The Mammoth Book of Warriors and Wizardry

Eternal Sky #- Abjure the Realm

by Sean Wallace (Editor), Jay Lake (Contributor), Tanith Lee (Contributor)

This anthology brings together a stellar collection of short fantasy from authors who have made an impact on the genre over the last decade, along with some bestselling favorites, like Naomi Novik and Jay Lake.

Table of Contents:

Introduction Scott H. Andrews
SMALL MAGIC by Jay Lake
KING RAINJOY'S TEARS by Chris Willrich
A RICH FULL WEEK by K. J. Parker
THE WOMAN IN SCARLET by Tanith Lee
FLOTSAM by Bradley P. Beaulieu
A WARRIOR'S DEATH by Aliette de Bodard
A SIEGE Of CRANES by Benjamin Rosenbaum
FOX BONES. MANY USES. by Alex Dally Macfarlane
WHERE VIRTUE LIVES by Saladin Ahmed
THE EFFIGY ENGINE: A TALE OF THE RED HATS by Scott Lynch
STRIFE LINGERS IN MEMORY by Carrie Vaughn
A SWEET CALLING by Tony Pi
THE NARCOMANCER by N. K. Jemisin
GOLDEN DAUGHTER, STONE WIFE by Benjanun Sriduangkaew
EFFIGY NIGHTS by Yoon Ha Lee
WEARAWAY AND FLAMBEAU by Matthew Hughes
AT THE EDGE OF DYING by Mary Robinette Kowal
VICI by Naomi Novik
ABJURE THE REALM by Elizabeth Bear
THE WORD Of AZRAEL by Matthew David Surridge
LADY Of THE GHOST WILLOW by Richard Parks
THE SINGING SPEAR by James Enge
SO DEEP THAT THE BOTTOM COULD NOT BE SEEN by Genevieve Valentine
WARRIOR DREAMS by Cinda Williams Chima
THE MAGICIAN AND THE MAID AND OTHER STORIES by Christie Yant

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Sword and Sorcery

512 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2014

About the author

Sean A. Wallace (born January 1, 1976) is an award-winning American science fiction and fantasy anthologist, editor, and publisher best known for his work on Prime Books and for co-editing two magazines, Clarkesworld Magazine, and Fantasy Magazine. He has been nominated a number of times by both the Hugo Awards and the World Fantasy Awards, won two Hugo Awards and one World Fantasy Award, and has served as a World Fantasy Award judge.

Reviews

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stories about magic and warriors, all previously published elsewhere. I really loved a few of these (by KJ Parker, Tanith Lee, Benjamin Rosenbaum, Naomi Novik, Scott Lynch and Genevieve Valentine), outright disliked a bunch of others, and had few feelings about the others.

SMALL MAGIC by Jay Lake--A low level soldier is loyal to his oath, and that is enough to stop the ice tribes from performing a great magic. Kinda cool idea but told in such a boring, trite way that I could barely get through all 16 pages.

KING RAINJOY'S TEARS by Chris Willrich--A thief and a poet go in search of a king's banished tears, in hopes they can convince him not to start a war. Laboriously fanciful, like if someone without an ear for language put The Last Unicorn and Patricia McKillip in a blender and splashed the ensuing slurry onto a page. ex:

"In his tower there twitched a menagerie of personifications: howling griefs, snarling passions, a stormy nature blustering in a crystal dome, a dark night of the soul shrouding the glass of a mirror. In places there lurked experiments that twitched and mewled. Here a flower of innocence sprouted from the forehead of a gargoyle of cynicism. There a phoenix of renewal locked eyes forever with a basilisk of stasis.
Spawnsworth arrived in this sanctum, teeth grinding, and began assembling the vials of love's betrayal and friendship's gloom, the vials he would form into an instrument of revenge upon Gaunt and Bone."

I actually like the plot just fine, but you can't name characters things like Imago Bone, Persimmon Gaunt, or your evil magician "Spawnsworth" and write in this ridiculously tin-eared fashion and expect me to like the story.

A RICH FULL WEEK by K. J. Parker--A wizard goes on his rounds and comes across a revenant. Fantastic. Great, innovative world building and a story that's part horror, part just...I dunno, interesting?

THE WOMAN IN SCARLET by Tanith Lee--Swords' Men are not just warriors good with swords. They are literally married to their swords, which have souls of their own. Coor is one of the best, yet one day his sword falls in love with another man. DAMN Tanith Lee can write.

FLOTSAM by Bradley P. Beaulieu--Khrentophar is a yeavanni, a type of magical creature that is not fully explained but seems a bit like a mermaid. He and his fellow shamans accidentally drowned a human ship 20 years ago during a ritual, and they have voluntarily served the humans like slaves ever since to make up for it. But then the humans go to war and promise the yeavanni their debt will be paid if they fight beside them. To a people so against the loss of life that they would voluntarily commit themselves to bondage in recompense for it, this is a terrible choice to make. I liked the yeavanni and my puzzling over who and what they were.

A WARRIOR'S DEATH by Aliette de Bodard--Uzume was once a warrior, an honored group in the Ahuatl Empire, until his courage failed him. Now he is called upon to investigate the murder of the God of War's chosen sacrifice. Fascinating world building and a really interesting choice at the end, Uzume can expose the murder for what it was--a trick to splice compassion and respect for life into the God of War--or let the trick stand and watch as his beloved empire transforms into one that does not value what he values, but is able to sustain itself now that everything has been conquered.

A SIEGE Of CRANES by Benjamin Rosenbaum--Marish comes home from hunting to find his village pulverized. He goes searching for who or what destroyed everything he loves, and is rapidly joined by a fellow quester, Kadath-Naan of the Empty City. HOLY SHIT this is a story. Imaginative, the descriptions are incredible, the horror is super horrible, the characters feel totally real within just a few pages. And there are all these wonderful little moments, like Marish being unable to sell his soul for help because the village priest took all the villagers' souls and hid them against this very kind of desperate use, or the power of names, or how the djinns work, that feel so wonderfully fairy-tale like. This was a really powerful tale. I felt utterly transported while I read it, and when I finished the last sentence I felt like I was coming up for air.

FOX BONES. MANY USES. by Alex Dally Macfarlane--Za bears a son who is half Hma, like her, and half Nu, like the idealist she was just attracted enough to at the right time to make a baby. When the Nu Empire comes to the Hma villages to take them as slaves for the silver mines, Za goes on a desperate journey fueled by fox magic. Fascinating world here. I love the glimpses we get of Hma village life.

WHERE VIRTUE LIVES by Saladin Ahmed--A jaded old ghul hunter and a blood thirsty young dervish ally to hunt a monster. I read this back in 2009 and wasn't impressed then--the language is too stilted and self-conscious for me, and the story & characters are too well-worn for me to get excited--I read the novel of this and didn't much like it either, and on reread, was again bored by this.

THE EFFIGY ENGINE: A TALE OF THE RED HATS by Scott Lynch--Opening lines:

"I took up the study of magic because I wanted to live in the beauty of transfinite mathematical truths," said Rumstandel. He gestured curtly. In the canyon below us, an enemy soldier shuddered, clutched at his throat, and began vomiting live snakes.

A band of mercenary wizards at war. As funny and fun as a war story possibly can be. I really like these characters, and I already feel like I know them after just a few pages. I hope Lynch ends up writing more about the Red Caps.

STRIFE LINGERS IN MEMORY by Carrie Vaughn--After the Chosen One beats back the goblin hordes, claims his rightful crown, and marries the beautiful and clever wizard's daughter, he has night terrors. Told with dialog a little too on-the-nose and obvious for me, but a worthwhile story.

A SWEET CALLING by Tony Pi--Ao Tienwei seems like a humble candy maker, but when fire elementals threaten his city he reveals that he can animate his sugar creations. Fine.

THE NARCOMANCER by N. K. Jemisin--Cet has sworn to serve the Goddess, and in this case does so by investigating a band of brigands that is somehow using narcomancy. I am super intrigued by the world here, and I'd love to see more of Sister Ginnem, a soldier-turned-sorcerer.

GOLDEN DAUGHTER, STONE WIFE by Benjanun Sriduangkaew-I'm not reading a thing by this bully.

EFFIGY NIGHTS by Yoon Ha Lee--When a beautiful city on the edge of a moon is threatened by a humorless general, they call upon their histories and legends to save them. But what happens when the city runs out of old stories? The style is possibly too flowery for me, although it suits the city its portraying very well. I like the premise of this a lot.

WEARAWAY AND FLAMBEAU by Matthew Hughes--A thief is caught by a wizard who casts a series of horrific spells on him as punishment...but to everyone's surprise that combination of spells instead allows him to basically teleport. This was exceedingly boring (the style is very basic, the characters have little personality, and the plot is just "stealing stuff") and way too long for how basic a tale it was.

AT THE EDGE OF DYING by Mary Robinette Kowal--In a war between kingdoms, the magic of those on the threshold of death is a vital resource. Cool concept, good execution, and I'd like to see more of these characters and world.

VICI by Naomi Novik--A wastral and a scoundrel, Antony is at least brave and clever. He manages to avoid death-by-dragon and get himself a dragon egg, instead. And when she hatches, he makes quite a name for themselves. I loved this. Antony is quite a character, and as usual with Novik, his dragon Vici is a wonderful combination of bloody-minded, poetically inclined, and funny. The story ends just when it ought, before it plays itself out. I would read a hundred more short stories in the Temeraire universe like this.

ABJURE THE REALM by Elizabeth Bear--Various Arthurian and fairy tales woven together. Didn't grab me.

THE WORD Of AZRAEL by Matthew David Surridge--A mercenary gets an incredible sword and goes on a seemingly endless series of barely-sketched-out adventures, all while looking for the Angel of Death. This was 31 pages long and I don't know why. The characters had absolutely no personality. There was no plot.

LADY Of THE GHOST WILLOW by Richard Parks--An investigator is brought in to stop a ghostly visitation from sucking the life from a noble lord. I liked a few moments of this, but the characters lacked personality and the investigation itself was deadly dull. He just talks to three people and then decides who's responsible.

THE SINGING SPEAR by James Enge--The Singing Spear, Morlock the Maker's most infamous creation, has been found and is killing its way across the continent. This was great. Exactly the right length for the story, gives you a good set of hints about personalities, magic systems, and world building, and is an interesting take on a classic plot.

SO DEEP THAT THE BOTTOM COULD NOT BE SEEN by Genevieve Valentine--Annakpok is daughter of the last registered Inuit shaman. When the spellcasters have an international conference about what to do about the environmental and ecological collapse of the world, she's forcibly invited in order to make the conference look diverse. Though Anna is sure she has no magic and no power, still she must do something. I absolutely loved this.

WARRIOR DREAMS by Cinda Williams Chima--A discharged army vet with little purpose left is called upon to defeat a terrifying sea witch. The ties with how vets are treated in reality felt clunky, but I liked the urban fantasy feel.

THE MAGICIAN AND THE MAID AND OTHER STORIES by Christie Yant--Aurora seeks the magician who stole her love away. Super obviously, Miles, the person she thinks is an evil magician who stole her love Emil, is actually just Emil. The writing is fine, but I was bored with this obvious tale.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any anthology, a book like this is the sum of the stories therein. This had 25 short stories that ran the whole gamut. Some of the stories were of Wizards some were of Warriors. Some of the stories:
A rich full week; The woman in scarlet;The Word of Azrael were easily 5/5 short stories. Most were 4/5 and a few were 2/5. But thats usually the case. I enjoyed the fact that the setting for the stories varied culturally some had an asian setting, some middle eastern and some the standard westernized setting. I would read one or several stories a night. On the whole I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy. The only reason it's not a 5/5 is that a couple of the stories were not that good. But that was not the norm. 90% fall within 3-5 stars.

[Shaitarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars in all honesty.

It was okay. Most of the stories in this collection were okay, in the middle of the road 'not great, but not totally awful' sense. There were a couple of standouts (K J Parker, Tanith Lee, Tony Pi, Mary Robinette Kowal and Naomi Novik, you may all stand up and take a bow) and a couple were absolute stinkers (no names, but I'll be avoiding any of their work in the future).

I would've like a few more 'warrior and wizard tag team' stories in the spirit of Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. This anthology filled a gap, but I'll probably have forgotten most of the stories within a couple of weeks.

And I'm sorry, but I can't resist pointing out how stupidly wrong the armour on the chap on the front cover is.

[Cissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice fat book with LOTS of stories in it, almost all of which were new to me.

The stories sometimes adhered closely to the usual S&S tropes, but were often very different indeed. Both "warrior" and "wizard" were defined very broadly indeed, leading to a lot of variety, and not nearly as much swordfighting as one might have expected, given the title and cover.

It was also nice to visit so many diverse cultures! Some seemed based on ones in our world, while others were fascinatingly new.

I started to cite a few of my favorites, but the list just got too long to be informative. Suffice it to say that almost all of the stories here are excellent.

Highly recommended for fantasy fans!

[Audrey Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mammoth is so wonderful, I love them and come back and forth to them frequently.

[Res · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something about the topic (or possibly something about the editor) seems to have encouraged a lot of stories that are really ponderous. And also a lot of stories that use language in a really labored way; by the time I was halfway through the book, I was delighting in abandoning a story after two paragraphs, if those paragraphs had too many adverbs, adjectives, or odd and poetical names.

I only finished a handful of stories, and of those, there were only three that I would recommend:

K.J. Parker's "A Rich Full Week" -- in this kind of company, it's delightful to read some natural language. A trad-fantasy setting with a noirish feel and a nice twist.

Benjamin Rosenbaum's "A Siege of Cranes" - the title annoys me because it comes from a line in the story that seems to exist only to provide a title, but this is a good example of how a writer can take the horror of war seriously and still write a story that moves along, one that's a pleasure to read rather than a slog.

Naomi Novik's "Vici" -- behold! a story with a sense of humor! As usual with the Temeraire universe, you could get rid of all the humans and only keep the dragons and that would be fine with me.

[Clay Kallam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story collections are like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates -- you just never know.

This particular collection is obviously focused on warriors and wizards (sometimes both) and the results are mixed. And that mixture will vary from reader to reader, as stories I liked might be ones another reader thought were too familiar and derivative; and stories I disliked because of their ambiguity might appeal more to someone looking for something different.

Bottom line: I got this out of the library on a whim, and for that investment, it was fine. I was torn between three and four stars, but "The Mammoth Book of Warriors and Wizardry," despite its all-star cast, was really a 3.5.

You know those See's candies wrapped in white chocolate? I love them. My wife hates them.

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were amazing. Some were meh. Overall the gems outweighed the stinkers.

[Darren]

I didn't enjoy the first 3 stories, so I didn't go any further.

[Samaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed almost all of the stories and even the ones I didn't love were still pretty good.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a new anthology in the Mammoth series published by Running Press in the U.S. and Robinson in the U.K. Trade paperback in format, 515 pages, $14.95 price and Sean Wallace is the editor.

Twenty-five stories, most on my guess around 10,000 words length on average with a couple that get into novelette territory. Thirteen, possibly fourteen stories are by women. I am betting that “K. J. Parker” is a woman. This is a reprint anthology with no new stories. Three stories from Beneath Ceaseless Skies, two from Way of the Wizard, two from Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, two from Clarksworld, two from Realms of Fantasy, two from Swords & Dark Magic (aka Swords & Scatology), one from Black Gate, on from van der Meer era Weird Tales, among others. Original story publication ranges from 2000 to 2013.
Nothing was reprinted from Heroic Fantasy Quarterly or from Rogue Blades Entertainment.

The cover- a photograph of a dude with chain mail grasping his sword hilt. This could have easily been a cover for a romance book. Remember the days when we had covers by Frank Frazetta, Jeff Jones, or even Ken Kelly?

When I heard about this anthology last year and saw the roster of writers, I joked to a friend that it looked like the product of a United Nations diversity seminar. “She was a tall woman clad in armor the color of dead metal,” makes you begin to wonder about English as a pseudo-second language. Just what the hell is dead metal, let alone the color?

Of the contributors, eighteen have been in Sean Wallace edited magazines, books, or published by his imprint Prime Books. So this is a case of the editor using familiar writers.

Scott H. Andrews, editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies, introduction has this to say: “Enter the current fantasy short-fiction movement, with its nuanced focus on character and its eyes for diverse takes on archetypes of traditionally under-represented cultures and perspectives…The prevalence of these archetypes across human culture provides a rich panoply of warrior and wizard traditions to examine; to use to recast the predominant forms or offer under-represented ones.” There you have it.

I found the majority of the stories to be uninteresting, un-engaging, and many times just plain dull. There are two stories that are traditional sword and sorcery. Saladin Ahmed’s “Where Virtue Lives” is very much in pulp sword and sorcery tradition. James Enge’s “The Singing Spear” comes from the Jack Vance end of the spectrum. The generally dependable Tanith Lee’s “The Woman in Scarlet” is our last entry.

Matthew David Surridge’s “The Word of Azrael” could be called epic fantasy as it combines elements of sword and sorcery and the bigger canvas of Tolkien inspired fantasy. Cinda Williams China harkens to Unknown with the setting of Cleveland and a supernatural battle on Lake Erie. Noticeably lacking is what I call military fantasy, a form created by Glen Cook.

I am not sure what to call the majority of the contents- wimp fantasy, estrogen fantasy, post-modern fantasy. I am up for suggestions. I read this book last week, most of the contents over two days and I don’t remember most of them now.

Part of my prejudice is the majority of these stories are dialogue driven. This is fine for modernist/realist fiction and works well for crime fiction. Description gave us the splendor of the Hyborian Age or the wonders of Middle Earth. Here you have Fantasy 90210. Modernist/realist fiction attitudes have infiltrated fantasy and made it boring. We remember Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith because each in their own way, were over the top in presentation. There was a writer for Weird Tales– E. Hoffmann Price. He could really let go once in a while with the action but most of the time seemed to be holding back. As a result, there is no demand for E. Hoffmann Price reprints. You get the same feel in this volume.

The one story that encapsulates this anthology is Carrie Vaughn’s “Strife Lingers in Memory.” A wizard’s daughter narrates the return of the exiled prince of the realm who overthrows a tyrant. That is covered in a couple of paragraphs. The rest of the story concerns the hero wandering the castle at night, cowering in the corners, and bawling his head off. The wizard’s daughter, now the queen goes out to comfort him every night. This story first appeared in Realms of Fantasy in 2002. I must have thumbed through early issues of the magazine in the early 90s and passed. I never was never interested enough to buy an issue.

Using a simple method of like or dislike, I got five likes out of 25. The rating is then 1 out of 5. If you are a big fan of Clarksworld magazine or have a testosterone level below 100 ng/dl, by all means give it a try. If you grew up reading and like Robert E. Howard or J. R. R. Tolkien, maybe check it out at the library but don’t bother buying it. Time is too short to read post-modern fantasy of this nature.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection with lots of powerful stories, in many varied settings, with humor and emotion and lots of fine storytelling.
Favorite Stories:

"Small Magic" by Jay Lake: A soldier's oath, a captain's story, a shaman's spell and the value of a life.

"King Rainjoy's Tears" by Chris Willrich: A fighter and a thief on an impossible quest for the three things that will restore the health of the king. This story has the feel of a fairy tale from a richly imagined world larger in scope than this story.

"A Rich Full Week" by K.J. Parker: A young man, maybe a wizard, sent out by the ministry to put a dead man back to rest. Easier said than done once the dead man reveals his secrets.

"The Woman in Scarlett" by Tanith Lee: A mystical connection between a warrior and his weapon; what if the weapon could choose? What would that do to the warrior?

"Flotsam" by Bradley P. Beaulieu: The powerful shaman of an undersea tribe is held against his will on a warship. How can we relate to our enemies?

"A Siege of Cranes" by Benjamin Rosenbaum: The mad village waif turns into a powerful witch. The lone surviving villager pursues and, with the help of companions found on the way, defeats her with simplicity and stubbornness.

"Fox Bones" by Alex Dally MacFarlane: The sprawl of the empire threatens the mountain tribes, and their secret fox magic.

"Where Virtue Lives" by Saladin Ahmed: The weary old demon hunter is joined by the pious young warrior, and together they defeat the worst demon yet.

"The Effigy Engine: A Tale of the Red Hats" by Scott Lynch: Told with Lynch's usual humor, this story follows a mercenary band of magicians locked in a seemingly unwinnable battle.

"Strife Lingers in Memory" by Carrie Vaughn: A touching story shaped like a fairy tale, about a wise man, his daughter, a prince, and the struggle of good to conquer evil and the creep of evil into good.

"A Sweet Calling" by Tony Pi: Chance magic in the market saves the city, but perhaps entangles the magician in a web of politics and power.

"The Narcomance" by N.K. Jemison: A fascinating examination of morals and societal expectation, in a richly imagined world.

"Effigy Nights" by Yoon Ha Lee: Galactic mercenaries turn on a magical city, defended by its storied heroes of past brought to life. But what cost does this defense carry?

"Wearaway and Flambeau" by Matthew Hughs: Absurd magicians hoarding magic and secrets, and a clever thief who takes advantage of his situation.

"At the Edge of Dying" by Mary Robinette Kowal: The threat of the empire against the seaside villagers, and the power of death and love.

"Lady of the Ghost Willows" by Richard Parks: A setting that hearkens to feudal Japan, a penniless wizard hired to put vengeful spirits to rest, and an unexpected betrayal.

"The Singing Spear" by James Enge: How do you destroy the indestructible weapon?

"Warrior Dreams" by Cinda Williams Chima: One crazy human warrior may be the last chance for the creatures of fey around the lakes.

"The Magician and the Maid and Other Stories" by Christie Yant: The fairy tale twisted into our world, the power of love brought two together, but the power of stories may bind them apart.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what it says on the cover, though Sean Wallace does a bang-up job of putting together an anthology of reprints that's entertaining and diverse. I particularly enjoyed Yoon Ha Lee's "Effigy Nights," Jay Lake's "Small Magic," and "A Sweet Calling," by Tony Pi. Oh, and "The Word of Azrael," by Matthew David Surridge. But I suspect it's the kind of book that has something for almost every fan of short fantasy fiction.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a bit misleading, I would not classify this as a "mammoth" book, but rather a nice large collection of wizardly and warriorly deeds of daring-do that offers a bit of interest for all readers. There was only one story that I had already read in another collections, so that was a plus in the book's favor. Read and enjoy if you like seeing wizards and warriors of all stripes and flavors be put through their paces.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this collection of stories so much more than I expected to! I thought it'd be a nice filler between other books, but I couldn't put it down once I started.

In fact, the contribution from Benjamin Rosenbaum may very well be the best short story I've ever read. Loved it!! Couldn't stop thinking about it after I finished it, and I tried talking about it with friends, but talking about it really doesn't do it justice. It was such a delight in so many ways.

Great collection overall!

[K. 🦉 · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I didn't enjoy EVERY story in this book, I was glad to find new authors that I might not have come across on my own. There is a wonderful mix of stories that take you to different lands and interesting characters that will pique your interest. It is a big book, so you may want to pace yourself, you may be reading for awhile.

[Dawn Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, this was a difficult book for me to bring home strictly based on the cover. Blargh. However, inside I found many, many stories that have stuck with me and encouraged some new authors I'll search out again. One of the better collections in terms of diversity of characters and types of stories I've come across.

[Emmalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Some of the stories in here don't quite seem to fit the warrior and the wizard mark that's supposed to be the standard for this anthology. Some of the stories in here are really really good and some of them are just ok.

[Bethnoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the Tanith Lee story, she always surprises me.

[SmokingMirror · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanith Lee "The Woman in Red" This story is haunting me. In my view, among her best stories.