Sword & Sorcery

Examining Poul Anderson’s ‘On Thud and Blunder’

by Bill Ward on December 5, 2008

in Black Gate

Over at Black Gate this week I posted a short reflection on Poul Anderson’s 1978 essay ‘On Thud and Blunder,’ his call for more realism in adventure fantasy fiction. A lot has certainly changed in thirty years, but Anderson’s essay is well worth reading for a lot of reasons — not least of which is [...]

{ 0 comments }

Bran Mak Morn: The Last King (review)

by Bill Ward on October 19, 2008

in Book Reviews

As in a daze Cormac turned his steed and rode back across the trampled field. His horse’s hoofs splashed in lakes of blood and clanged against the helmets of dead men. Across the valley the shout of victory was thundering. Yet all seemed shadowy and strange. A shape was striding across the torn corpses and [...]

{ 2 comments }

Thieves’ World (review)

by Bill Ward on June 15, 2008

in Book Reviews

There are philosophers who argue that there is no such thing as evil qua evil; that, discounting spells (which of course relieve an individual of responsibility), when a man commits an evil deed he is a victim himself, the slave of his progeniture and nurturing. Such philosophers might profit by studying Sanctuary. – from Joe [...]

{ 5 comments }

Dossouye Reviewed at Black Gate

by Bill Ward on May 4, 2008

in Book Reviews

I was thrilled to hear the news that Charles R. Saunders would not only be continuing publication of the Imaro series through Sword & Soul Media, but that he had another hero whom I had yet to discover — the female warrior Dossouye — and that a collection of her tales was already available. Well, [...]

{ 3 comments }

Imaro & Imaro 2: The Quest for Cush (review)

by Bill Ward on April 3, 2008

in Book Reviews

The sight of Ngatun in a cage angered him; the Ilyassai believed that the souls of their dead occupied the bodies of lions before returning to animate a human of a succeeding generation. Thus was Ngatun the most honored of foes; only by slaying a lion and freeing an Ilyassai soul to become human again [...]

{ 12 comments }

Next Entries →