Sword and sorcery

Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a genre of literature 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 tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. The genre originated from the early 1930s works of Robert E. Howard. In parallel with "sword and sorcery", the term "heroic fantasy" is used, although it is a more loosely defined genre. Science fiction author Isaac Asimov once stated in his own Science Fiction Magazine that "The contemporary Sword-and-Sorcery tale owes its existence to the imagination of Robert Howard and his invention of the Conan stories."

Sword and sorcery tales eschew overarching themes of "good vs evil" in favor of situational conflicts that often pit morally gray characters against one another to enrich themselves, or to defy tyranny.

Sword and sorcery is grounded in real-world social and societal hierarchies, and is grittier, darker, and more violent, with elements of cosmic or Lovecraftian creatures that are not a staple of mainstream fantasy. The main character is often a barbarian with antihero traits.