''Renegade Swords'' is an
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
of
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
short stories in the
sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...
subgenre, edited by
D. M. Ritzlin. It was first published in trade paperback and ebook by
DMR Books
DMR Books is a Chicago-based small publisher active since 2015. The press was founded by D. M. Ritzlin. It is primarily a paperback and ebook publisher specializing in "fantasy, horror, and adventure fiction in the traditions of Robert E. Howard ...
in March 2020.
The book collects eight classic sword and sorcery short stories and novelettes, all characterized as "obscure or overlooked in some way," together with an introduction by the editor.
[Ritzlin, D. M., ed. ''Renegade Swords'', DMR Books, 2020, p. 5.]
Contents
*"Introduction" (
D. M. Ritzlin)
*"The House of Arabu" (from ''
Avon Fantasy Reader
Cover of the eiteenth issue
Avon published three related magazines in the late 1940s and early 1950s, titled ''Avon Fantasy Reader'', ''Avon Science Fiction Reader'', and ''Avon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader''. These were digest size magazin ...
'' no. 18, 1952) (
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...
)
*"
Necromancy in Naat" (from ''
Weird Tales'', July 1936) (
Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Algernon Charles Swinburne ...
)
*"The Woman of the Wood" (from ''
Weird Tales'', Aug. 1926) (
A. Merritt
Abraham Grace Merritt (January 20, 1884 – August 21, 1943) – known by his byline, A. Merritt – was an American Sunday magazine editor and a writer of fantastic fiction.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 1999, i ...
)
*"The Slaughter of the Gods" (from ''
Heroic Visions II'', Jul. 1986) (
Manly Wade Wellman
Manly Wade Wellman (May 21, 1903 – April 5, 1986) was an American writer. While his science fiction and fantasy stories appeared in such pulps as ''Astounding Stories'', ''Startling Stories'', ''Unknown'' and ''Strange Stories'', Wellman is ...
)
*"People of the Dragon" (from ''
Fantastic
The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces.
Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, characte ...
'', Feb. 1976) (
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
)
*"The Pillars of Hell" (from ''
Fantastic
The fantastic (french: le fantastique) is a subgenre of literary works characterized by the ambiguous presentation of seemingly supernatural forces.
Bulgarian-French structuralist literary critic Tzvetan Todorov originated the concept, characte ...
'', Dec. 1977) (
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
)
*"The Rune-Sword of Jotunheim" (from ''Fantasy Book'', Mar. 1985) (
Glenn Rahman and
Richard L. Tierney
Richard Louis Tierney (August 7, 1936 – February 1, 2022) was an American writer, poet and scholar of H. P. Lovecraft, probably best known for his heroic fantasy, including his series co-authored (with David C. Smith) of Red Sonja novels, fe ...
)
*"Princess of Chaos" (from ''
Planet Stories'', Spring 1947) (
Bryce Walton)
Notes
2020 anthologies
Fantasy anthologies
DMR Books books
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