Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7
(2023)(The seventh book in the Tales of Heroic Fantasy series)
An anthology of stories edited by David A Riley
This is the seventh in our popular sword and sorcery anthology series featuring eleven brand-new stories by Stephen Frame, Paul Batteiger, Andrew Graham, Phil Emery, Gavin Chappell, Jason M Waltz, Jalyn Renae Fiske, Craig Comer, Eric Ian Steele, Jon Zaremba, and Harry Elliott.
In the spirit of such sword and sorcery greats: Robert E. Howard, Karl Edward Wagner, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber and Lin Carter these tales will take you to exotic worlds of peril, adventure and dark sorceries.
Here are just a few of the enthusiastic reviews for our previous volumes:
For Volume 6: "Like a freight train Parallel Universe Publications continues to come down the line filled with S&S stories from authors new and old. Volume six features many names that have appeared in previous installments. Several are active authors in the community with stories appearing in different venues. A couple I was wholly unaware of before reading their stories.
Twelve stories round out the table of contents. Many of them are sequels to previous stories. Return to Atlantis and Zothique. The Stone Snake is still well behind enemy lines. Knox is on a mission to eradicate evil from the world. Zain is the last line of defense in a city under siege. Shipwrecked Wardark must face down the Siren Queen.
A few of my favorites were: Land of the Dead by Dev Agarwal features the Stone Snake and a boxing match he is not expected to win. Gods, Men, and Nephilim by David Dubrow mainly for the final revelation and denouement. The Golden Witch of Adzelgar by Scott McCloskey was the crown jewel for me..."
Volume 1: "This is an entertaining anthology of new sword and sorcery with a diverse range of unique tales. The first story, "The Mirror of Torjan Súl," is lyrical and bizarre in the spirit of Clark Ashton Smith. "The Horror from the Stars" features an intriguing sword and sorcery villain, a cosmic horror "body snatcher." "Trolls are Different" is not conventional sword and sorcery but nevertheless a compelling tale about defeating enemies via "poisoned hospitality." "Chain of Command" was excellent; it is humorous and vital sword and sorcery that features a duo who evoke Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. "Disruption of Destiny" was the most self-consciously literary story and reminded me of LeGuin's "Earthsea" short fiction. This one was quite moving. "The City of Silence" is an intriguing sword and sorcery political allegory that features an exiled king and his compassionate and loyal vizier. "Red" was a crime/quest narrative: very eclectic approach to S&S" with an accelerated ending. "The Reconstructed God" is uniquely written from the p.o.v. of a "familiar," a creature who serves a Power, usually a sorcerer; this tale one was quite atmospheric and the fantasy setting was vivid. All in all, an entertaining and fresh new anthology of sword and sorcery! Jim Pitts's cover is really distinctive; moreover, his interior illustrations are delightfully eerie, otherworldly, and evoke that "old school" charm."
Also for Volume 1: "What an enjoyable book. Quality sword and sorcery stories and amazing art by Jim Pitts. The general tone of the book was dark with a few lighter tales. A couple of my favorite stories were by Steve Dilks and Adrian Cole. I would recomend this series to anyone with a love of fantasy. I will be waiting for volume 2."
Genre: Fantasy
In the spirit of such sword and sorcery greats: Robert E. Howard, Karl Edward Wagner, Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber and Lin Carter these tales will take you to exotic worlds of peril, adventure and dark sorceries.
Here are just a few of the enthusiastic reviews for our previous volumes:
For Volume 6: "Like a freight train Parallel Universe Publications continues to come down the line filled with S&S stories from authors new and old. Volume six features many names that have appeared in previous installments. Several are active authors in the community with stories appearing in different venues. A couple I was wholly unaware of before reading their stories.
Twelve stories round out the table of contents. Many of them are sequels to previous stories. Return to Atlantis and Zothique. The Stone Snake is still well behind enemy lines. Knox is on a mission to eradicate evil from the world. Zain is the last line of defense in a city under siege. Shipwrecked Wardark must face down the Siren Queen.
A few of my favorites were: Land of the Dead by Dev Agarwal features the Stone Snake and a boxing match he is not expected to win. Gods, Men, and Nephilim by David Dubrow mainly for the final revelation and denouement. The Golden Witch of Adzelgar by Scott McCloskey was the crown jewel for me..."
Volume 1: "This is an entertaining anthology of new sword and sorcery with a diverse range of unique tales. The first story, "The Mirror of Torjan Súl," is lyrical and bizarre in the spirit of Clark Ashton Smith. "The Horror from the Stars" features an intriguing sword and sorcery villain, a cosmic horror "body snatcher." "Trolls are Different" is not conventional sword and sorcery but nevertheless a compelling tale about defeating enemies via "poisoned hospitality." "Chain of Command" was excellent; it is humorous and vital sword and sorcery that features a duo who evoke Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. "Disruption of Destiny" was the most self-consciously literary story and reminded me of LeGuin's "Earthsea" short fiction. This one was quite moving. "The City of Silence" is an intriguing sword and sorcery political allegory that features an exiled king and his compassionate and loyal vizier. "Red" was a crime/quest narrative: very eclectic approach to S&S" with an accelerated ending. "The Reconstructed God" is uniquely written from the p.o.v. of a "familiar," a creature who serves a Power, usually a sorcerer; this tale one was quite atmospheric and the fantasy setting was vivid. All in all, an entertaining and fresh new anthology of sword and sorcery! Jim Pitts's cover is really distinctive; moreover, his interior illustrations are delightfully eerie, otherworldly, and evoke that "old school" charm."
Also for Volume 1: "What an enjoyable book. Quality sword and sorcery stories and amazing art by Jim Pitts. The general tone of the book was dark with a few lighter tales. A couple of my favorite stories were by Steve Dilks and Adrian Cole. I would recomend this series to anyone with a love of fantasy. I will be waiting for volume 2."
Genre: Fantasy
Used availability for David A Riley's Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 7