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Guilds & Glaives
Stop right there! If you like your fantasy filled with fellowships and noble quests, this anthology is not for you. And if you love lengthy tales of politics and power, then it won't be to your taste either. But if you like a little intimacy with your evil, and your vengeance short and sweet, with perhaps a pinch of silliness in the witchcraft, then these fourteen delicious sweetmeats of sword and sorcery will prove right up your alley. And it will be a dank, twisting, fetid alley, too.
Table of Contents
Introduction by S.C. Butler
© 2018 by S.C. Butler
“In the Asps’ Nest” by Lawrence Harding
© 2018 by Lawrence Harding
“The Sword and the Djinn” by Howard Andrew Jones
© 2018 by Howard Andrew Jones
“Honors Among Thieves” by Esther Friesner
© 2018 by Esther Friesner
“Rainbow Dark” by Jenna Rhodes
© 2018 by Rhondi Vilott Salsitz
“The Three Assassins of Lord Slaughter” by Gini Koch (writing as Anita Ensal)
© 2018 by Jeanne Cook
“Footprints of the Hound” by Violette Malan
© 2018 by Violette Malan
“The Witch That Wasn’t” by Leah Webber
© 2018 by Leah Webber
“Oathbreaker” by David Farland
© 2018 by John David Wolverton
“Blood and Onyx” by R.K. Nickel
© 2018 by Russ Nickel
“The Charter” by Ashley McConnell
© 2018 by Ashley McConnell
“Guild of the Ancients” by D.B. Jackson
© 2018 by D.B. Jackson
“The Cage at the End of the World” by James Enge
© 2018 by James Enge
“Assassinsssss” by Jason Palmatier
© 2018 by Jason Palmatier
“Those Who Look Back” by Amelia Sirina
© 2018 by Maria Bashkueva
About the Authors
About the Editors
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
Introduction by S.C. Butler
© 2018 by S.C. Butler
“In the Asps’ Nest” by Lawrence Harding
© 2018 by Lawrence Harding
“The Sword and the Djinn” by Howard Andrew Jones
© 2018 by Howard Andrew Jones
“Honors Among Thieves” by Esther Friesner
© 2018 by Esther Friesner
“Rainbow Dark” by Jenna Rhodes
© 2018 by Rhondi Vilott Salsitz
“The Three Assassins of Lord Slaughter” by Gini Koch (writing as Anita Ensal)
© 2018 by Jeanne Cook
“Footprints of the Hound” by Violette Malan
© 2018 by Violette Malan
“The Witch That Wasn’t” by Leah Webber
© 2018 by Leah Webber
“Oathbreaker” by David Farland
© 2018 by John David Wolverton
“Blood and Onyx” by R.K. Nickel
© 2018 by Russ Nickel
“The Charter” by Ashley McConnell
© 2018 by Ashley McConnell
“Guild of the Ancients” by D.B. Jackson
© 2018 by D.B. Jackson
“The Cage at the End of the World” by James Enge
© 2018 by James Enge
“Assassinsssss” by Jason Palmatier
© 2018 by Jason Palmatier
“Those Who Look Back” by Amelia Sirina
© 2018 by Maria Bashkueva
About the Authors
About the Editors
Acknowledgments
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2018
3 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
S.C. Butler
20 books7 followersS. C. Butler was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the middle of the last century, which really isn’t so very long ago. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, with no dogs, no cats, and certainly no shape-shifting bears.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 19, 2018
Guilds and Glaives edited by S.C. Butler
****3.8****
Actual rating of twelve books (two I skipped so I didn't count them towards my overall rating) came out to 3.79 so I rounded up to 4.
A very interesting assortment of short stories. Lots of both Guilds and Glaives present.
My favorites from this anthology are:
Book Six:
Footprints of the Hound by Violette Malan 4.5 Stars
This book is the reason I bought the anthology. I wanted more Dhulyn and Parno and Malan didn't disappoint!
Book Seven:
The Witch That Wasn't by Leah Webber 5 stars
A hilarious case of , told with humour, both engaging and clever. Really liked this one.
Book Nine:
Blood and Onyx by R.K. Nickel 4.5 stars
Just plain cool body swapping blood magic. Give me more!
Book Thirteen:
Assassinsssss by Jason Palmatier 4 stars
I didn't really expect to like this one about teenage assassins and BAFE (Best Assassin Friend Ever!) but it was actually pretty interesting and funny to boot!
Book Fourteen:
Those Who Look Back by Amelia Sirina 4.5 stars
Such and interesting concept for a magic system, I'm not actually 100% sure I understood it all but I would love to read more on this and get a better grasp of it.
While short stories aren't normally my thing, I'm glad Ms. Malan wrote for this anthology because I got some really fun reads out of it aside from hers. Lots of the other books were enjoyable as well but I've only listed my favorites (ones above 4 stars) here.
****3.8****
Actual rating of twelve books (two I skipped so I didn't count them towards my overall rating) came out to 3.79 so I rounded up to 4.
A very interesting assortment of short stories. Lots of both Guilds and Glaives present.
My favorites from this anthology are:
Book Six:
Footprints of the Hound by Violette Malan 4.5 Stars
This book is the reason I bought the anthology. I wanted more Dhulyn and Parno and Malan didn't disappoint!
Book Seven:
The Witch That Wasn't by Leah Webber 5 stars
A hilarious case of , told with humour, both engaging and clever. Really liked this one.
Book Nine:
Blood and Onyx by R.K. Nickel 4.5 stars
Just plain cool body swapping blood magic. Give me more!
Book Thirteen:
Assassinsssss by Jason Palmatier 4 stars
I didn't really expect to like this one about teenage assassins and BAFE (Best Assassin Friend Ever!) but it was actually pretty interesting and funny to boot!
Book Fourteen:
Those Who Look Back by Amelia Sirina 4.5 stars
Such and interesting concept for a magic system, I'm not actually 100% sure I understood it all but I would love to read more on this and get a better grasp of it.
While short stories aren't normally my thing, I'm glad Ms. Malan wrote for this anthology because I got some really fun reads out of it aside from hers. Lots of the other books were enjoyable as well but I've only listed my favorites (ones above 4 stars) here.
July 1, 2025
Not a Sword & Sorcery anthology by any stretch. It has a few, 5 if I'm being lenient. It also has 4 silly stories that pretty much are time wasters, 1 I couldn't even finish. So don't believe the cover text that says "a pinch of silliness" and "14 delicious sweetmeats of Sword and Sorcery." In fact, that 'sweetmeats' bit should have warned me: no one uses that word for true S&S tales.
So less than 50% S&S. The anthology does open strong with 2 of the best stories from Jones and Harding. Rhodes, Malan, and Nickel deliver the other good to passable Sword & Sorcery.
Good fantasy stories that aren't S&S come from Webber, McConnell, Jackson, Sirina. The others? Meh to skippable.
So less than 70% success as a fantasy anthology and barely over a third successfully Sword & Sorcery. Gotta go less than 3 stars baby.
So less than 50% S&S. The anthology does open strong with 2 of the best stories from Jones and Harding. Rhodes, Malan, and Nickel deliver the other good to passable Sword & Sorcery.
Good fantasy stories that aren't S&S come from Webber, McConnell, Jackson, Sirina. The others? Meh to skippable.
So less than 70% success as a fantasy anthology and barely over a third successfully Sword & Sorcery. Gotta go less than 3 stars baby.
July 3, 2020
The anthology was full of crisp, readable and action-oriented stories. I breezed through them at a steady pace, enjoying the following works to the greatest extent:
1. Esther Friesner's 'Honor Among Thieves'
2. Gini Koch's 'The Three Assassins of Lord Slaughter'
3. Violette Malan's 'Footprints of the Hound'
4. Leah Webber's 'The Witch That Wasn't'
5. Jason Palmatier's 'Assassinsssss'.
These stories had the right mix of adventure and dark humour occasionally breaking into laugh-out-loud moments, without lessening the thrill or suspense aspects. Absolutely loved them.
Other stories were also solid and capable. Overall, this is definitely a volume that a lover of fantasy might enjoy.
Recommended.
1. Esther Friesner's 'Honor Among Thieves'
2. Gini Koch's 'The Three Assassins of Lord Slaughter'
3. Violette Malan's 'Footprints of the Hound'
4. Leah Webber's 'The Witch That Wasn't'
5. Jason Palmatier's 'Assassinsssss'.
These stories had the right mix of adventure and dark humour occasionally breaking into laugh-out-loud moments, without lessening the thrill or suspense aspects. Absolutely loved them.
Other stories were also solid and capable. Overall, this is definitely a volume that a lover of fantasy might enjoy.
Recommended.
June 27, 2018
Another truly excellent anthology collated and edited by the Zombies Need Brains team. I particularly liked the following stories (and wanted either sequels or prequels, and will definitely be looking for other stories by the authors concerned): Ashley McConnell - The Charter; Leah Webber - The Witch That Wasn't; Gini Koch - The Three Assassins Of Lord Slaughter; Violette Malan’s - Footprints Of The Hound; and Jenna Rhodes' Rainbow Dark.
(There were two stories I started but couldn't finish for different reasons, but I see no need to 'name and shame' the authors. What didn't work for me almost certainly works for others.)
(There were two stories I started but couldn't finish for different reasons, but I see no need to 'name and shame' the authors. What didn't work for me almost certainly works for others.)
March 18, 2024
Great collection of short stories. Refreshing read from novels.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews