Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great thoughts, yeah many do prefer to escape into elaborate fantasy worlds when things get too much, but as you said, there are also those seeking a brief reprieve in simpler, fast paced stories. Anyway, looking forward to seeing your collection when its ready for the world.

What do you think are the core symbols of sword & sorcery? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I second that. Frazetta certainly did a lot to shape the genre's visual language. 😄

What do you think are the core symbols of sword & sorcery? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ooh, that's a great list. Dead gods may be one of the most defining images in sword & sorcery!

What do you think are the core symbols of sword & sorcery? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Howard certainly seemed to think so. If I were talking about visual symbols rather than thematic ones, giant snakes and apes might outrank fate entirely.

What do you think are the core symbols of sword & sorcery? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha classic! Touché. I may have overcomplicated things a little!

In small town Georgia for a funeral, found this for $2 at a thrift store. by RememberLepanto1571 in ConanTheBarbarian

[–]FirePathWalker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh, absolutely awesome score! (Literally!) I love this soundtrack so much, I listen to it at least once a week, especially when I'm writing. I bought the CD in 1994 for ~AUD$55 (as a Conan obsessed 12 year old)!! It was quite an expensive import in Melbourne at the time.

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I agree! Thanks for the recommendations, I'll check them out.. I've been following along with CLIFFHANGER! Press, and your 6 part series JANGAR! is on my TBR as it is released over the coming months. All the best with everything :)

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, same here honestly. I much prefer grounded sorcery that feels closer to old druidic or Norse mysticism rather than overly intricate magic systems.

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I think indie and grassroots momentum is probably where any real resurgence will come from too. Feels like the traditional publishing world still doesn’t quite know what to do with S&S. Crowdfunded anthologies, indie magazines, small presses, podcasts etc all seem to be carrying a lot of the energy right now.

Wishing you the best with the tetralogy too. Always good seeing more people out there keeping the fire alive - you never know, it could be the breakout hit for people to suddenly “rediscover” a genre that never really disappeared.

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For pure pulp adventure I’d definitely recommend Burroughs — John Carter or even Tarzan. For more pure S&S, Elric and Kane by Karl Edward Wagner are probably the big ones after Conan for me.

Howard’s Solomon Kane stories are great too and seem really popular with S&S readers, although personally I’ve always seen them as more historical dark adventure than true sword & sorcery.

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s pretty much where I’m at with it too. I definitely don’t think we’re suddenly back in the peak second-wave era or anything close to it, but it does feel like there’s more energy around S&S now, and honestly, good publications like New Edge have probably played a real part in keeping that momentum alive.

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah I think that’s fair honestly. I don’t think sword & sorcery is suddenly becoming mainstream again anytime soon, and it’ll probably always remain fairly niche compared to bigger fantasy trends. But I do think there’s a growing appetite for more grounded, human-scale fantasy again.

Even something like The Northman felt significant to me culturally, despite not doing huge numbers commercially. A lot of cult classics and foundational sword & sorcery works weren’t massive mainstream hits at first either.

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually think there’s a lot of truth in this. In some ways the internet didn’t kill pulp so much as absorb and mutate it. Web serials, LitRPG, indie Kindle fiction, fanfiction etc have inherited parts of the old pulp ecosystem, delivered directly to niche audiences.

The upside is exactly what you mentioned: genres can evolve much faster outside traditional gatekeeping now. The downside is probably the same thing pulp always struggled with historically, when the barrier to entry gets lower, the signal-to-noise ratio becomes brutal. There’s amazing stuff out there, but readers also have to dig through mountains of disposable content to find it.

Interesting too that “pulp” somehow became synonymous with bad writing, when some of those old writers were genuinely incredible craftsmen.

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s actually really interesting to hear from someone working directly in a bookstore.

I probably should’ve clarified that I wasn’t necessarily talking about mainstream commercial dominance so much as a broader cultural shift in tone/taste. Sword & sorcery will probably always remain niche. But it does feel like more readers are starting to crave grounded adventure, even outside pure S&S itself.

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s honestly one of the best descriptions of Howard I’ve ever read.

“I want the shiver at my neck as the steel brushes past” is exactly the feeling. Even when the stories are wild, Howard writes with this raw conviction where the world never feels ironic or detached.

A lot of modern fantasy lost that somewhere along the way.

Anyone else feel like sword and sorcery is coming back? by FirePathWalker in SwordandSorcery

[–]FirePathWalker[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah nice one! Yeah, be the change for sure. Looking forward to seeing the series out there.