SOME critics have branded Sword & Sorcery, or Heroic Fantasy if you prefer, with the label "Thud & Blunder". Not entirely undeserving, some imitative stories have led to this conclusion. But those who write off S&S do so at their own peril. For the genre has all the elements to create any kind of tale: a religious or philosophical story, an action story, a funny story, a tragic story...
This second volume of KINGS OF THE NIGHT, like its predecessor, serves up all these many varied types of tales. A story like "Eye, Urreal" by Robert Burke Richardson will satisfy the reader who seeks deeper meaning in an S&S story. "The Princess Quest" by Joy V. Smith is a light-hearted parody of the genre, and a much needed anodyne to the dark and bloody nature of this collection. Pulse-pounding action is found in many of these stories including Jeff Crook's clever "Escape from the Heart of Djar" and the ever-literary and poetic David Bain, who returns with another tale of Shin and Skulk. To dip into Bain's reality is to see bright colors and intriguing mysteries. These are just some of the tales that await you.
There are enchanted swords, werewolves, inter-dimensional portals, eldritch horrors and plenty of swordplay to satisfy those who love this genre above all others. Where else can you satisfy your love of fantasy, horror and sometimes, even science fiction (see "The Thing From the Sky" by Scott Sheaffer), all in the same genre? Sword & Sorcery is versatile, limber and just plain fun. So read on, brave hearts. And I'll meet you at the inn if the trolls don't get you...
G. W. Thomas