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A READER'S GUIDE TO SWORD & SORCERY MAGAZINES
Sword & Sorcery and Heroic Fantasy is published in many magazines but these listed here, though not always big publications, were important to the genre. WEIRD TALES (1923-1954)
The birthplace of Sword & Sorcery, Weird Tales featured Robert E. Howard and C. L. Moore's first tales of Heroic Fantasy as well as later imitatiors like Henry Kuttner, Clifford Ball and Nictzin Dyalhis. Working in a slightly different vein, Clark Ashton Smith also published his best work in WT. STRANGE TALES (1931-1933)
This short lived competitor of Weird Tales managed to scoop a few gems away from WT with higher pay rates. These include Henry Kuttner's Prince Raynor stories. THE FANTASY FAN (1933-1935)
If you couldn't get paid for it back in the early 30's you could always give it away free to this early fanzine published by Charles D. Hornig. Hornig published the only Conan story to appear outside of WT during Howard's lifetime, "The Gods of the North". UNKNOWN (WORLDS) (1939-1943)
After the passing of the Weird Tales' S&S crowd it was John W. Campbell's Unknown that filled the void in the 1940s. Always being innovative, Campbell bred a new crop of writers who applied SF-style logic to their Fantasy, improving the mix with classic by Fritz Leiber, Norvell W. Page and Poul Anderson. Unknown was the birthplace of Fafhrd & Gray Mouser. Unfortunately, the paper shortage of WWII killed it. AVON FANTASY READER (1946-1952)
Donald A. Wolheim was always a supporter of S&S. In the Avon Fantasy Reader he reprinted classics from Weird Tales, helping to keep Robert E. Howard's work before the public. Donald continued his support when he formed DAW Books in 1971, perhaps the largest publisher of Fantasy and S&S anthologies in paperback. FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION (1949-Present)
The Science Fictional minds at F&SF were not big on S&S, publishing what might be called "anti-S&S" through authors like Larry Niven (The Warlock Series), George Alec Effinger ("Maureen Birnbaum, Swordsperson series) as well as subtler forms of heroic fantasy with authors like Susan Petry. FANTASTIC STORIES(1952-1980)
Outside of Weird Tales, the most important publisher of S&S is Fantastic Stories. First under Cele Goldsmith then later Ted White, Fantastic published nearly all the important writers including L. Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter, John Jakes, Fritz Leiber, Avram Davidson and many others. At the end the mag was combined with its SF sister Amazing Stories and published the first stories of Keith Taylor (under the pseudonym Dennis More) and "The White Isle" by Darrel Schweiter. WEIRDBOOK (1968-1997)
This small fanzine/semi-pro magazine published mostly horror in the Lovecraftian vein but it also allowed heroic fantasy versions of horror with the works of Brian Lumley, Charles R. Saunders, Richard L. Tierney ad others who would be big in the 1980s. MIDNIGHT SUN (1974-1979)
This small fanzine was dedicated to the works of Karl Edward Wagner and his Kane series. THE DRAGON (1976-2007)
Though mostly a gaming magazine, the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons mag did ocasionally use fiction by the likes of Roger Zelazny. As TSR developed their own brand of "fiction" the stories were phased out. FANTASY TALES MAGAZINE (UK) (1977-1991)
In England, S&S was no stranger to the likes of Michael Moorcock, and the publishers of Fantasy Tales, a combined horror and fantasy magazine. FT published the early work of Brian Lumley, Adrian Cole, Ramsey Campbell as well as stories by veterans like Kenneth Bulmer. WHISPERS (1978-1994)
Another hard to find but much-sought-after magazine was Stuart David Schiff's Whispers which printed horror tales but also dark S&S from writers like Roger Zelazny, David Drake and Karl Edward Wagner. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine (1988-2000)
Like her anthology series, Sword & Sorceress, MZB Mag offered many different types of heroic fantasy, with many different perspectives (female, ethnic, etc.). Mercedes Lackey, Jo Clayton, Dorothy J. Heydt, Tanya Huff and many new authors got their first big exposure in MZBFM. NEW WEIRD TALES (1988-Present)
The reborn Weird Tales has had its ups and down over the last decade. Publishing at Pulp size these magazines were much coveted by collectors. In 1994 the magazine was known as Worlds of Fantasy & Horror until 1998 before resuming as WT. The new Weird Tales features writers like Tanith Lee, Keith Taylor and Darrell Schweitzer.
This recent publication is the hottest place to read new S&S today. With authors like Martin Owton, Howard Andrews Jones, Charles Coleman Finley, Darrell Schweitzer, Charles deLint , it delivers a mix of Sword & Sorcery and other forms of Fantasy. ONLINE MAGAZINES - Check These Out These Current Webzines
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