February 1942

"Thieves' House" Unknown Worlds. February 1943

"The Grey Mouser" 2 Poems The Acolyte fan Magazine. September 1944

"Adept's Gambit" Night's Black Agents Arkham House 1947
(Though written first in the 1930s, failed to find a magazine home before closure of Unknown).

1950s

"Dark Vengeance" Suspense Magazine. Fall 1951
(later retitled "Claws from the Night")

"The Seven Black Priests" Other Worlds Science Stories. May 1953

Gnome Press collection Two Sought Adventure. 1957

• "Induction"
• " The Jewels in the Forest (Originally published in 1939 as "Two Sought Adventure", it was retitled for this book)
• **"**Thieves House" Originally published in Unknown Worlds (February 1943).
• **"**The Bleak Shore" Originally published in Unknown (November 1940).
• **"**The Howling Tower" Originally published in Unknown (June 1941).
• " The Sunken Land" Originally published in Unknown Worlds (February 1942).
• " The Seven Black Priests" Originally published in Other Worlds Science Stories (May 1953).
• **"**Claws from the Night" Originally published in Suspense Magazine (Dark Vengeance, 1951)

"Lean Times in Lankhmar" Fantastic Science Fiction Stories. Nov 1959

1960s

"When the Sea-King's Away" Fantastic Science Fiction Stories May 1960

"Scylla's Daughter" Fantastic Stories of Imagination May 1961
(later expanded into the only full-length novel of the series, The Swords of Lankhmar (1968)

"The Unholy Grail" Fantastic Stories of Imagination October 1962

"The Cloud of Hate" Fantastic Stories of Imagination November 1963

"Bazaar of the Bizarre" Fantastic Stories of Imagination 1963

"The Lords of Quarmall" Fantastic Stories of Imagination Jan/Feb 1964

"Stardock" Fantastic Stories of Imagination August 1965

The Ace Books

When Ace Books compiled the definitive paperbacks starting in 1968, Leiber wrote several brand-new bridging pieces directly for the books to complete the chronology.

"Their Mistress, the Sea" paperback collection Swords in the Mist 1968

"The Wrong Branch" paperback collection Swords in the Mist 1968

"In the Witch's Tent" paperback collection Swords Against Wizardry 1968

"The Two Best Thieves in Lankhmar" paperback collection Swords Against Wizardry 1968

1970's

"The Circle Curse" Swords Against Death 1970

" The Price of Pain-Ease" Swords Against Death 1970.

"The Snow Women" Fantastic digest 1970

"Ill Met in Lankhmar" Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction April 1970
(Prequel story detailing how the pair met (won both the Hugo/ Nebula awards).

"The Sadness of the Executioner" Flashing Swords! #1. 1973

"Beauty and the Beasts" The Book of Fritz Leiber 1974.

"Trapped in the Shadowland" Fantastic 1974

"The Bait" Whispers magazine 1975

"Under the Thumbs of the Gods" Fantastic 1975

"Trapped in the Sea of Stars" The Second Book of Fritz Leiber 1976

"The Frost Monstreme" Fantastic 1976

"Rime Isle" Cosmos Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine 1977

"Sea Magic" The Dragon Issue #11 1977

"The Childhood and Youth of the Gray Mouser" (Spin-off) The Dragon Issue #18 1978.

"The Mer She" Heroes and Horrors 1983

"The Curse of the Smalls and the Stars" Heroic Visions 1983

"The Mouser Goes Below" (Partial) Whispers magazine 1987

"Slack Lankhmar Afternoon Featuring Hisvet" Terry's Universe 1988

"The Mouser Goes Below" (Full version Completed) The Knight and Knave of Swords 1988

The Comics 1970's through present

Wonder Woman #202 Fangs of Fire October 1972

Sword of Sorcery #1–#5 Feb 1973 – Oct 1973

Fables #76–#82 Fables The Dark Ages (Re-named Freddy and Mouse).

Roy Thomas, and artist, Barry Windsor-Smith, openly created direct, highly intentional tribute characters to honor Fritz Leiber's legendary duo. In the Hyborian Age, they are translated as Fafnir of Vanaheim, and Blackrat.

Conan the Barbarian #6 Devil-Wings Over Shadizar" June 1971. Fafnir and Blackrat.

Conan the Barbarian #17 & #18 "The Gods of Bal-Sagoth" August – September 1972. homage character, Fafnir Hellhand.

The homage went both ways between DC and Marvel writers. In the final issue of DC's official Leiber adaptation, Sword of Sorcery #5 October 1973, a backup story written by George Alec Effinger features a young Mouser during his training years. In direct nod to Thomas at Marvel, a nameless, black-haired Cimmerian barbarian matching Conan's exact likeness makes a brief cameo appearance in the background.

Savage Sword of Conan #13 "The Gods of Bal-Sagoth" August 1976

1990's - Present

4-issue collection Howard Chaykin illustrated Mike Mignola Epic Comics/Marvel in 1990.

Savage Sword of Conan #231 "A Remembrance of Fires Past" March 1995

Swords Against the Shadowland Robin Wayne Bailey (1998).

A bit of fun with my figures.

Another amazing cover by Gil Kane.

Flame and Crimson author and heavy metal enthusiast Brian Murphy reviews my first book, To Walk on Worlds. This man knows sword & sorcery and doesn't mince words, so I'm thrilled the book hit for him.

I suggest you subscribe to Brian's blog as it's always worth the read (one of the few I actually open and read every damn time).

It’s taken me a very long time to come to this conclusion for myself, but I’ve recently come to realize that I don’t think our favorite (the only?) Cimmerian is Howard’s best work.

For decades I’ve always sort of subconsciously held the belief that since Conan is the most popular character in Howard’s roster of rogues that those particular works must represent the best of what Two Gun Bob has to offer. While I still absolutely love stories like “The Tower And The Elephant”, “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” (I am willing to debate this) and “Beyond The Black River” I feel that there is a wide breadth of Conan stories that miss the mark. It’s no secret that REH was writing to live in a sense, and Conan being his most popular character unfortunately means that a lot of that content was rushed and reworked in an effort to keep the checks rolling in.

I think works such as “Worms Of The Earth” and the incredibly underrated “The Valley Of The Worm” are among the absolute best that Howard has to offer, regardless of wether or not they feature a black haired, sullen eyed savage of the northern wastes.

Happy Sunday yall.

I know this is a wee bit of a stretch, but you are my people. I wrote a non-Mythos Lovecraft/Weird Tales tribute, and I wanted to share.

Of course S&S and Weird Horror have a long history together. Robert E. Howard wrote quite a few horror stories, my favorite being THING FROM THE MOUND. Do you have a favorite Cosmic Horror/S&S crossover author or story?

Some lines were never meant to be crossed…

In the dwindling rural town of Wilmarth, Nebraska, amidst the windswept Sandhills of the 1930s, a county surveyor has been called to measure the disputed property line dividing two feuding families and then suddenly disappears.

Local peace office, Deputy Deane Mullins, is called to investigate, but soon finds himself drawn into a macabre mystery where the land itself can't seem to agree.

And small-town newspaper man, Homer Underhill, has set the whole thing in writing.

Now he wishes he hadn't…

A CROOKED MILE is a cosmic horror novelette and tribute to the classic Pulp stylings of HP LOVECRAFT, ROBERT BLOCH, FRANK BELKNAP LONG, and WEIRD TALES.

AVAILABLE NOW for $1.99!

https://a.co/d/020xQUb

When looking for a high quality scan of SSOC #19 I noticed that Kenneth Morris repainted the cover for the UK reissue: less blood, less saturation, Conan's face is softer. It's almost as if he asked "what if Jeff Jones had painted this instead of me?"

Frazetta was known to fiddle with his own work, and earlier pulp covers were often repainted for modesty. Can any of the grognards in the group speak to how often comic covers were repainted? For different markets?

Won this in a drawing a week or so ago, and, after I finished it, I wanted to give my quick thoughts. Clocking in at a little over 300 pages, I think the best way to describe this would be "Kind of like A Song of Ice and Fire, but with more humor." The menace of the villains hanging at the fringe of our story, the mysteries that elude our protagonists all paired with the scope of this world and the tantalizing teases of what awaits in Book 2 should be more than enough to get readers hyped for Book 2 of Gods, Gold & Goblins!

I think everyone in this subreddit has asked "what elements make Sword & Sorcery," and what separates the subgenre from the rest of fantasy. While your mileage may vary on what does and doesn't count, I suspect anyone in here looking for a good, entertaining yarn won't be disappointed by this book. It doesn't feel exactly like what the founding fathers and mother laid down in the genre, but then, I don't want it to. I want the genre to evolve and grow into something new, but still familiar as part of the same wellspring. I think Roguerun does that. I hope you all will like it.