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Arcane Arts and Cold Steel: Writing Sword-and-Sorcery Fiction
Sword-and-sorcery is the modern descendant of the hero myth.
As a genre, sword-and-sorcery is urgent and one hero, one blade, carving a decisive path through vivid, hostile worlds crowded with magic and monsters.
In *Arcane Arts and Cold Steel*, David C. Smith teaches how to write sword-and-sorcery by breaking it down into its working parts. Drawing on nearly a century of fiction—from the foundations laid by Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber, to the gritty reinventions of Karl Edward Wagner and Charles Saunders, and into the "New Edge" renaissance pioneered by Howard Andrew Jones—Smith explains how the form achieves its distinctive power on the page.
Smith writes not just as a scholar, but as a veteran of the field. Author of *Robert E. A Literary Biography*, creator of the Oron saga, and co-author of the Ace Red Sonja novels, he examines character, setting, scene construction, plot, style, voice, and tone with an emphasis on practical application. The book concludes with direct guidance for writers ready to apply these techniques to their own work.
Part master class, part genre analysis, *Arcane Arts and Cold Steel* is written for authors who want to write bestselling sword-and-sorcery for a modern audience.
In *Arcane Arts and Cold Steel*, David C. Smith teaches how to write sword-and-sorcery by breaking it down into its working parts. Drawing on nearly a century of fiction—from the foundations laid by Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber, to the gritty reinventions of Karl Edward Wagner and Charles Saunders, and into the "New Edge" renaissance pioneered by Howard Andrew Jones—Smith explains how the form achieves its distinctive power on the page.
Smith writes not just as a scholar, but as a veteran of the field. Author of *Robert E. A Literary Biography*, creator of the Oron saga, and co-author of the Ace Red Sonja novels, he examines character, setting, scene construction, plot, style, voice, and tone with an emphasis on practical application. The book concludes with direct guidance for writers ready to apply these techniques to their own work.
Part master class, part genre analysis, *Arcane Arts and Cold Steel* is written for authors who want to write bestselling sword-and-sorcery for a modern audience.
312 pages, Paperback
Published December 24, 2025
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December 30, 2025
I was highly honored when David asked me to read an advance manuscript of this book. I totally enjoyed his walk through creating quality, high-octane Sword and Sorcery. When a longtime master shares insights, it behooves everyone interested in this topic and genre to sit down and read this book. As for those who desire/aspire to write their own Sword and Sorcery sagas and characters - you best buy this book today!
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