Jonathan Strahan: Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

“Introduction: Check Your Dark Lord at the Door,” by Lou Anders & Jonathan Strahan. © 2010 by Lou Anders & Jonathan Strahan.

“Goats of Glory,” by Steven Erikson. © 2010 by Steven Erikson.

“Tides Elba: A Tale of the Black Company,” by Glen Cook. © 2010 by Glen Cook.

“Bloodsport,” by Gene Wolfe. © 2010 by Gene Wolfe.

“The Singing Spear,” by James Enge. © 2010 by James Enge.

“A Wizard in Wiscezan,” by C. J. Cherryh. © 2010 by C. J. Cherryh.

“A Rich Full Week,” by K. J. Parker. © 2010 by K. J. Parker.

“A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet,” by Garth Nix. © 2010 by Garth Nix.

“Red Pearls: An Elric Story,” by Michael Moorcock. © 2010 by Multiverse Inc.

“The Deification of Dal Bamore: A Tale from Echo City,” by Tim Lebbon. © 2010 by Tim Lebbon.

“Dark Times at the Midnight Market,” by Robert Silverberg. © 2010 by Agberg Ltd.

“The Undefiled,” by Greg Keyes. © 2010 by Greg Keyes.

“Hew the Tintmaster,” by Michael Shea. © 2010 by Michael Shea.

“In the Stacks,” by Scott Lynch. © 2010 by Scott Lynch.

“Two Lions, a Witch, and the War-Robe,” by Tanith Lee. © 2010 by Tanith Lee.

“The Sea Troll’s Daughter,” by Caitlín R. Kiernan. © 2010 by Caitlín R. Kiernan.

“Thieves of Daring,” by Bill Willingham. © 2010 by Bill Willingham.

“The Fool Jobs,” by Joe Abercrombie. © 2010 by Joe Abercrombie.

SWORDS & DARK MAGIC. Collection, introduction, and story notes copyright © 2010 by Jonathan Strahan and Lou Anders. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

It should be noted that William Morris, Lord Dunsany, and E. R. Eddison all preceded and influenced Tolkien.

Paizo Publishing’s Planet Stories imprint recently published all six of the Jirel of Joiry stories in one volume. The Black God’s Kiss (2002) is notable for including “Quest of the Starstone,” a story that is omitted from the two previous Jirel collections. Written with Moore’s husband, Henry Kuttner, this tale features Jirel’s meeting with Moore’s other famous creation, spaceship pilot and smuggler Northwest Smith, direct forerunner of Star Wars ’ Han Solo.

Many of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels are set in a city called Ankh-Morpork, a nod to Leiber’s city of Lankhmar, and the first Discworld novel features an encounter with a giant barbarian comrade “Bravd” and a swordsman-thief known as “The Weasel.” Pratchett’s Cohen the Barbarian is, of course, a reference to Robert E. Howard’s creation as well.

Imaro and The Quest for Cush are both currently available from Night Shade Books. The Trail of Bohu has recently been self-published by the author.