STEVE CARROLL WRITES

One of Robert E. Howard’s finest short stories is  Worms of the Earth , first published in 1932, a pitch-black, horror-tinged piece of sword and sorcery pulp that features a very different protagonist from his famed Cimmerian, Conan. The tale revolves around the diminutive but powerful Pict King, Bran Mak Morn, and details his willingness to dabble with dark supernatural forces in summoning a race of degenerate subhuman underground creatures to achieve revenge against a Roman governor for the crucifixion of one of his comrades.  The task that stalwart dark fantasy author Karl Edward Wagner takes on in  Legion from the Shadows  is to give readers a direct novel-length sequel to Howard’s story, once again focusing on Bran Mak Morn and his ongoing war against Rome in ancient Britain. Wagner’s scope is impressive as he casts his net large enough to incorporate the mystery of the legendary missing IX Le...

Michael Moorcock’s doomed anti-hero,   Elric, the albino sorcerer warrior, returns in this collection of four stories.   Even this is a slight description of our   protagonist, who is also known as  the last   emperor of Melniboné, ruler of the dreaming city, and keeper of the ruby throne—Moorcock   likes his varied   titles.  These interrelated tales kick off with the kidnapping   of Elric’s wife, Zarozinia, by inhuman servants to a dead god. This event forces   Elric to once   again take up his hated sentient sword, the vampiric   soul-stealing runeblade, Stormbringer, in pursuit of his wife. His quest takes   him into near-constant   conflict with dark powers and their agents on land, sea,   and across other dimensions. He is usually accompanied by his loyal human   companion,   Moonglum, who serves as a relatable touchpoint for readers since   Elric himself remains somewhat distant and cold....

When I learned that Ben Haas, creator of two of my favorite action-oriented   western series of all time, Sundance and Fargo , had written a 2-book sword   and sorcery series under the name of Richard Meade, it became something of a holy grail quest for me. I was successful in tracking down the first book in what is called the Grey Lands   saga,  The Sword of Morning Star .  Haas   places his tale in a far future version of Europe that has been reshaped by the   “Worldfire,” a cataclysmic event that is most likely referencing nuclear war (it   is never fully explained). Mankind has degenerated into feudalism, complete   with kings, horseback-mounted   soldiers, and wolf-people—yes, mutant half   wolf/half people beings who ride horses and fight with swords and claws. Most   of the action takes place in   what would be Germany and the names of characters   and places reflect this.  Our protagonist is Helmut, the ...

Nick   Cutter first came to my attention when researching the sub-genres of  body   horror and survival horror within the context of modern horror literature   at   large. His book The Troop was my introduction to his work and I was blown away.   Its plot hurtles forward and embraces both body horror and survival   horror   while achieving an escalating sense of dread and terror that becomes uncomfortably   difficult to endure. I count it among the top 5 best horror   reads I’ve encountered. I recently was researching recommendations for folk horror (do others do this?) and found a list of the best examples that listed Little Heaven near the top. So, it was with both excitement and not a small amount of trepidation that I waded into this one. In simple terms, the book is seemingly a mash-up of Lovecraftian cosmic horror, mixed with a fanatical religious cult clearly inspired by Jim Jones and his People...