Swords of Steel II

Swords of Steel #2

by D.M. Ritzlin (Editor), E.C. Hellwell, Byron A. Roberts

The Swordsmen of Steel return! Attacking once more now with twice as much strength, the most epic practitioners of the heavy metal arts fill another volume with tales of terror and heroic adventure. Swords of Steel II features stories by such artists as E.C. Hellwell (MANILLA ROAD), Byron Roberts (BAL-SAGOTH), Mike Scalzi (SLOUGH FEG) and Howie Bentley (CAULDRON BORN). A total of eight stories (each accompanied by an illustration) are contained herein, as well as two poems and an essay by David C. Smith (author of the Red Sonja and Oron novels). Don't read this book unless you have nerves of STEEL! Contents: Introduction: Where the Lifestream Touches Eternity by David DeFeis (VIRGIN STEELE) "The Forgotten City of Tehm" by E.C. Hellwell (MANILLA ROAD, HELLWELL) "A Voyage on Benighted Seas" by Byron A. Roberts (BAL-SAGOTH) "That Than Which There Can Be No More Terrible" by Michael Scalzi (SLOUGH FEG) "The Sword of Shaitan", poetry by Howie K. Bentley (CAULDRON BORN, BRITON RITES) "Mystery Believer" by Scott Waldrop (WALPYRGUS, TWISTED TOWER DIRE) "At the Crossroads: Swords, Sorcery and Heavy Metal", an essay by David C. Smith "Beneath Dead Lake" by Jeffrey Black (GATEKEEPER) "Red Ochre" by James Ashbey (SOLSTICE) "Vitiated Life", poetry by Alex A. Avdeev (BLACKSWORD) "Darke Manor" by Jaron Evil (ALMURIC, ARCHSPIRE) "The Heart of the Betrayer" by Howie K. Bentley.

Genres: Anthologies, Sword and Sorcery

182 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

D.M. Ritzlin founded DMR Books in 2015 with the aim of revitalizing sword-and-sorcery literature. DMR’s publications include reprints of classic material by authors such as Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith, as well as brand-new collections and anthologies by some of the finest fantasy writers active today.

A collection of his own stories, Necromancy in Nilztiria, was released in October 2020.
Nilztiria is a world of adventure and strangeness, peopled by lusty heroes and callous villains. The thirteen sword-and-sorcery stories presented in Necromancy in Nilztiria place the emphasis on sorcery and mix in a touch of gallows humor.

For more information on all of his projects, visit dmrbooks.com.

Reviews

[Jim Kuenzli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology was a little different than I expected. I liked The Forgotten City of Tehm by E.c. Hellwell, A Voyage on Benighted Seas by Byron Roberts, and Bentley’s Snake Man’s Bane story, The Heart of the Betrayer. Beneath Dead Lake by Jeffrey Black was also a decent read. The other stories were not my style.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I discovered this series and it's novel premise I was all in. I bought all three attractive 'classic' sized paperbacks and have slowly been making my way through them. In mid-October DMR books is set to release all three books as an omnibus with three new stories.

First of all a complaint, the print in this sucker is fine. Small. Hard on the eyes. Makes reading it a chore.

This anthology has a little bit for everyone. Several stories, several poems, and a very interesting essay written by the legend, David C. Smith.

My favorite story is the Forgotten City of Tehm. Caravan beset by bandits, our heroes are racing across the desert for their lives. Seeking sanctuary from the bandits and a sandstorm they decide to hide in some ruins. Ancient safeguards within the ruins may be everyone's demise.

Voyage on Benighted Seas is the second part of Byron Roberts' Blackthorne trilogy. Beneath the Dead Lake, Red Ochre, and Heart of the Betrayer are also worth a read. Although, Betrayer works best in Bentley's The Snake-Man's Bane.

The rest is just not for me. I don't dig poetry or verse and the remaining stories are more horror than S&S, with no swords in sight. This anthology, like the middle child it is, is quiet, dark, and unassuming.

[James T · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two stories are good. The rest are of varying quality. It's a bit better than the first volume overall but not as good as the third. Byron A Roberts story is the standout.

[Andrew Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a rollercoaster ride. Not really, but the first two stories were decent and then the content went down for my enjoyment, and then the last story picked it all back up. None of the stories were bad, just some uninteresting, or at least, they didn't fit in with what I was expecting for a heavy metal sword-and-swordery collection. David DeFeis' introduction does something for you on a cosmic level, making you want to sail the stars and connect to Eternity. Also it gets a little cliché in some regards, like he may be listing things directly from a How-to-Heavy-Metal handbook, or from his own songs. Moving on, I can see following up on more of Hellwell's Aiserian and Arcanian duo adventures, or Roberts' sea-wolves crew of the Starfire. Though I liked Bentley's Thannhausefeer’s Guest in The Infernal Bargain collection, I couldn't connect with his short poem here. Scalzi's ontological debate sounds like it is trying to give more weight to the negative than the positive of an omnipotent being, giving us no sword nor steel to enjoy, and I couldn't quite follow the purpose of Waldrop's metaphysical mystery, which is an elder telling listeners of his spiritual upbringing. Black's tale was quick with some swordsy action but I tend not to relate to atmospheres where it seems all the men are bad and the women victims. Ashbey's didn't have any sword or steel but the short read was actually interesting about the ancient prayer and burial practices of different cultures, involving the usage and believed power of red ochre dye. Also, the main character's transformation partnered with the author's dialogue on modern academics versus ancient practices echoed Robert E. Howard's travel-to-another-time-and-body tales. Evil's haunted house tale skirts psychosis of whether the narrator is a reliable story teller or suffering from substance abuse. Bentley's tale of revenge was actually really interesting, with an intriguing mythology, and some cool subtle connections/homages to Robert E. Howard characters/places (Yag-kosha, Yara in Arenjun, serpent men, Kull of Atlantis). The environment was a very dark and brutal place, and it's hard to find positivity in many of the main characters, as they were murderers or rapists, marauders or cannibals. Even the main woman sacrificed her own child, and also creates items out of children's skins. I also don't find it relatable, even if it's in the vein of Norse mythology, to cheer for a demon-type as the harbinger of justice. It's 2024, so I definitely feel I see more evil privileged people calling on darkness, not to right a wrong, but to wrong the righteous, not to bring liberation to the enslaved, but to enslave the liberators.