[Kane]

I just finished looking over a new website, well new to me, entitled Sword and Sorcery.
Well worth checking out.

http://www.swordandsorcery.org/

[CJH]

Thanks, the site looks pretty interesting. I'll have to sit down and read "Robert E. Howard, Christianity, and the Saga of Bran Mak Morn" when I can give it my undivided attention. Has anyone ever heard of the "Sword and Planet" genre? If so, can anyone give any titles that would qualify? The only book that I've read that I can say that even remotely fits into this genre would be Planet of Adventure by Jack Vance...but even that seemed to be more science fiction than fantasy.

[Ring-Haunter]

I usually associate "Sword and Planet" with Edgar Rice Burroughs (the Mars novels) and Leigh Brackett: basically, stories with an interplanetary and science fiction setting, but where characters wield archaic weapons like swords, act like they exist in a medieval fantasy setting, and where science is treated like magic. The pulp Planet Stories rather dominated this odd genre in the 1940s and '50s.

The best "Sword and Planet" novel I've read is The Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett. This just kicks some serious ass, and it was originally packaged as part of an Ace Double with something called The Hour of the Dragon by this guy named Howard or Howarth or something. I forget. It was pretty good too. Leigh Brackett's The Ginger Star is also excellent Sword and Planet.

[loonatik]

"J. R. R. Tolkien once remarked that he enjoyed Howard's Conan stories despite the fact that they differed greatly in theme and temperament from his own writings"(11) .

I never knew that Tolkien had read the Conan stories.

Great site, btw. Really informative. I'm still checking it out.

[Crom]

I have relocated this thread from General Discussions and invite everyone to use it as a companion piece to the pinned Flashing Swords thread at the top of the forum. Please post your comments here and leave the pinned thread for updates from publication editor Howard Jones.

Cheers,
LD

[Crom]

If you have haven't done so yet, I'd recommend you go to Sword and Sorcery and read the interview with John C Hocking.

[Cadogan]

CJH, on Dec 22 2004, 12:22 AM, said:

Has anyone ever heard of the "Sword and Planet" genre? If so, can anyone give any titles that would qualify?

How about REH's Almuric?

[HARPERSGRACE]

Cadogan, on Jan 12 2005, 01:43 PM, said:

CJH, on Dec 22 2004, 12:22 AM, said:

Has anyone ever heard of the "Sword and Planet" genre? If so, can anyone give any titles that would qualify?

How about REH's Almuric?

Edgar Rice Burroughs' Martian Tales.
Lin Carter's Callisto series.

[hajones]

Almuric, Sword of Rhiannon, Callisto, the Mars books of Edgar Rice Burroughs; all are good examples. Someone earlier mentioned Jack Vance.

Jack Vance is one of those genre-defying authors who can be a little harder to pigeonhole, but I'd argue that Planet of Adventure is more sword and planet than, say, space opera. Once he arrives on planet the central character's pretty much stuck dealing with the local cultures on their own terms--travelling by caravan, ship, what have you. It may not be a *perfect* fit, but the *feel* is right.

And then there's Vance's The Dying Earth, another genre defier. Science fiction? Well, maybe--it's set in the future. Is it sword and planet? There's sorcery involved, not just sophisticated technology, so is it sword and sorcery?

Whatever the first book of The Dying Earth is, it's a darned good read and likely to be enjoyed by others who have enjoyed other sword and sorcery and sword and planet.

I can't speak with authority on the other three volumes of The Dying Earth as I haven't finished reading volume two yet. Unlike many series, the Dying Earth isn't a sequence that builds--they're four completely separate novel linked only by the fact they're set in the same place.

Best,
Howard

[hajones]

I almost forgot to mention Moorcock's Mars pastiche books. He originally penned them under the name "Edward Bradbury." I think now you can find them all in a collection titled "Kane of Old Mars."

Haven't read them yet. Heard they're not all that good. Very early Moorcock.

You might consider Turtledove's Valdessos books sword and planet, likewise William Forstchen's novels of the civil war regiment that gets transferred to a different world.

best,
Howard

[Kane]

hajones, on Jan 13 2005, 08:14 AM, said:

Haven't read them yet. Heard they're not all that good. Very early Moorcock.

It's not so much that they are early Moorcock. It's a matter of Moorcock not really writing as himself.
The stories are good if you've never read any of his other material. If you have, well... It becomes very obvious that he was trying to capture a style that he knows is not really his own voice. And, since he is not writing about cosmic good and evil, he seems to flounder at points. Like he is trying to find a reason for the character to make the next move.

[Crom]

hajones, on Jan 13 2005, 09:14 AM, said:

...likewise William Forstchen's novels of the civil war regiment that gets transferred to a different world.

best,
Howard

I managed to read all of those, though I found the series tiring about half way through. In the same vein is Jerry Pournelle's excellent Janissaries series and Brian Daley's Coramonde books.

[Ironhand]

There's another series, a shared world series, that takes place in the Motie/Spartan universe of Jerry Pournelle and (can't remember, Larry Niven maybe?). I can't remember the name of the series, either.

-- Ironwhosis the Forgetful

[Crom]

Ironhand, on Jan 13 2005, 08:31 PM, said:

There's another series, a shared world series, that takes place in the Motie/Spartan universe of Jerry Pournelle and (can't remember, Larry Niven maybe?).  I can't remember the name of the series, either.

-- Ironwhosis the Forgetful

Pournelle and Niven teamed for The Mote in God's Eye and The Gripping Hand, along with Footfall and Lucifer's Hammer. I'm not sure about the Spartan connection with Pournelle's series of Falkenberg books, though. I'd be interested if such a crossover existed. Apparently Halo was heavily inspired by the Mote series, and come to think of it, the super-soldiers are refered to as Spartans. Maybe that's the link.

[Ironhand]

Falkenberg is a culture hero of the Spartan Empire. There is a segment in one of the Motie books where the fyunch[clicks] name themselves after human military heroes, and this is ok with the Spartans, except when one of the fyunch[clicks] names itself Falkenberg, the Spartans are highly incensed. I think that Falkenberg ended his mercenary career by retiring to Sparta, and participated in the birth of the Spartan Empire, and was made a grand duke or something lilke that. His descendants married into the royal line.

The "Super Soldiers" are not Spartan. They are referred to as the "Sauron Super Soldiers", and were the bitterest and most dangerous enemies of the Spartans. Basically, they were cyborgs. A Spartan ship was in pursuit of a Sauron ship, and both ships crash-landed on a very rugged planet already inhabited by primitive descendants of a lost human colony. Spartans and Saurons interacted with the primitive inhabitants, absorbed some of their culture while losing most of their own advanced technology while continuing their war, and that is the shared world sword and planet series I spoke of.

[Crom]

Ironhand, on Jan 14 2005, 07:52 PM, said:

The "Super Soldiers" are not Spartan.

I was refering to Halo, not the 'War World' series.

[Crom]

Howard Jones at the Sword and Sorcery website has posted an interview with William King of Warhammer fame. As a bonus, King has made his Sword and Sorcery Toolkit available for download.

Check it out.

[Crom]

Issue # 2 of the Flashing Swords E-Zine is now available.

Table of Contents

Support Your Sword and Sorcery editorial by Howard Andrew Jones

A Night in the Archives, by John C. Hocking
The author of Conan and the Emerald Lotus brings us a grisly adventure of murder and necromancy!

The Marsh God, by Bruce Durham
Dalacroy may have survived the ambush, but can he escape the thing that dwells within the marsh?

Devil on My Stomach, by Richard Lyon and Andrew Offutt
Catching Bjaine the Norther is one thing, but keeping him to a bargain he doesn't want to keep? More of a challenge...

Race Into Blood, by Peter J. Welmerink
All Sturoq wanted was a good meal and a place to sleep. But the goblins wanted him off their land, and they were out for blood!

Protection, by Harold Lamb
A bloody Viking yarn of mayhem, murder, and desire in the holy land.

The Stone Man, by D.K. Latta
Zargatha returns in a pulse-pouding sequel to "The High Tower" from Issue 1!

-----------------------------

In addition, at Sword and Sorcery you will find these informative articles:


Sword and Sorcery: The Genre

* Defining Sword and Sorcery, by Howard Andrew Jones
What distinguishes sword and sorcery from other fantasy? Jones examines the topic in light of what other fantasy writers and editors have said on the topic.

* The Demarcation of Sword and Sorcery, by Joseph A. McCullough V
McCullough compares sword and sorcery to heroic fantasy in a thoroughly researched and entertaining look at both fantasy genres.

* Robert E. Howard, Christianity, and the Saga of Bran Mak Morn, by Joseph A. McCullough V
A fascinating look at Robert E. Howard's King of the Picts as a window into Howard's religious outlook.

* What if Thirteen-Year-Olds are Right?, by Ryan Harvey
A fresh look at how the world-at-large percieves sword and sorcery fiction, and what they might be missing.


Sword and Sorcery: The History

* Swords of The Old Ones: The Early Fantastic, by Howard Andrew Jones
A look at the early writers of fantastic literature who had the most influence upon sword and sorcery.

* Swords of the Old Ones: Historical Swashbucklers, by Howard Andrew Jones
A look at the historical writers of the old pulps whose work had the most influence upon sword and sorcery.


Sword and Sorcery: Series and Characters

* Prester John, by Andy Beau
In the third of his columns examining forgotten sword and sorcery characters, Andy Beau looks at Norvell Page's Prester John.

* Clark Ashton Smith, Part 1, by Ryan Harvey
Ryan Harvey surveys the work of neglected master Clark Ashton Smith in part 1 of a 4-part series.

* Casca, by Andy Beau
In the second of his columns examining forgotten sword and sorcery characters, Andy Beau examines a nearly forgotten immortal, Casca.

* Sagas, Scrolls & Sorcery: A Survey of Literature in the Hyborian Age, by Eric Leif Davin
An entertaining look at how a scholar might look on the varied accounts of the Hyborian age if they were real historical documents.

* The Elric Saga, by S.C. Bryce
A detailed review and analysis of the central books of Michael Moorcock's Elric saga.

* Elak of Atlantis, by Andy Beau
In the first of his columns examining forgotten sword and sorcery characters, Andy Beau examines one of the first to follow Conan: Henry Kuttner's Elak.

[Jery]

Lord Durham, on Apr 2 2005, 04:55 AM, said:

A Night in the Archives, by John C. Hocking
The author of Conan and the Emerald Lotus brings us a grisly adventure of murder and necromancy!

LD, I've just finished to read it. I'm very impressed!
The atmosphere is here in some ways similar to REH's Conan story, that was placed in Kalians temple.

I think NiaA is more Heroic Fantasy, because the hero is a librarian. But maybe is that fact a writers laughter at the critics, who try to define the literary genres?

Altought I like antiheroes like Wagners Kane, I wasn't bored to read the story! Because a sort of antihero is here actual a warrior girl named Lucella. And there is much mystery, action and magic inside of this story.

[Crom]

Well, I hope you like the next one on the list. It was my first sale.