I Read Books: Swords And Dark Magic

Swords And Dark Magic

Referencing Fritz Lieber’s Swords series, this is an anthology of new, original swords and sorcery stories. Three of them are new entries in (ongoing) classic series with Michael Moorcock giving an Elric story, Glen Cook a Black Company and Robert Silverberg a Majipoor.

Sometimes the swords are a little lacking but we nevertheless find ourselves on the grimy side. Our protagonists are wanderers, men (and women) for hire, who defeat bad guys because they want to get paid more than because it’s the right thing to do.

Although there are a couple that don’t quite work for me and others that might be better described as low or even high fantasy, this is still an excellent collection, both as an introduction to the sub-genre or for those who already enjoy it.

Read This: Swords, Sorcery, Adventure, Magic
Don’t Read This: A bunch of self-interested rogues contending with magicians is not for you