[Malaclypse]

Announced here

The anthology is entitled 'Swords and Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery' and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

I'm intrigued

[Tapper]

You can say that again... also, a new Black Company tale!

[Clip]

One of Steve's funniest works of fiction (I don't consider Revolvo fiction)

[Chaos]

Ah, glad I found the time to search on here before posting..

Was just looking at Joe Abercrombie's blog after having finished Best Served Cold (awesome btw) and was wondering about this. Some info shamelessly lifted from the blog:

The cover for Swords and Dark Magic, an anthology in which I've got a story coming out in June next year. You'll note the sub-title, "The New Sword and Sorcery". The editors - Lou Anders (who publishes the First Law in the US, among many other things) and Jonathan Strahan - perceived something of a new flourishing of sword and sorcery of late, or perhaps an ascendance of sword and sorcery influences within chunky fantasy, and so they decided to produce an anthology that aimed to present in one volume stories from some of the established masters of the subgenre with some from the newer pipsqueaks and impostors such as myself. Looking at the writers involved (Steven Erikson, Glen Cook, Gene Wolfe, James Enge, C.J. Cherryh, K. J. Parker, Garth Nix, Michael Moorcock, Tim Lebbon, Robert Silverberg, Greg Keyes, Michael Shea, Scott Lynch, Tanith Lee, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bill Willingham, and some idiot called Joe Abercrombie) it would seem they've succeeded admirably.


Looks good!

[pat5150]

Just read it, and it could be based somewhere in the Malazan universe. There is mention of Aren steel. . .

It's an entertaining short story, though nowhere near as good as the first three Bauchelain and Korbal Broach adventures. Kind of a little side-trip by the down-on-its-luck squad forced to kick some ass to get out of a bind.

It's the first piece I read from the anthology, so I can't comment on the entire book at the moment. And yet, though good, I was expecting a bit more out of the story, especially since SE is one of the anthology's big guns. Will likely read the Abercrombie next. . .

I'll keep you posted!

Patrick

[Pig Iron]

Liked it, nice quick Erikson fix. Strong hints it's in the Malazan universe, and poses some interesting questions in that case:

Spoiler

Mention of the Broken Moon puts it late in the timeline. When the girl shapeshifts there are clouds of spice. Aren steel. Don't remember if the Jheran Concord's been mentioned in the series? The Birthing Wars is tantalizing, you wonder if the five surviving Rams come from Kolanse and the story is after TCG? And Slim with her ring is typical SE

Anyway, on to the Black Company story.

This post has been edited by Pig Iron: 22 June 2010 - 06:26 PM

[Thelomen Toblerone]

Looks well worth a punt for a tenner, think I'll order this one.

[Salt-Man Z]

I just got this book in the mail yesterday, and read SE's story. Great stuff, though I could always kinda tell where the story was going. Well, except for the very ending. That did surprise me.

I agree that it's set in the Malazan universe, for all of the reasons Pig Iron mentioned.

[Pig Iron]

Mods, I think this one should be moved to Eriksons Malazan works. Admittedly you mlight have to ask Erikson if it's supposed to be canon.

[Shadow of Shadowthrone]

I was looking for discussion on this tale as I finished it literally a minute ago and have a question about it. Then I finally found it under non-Malazan works to my surprise.
Why is it considered non-Malazan? The only thing I found jarring in this regard was the use of the F-word instead of the "Hood's this/that" curses.

Anyway my question: Why the panic in the last paragraph?
(I assume it was because of something being on their trail before they came to Glory)

Also, why do you think Erikson called it "Goats of Glory"?

I loved the story by the way, could have been a one-night RPG scenario.

[Messremb]

Shadow of Shadowthrone, on 27 March 2011 - 08:24 PM, said:

Why is it considered non-Malazan? The only thing I found jarring in this regard was the use of the F-word instead of the "Hood's this/that" curses.

It isn't put over as a Malazan story although it'd fit in pretty well, the spice smell as the Harridan changes shape for instance.

Quote

Anyway my question: Why the panic in the last paragraph?
(I assume it was because of something being on their trail before they came to Glory)

The company was fleeing from where they'd been fighting and presumably where the thousand in the company were killed. Whoever killed them seems to be chasing them.

Quote

Also, why do you think Erikson called it "Goats of Glory"?

The settlement is called Glory. As the soldiers cross the bridge they say:

Quote

"A year ago," said the man, "and it'd take half the day for alla us t'come over this bridge. A thousand Rams, hard as stone." [...] "We ain't Rams anymore. We're goats. F***ing goats.

So a strong force of veteran soldiers, now pretty much annihilated, in a settlement called Glory. Goats of Glory.

I'm sure there was a mention in passing of what could be found beyond the pass but I'll have to do a full re-read to find it.

[Abyss]

Just read this and totally enjoyed it. The soldiers were awesome, the demons were fun, the action was just brilliant. Great, great short story.

I have to admire how SE plants so much background with just passing refs to demon invasions, annihilated forces and a mysterious pursuer that sends these hardasses into a panic.

Great fun, would love to see a pre-quel or sequel.

As a related note, while there were a few weak points in the anthology, the Abercrombie story in the same anthology was awesome fun. The Cook piece, not so much.

[Shadow of Shadowthrone]

I'm saving up the Abercrombie story for when I have read everything Malazan (almost there...two Esslemonts, half an Erikson book and the Korbal Broach/Bauchelain collection)....
...after that, it's Abercrombie time with "The Heroes" and that short story.
But I already feel I'm gonna miss Malaz, damn how that stuff is growing on me...

[Salt-Man Z]

Abyss, on 28 March 2011 - 02:27 PM, said:

The Cook piece, not so much.

Dude, I thought I was the only one who didn't dig Tides Elba. I'm so relieved now.

It's a pretty solid collection overall; I think Erikson's and Wolfe's pieces were my favorites.

[Abyss]

Salt-Man Z, on 29 March 2011 - 04:09 PM, said:

Abyss, on 28 March 2011 - 02:27 PM, said:

The Cook piece, not so much.

Dude, I thought I was the only one who didn't dig Tides Elba. I'm so relieved now.
...

It was representative of everything that went wrong with the latter half of the Dark Company books.

I realize that it's a trope of the genre to say that soldiers sit around waiting for something to happen, but inflicting that on the reader is just weak.

[Salt-Man Z]

Abyss, on 29 March 2011 - 04:42 PM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 29 March 2011 - 04:09 PM, said:

Abyss, on 28 March 2011 - 02:27 PM, said:

The Cook piece, not so much.

Dude, I thought I was the only one who didn't dig Tides Elba. I'm so relieved now.
...

It was representative of everything that went wrong with the latter half of the Dark Company books.

I realize that it's a trope of the genre to say that soldiers sit around waiting for something to happen, but inflicting that on the reader is just weak.

See but I liked the second set of BC books better than the first. I'm alone again...

[amphibian]

Salt-Man Z, on 29 March 2011 - 08:20 PM, said:

See but I liked the second set of BC books better than the first. I'm alone again...

I liked chunks of the second few better than chunks of the first few, but on the whole, nerfing everything with Tobo rubbed me wrong. Leaving the Black Company to sit for ten years (and counting) was also a puzzling decision.

Back to topic: I'm still very surprised at why exactly these Rams felt so confident splitting up like that. Astoundingly good short story, even if it felt a bit truncated. Would like to hear more about the Rams - perhaps a Baluchelain/Broach novella?

This post has been edited by amphibian: 29 March 2011 - 09:57 PM

[Shadow of Shadowthrone]

So I just read the second story in the anthology, which was the Glen Cook story. Now I've heard about the Black Company but never read it, but this little piece had me laughing and stumped regularly. The dialogue was reminiscent of the heavys' dialogue in The Malazan Book of the Fallen, guess that comes with having a bunch of soldiers like that.
But I really didn't understand the ending.
Can someone enlighten me?

(I liked the story well enough, though. Very brisk pace, fun dialogue ,somewhat obtuse at times). Don't feel there's a large quality difference between this one and Goats of Glory.

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 29 March 2011 - 08:31 PM, said:

...I'm still very surprised at why exactly these Rams felt so confident splitting up like that. ...

Because they were just THAT badass. And they knew they were dealing with demons, which verged on laughable to them.

Unlike whoever was chasing them.

Shadow of Shadowthrone, on 01 April 2011 - 12:55 PM, said:

So I just read the second story in the anthology, which was the Glen Cook story. ...But I really didn't understand the ending.
Can someone enlighten me?.

Loosely: "So we were stuck in a plot by our employer and her evil underlings. We tried to be clever but ended up doing exactly what they wanted us to and went and caught some rebel leader cute redhead chick. Later we found out if we hadn't caught her she would have let the Big Bad back into the world in a few decades or so. Maybe. Instead we handd her over for horrible death and then torture or something. Maybe. Such is a soldier's life. I'm gonna go jerk off to the Lady now."

[Gatekeeper]

Abyss, on 01 April 2011 - 01:50 PM, said:

amphibian, on 29 March 2011 - 08:31 PM, said:

...I'm still very surprised at why exactly these Rams felt so confident splitting up like that. ...

Because they were just THAT badass. And they knew they were dealing with demons, which verged on laughable to them.

Unlike whoever was chasing them.

Shadow of Shadowthrone, on 01 April 2011 - 12:55 PM, said:

So I just read the second story in the anthology, which was the Glen Cook story. ...But I really didn't understand the ending.
Can someone enlighten me?.

Loosely: "So we were stuck in a plot by our employer and her evil underlings. We tried to be clever but ended up doing exactly what they wanted us to and went and caught some rebel leader cute redhead chick. Later we found out if we hadn't caught her she would have let the Big Bad back into the world in a few decades or so. Maybe. Instead we handd her over for horrible death and then torture or something. Maybe. Such is a soldier's life. I'm gonna go jerk off to the Lady now."

I agree. I read both Goats and Tides back to back, and it kinda felt like one author. ha!