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New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #1
New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine: Issue #1
Fall 2023 issue of New Edge Sword & Sorcery
Made with love for the classics and an inclusive, boundary-pushing approach to storytelling!
Stories include:
Carnivora by Kirk A. Johnson
Come Lay the Crone to Rest by Margaret Killjoy
Sister Chaos by Bryn Hammond
Chak Muuch by Jesús Montalvo, translated by Gonzalo Baeza
Tears of Eb by Sarah A. Macklin
The Pillars of Silence by Prashanth Srivatsa
The Folk of the Forest: An Elric Story by Michael Moorcock
Articles include:
Why (New Edge) Sword & Sorcery? by Brian Murphy
Cele Goldsmith Lalli—Midwife to the Second Sword & Sorcery Boom by Cora Buhlert
Fresh Blood and New Thunder! Bringing New Readers to Sword & Sorcery, with Sof Magliano, by Oliver Brackenbury
"Woman of the Woods" by Milton J. Davis, a review by Robin Marx
Made with love for the classics and an inclusive, boundary-pushing approach to storytelling!
Stories include:
Carnivora by Kirk A. Johnson
Come Lay the Crone to Rest by Margaret Killjoy
Sister Chaos by Bryn Hammond
Chak Muuch by Jesús Montalvo, translated by Gonzalo Baeza
Tears of Eb by Sarah A. Macklin
The Pillars of Silence by Prashanth Srivatsa
The Folk of the Forest: An Elric Story by Michael Moorcock
Articles include:
Why (New Edge) Sword & Sorcery? by Brian Murphy
Cele Goldsmith Lalli—Midwife to the Second Sword & Sorcery Boom by Cora Buhlert
Fresh Blood and New Thunder! Bringing New Readers to Sword & Sorcery, with Sof Magliano, by Oliver Brackenbury
"Woman of the Woods" by Milton J. Davis, a review by Robin Marx
80 pages, Paperback
Published November 13, 2023
About the author
Oliver Brackenbury
12 books62 followersMy name is Oliver Brackenbury. I’m a screenwriter & author. I grew up around the corner from a five story deep cold war bunker, as one does, and can now be found living not far from a popular 1,815.4 ft tower in Toronto.
My first novel, JUNKYARD LEOPARD, was released through the Bad Day Books imprint of Assent Publishing. The book trailer and more can be found at www.junkyardleopard.com
I’m currently working on my third novel, a sword & sorcery short story cycle, and am putting out a podcast about my work on it. You can check that out at www.soimwritinganovel.com or by searching for "So I'm Writing a Novel..." wherever you get your podcasts.
My first novel, JUNKYARD LEOPARD, was released through the Bad Day Books imprint of Assent Publishing. The book trailer and more can be found at www.junkyardleopard.com
I’m currently working on my third novel, a sword & sorcery short story cycle, and am putting out a podcast about my work on it. You can check that out at www.soimwritinganovel.com or by searching for "So I'm Writing a Novel..." wherever you get your podcasts.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 18, 2023
The first issue of a new sword and sorcery magazine which I kickstarted after reading issue #0. I was slightly harsh on my review there given it was a prototype made for no profit in order to test the waters, but I loved the idea of bringing the genre into a modern, more inclusive era—highlighting authors and artists from all backgrounds and stories which stretch across a more diverse range of ideas, themes and cultures. Without issue 0# I would never have discovered authors like Charles Saunders, Dariel Alcanites Quiogue, and Milton Davies. Sword and soul is becoming a sub genre I’m increasingly seeking out thanks to this magazine.
That brings me to issue #1. A beautifully presented classic magazine format filled with new short tales, gorgeous black and white artwork and the froth on the tavern mead: a new Moorcock Elric story. The copy I bought was the hardback and it is put together beautifully with off cream pages (a nice ambient touch), classic columned writing and minimal margin wasting. Everything is put together with thought and care and it is a credit to the New Edge team to see such a strong, but simple editorial design.
The Moorcock may be the celebrity attraction, but the meat of the magazine comes from the six other stories which highlight a variety of different distinct voices which draw from the spirit of the genre rather than regurgitating the old formula. I won’t go into detail here because the stories should be discovered for themselves, but they do a fine job representing how much quality is out there should one wish to go looking. And there’s even continuation with a character from issue #0. The illustrations (two per story) are excellent for the most part and some of them are especially effective at capturing the atmosphere of a scene from each story.
Bookending the magazine are some non fiction including essays, a review and a little cheeky surprise at the end. One of the things I like about the magazine’s structure is keeping the non-fiction separate rather than interspersed and to a minimum. There is a long piece in there, but it’s clear the focus is on the stories and the artwork, rather than over indulging on non-fiction like many magazines often fall into doing. 60 pages of fiction and 20 of non fiction is a good balance.
New Edge should be regarded as a mighty success. It not only showcases the strength and growth in sword and sorcery, but also how far the genre come in embracing diversity and bringing new ideas to the table. It is also has the potential to becoming a signature jumping off point for tracking down author collections and other anthologies—certainly my own shelves have increased tremendously based on their recommendations.
I am not a big fan of kickstarting projects due to poor accountability, but this has proven a more than worthy backing and I look forward to continuing the journey with New Edge if it continues to put out a product of this quality.
That brings me to issue #1. A beautifully presented classic magazine format filled with new short tales, gorgeous black and white artwork and the froth on the tavern mead: a new Moorcock Elric story. The copy I bought was the hardback and it is put together beautifully with off cream pages (a nice ambient touch), classic columned writing and minimal margin wasting. Everything is put together with thought and care and it is a credit to the New Edge team to see such a strong, but simple editorial design.
The Moorcock may be the celebrity attraction, but the meat of the magazine comes from the six other stories which highlight a variety of different distinct voices which draw from the spirit of the genre rather than regurgitating the old formula. I won’t go into detail here because the stories should be discovered for themselves, but they do a fine job representing how much quality is out there should one wish to go looking. And there’s even continuation with a character from issue #0. The illustrations (two per story) are excellent for the most part and some of them are especially effective at capturing the atmosphere of a scene from each story.
Bookending the magazine are some non fiction including essays, a review and a little cheeky surprise at the end. One of the things I like about the magazine’s structure is keeping the non-fiction separate rather than interspersed and to a minimum. There is a long piece in there, but it’s clear the focus is on the stories and the artwork, rather than over indulging on non-fiction like many magazines often fall into doing. 60 pages of fiction and 20 of non fiction is a good balance.
New Edge should be regarded as a mighty success. It not only showcases the strength and growth in sword and sorcery, but also how far the genre come in embracing diversity and bringing new ideas to the table. It is also has the potential to becoming a signature jumping off point for tracking down author collections and other anthologies—certainly my own shelves have increased tremendously based on their recommendations.
I am not a big fan of kickstarting projects due to poor accountability, but this has proven a more than worthy backing and I look forward to continuing the journey with New Edge if it continues to put out a product of this quality.
March 9, 2024
I’m a supporter of NESS. By supporter I mean I backed the crowdfunding for it. It was an easy decision for me, if you promise me quality new S&S content, I’m on board. However, I was less than impressed with this issue. My main complaint being the fiction. I didn’t find much S&S that pumped my blood and made my pulse race. I won’t say that some of the selections aren’t S&S, that’s a spiral conversation that goes no where, but I can say some of the selections are not my S&S.
Like issue 0, this issue is about a 50/50 split of fiction and non-fiction. I like that, but as I said in my review of issue 0, it’s not a decision every S&S fan will dig.
Non-Fiction: I tend to start by reading the nonfiction first. I don’t know why, it’s just my preference.
From the Editor-nothing special of note. It serves as an overview of the issue and does so well.
“Why (New Edge) Sword & Sorcery” - Brian Murphy
This was a feature I was excited for. I will be honest. I’m such a Murphy fan that he could publish a grocery list and as long as he used buzz words like REH and Leiber, I would most likely read it. Solid essay. Favorite quotes: “The heritage of Sword & Sorcery is one of defying convention and breaking new ground”; my second is too long for my thumbs to reproduce but in summary, the barbarian archetype as “…a willingness to…cast off safety and security, and explore new frontiers…”. In other words, Conan never shied from breaking new ground. This essay was my favorite feature in the issue.
“Cele Goldsmith Lalli — Midwife to the Second Sword & Sorcery Boom”, Cora Buhlert
This kind of thing is my jam. I love learning about those that helped bring my favorite genre into life.
“Fresh Blood and Thunder! Bringing New Readers to Sword & Sorcery, with Sof Magliano”, Oliver Brackenbury.
This was originally a podcast and was better as such. Reading a conversation is not nearly as effective as active listening. It felt tacked on and unnecessary as it’s available as a podcast.
“Review: Woman of the Woods by Milton J. Davis”, Robin Marx.
Fair review that doesn’t try to sell it.
Fiction:
I was, understandably, most curious about the Michael Moorcock story, so I started there.
“The Folk of the Forest”, Michael Moorcock.
An Elric “prequel” story. It takes place before Elric left his homeland and joined with Stormbringer. Like many of Moorcock’s later Elric stories, I found it an okey-dokey read.
From there, I jumped back to the beginning.
“Carnivora”, Kirk A. Johnson
I didn’t care for this story. It lacked a character I could sympathize with. The ending was brutal, but without a central character to feel sympathetic towards, I shrugged my shoulders at the violence.
“Come Lay the Crone to Rest”, Margaret Killjoy
The story was enjoyable, but there was an editing mistake that drew me out of the story. Killjoy uses the gender They/Them for the character Molt, but suddenly on page 42, Molt’s gender is identified as She. It was jarring in an unintentional way. Maybe that was intentional, but if it was, it flew over my head.
“Sister Chaos” by Bryn Hammond.
The story failed to draw me in. It lacked grit.
“Chak Muuch” by Jesus Montalvo, translated by Gonzalo Baez.
Like Sister Chaos, it failed to draw me in.
“Tears of Eb” by Sarah Macklin
Now this story has “the stuff”. I enjoyed the frantic fight with the water spirits and the chase/escape. It has a slight “who done it” element that I enjoyed, but it wasn’t over played. Hogodai is a good amalgamation of magic user and detective. My favorite fictional piece in the issue.
“The Pillars of Silence” by Prashanth Srivatsa
Good solid story.
Compliments to the cover and interior art. All of the art stood up and was great.
Only two of the stories were good reads for me. Two were okay, and three I didn’t care for. I enjoyed Brian Murphy’s essay and judged the biography of Cele Goldsmith Lalli enjoyable, but found the remainder of the nonfiction okay, but not great.
I will read issue 2 soon. A recent quip I read, I think maybe at Blackgate(?), promises that 2 is an improvement over issue 1. I remain hopeful.
Like issue 0, this issue is about a 50/50 split of fiction and non-fiction. I like that, but as I said in my review of issue 0, it’s not a decision every S&S fan will dig.
Non-Fiction: I tend to start by reading the nonfiction first. I don’t know why, it’s just my preference.
From the Editor-nothing special of note. It serves as an overview of the issue and does so well.
“Why (New Edge) Sword & Sorcery” - Brian Murphy
This was a feature I was excited for. I will be honest. I’m such a Murphy fan that he could publish a grocery list and as long as he used buzz words like REH and Leiber, I would most likely read it. Solid essay. Favorite quotes: “The heritage of Sword & Sorcery is one of defying convention and breaking new ground”; my second is too long for my thumbs to reproduce but in summary, the barbarian archetype as “…a willingness to…cast off safety and security, and explore new frontiers…”. In other words, Conan never shied from breaking new ground. This essay was my favorite feature in the issue.
“Cele Goldsmith Lalli — Midwife to the Second Sword & Sorcery Boom”, Cora Buhlert
This kind of thing is my jam. I love learning about those that helped bring my favorite genre into life.
“Fresh Blood and Thunder! Bringing New Readers to Sword & Sorcery, with Sof Magliano”, Oliver Brackenbury.
This was originally a podcast and was better as such. Reading a conversation is not nearly as effective as active listening. It felt tacked on and unnecessary as it’s available as a podcast.
“Review: Woman of the Woods by Milton J. Davis”, Robin Marx.
Fair review that doesn’t try to sell it.
Fiction:
I was, understandably, most curious about the Michael Moorcock story, so I started there.
“The Folk of the Forest”, Michael Moorcock.
An Elric “prequel” story. It takes place before Elric left his homeland and joined with Stormbringer. Like many of Moorcock’s later Elric stories, I found it an okey-dokey read.
From there, I jumped back to the beginning.
“Carnivora”, Kirk A. Johnson
I didn’t care for this story. It lacked a character I could sympathize with. The ending was brutal, but without a central character to feel sympathetic towards, I shrugged my shoulders at the violence.
“Come Lay the Crone to Rest”, Margaret Killjoy
The story was enjoyable, but there was an editing mistake that drew me out of the story. Killjoy uses the gender They/Them for the character Molt, but suddenly on page 42, Molt’s gender is identified as She. It was jarring in an unintentional way. Maybe that was intentional, but if it was, it flew over my head.
“Sister Chaos” by Bryn Hammond.
The story failed to draw me in. It lacked grit.
“Chak Muuch” by Jesus Montalvo, translated by Gonzalo Baez.
Like Sister Chaos, it failed to draw me in.
“Tears of Eb” by Sarah Macklin
Now this story has “the stuff”. I enjoyed the frantic fight with the water spirits and the chase/escape. It has a slight “who done it” element that I enjoyed, but it wasn’t over played. Hogodai is a good amalgamation of magic user and detective. My favorite fictional piece in the issue.
“The Pillars of Silence” by Prashanth Srivatsa
Good solid story.
Compliments to the cover and interior art. All of the art stood up and was great.
Only two of the stories were good reads for me. Two were okay, and three I didn’t care for. I enjoyed Brian Murphy’s essay and judged the biography of Cele Goldsmith Lalli enjoyable, but found the remainder of the nonfiction okay, but not great.
I will read issue 2 soon. A recent quip I read, I think maybe at Blackgate(?), promises that 2 is an improvement over issue 1. I remain hopeful.
January 15, 2024
*Full disclosure: I backed the Kickstarter campaign for issues 1 and 2 after being impressed enough with issue 0 to pique my interest.*
Fiction
Of the seven pieces included, I found the first two (Carnivora by Kirk A. Johnson and Come Lay the Crone to Rest by Margaret Killjoy) to be the most interesting and well written (good placement, editor!), with an honorable mention to Chak Muuch (by Jesús Montalvo, translated by Gonzalo Baeza) and its mysterious, stately march into the mists of time. The stark contrast in tone, setting, and characters from the dark (one might even say grimdark? I’m not beholden to labels and my opinion is purely subjective) but gripping Johnson tale to the boisterous, hopeful (sort of reminded me of the Vox Machina cartoon my wife insisted I watch) Killjoy story worked well for me, showcasing the variety and high quality of stories right off the bat. I struggled with immersing myself in Sister Chaos (by Bryn Hammond), but it’s a cerebral story that demands a second reading. Tears of Eb (by Sarah A. Macklin) was entertaining and memorable, even though I think the characters sometimes shaded into caricatures and a couple cliches made an unwelcome but brief appearance--it’s still a story worth reading, for the underwater section alone. The Pillars of Silence (by Prashanth Srivats) presents a slow burn with a couple twists and an exciting scene near the end; this is another tale that would probably benefit from a second read, and overall I think it was a strong contribution.
Now, the story that everyone seemed to be so excited about: The Folk of the Forest: An Elric Story by Michael Moorcock. I’ve read some Moorcock before and was mildly impressed, but I have to admit that this story was, for me, easily the weakest one in this issue. Aside from the maddening overuse of exclamation marks (one gets the sense that Moorcock was writing this for his 10-year-old grandchild), the story barely cohered as a sort of dreamscape hallucination--and maybe that’s the general vibe of Elric stories (I don’t know, because this is the first Elric story I’ve read). The imagery is vivid and Moorcock’s fertile imagination is evident, but the contradiction between Elric’s speech (thoughtful leader) and his actions (dumbass, stubborn teenager) was jarring. Who is Elric, and what are his motivations? I’d have to read older stories to find out, I think--and I will. The caveat here is that those who ARE familiar with Elric (which will be most readers of NESS, I suspect) will no doubt squee with glee when they find a new story in this universe, and it’s a fantastic “get” for the magazine in terms of genre credibility and promotion. Overall, these seven stories represent a strong base to build around, and I’m excited about the tales I’ll get to read in the next issue.
Nonfiction
I thought the biggest strength of issue 0 was its nonfiction, and issue 1 delivers on that front yet again. The sword-and-sorcery definition and enthusiastic explainer by Brian Murphy was so clear and compelling that one can’t help but get excited about the whole field. Very finely done. Cora Buhlert has returned with another well-sketched biographical essay, this time about Cele Lalli--I had no idea who this person was but came away intrigued and impressed with her career. I love the pace of a Buhlert essay; it just moves one along at a pleasant speed, winding through enough curves and hills to keep one hooked and somewhat sad when the ride inevitably comes to a gentle stop. Next, editor Oliver Brackenbury interviews Sof Magliano, budding author and early supporter of NESS. It’s an interesting discussion, if perhaps a bit long. Another author making a return visit to NESS is Robin Marx, who reviews the book Woman of the Woods by Milton J. Davis. I read a lot of book reviews inside and outside genre (in places from Locus and Lightspeed to the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books and elsewhere)--simply said, Marx is one of the best. Find his reviews and read them all.
Copyediting
Compared with issue 0, the copyediting has vastly improved, and overall the person responsible for that did a good job. A couple stories had protagonist names with two different spellings, and that’s a common kind of typo that will need more attention moving forward. Also, I’m fairly certain that the editor’s long interview did not receive the same care with which the rest of the issue was copyedited (there may not have been time or funds for that--I don’t know). Those quibbles aside, though, NESS 1 stands with the best of the pro magazines with regard to the level of copyediting applied.
Artwork
In a word, stunning. The art in this issue earns equal billing with the text as the star of the show. The sheer variety of styles is staggering and creates a sense of wonder that perfectly complements the fiction. And the neat framing of portraits for the nonfiction section was exceptionally well executed. I have only the digital version to peruse, but I wish I had bought the physical copy just for the art, and I can’t wait to see what issue 2 has in store.
Conclusion
NESS 1 is a superb collection of enthralling stories, thoughtful and evocative nonfiction, and absolutely spectacular artwork. I know how much effort the editor put into this issue, and it clearly shows--it’s a significant achievement that proclaims this magazine to be a new force in the field.
Fiction
Of the seven pieces included, I found the first two (Carnivora by Kirk A. Johnson and Come Lay the Crone to Rest by Margaret Killjoy) to be the most interesting and well written (good placement, editor!), with an honorable mention to Chak Muuch (by Jesús Montalvo, translated by Gonzalo Baeza) and its mysterious, stately march into the mists of time. The stark contrast in tone, setting, and characters from the dark (one might even say grimdark? I’m not beholden to labels and my opinion is purely subjective) but gripping Johnson tale to the boisterous, hopeful (sort of reminded me of the Vox Machina cartoon my wife insisted I watch) Killjoy story worked well for me, showcasing the variety and high quality of stories right off the bat. I struggled with immersing myself in Sister Chaos (by Bryn Hammond), but it’s a cerebral story that demands a second reading. Tears of Eb (by Sarah A. Macklin) was entertaining and memorable, even though I think the characters sometimes shaded into caricatures and a couple cliches made an unwelcome but brief appearance--it’s still a story worth reading, for the underwater section alone. The Pillars of Silence (by Prashanth Srivats) presents a slow burn with a couple twists and an exciting scene near the end; this is another tale that would probably benefit from a second read, and overall I think it was a strong contribution.
Now, the story that everyone seemed to be so excited about: The Folk of the Forest: An Elric Story by Michael Moorcock. I’ve read some Moorcock before and was mildly impressed, but I have to admit that this story was, for me, easily the weakest one in this issue. Aside from the maddening overuse of exclamation marks (one gets the sense that Moorcock was writing this for his 10-year-old grandchild), the story barely cohered as a sort of dreamscape hallucination--and maybe that’s the general vibe of Elric stories (I don’t know, because this is the first Elric story I’ve read). The imagery is vivid and Moorcock’s fertile imagination is evident, but the contradiction between Elric’s speech (thoughtful leader) and his actions (dumbass, stubborn teenager) was jarring. Who is Elric, and what are his motivations? I’d have to read older stories to find out, I think--and I will. The caveat here is that those who ARE familiar with Elric (which will be most readers of NESS, I suspect) will no doubt squee with glee when they find a new story in this universe, and it’s a fantastic “get” for the magazine in terms of genre credibility and promotion. Overall, these seven stories represent a strong base to build around, and I’m excited about the tales I’ll get to read in the next issue.
Nonfiction
I thought the biggest strength of issue 0 was its nonfiction, and issue 1 delivers on that front yet again. The sword-and-sorcery definition and enthusiastic explainer by Brian Murphy was so clear and compelling that one can’t help but get excited about the whole field. Very finely done. Cora Buhlert has returned with another well-sketched biographical essay, this time about Cele Lalli--I had no idea who this person was but came away intrigued and impressed with her career. I love the pace of a Buhlert essay; it just moves one along at a pleasant speed, winding through enough curves and hills to keep one hooked and somewhat sad when the ride inevitably comes to a gentle stop. Next, editor Oliver Brackenbury interviews Sof Magliano, budding author and early supporter of NESS. It’s an interesting discussion, if perhaps a bit long. Another author making a return visit to NESS is Robin Marx, who reviews the book Woman of the Woods by Milton J. Davis. I read a lot of book reviews inside and outside genre (in places from Locus and Lightspeed to the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books and elsewhere)--simply said, Marx is one of the best. Find his reviews and read them all.
Copyediting
Compared with issue 0, the copyediting has vastly improved, and overall the person responsible for that did a good job. A couple stories had protagonist names with two different spellings, and that’s a common kind of typo that will need more attention moving forward. Also, I’m fairly certain that the editor’s long interview did not receive the same care with which the rest of the issue was copyedited (there may not have been time or funds for that--I don’t know). Those quibbles aside, though, NESS 1 stands with the best of the pro magazines with regard to the level of copyediting applied.
Artwork
In a word, stunning. The art in this issue earns equal billing with the text as the star of the show. The sheer variety of styles is staggering and creates a sense of wonder that perfectly complements the fiction. And the neat framing of portraits for the nonfiction section was exceptionally well executed. I have only the digital version to peruse, but I wish I had bought the physical copy just for the art, and I can’t wait to see what issue 2 has in store.
Conclusion
NESS 1 is a superb collection of enthralling stories, thoughtful and evocative nonfiction, and absolutely spectacular artwork. I know how much effort the editor put into this issue, and it clearly shows--it’s a significant achievement that proclaims this magazine to be a new force in the field.
January 2, 2025
My enjoyment of this first proper issue of New Edge can best be summarized by the amused surprise I felt at the ending of "Tears of Eb" by Sarah A. Macklin (some spoilers here, though none related to the main plot).
In this sword 'n soul tale, a lady warrior is teamed up with a wandering seer to investigate the disappearance of one of her liege lord's young daughters. The friction between the two adventurers is one of the story's main delights as they set upon their quest. Said friction is embodied by the warrior's constant worry of doing her duty by her lord, while the seer takes a more light-hearted view of things, to the warrior's chagrin.
Right up until the final pages, I assumed the tension between the two women was romantic, and the devotion the warrior felt to her (mostly off-page) liege lord, was knightly in nature. When the seer deduces the warrior's romantic feelings for her lord (and the actual affair they were having!!), she convinces her that this is a tension that is apt to blow up in her face at some point, and they set off as an adventuring duo together - a sword 'n soul Holmes & Watson, if you will. Okay cool! I'd read more of them!
This highly amused me because it made me remember that New Edge is not a specifically queer publication. One and a half issues into its run, however, there had been so much normalized queer content in it, I had started to subconsciously assume queerness as the standard mode. And it didn't even bother me that it turned out not to be in this case! That's a very lovely feeling to have, and a strong indicator of Brackenbury and his editing team already having quite a good handle on their mission statement of "love for the classics with an inclusive, boundary-pushing approach to storytelling."
Onward to the next issue!
P.S. Special shout-out to Bryn Hammond's character Goatskin who has now been dubbed DUZZY on-page so I don't sound like a chunkhead when I refer to her that way.
P.S.S. Moorcock's got an new Elric story in this issue. You know you're doing well when that's barely on my mind when I'm putting my thoughts to paper.
In this sword 'n soul tale, a lady warrior is teamed up with a wandering seer to investigate the disappearance of one of her liege lord's young daughters. The friction between the two adventurers is one of the story's main delights as they set upon their quest. Said friction is embodied by the warrior's constant worry of doing her duty by her lord, while the seer takes a more light-hearted view of things, to the warrior's chagrin.
Right up until the final pages, I assumed the tension between the two women was romantic, and the devotion the warrior felt to her (mostly off-page) liege lord, was knightly in nature. When the seer deduces the warrior's romantic feelings for her lord (and the actual affair they were having!!), she convinces her that this is a tension that is apt to blow up in her face at some point, and they set off as an adventuring duo together - a sword 'n soul Holmes & Watson, if you will. Okay cool! I'd read more of them!
This highly amused me because it made me remember that New Edge is not a specifically queer publication. One and a half issues into its run, however, there had been so much normalized queer content in it, I had started to subconsciously assume queerness as the standard mode. And it didn't even bother me that it turned out not to be in this case! That's a very lovely feeling to have, and a strong indicator of Brackenbury and his editing team already having quite a good handle on their mission statement of "love for the classics with an inclusive, boundary-pushing approach to storytelling."
Onward to the next issue!
P.S. Special shout-out to Bryn Hammond's character Goatskin who has now been dubbed DUZZY on-page so I don't sound like a chunkhead when I refer to her that way.
P.S.S. Moorcock's got an new Elric story in this issue. You know you're doing well when that's barely on my mind when I'm putting my thoughts to paper.
January 21, 2024
Disclosure: I was a Backer for the first four issues of this new journal.
As with the Zero issue, New Edge has absolute fantastic, journal-level production values: heavy paper stock, trade or hard-cover binding, 8.5 x 11 stock, clean, professional layout, and absolutely fantastic artwork. It looks great, feels great in the hand and has nothing amateurish about it. Whereas a counterpart magazine, TALES FROM THE MAGICIAN's SKULL, has similar production quality but leans into a 30s pulp-retro vibe intentionally, NESS has a much more contemporary vibe, which fits its idea of taking a venerable genre and recasting it for modern audiences. (Which it does to varying degrees of success.)
So, looks great. How's the contents?
Good, and the very good pieces are very good. The less so miss more for reasons, IMO, of editorial choices that seem to build off the goals found in the Zero issue and may just be the magazine finding its footing through early issues.
As in the zero issue, #1 is divided between short stories in the first half and then journal articles, by a variety of authors that are chosen for their ability, but also to represent racial, ethnic and gender diversity, a driving interest of editor Oliver Brackenbury and a part of how he interprets the term "New Edge" (which I note here, as it is actually slightly different than what was originally meant when coined by Howard Andrew Jones). Consequently, we have a mix of Black, east Indian, White, male, female and (as I recall) a non-binary writer, along with fantasy legend Michael Moorcock, who I guess is the quintessential Old Straight White Guy that dominated the genre's first two iterations.
Fortunately, the casting for different voices pays off.
Kirk A. Johnson is a newer voice in Sword & Soul (African Fantasy), and published a recent collection called the OBANAX. Johnson's prose still needs refining at times, and it shows here, which makes his story as the kick-off a bit rough, but the finale of CARNIVORA is haunting and the visuals stayed with me throughout the issue.
COME LAY THE CRONE TO REST by Margaret Killjoy, is a beautifully written story that is sort of the Tanith Lee's contributions to S&S might represent. It is in some ways the most traditionally "European" story in the collection, though the story itself is certainly doing its own thing. I don't think I'm short-changing Ms. Killjoy in saying this isn't a Lee-level story, but it's darn good.
SISTER CHAOS by Bryn Hammond is the second time the author has appeared in New Edge and I'm torn on what to say. Here I'll leave it at the idea of one can appreciate an artist's craft, but not enjoy the work. In this case, I think Hammond is a great writer but misplaced in a sword & sorcery collection; but I'm not the editor. Consequently, one may or may not enjoy this Asian fantasy and decide it fits perfectly what they want.
As a student of Mesoamerican and South American civilizations, who also works those realms into his fantasy, I was really excited to see CHAK MUUCH by Jesús Montalvo, Translated from Spanish by Gonzalo Baeza. The prose in this story has some rough translation spots and, this is a good reminder that, although the author is Mexican, that does not convey an automatic knowledge of the Maya world: there are some misused Yucatec Maya words and references to bananas, which
were introduced by the Portuguese and didn't make its way up into the Yucatan until the 17th century. But I'm picking nits (the banana thing makes me nuts, and this was the *third* story in the time/place I've read in the last few months that makes this mistake); the story is decidedly original and the end is wonderfully creepy. The style, somewhere between a traditional folklore tale and modern sword & sorcery, definitely as a Latin American vibe we don't get in a lot of Anglophone lit and makes a nice addition. Next time, I just hope the editors will work to smooth the translation a bit more.
TEARS OF EB by Sarah A. Macklin is by far the star of the collection for me. This story has it all: a strong heroine we want to see more of, whom as a swordswoman, makes sense in her historical setting, with just enough backstory to make her interesting without derailing the story; a strong sense of world and setting; some very creepy supernatural beings that are perhaps an African equivalent to unseelie faeries; and great action scenes. Macklin can write, she can world-build, and I want more of the duo she creates in this story.
THE PILLARS OF SILENCE by Prashanth Srivatsa is a story I *wanted* to love, but couldn't quite manage. India is soooo perfect for sword & sorcery, but in the end this is a not so original take on an old trope: a village engaged in a lottery to feed a monster; and unlike Tears of Eb, the heroine is unconvincing. I didn't find her voice distinct, or even very feminine, nor, considering how rigid India was in terms of caste and gender roles, any understanding of how a swordswoman was wandering about as an agent handling these problems. The story felt like a draft that didn't quit pull together.
THE FOLK OF THE FOREST by Michael Moorcock is a tale of *young* Elric, and not a grim and dour one, so if you wanted another moody story of the Doomed Emperor, sorry. Instead, it is a youthful adventure that tells us more about Prince Elric and his relationship with his mentor Tanglebones. It's not a big story, it is a delightful one, and I think it's perfect for the collection.
The essay section is more of a mixed bag, unfortunately, building on a problem I noticed in the zero issue.
WHY (NEW EDGE) SWORD & SORCERY? by Brian Murphy, is a sharp, concise essay, with fun, whimsical illustrations by no less than Sara Frazetta. There are few people more appropriate to launch the magazine with this essay (besides Howard Andrew Jones, who coined the term), and Murphy explains his rationale well.
CELE GOLDSMITH LALLI—MIDWIFE TO THE SECOND SWORD & SORCERY BOOM by Cora Buhlert, is a delight by Buhlert isn't just a great writer, she's a great proponent to drawing our attention to the women who have always been a part of this genre. Here, rather than focusing on a writer, like the amazing C.L. Moore, she looks at the editor who did more to usher in the second wave of sword & sorcery than perhaps any other, giving home after decades of silence to Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, an American home to a punk kid named Moorcock, and trying out an unknown author named Zelazny. That's a few examples...all in a seven year period, before Lalli went on to spend decades as editor of...MODERN BRIDE. It's a great story about how sometimes an outsider is just want a genre needs to flourish.
FRESH BLOOD AND NEW THUNDER! BRINGING NEW READERS TO SWORD & SORCERY, WITH SOF MAGLIANO is a transcript of one of editor Oliver Brackenbury's podcasts, much as he did in zero issue with Milton Davis, and is by far the longest offering of the essays. It also, doesn't work. As a former (print) journalist, who also still does periodic interviews for Black Gate, some take from Zoom or phone interviews, there is always a temptation to just transcribe the conversation and have done. The problem is that this casts the interviewer as coequal to the interviewee. In the Davis interview, where Davis is a dynamic speaker and, the Sword & Soul inheritor of the legendary Charles Saunders, an established author of novels, short stories, comics, and an RPG, and owns his own publishing company to promote Sword & Soul, the interviewer runs little risk of overwhelming the interviewee. Here, the goal was to find a female Zoomer with an online presence who didn't fit the usual S&S profile and expose her to three classic works and three contemporary ones and see what she thought, and then talk about how to draw more new people in.
Unfortunately, Magliano's responses are fairly short and concise, or her answers to draw in new folks, so stereotypical to current fantasy fads ("focus on marginalized voices and more character motivation") that as a transcript, the interview becomes mostly Brackenbury talking, trying to explain, justify or clarify the genre, and Magliano gets lost in entire sections of her own interview. Again, it's laudable that the editor is trying to promote diversity, the here the interview just fails as a written interview, or even a 'dialogue' and either needed to be edited heavily to just focus on 'here are six stories, here is what our Zoomer liked and didn't and why', or a different choice made for inclusion. As is, there is just far too little pay off for the number of pages dedicated to the transcription.
The issue ends with a review of WOMAN OF THE WOODS BY MILTON J. DAVIS by Robin Mar, like any good journal should.
All in all, this is a strong debut issue, though not without its faults, that clearly conveys the editor's vision to bring classic voices together with the new and try and reach across a breadth of spectrums and viewpoints, with an equal balance between fiction and non-fiction discussing the genre, making NESS a bit unique from TALES FROM THE MAGICIAN's SKULL or OLD MOON; the closest comparisons on the market. It will be interesting to see how it develops over the rest of these four debut issues and beyond.
As with the Zero issue, New Edge has absolute fantastic, journal-level production values: heavy paper stock, trade or hard-cover binding, 8.5 x 11 stock, clean, professional layout, and absolutely fantastic artwork. It looks great, feels great in the hand and has nothing amateurish about it. Whereas a counterpart magazine, TALES FROM THE MAGICIAN's SKULL, has similar production quality but leans into a 30s pulp-retro vibe intentionally, NESS has a much more contemporary vibe, which fits its idea of taking a venerable genre and recasting it for modern audiences. (Which it does to varying degrees of success.)
So, looks great. How's the contents?
Good, and the very good pieces are very good. The less so miss more for reasons, IMO, of editorial choices that seem to build off the goals found in the Zero issue and may just be the magazine finding its footing through early issues.
As in the zero issue, #1 is divided between short stories in the first half and then journal articles, by a variety of authors that are chosen for their ability, but also to represent racial, ethnic and gender diversity, a driving interest of editor Oliver Brackenbury and a part of how he interprets the term "New Edge" (which I note here, as it is actually slightly different than what was originally meant when coined by Howard Andrew Jones). Consequently, we have a mix of Black, east Indian, White, male, female and (as I recall) a non-binary writer, along with fantasy legend Michael Moorcock, who I guess is the quintessential Old Straight White Guy that dominated the genre's first two iterations.
Fortunately, the casting for different voices pays off.
Kirk A. Johnson is a newer voice in Sword & Soul (African Fantasy), and published a recent collection called the OBANAX. Johnson's prose still needs refining at times, and it shows here, which makes his story as the kick-off a bit rough, but the finale of CARNIVORA is haunting and the visuals stayed with me throughout the issue.
COME LAY THE CRONE TO REST by Margaret Killjoy, is a beautifully written story that is sort of the Tanith Lee's contributions to S&S might represent. It is in some ways the most traditionally "European" story in the collection, though the story itself is certainly doing its own thing. I don't think I'm short-changing Ms. Killjoy in saying this isn't a Lee-level story, but it's darn good.
SISTER CHAOS by Bryn Hammond is the second time the author has appeared in New Edge and I'm torn on what to say. Here I'll leave it at the idea of one can appreciate an artist's craft, but not enjoy the work. In this case, I think Hammond is a great writer but misplaced in a sword & sorcery collection; but I'm not the editor. Consequently, one may or may not enjoy this Asian fantasy and decide it fits perfectly what they want.
As a student of Mesoamerican and South American civilizations, who also works those realms into his fantasy, I was really excited to see CHAK MUUCH by Jesús Montalvo, Translated from Spanish by Gonzalo Baeza. The prose in this story has some rough translation spots and, this is a good reminder that, although the author is Mexican, that does not convey an automatic knowledge of the Maya world: there are some misused Yucatec Maya words and references to bananas, which
were introduced by the Portuguese and didn't make its way up into the Yucatan until the 17th century. But I'm picking nits (the banana thing makes me nuts, and this was the *third* story in the time/place I've read in the last few months that makes this mistake); the story is decidedly original and the end is wonderfully creepy. The style, somewhere between a traditional folklore tale and modern sword & sorcery, definitely as a Latin American vibe we don't get in a lot of Anglophone lit and makes a nice addition. Next time, I just hope the editors will work to smooth the translation a bit more.
TEARS OF EB by Sarah A. Macklin is by far the star of the collection for me. This story has it all: a strong heroine we want to see more of, whom as a swordswoman, makes sense in her historical setting, with just enough backstory to make her interesting without derailing the story; a strong sense of world and setting; some very creepy supernatural beings that are perhaps an African equivalent to unseelie faeries; and great action scenes. Macklin can write, she can world-build, and I want more of the duo she creates in this story.
THE PILLARS OF SILENCE by Prashanth Srivatsa is a story I *wanted* to love, but couldn't quite manage. India is soooo perfect for sword & sorcery, but in the end this is a not so original take on an old trope: a village engaged in a lottery to feed a monster; and unlike Tears of Eb, the heroine is unconvincing. I didn't find her voice distinct, or even very feminine, nor, considering how rigid India was in terms of caste and gender roles, any understanding of how a swordswoman was wandering about as an agent handling these problems. The story felt like a draft that didn't quit pull together.
THE FOLK OF THE FOREST by Michael Moorcock is a tale of *young* Elric, and not a grim and dour one, so if you wanted another moody story of the Doomed Emperor, sorry. Instead, it is a youthful adventure that tells us more about Prince Elric and his relationship with his mentor Tanglebones. It's not a big story, it is a delightful one, and I think it's perfect for the collection.
The essay section is more of a mixed bag, unfortunately, building on a problem I noticed in the zero issue.
WHY (NEW EDGE) SWORD & SORCERY? by Brian Murphy, is a sharp, concise essay, with fun, whimsical illustrations by no less than Sara Frazetta. There are few people more appropriate to launch the magazine with this essay (besides Howard Andrew Jones, who coined the term), and Murphy explains his rationale well.
CELE GOLDSMITH LALLI—MIDWIFE TO THE SECOND SWORD & SORCERY BOOM by Cora Buhlert, is a delight by Buhlert isn't just a great writer, she's a great proponent to drawing our attention to the women who have always been a part of this genre. Here, rather than focusing on a writer, like the amazing C.L. Moore, she looks at the editor who did more to usher in the second wave of sword & sorcery than perhaps any other, giving home after decades of silence to Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, an American home to a punk kid named Moorcock, and trying out an unknown author named Zelazny. That's a few examples...all in a seven year period, before Lalli went on to spend decades as editor of...MODERN BRIDE. It's a great story about how sometimes an outsider is just want a genre needs to flourish.
FRESH BLOOD AND NEW THUNDER! BRINGING NEW READERS TO SWORD & SORCERY, WITH SOF MAGLIANO is a transcript of one of editor Oliver Brackenbury's podcasts, much as he did in zero issue with Milton Davis, and is by far the longest offering of the essays. It also, doesn't work. As a former (print) journalist, who also still does periodic interviews for Black Gate, some take from Zoom or phone interviews, there is always a temptation to just transcribe the conversation and have done. The problem is that this casts the interviewer as coequal to the interviewee. In the Davis interview, where Davis is a dynamic speaker and, the Sword & Soul inheritor of the legendary Charles Saunders, an established author of novels, short stories, comics, and an RPG, and owns his own publishing company to promote Sword & Soul, the interviewer runs little risk of overwhelming the interviewee. Here, the goal was to find a female Zoomer with an online presence who didn't fit the usual S&S profile and expose her to three classic works and three contemporary ones and see what she thought, and then talk about how to draw more new people in.
Unfortunately, Magliano's responses are fairly short and concise, or her answers to draw in new folks, so stereotypical to current fantasy fads ("focus on marginalized voices and more character motivation") that as a transcript, the interview becomes mostly Brackenbury talking, trying to explain, justify or clarify the genre, and Magliano gets lost in entire sections of her own interview. Again, it's laudable that the editor is trying to promote diversity, the here the interview just fails as a written interview, or even a 'dialogue' and either needed to be edited heavily to just focus on 'here are six stories, here is what our Zoomer liked and didn't and why', or a different choice made for inclusion. As is, there is just far too little pay off for the number of pages dedicated to the transcription.
The issue ends with a review of WOMAN OF THE WOODS BY MILTON J. DAVIS by Robin Mar, like any good journal should.
All in all, this is a strong debut issue, though not without its faults, that clearly conveys the editor's vision to bring classic voices together with the new and try and reach across a breadth of spectrums and viewpoints, with an equal balance between fiction and non-fiction discussing the genre, making NESS a bit unique from TALES FROM THE MAGICIAN's SKULL or OLD MOON; the closest comparisons on the market. It will be interesting to see how it develops over the rest of these four debut issues and beyond.
December 10, 2023
Disclaimer: I backed the publication of this magazine on Kickstarter, and am listed as a backer in the print edition.
I enjoyed this collection of seven short stories (including a new Elric story by Michael Moorcock) and four non-fiction pieces. I only found one of the short stories to not be to my taste, and it wasn’t terrible. The rest were quite good, with a strong diversity of both authors and characters.
The non-fiction pieces were interesting, particularly the bio on Cele Goldsmith Lalli. I’m looking forward to issue 2, and going back and checking out issue 0!
Notes on the ebook version of this issue: One of the non-fiction articles omits the accompanying illustrations showing some of the original art that went with the stories being discussed. I didn’t miss these while reading the ebook version, but found them very interesting when I went back and checked the print version. I believe all other illustrations (other than ads) were included in the ebook version.
I enjoyed this collection of seven short stories (including a new Elric story by Michael Moorcock) and four non-fiction pieces. I only found one of the short stories to not be to my taste, and it wasn’t terrible. The rest were quite good, with a strong diversity of both authors and characters.
The non-fiction pieces were interesting, particularly the bio on Cele Goldsmith Lalli. I’m looking forward to issue 2, and going back and checking out issue 0!
Notes on the ebook version of this issue: One of the non-fiction articles omits the accompanying illustrations showing some of the original art that went with the stories being discussed. I didn’t miss these while reading the ebook version, but found them very interesting when I went back and checked the print version. I believe all other illustrations (other than ads) were included in the ebook version.
July 9, 2024
I enjoyed the “official” debut issue of NESS magazine quite a bit. Like the proof of concept issue 0 there’s great attention to detail. In some ways the art and layout design steal the show.
Overall, I thought the essays and stories were enjoyable. I particularly liked the new Elric story. It has all the wild imagination and sense of unbridled wonder as the original 6 novels. I liked Chak Muuch quite a bit as well. I wonder what other good S&S are out there waiting to translated to English. The Pillars of Silence and Tears of Eb I also enjoyed quite a bit and would love to see more stories with these characters.
Overall it’s a solid debut and worth checking out for genre fans and newcomers alike.
Overall, I thought the essays and stories were enjoyable. I particularly liked the new Elric story. It has all the wild imagination and sense of unbridled wonder as the original 6 novels. I liked Chak Muuch quite a bit as well. I wonder what other good S&S are out there waiting to translated to English. The Pillars of Silence and Tears of Eb I also enjoyed quite a bit and would love to see more stories with these characters.
Overall it’s a solid debut and worth checking out for genre fans and newcomers alike.
October 20, 2023
More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/5SfUO8x56P4?si=kfdki...
We got the pilot with issue 0 last year, and finally we have a solid continuation to New Edge sword & sorcery. I enjoyed all of these stories, and I won’t lie and say I wasn’t giddy to read the new Elric yarn by Moorcock. The variety and depth of these stories is immense, and they show off the capabilities of the genre. There are more tales of eldritch, blades, and turning against darkness to be told.
We got the pilot with issue 0 last year, and finally we have a solid continuation to New Edge sword & sorcery. I enjoyed all of these stories, and I won’t lie and say I wasn’t giddy to read the new Elric yarn by Moorcock. The variety and depth of these stories is immense, and they show off the capabilities of the genre. There are more tales of eldritch, blades, and turning against darkness to be told.
December 3, 2023
Like most people who ordered this I immediately cracked it open and jumped to the new Elric story. A fun little yarn of Elric's youth that gives some backstory to his servant Tanglebones. Not as dark and moody as I like my Elric stories, but worth the read. I really like the illustrations by Sapro for the tale.
I also felt the editorial work in the issue was pretty good. The article Cele Goldsmith Lalli - midwife to the Second Sword and Sorcery Boom certainly is worth a read as well.
I also felt the editorial work in the issue was pretty good. The article Cele Goldsmith Lalli - midwife to the Second Sword and Sorcery Boom certainly is worth a read as well.
February 17, 2025
I wanted to like this, but I had a tough time getting into the stories for the most part .I liked the Moorcock story a couple of others. The non-fiction pieces I liked until I got to a very long transcript of a podcast that I lost interest in and then the book review lost my interest too. I have the first few issues so I will read on, but I was disappointed.
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