Old Moon Quarterly, Volume 5, 2023. 137 pages. Edited andarranged by Julian Barona. Cover by Derek Moore.

This is a collection ofheroic fantasy short stories. Most of these tales would fall into the generalSword & Sorcery subgenre, but several of them stretch those boundaries tothe breaking point. The Table of Contents consists of:

Introduction, by theeditors of Old Moon. An interesting comparison between “Kull” type heroicfantasy and “Conan” type.

Together Under the Wingby Jonathan Olfert. One of the most unique heroic fantasy stories I’ve everread. The hero is not a human or even human like. I don’t want to say morebecause I don’t want to give it away. But this was a powerfully memorablestory.

Champions Against theMaggot King by K. H. Vaughn. A relatively traditional Sword & Sorcery talebut with tremendous world building behind it. Told in first person and presenttense, but I didn’t find that either got in the way of the story. The endinghaunts.

The King's Two Bodiesby Joe Koch. A long poem. Very fine language.

The Origin of Boghoundsby Amelia Gorman. A story of a woman and her boghound. Very nontraditionaltale. Beautifully written. 

Well Met at the Gatesof Hell by David K. Henrickson. Elements of this are traditional but it’scertainly presented in a unique way. A warrior dies and must face three oldenemies at the gates of hell. As the battle progresses, we learn more and moreabout the warrior. I believe this is my favorite, although if you ask metomorrow I might decide on another.

A Warning AgaynsteWoldes by Zachary Bos. Another poem, and a most challenging one. Not written instandard English. This one bears rereading before you’ll begin to understandit.

The Skulls of Ghosts byCharles Gramlich. This is my story and is probably the most traditional Sword& Sorcery tale in the collection. It involves my series character, Krieg,  but that’s all I’ll say.

The Headsman'sMelancholy by Joseph Andre Thomas. This is an out and out horror story setagainst a heroic fantasy backdrop. Ever since Robert E. Howard invented theSword & Sorcery genre, there’s always been a strong element of horror inthe best stories and this one doubles that quotient. I felt strongly for themain character.