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A READER'S GUIDE TO SWORD & SORCERY D-F

Avram Davidson (1923 - 1993)

Avram Davidson has won a reputation in three different genres: mystery, sf and fantasy, all with equal brilliance. Davidson’s fiction is typified by a love of erudition and a convoluted style that takes no prisoners. But once the reader catches his rhythm, the effort is well rewarded. Though Davidson has written many fantasies, only Ursus of Ultima Thule can be strictly called S&S, and that single novel, certainly ranks as one of the most intelligently written S&S novels ever. He started a seecond series with "Caravan to Illiel" but nver contined it. Davidson has won the World Fantasy Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

1. Ursus of Ultima Thule (1977)

1. "Caravan to Illiel" in Flashing Swords #3 1976

L. Sprague de Camp (1907 - 2000)

L. Sprague de Camp, either alone or in collaboration, has produced numerous fantasy series, all of which have his special brand of humor and erudition. De Camp spear-headed Conan’s popularity in paperback by editing and finishing many of Howard’s old manuscripts. His most popular series is set in the land of Novaria, a quirky Dark Age world. The Tritonian Ring has the same feel but is a single volume set in a Greek universe and the Pusadian series takes place in Atlantis. The Great Fetish is de Camp’s S&S parody. L. Sprague de Camp has won a World Fantasy Award Lifetime Achievement Winner and a Nebula Grand Master Award.

The Novaria Series

1. The Goblin Tower (1968)
2. The Clocks of Iraz (1971)
3. The Fallible Fiend (1973)
4. "The Emperor's Fan" (1973) in The Best of L. Sprague de Camp (1978)
5. The Unbeheaded King (1983)
6. The Reluctant King (1983)–omnibus
7. The Honorable Barbarian (1989)

The Pusadian Series

1. The Tritonian Ring and Other Pusadian Tales(1977)

Krishna Series

1. The Queen of Zamba (1977)
2. The Hostage of Zir (1972)
3. The Hand of Zei (1963)
4. The Prisoner of Zhamanak (1982)
5. The Virgin of Zesh & The Tower of Zanid (1983)

The Conan Series

1. Conan: The Flame Knife (1955) a: Tales of Conan–with Robert E. Howard
2. Conan (1967)–with Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter
3. Conan of the Isles (1968)–with Lin Carter
4. Conan the Wanderer (1968)–with Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter
5. Conan the Avenger (1968)–with Bjorn Nyberg
6. Conan of Cimmeria (1969)–with Robert E. Howard and Lin Carter
7. Conan the Buccaneer (1971)–with Lin Carter
8. Conan of Aquilonia (1977)–with Lin Carter
9. Conan the Swordsman (1978)–with Lin Carter and Bjorn Nyberg
10. Conan the Liberator (1979)–with Lin Carter and Bjorn Nyberg
11. Conan and the Spider God (1980)
12. The Treasure of Tranicos (1980)–with Robert E. Howard
13. Conan the Barbarian (1982)–movie novelization–with Lin Carter

Single Volumes

1. The Great Fetish (1978)

Samuel R. Delaney (1942 - )

Delaney’s Neveryona series has been described as the S&S series that isn’t. Relaying on neither swordplay or wicked sorceries, Delaney plays with reality. He casts doubt on the stories entire interpretation in the epilogue. Neveryona is the next step in S&S evolution, the scope and feel of a Conan epic without the standard props.

The Neveryon Series

1. Tales of Neveryon (1979)
2. Neveryon (1983)
3. Flight from Neveryon (1985)
4. The Bridge of Lost Desire (1987) aka Return to Neveryon

Graham Diamond (1945- )

You can make an argument either way for Diamond's work being S&S or not. Basically it's Sword & Sorcery for the mainstream fan. Lots of dialogue, not so many fight scenes. He also writes other kinds of novels as well. (Thanks to Graham for the photos.)

The Haven Series

1. The Haven (1977) [only as by G. R. Diamond ]
2. Lady of the Haven (1978)
3. Dungeons of Kuba (1979)
4. The Falcon of Eden (1980)
5. The Beast of Hades (1981)
6. Forest Wars (1994)

Samarkand Series

1 Samarkand (1979)
2 Samarkand Dawn (1981)

Marrakesh Series

1. Marrakesh (1981)
2. Marrakesh Nights (1983)

Singles

1. The Thief of Kalimar (1979)
2. Captain Sinbad (1980)
3. Cinnabar (1985)
4. "Outcasts" in Habitats (DAW Books, 1984)

Asa Drake–See C. Dean Andersson (?)

David A. Drake (1945 - )

Best known for his Hammer Slammers sf-military novels, Drake can also produce fine historical S&S (ala Poul Anderson) which he does in short form in Vettius and His Friends. The Vettius series is set in ancient Rome and is as fun as it is accurate. The book is filled out with other historical S&S tales set in Scandia and Egypt. The Dragon Lord is another of his S&Snovels strongly influenced by Robert E. Howard. Killer (written with kane author, karl Edward Wagner) Drake serves up a bit more SF but the results are one of my all-time favorites. Most recently Drake has served as editor on the Robert E. Howard Library Series.

The Vettius Series

1. Vettius and His Friends (1989) which contains:

2. "The False Prophet" 1989
3. "Black Iron" in Nameless Places 1975
4. "The Mantichore" · in Swords Against Darkness #3 1978
5. "The Shortest Way" in Whispers March 1974
6. "From the Dark Waters" in Waves of Terror 1976
7. " Nemesis Place" in Fantastic April 1978
8. "Dragons’ Teeth" in Midnight Sun #2 1975
9. "The Barrow Troll" in Whispers December 1975
10. "Killer" (first chapter only) in Midnight Sun #1 1974
11. "Dreams in Amber" · in Whispers V 1985
12. "King Crocodile" in Whispers III 1981

Thieves' World

1. "Goddess" in Tales From the Vulgar Unicorn (1980)
2. "Inheritor" in Aftermath (1987)
3. Dagger (1988)

Single Volumes

1. The Dragon Lord (1979)
2. Killer (1987) - with Karl Edward Wagner

Nictzin Dyalhis (1873-1942)

Dyalhis wrote almost exclusively for Weird Tales, in which he appeared for a short time then died. He has the distinction of being the first to call a ray gun a "blaster". He also penned one oft-anthologized story that is quite close to Sword & Sorcery called "The Sapphire Siren" which got the cover for that issue. It was reprinted by The Avon Fantasy Reader as well.

1. "The Sapphire Siren" (Weird Tales, February 1934)

E

George Alec Effinger (1947-2002)

George Alec Effinger wrote Science Fiction but he did pen one of the better S&S parodies in ""Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson" for Fantasy & Science Fiction. The story became a series and was collected in a book of the same name.

Maureen Birnbaum Series

1. Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson (1993) which contains:

2. "Maureen Birnbaum, Barbarian Swordsperson" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, January 1982)
3. "Maureen Birnbaum at the Earth's Core" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 1986)
4. "Maureen Birnbaum on the Art of War" in Friends of the Horseclans, 1987
5. "Maureen Birnbaum After Dark" in Foundation's Friends, 1989
6. "Maureen Birnbaum Goes Shopynge" in The Fantastic Adventures of Robin Hood, 1991
7. "Maureen Birnbaum and the Saint Graal" (1993)
8. "Maureen Birnbaum and the Looming Awfulness" (1993)
9. "Maureen Birnbaum's Lunar Adventure" (1993)

F

Dirk Flinthart (?)

The Red Priest Series

1. "The Red Priest’s Homecoming" Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #17 2005
2. "The Red Priest’s Vigil" Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #25 2006
3. "The Garden of the Djinn" Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #31 2007

Charles Coleman Findley (?)

Vertir and Kuikan Series

1. " For Want of a Nail" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 2003)
2. "After the Gaud Chrysalis" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, June 2004)
3. "Of Silence & the Man at Arms" (Fantasy & Science Fiction, June 2005)

John M. Ford (1957-2006)

Casting Fortune

In 1989 Tor Books published Casting Fortune, a collection of short stories by John M. Ford - this brought together his stories from the first two volumes of Liavek together with a new novella in the Liavek shared world. The stories are:

* A Cup of Worrynot Tea
* Green Is the Color
* The Illusionist

Gardner F. Fox (1911 - 1986)

Gardner Fox may be best remembered as a comic book writer, though he was a long-time contributor to pulps like Planet Stories. He is also a true Howard pasticher, with his series about Kothar–Barbarian Swordsman. There is not much that we haven’t seen before, but then Fox never disappoints the reader who is looking for this kind of book. (Sometimes he doesn't try hard enough with names: a villain named Menthal and a country called Mongrolia, that's barely trying.) His Kyrik series shows more individuality, with a sorcerer-swordsman. His first Kothar story, "The Sword of the Sorcerer", was the inspiration for the Lich in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

The Kothar Series

1. Kothar -- Barbarian Swordsman (1969) contains:
2. "The Sword of the Sorcerer"
3. "The Treasure in the Labyrinth"
4. "The Woman in the Witch-Wood"
5. Kothar and the Magic Sword! (1969)
6. Kothar and the Demon Queen (1969)
7. Kothar and the Conjurer’s Curse (1970)
8. Kothar and the Wizard Slayer (1970)

The Kyrik Series

1. Kyrik: Warlock Warrior (1975)
2. Kyrik Fights the Demon World (1975)
3. Kyrik and the Wizard’s Sword (1976)
4. Kyrik and the Lost Queen (1976)

The Niall of the Far Travels Series

1. "Shadow of a Demon" in Years' Best Fantasy 3 (Dragon Magazine, August 1976)
2. "Beyond the Wizard Fog" (Dragon Magazine, March 1977)
3. "The Stolen Sacrifice" (Dragon Magazine, April 1978)
4. "The Thing from the Tomb" (Dragon Magazine, March 1979)
5. "The Eyes of Mavis Deval" (Dragon Magazine, January 1980)
6. "The Cube from Beyond" (Dragon Magazine, April 1980)
7. "The Cup of Golden Death" (Dragon Magazine, June 1980)
8. "Out of the Eons" (Dragon Tales, August 1980)
9. "The Lure of the Golden Godling" (Dragon Magazine, December 1980)
10. "The Coming of the Sword" (Dragon Magazine, November 1981)

Frank Frazetta (1928 - ) & James Silke (?)

Frank Frazetta has had such an impact on fantasy art that he stands like a legend alone. His work on the Bakshi film Fire & Ice was promising. A set of novels based on his work should be exciting news. Based on Frank Frazetta’s Naz-ghul-like character from Lin Carter’s Flashing Swords covers, these books are painfully bad and unfortunate because a series based on Frazetta’s art is a dream come true. Unfortunately the dream has produced nightmares. I can’t honestly recommended these books even to the light S&S crowd. You’ve been warned! The Death Dealer also appeared in a series of comics from Image.

The Death Dealer Series

1. Prisoner of the Horned Helmet (1988)
2. Lords of Destruction (1989)
3. Tooth & Claw (1989)
4. Plague of Knives (1990)
5. Rise of the Death Dealer (2005)