Howdy friends and neighbors, this is Cowboy Cam slinging another review atcha’, for the upcoming Swords and Sorcery anthology Neither Beg Nor Yield from Rogue Blades Entertainment [Editor’s Note previously funded on Kickstarter].
For starters, I’d like to point out that the dedication and introduction were great and I feel like the folks at RBE really know what they are doing. They get how S&S works and understand how it is set apart from high fantasy. It isn’t the creatures nor the settings, it is the interaction between brawn and brains, the sword and the magic, and the attitude that the characters bring to a setting. The protagonists never give up, they face overwhelming odds and overcome or are slain, but not before taking dozens of foes with them.
This anthology understands the core of S&S.
[E.N. the anthology itself features many pieces of artwork, each linked to its own story – both cover art as well as the weaponry used by each hero, the latter of which was a Kickstarter Stretch Goal met during the campaign. For the purposes of this review, we felt that an overview of the writing was more important and useful than spoiling any of the gorgeous spreads or weapons work. Basically, mind the incoming wall of text and blame me for it.]
Hunters and Prey
I’m sorry to start out on a negative, but this C.L. Werner samurai story did nothing for me. I had high hopes, as he is a great Warhammer author, but the setting of fantasy Japan does not appeal to me. I don’t even enjoy the real-life history of Japan, but I think that is only because of how popular culture flooded everything with ninjas and samurai and it just makes me go bleh. As much as I wanted to like it, and in spite of how well written it was, I found myself skimming the pages about halfway through. Fortunately, I think this is definitely a me thing, and not showcasing the quality of the story.
Prince of Dragons
Next up, Prince of Dragons by William King was amazing and it hit multiple aspects I enjoy. It felt very Hyborian-Age-adjacent, almost acting as a precursor to that setting or as something taking place during the change from that time to our semi known prehistory. Many of the places’ names sound very similar to Hyborian Age ones, and the inclusion of Elder beings with Lovecraftian influences abounding really made me feel immersed in the kind of sword and sorcery I enjoy, and the pulp that I generally like. There is also a dog named Balthus, which was the name of a character in the amazing Robert E. Howard story Beyond the Black River, who also had a dog, called Slasher. This felt like a great homage.
Suspension in Silver
Written by Eric Turowski, this story has amazing environmental descriptions. I could easily visualize everything that was mentioned and experience the dreariness therein. The combat was something to behold as well. I don’t really read modern day sword and sorcery stories, but man, I think I need to look up more of these “Irons” tales. It reminded me a lot of the old Blade films from pre-MCU Marvel, albeit with different antagonists. Very supernatural, very violent.
Soldier, Seeker, Slayer
John C. Hocking starts this one out as so many other good stories do – without much explanation of the setting, throwing the reader straight into the deep end. Combine that with the main character who is also not fully up to date with everything going on, and it’s a great ol’ time. I do not wish to spoil anything in the story, but this one is amazing and truly captures not only a good sword and sorcery tale, but has good storytelling, in general. I really need to read his Conan pastiches.
Harvest of the Blood King
Harvest of the Blood King is, simply put, amazing. The pseudo-Roman setting, the violence, facing death in the eye and yet never flinching at its prospect, the sorcery… All of these coalesce into one of the best sword and sorcery tales I’ve ever read. I really need to read more of Steve Dilks’ work, especially the other stories about Bohun. If you like Roman fiction, then this is the story for you. The whole time I was looking up words on my phone to try and pin down roughly where the story is set. As it turns out, it’s vaguely set in Roman Britain.
The Stone from the Stars
This is a piece by Chuck Dixon. When I was perusing the table of contents, his name was one of those that stood out to me, as he has some really great Conan the Barbarian stories, including his new pastiche series. This story is just as great as I expected it to be. The dual heroes had a great back and forth, the vagueness of the setting worked well for the tale, not needing all the lore and fluff a longer story would need to be compelling, and the sorcery involved felt as terrifying as it should be, with our heroes responding as any good sword and sorcery hero should. That is, by stabbing it.
Evil World
John R. Fultz penned an interesting story here. The protagonists are human but their naming conventions remind me of dwarves, plus the underground area they live in reminds me of something akin to Moria. It was a neat spin to have magic and blades on the same side in the story, with the threat being an ancient enemy of the humans. It wasn’t my favorite tale of the collection but it is certainly one of the more thought provoking ones. I feel like this would be a fun universe to explore as it has some deeper roots to the story and the world, and I don’t think it was explored enough in this particular tale, at least to my satisfaction.
Reckoning
Keith J. Taylor writes another tale set vaguely in Roman times, but this one is set after they leave Britannia, with the lead always wanting to head south to Caledonia, so I assume they are on some isle to the north of Scotland. Being a history teacher and a geography nut, I appreciate being able to tell where a story is set, even in fiction. Something that could greatly improve such a collection of stories would be maps to accompany them. The artwork is great but I’m a map guy and can spend hours poring over them. The tale itself reminds me of the times Conan encountered pirates and became one himself, which is definitely a good thing for it to evoke. This one was a quick read but I would be open to exploring more of this world in other short stories.
Golden Devils of the Crypt
A very great Hyborian Age style name for this story set in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. I find such settings very interesting and fun to play around with and think about. What would the world look like after a nuclear apocalypse? How would society be rebuilt? Would we turn to old superstitions and magics? Would we revert to a state of pure barbarism, complete with stone tools? Well, Phil Emry has one potential answer to these questions, and it is a rip-roaring adventure. The idea of three magical realms is interesting, and new to me as a way of categorizing magic. Mentions of alternate timelines or a multiverse also feature here, a tiresome trope these days, but the story is good enough that it’s only a minor quibble. All in all, a good tale and setting that I hope to read more of in the future.
The Undead of Sul-Atet
This is a story I have been eagerly awaiting to read since I saw the name of the author attached to it in the table of contents. Written by none other than David C. Smith, one of the coauthors of the incredible Ace Fantasy Red Sonja novels (that have annoyingly been out of print for ages and don’t exist digitally, seriously Dynamite, get on that!). Sothoth, one of the Elder Gods of the Cthulhu Mythos is mentioned in the text, which firmly solidifies it in my mind as part of the Mythos. Such a grim story of a world staring at the end of days, with men making hard decisions in an effort to save the ones they love. This story is thought provoking and wholly different from the other stories in the collection. It is a much deeper tale than just a man with a sword set against against an unfathomable horror. I need to read more of his work.
The Shades of Nacross Hill
This was a blast – very fast paced, with savage combat against sorcery. It also is one of the few stories to really end unresolved, but it somehow doesn’t need that to be a satisfying read. It almost feels like a chapter of a larger work that can stand on its own, much like the Conan saga. I will have to look out for more adventures of Kaimer, by Frederick Tor.
The Organ Grinder’s Monkey
A strange name for a story, but quite fitting. I have no idea how to describe this one. It is really strange, and no offense to Joe R. Lansdale, just not my cup of tea. The writing feels very pulp-detective-like, the setting feels cyberpunkish, and the giant birds that eat people feel like an homage to that well-known Hitchcock film. But it just doesn’t do anything for me. I like weird tales, but this is a little too out there for me.
Vengeance by the Wind and Tide
Vengeance by Wind and Tide, by Eadwine Brown, is phenomenal. I had been hoping for a female-led adventure, and to meet a swashbuckling corsair not unlike Valeria herself was more than I could’ve hoped for. Azirah and her red gold hair was the perfect femme fatale, and the story captured her beauty without it stealing the spotlight. Swashbuckling tales have always been a favorite of mine, and one mixed with sorcery and mystery makes it even better. Funnily enough, the way the story functioned upon their mission actually being undertaken is remarkably similar to a Conan d6 RPG game I ran with my friends last year. I hope more adventures of this corsair are forthcoming.
Isekai Sengokumonogatari
That is an impossibly spelled title, seriously had to triple check that haha. Once again with the vaguely mythological Japanese stories… they don’t do anything for me. I cannot really give a fair shake to this story as a few paragraphs in I got bored of it. I had the same problem trying to read Tolkien’s Silmarillion [E.N. WHAT?! Friendship card REVOKED! And you can turn in your cowboy hat, too!], as in, I couldn’t even begin to wrap my mind around how half the words are pronounced and the effort of trying to figure that out takes my mind from the story, and I just end up feeling like it is a slog to read so I don’t finish it [E.N. yeah, that sounds like the Silmarillion, alright…]. Combine that with a setting that doesn’t interest me, and it just ain’t happening. I hope others enjoy this tale by Glen Cook and share some more informative reviews on it.
Bona Na Croin
Jeff Stewart captures Celtic and Gaelic myth like nobody else since Robert E Howard. This story was intense, deeply ingrained in Irish folklore, and felt right at home with Howard’s Cormac Mac Art stories, and I know that is another real Irish character, but this story also mentions him, so in my mind, the two are intrinsically connected. The Lovercraftian connection helps, too. For the first bit of the story, I couldn’t tell if this was Hyborian Age pastiche or Celtic and Gaelic myths because of how much of them Howard used in his works and what others expanded on via pastiches and the Age of Conan videogame. Another one I can highly and easily recommend.
Virgins for Khuul
Virgins for Khuul by Steve Goble was a fun yarn. Roaring adventure, classic sword and sorcery themes, a Conan-like hero, and great writing within a setting that has just enough information mentioned to intrigue, but not so much as to bog down the plot of the short story. I will have to pick up some more of his works, and the anthology’s information blurb about him mentions he writes mysteries now, which are one of my other favorite genres, so I will be checking out his works in that area too.
The Last Vandals on Earth
The Last Vandals on Earth is structured in a way that I love. Take history, blend it with fictional facts, then allow yourself to present fantasy as a continuation of history, making the fictional story be presented as factual retelling of historical events. It reminds me of how various pulp stories like The Shadow or Nick Carter are presented, albeit those are shown as factual retellings of “present day” events or events not too far in the past. A sort of fictional world that blends so well with our own it could work as part of reality. The story revolves around the Vandals who sacked Rome in their final days before their grasp on the world slipped, just as the Romans before them did. This is another of my favorite tales in the anthology and I must check out more stories by Steven Erikson.
The Barbarian’s Lawyer
Lawrence A. Weinstein writes a good story with a fantastic ending that I shan’t spoil. It essentially is a tale of a Barbarian warrior who is VERY Conan-like and who stands accused of a crime. He is represented in court by a public defender. Shenanigans ensue. Saying anything more would seriously ruin the story. It very much feels like a what-if scenario of the opening chapters of Queen of the Black Coast by REH, where Conan appears before a court, although proceedings differ. I didn’t realize I needed barbarian courtroom fiction as a subgenre, but by golly, I want to read more now!
Reflection from a Tarnished Mirror
Reflection from a Tarnished Mirror by Howard Andrew Jones is well written, but was unable to keep my attention. The back and forth between the characters with the same name was a headache to keep straight and eventually I quit caring. The story mostly had people standing around discussing some sort of rebellion. I started skimming and eventually just scrolled past the rest of the story. It may actually redeem itself as it chugs along, but I was unable to push through. It surprised me as this even had a Roman flair to it, but even that could not keep me invested.
Maiden Flight
Adrian Cole’s story was okay. Vikings are an often-overused commodity these days but they do make for good sword and sorcery heroes. I feel like I would have enjoyed this more as an earlier story in the anthology and not the final story. The Barbarian’s Lawyer would have been a much higher note to end the collection on. Nothing in this tale is bad, it just doesn’t live up to the hype I experienced with many of the others that came before it.
The AAR
All in all, I would highly recommend this collection of sword & sorcery tales to any fan of the genre, despite a few stories not being up to par for my personal tastes.
It is refreshing to read modern pulp in a world where stories have lost the magic that pulps used to bring. I tire of superheroes and their ilk [E.N. you and me both, brother…]. We need more pulp, both reprints of old as well as new incarnations, not unlike the stories in this anthology. They truly capture heroism, and usually encompass good writing and breaking of conventions, mostly in short, action-packed tales.
This advance copy I have read was given freely to us at Gung-Ho Geeks, but I for one will be purchasing a paperback copy to add to my ever-growing shelf of pulp fiction.
Gung-Ho Geeks 
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