Heroika: Skirmishers

Heroika #2

by Janet E. Morris, A.L. Butcher (Editor), Sean Poage

HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS Conflict is a constant. When force on force is inevitable only the intrepid need come forth. Summon the Skirmishers to their eternal purpose, to face a foe who must be opposed at all cost. Gird yourself and join the brotherhood of 'do or die.' Created by Janet Morris and edited by Alexandra Butcher, HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS is an anthology of desperate struggles in far flung time-scapes, the age old smell of battle and death. SKIRMISHERS --Tales for the bold among you!

Contents  
HABIRU by Michael H. Hanson
A HANDFUL OF SALT by Sean Poage
THE NAKED DAEMON by S.E. Lindberg
SOULS OF A LION by Tom Barczak
NITHING by Travis Ludvigson
IN THE SEASON OF RUST by Charles Gramlich
BLACK QUILL by Cas Peace
OLD GOLD by A.L. Butcher
A LION IN KAMERUN By Ken Kiser
THE PATROL by William Hiles
LA PORTE EN ARRIERE by Beth W. Patterson
DURENDAL by Bruce Durham

Genres: Fantasy

362 pages, Paperback

Published May 17, 2020

About the author

Janet Ellen Morris (born May 25, 1946) is a United States author. She began writing in 1976 and has since published more than 20 novels, many co-authored with David Drake or her husband Chris Morris. She has contributed short fiction to the shared universe fantasy series Thieves World, and edited the Bangsian fantasy series Heroes in Hell. Most of her work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written several works of non-fiction.

Morris was elected to the New York Academy of Sciences in 1980.

In 1995, Morris and her husband and frequent co-writer Christopher Morris founded M2 Tech. Since that time, their writing output has decreased in proportion to the success of the company, which works with U.S. federal and military agencies on non-lethal weapon systems and software.

Reviews

[S.E. Lindberg]

As per my tour guide on BlackGate.com, this post informs readers on the scope and contents of Skirmishers:

The Heroika anthology series is created by author and editor Janet Morris (known for her Heroes in Hell, Sacred Band of Stepsons, and Silistra  series). The first volume Heroika I: Dragon Eaters featured seventeen stories from across the globe, from ancient to modern times arranged chronologically. Black Gate reviewer Fletcher Vredenburgh reported: “Too many anthologies pick a tone and then it doesn’t vary from story to story. Heroika avoids that. Connected by the themes of heroism and dragon-fighting, it allows room for varying styles of mythic tales and heroic fantasy as well as all-out pulp craziness.” Heroika II: Skirmishers follows suit, this time with twelve heroic tales spanning ancient history to modern times, arranged chronologically again.

Most authors have a historical fiction bent, so Skirmishers really is 50% historical fiction and 50% fantasy. Brief forwards provide context to each story. This post offers a brochure-like tour guide of these battlegrounds.
The Official Blurb

HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS Conflict is a constant. When force on force is inevitable only the intrepid need come forth. Summon the Skirmishers to their eternal purpose, to face a foe who must be opposed at all cost. Gird yourself and join the brotherhood of 'do or die.' Created by Janet Morris and edited by Alexandra Butcher, HEROIKA: SKIRMISHERS is an anthology of desperate struggles in far flung time-scapes, the age old smell of battle and death. SKIRMISHERS --Tales for the bold among you!

So what is a skirmisher?
Each author and their primary hero(ine) were interviewed on editor A.L. Butcher's blog. Links are in the table, so peruse the contents to learn about each skirmish. So what is a skirmisher? From the interviews, we get these answers:

A skirmisher is typically a lightly armed soldier who relies on speed and maneuverability to be effective in battle, rather than heavy armor and weapons. While the goal of heavy infantry is to come to close battle with the enemy and slog it out, skirmishers try to out maneuver the enemy, hit and run, break up enemy formations, wear down the heavy soldiers and win in the long game. – Sean Poage

A Skirmisher, by definition, is one who goes forward, ahead of the lines, who seeks engagement alone with the enemy, that stands apart, ahead, to protect those that are behind them. They do this with steel on the battlefield, they do it with spirit on the battlefield of their soul. – Tom Barczak

Any soldier roaming ahead of the core army, usually shield-less. Includes heroic civilians caught behind enemy lines. – SE Lindberg

A Skirmisher is a fighter who engages in smaller battles where hit and run tactics can be used. They can serve as scouts to collect intelligence, and can also serve as a small, quick reaction force that can be used to harry the enemy and keep them unbalanced. A Skirmisher is a fast, smart, efficient fighter who knows how to hit the enemy hard before they can properly react. – Travis Ludvigson

TABLE of CONTENT and INTERVIEW LINKS

HABIRU by  Michael H. Hanson
~1175 BCE
Egypt, Mediterranean Shore
Battle with Egypt's Ramses III and Amnon of the Habiru (ancient Hebrew) tribe against the Sea Peoples.


A HANDFUL OF SALT by  Sean Poage
401 BCE
Anatolia (Turkey)
Experience the Anabasis ("The March of the Ten Thousand") with Gocha, a Taochi warrior of the Zurab tribe of Eastern Anatolia confronting the stranded Greek army of Cyrus the Younger.


THE NAKED DAEMON by S.E. Lindberg
~400 CE
Egypt, Alexandrian Library
Witness the birth of alchemical warfare as the pacifist Appollonius of Tyanna guards knowledge from Bishop Theophilus and the Roman military.


SOULS OF A LION by  Tom Barczak
73 CE ...and... 1943 CE
Masada, Israel and Warsaw, Poland
Join Lavi assassinate Romans and Nazis alike, while wrestling with doing what-is-right.


NITHING by  Travis Ludvigson
~990 CE
Greenland
Go Viking with Grimolf an outcast tracker who is not afraid to challenge the offspring of gods.


IN THE SEASON OF RUST by  Charles Gramlich
~1100 CE
Northeast, North America
Join the Wild Hunt of classic myths with Sheaugu, a Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) tracker, who could be predator or prey.


BLACK QUILL by  Cas Peace
~1100 CE

(dark ages)
Wessex, Britain
Resist religion and ancient creatures with the heroine Gytha, a cripple seeking sanctuary in an abbey.


OLD GOLD by  A.L. Butcher
~1500 CE

(dark ages)
Goldmead, Britain-analogue
Raid the tomb of a skirmisher god with Moira, an herbalist hunted by zealots of the god Arun.


A LION IN KAMERUN by Ken Kiser
1914 CE (WWI)
Cameroon, Africa
Hunt behind enemy lines for a dinosaur with Felix James Malory II, a tenured professor of Biology from the esteemed University of Cambridge.


THE PATROL by  William Hiles
1914 CE (WWI)
Sky above Europe
Survive an intense air-dogfight with a WWI Royal Flying Corps patrolman ambushed by German pilots.


LA PORTE EN ARRIERE by  Beth W. Patterson
~2010 CE
St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
Track a serial killer with “Pichou” an 11yr -old, free-wheeling girl who has a penchant for trouble.


DURENDAL by Bruce Durham
~2025 CE (or maybe next week!)
Spain, France
Wield swords with Grace Matthews, a peace-keeping soldier embroiled in an ageless conflict of madmen, jihadists, and duty-bound warriors.



Skirmishers is completely stand-alone from Dragon Eaters, but there are echoes from the first volume.  Will Hiles is back, but his "Patrol" has nothing do with his impressive "Red Rain" from Vol.1 that had a serpent rampaging the civil war; this round Ken Kiser has us encountering a different type of winged-beast in WWI Cameroon. Beth Patterson's Pichou is back, she's the adventurous teenager introduced to us in Vol 1.'s "La Bétaill".  "The Naken Daemon" is an indirect follow up to "Legacy of the Great Dragon" which revealed the creation of the mystical Emerald Tablet (the alchemical Philosopher's Stone, this time used for chemical warfare). Also, Cas Peace, Travis Ludvigson, Tom Barczak, A.L. Butcher and Bruce Durham have returned with swords drawn. Then there are veteran writers new to the Heroika ranks: already mentioned is Ken Kiser; Michael H. Hanson from the Heroes in Hell group opens the collection; Sean Poage explores the raw, untold history of vanquished heroes, and Charles Gramlich enters with poetic, genre-bending horror.

Each author has their own style, from frenzied-pulpy-madness, to darkly humorous, to plain entertaining.  Likewise, each time-period offers a different mythical aspect. As Fletcher indicated about the first volume, you can again expect wondrous stories, very varied in style but all focused on the theme. Heroika II: Skirmishers is available now in Kindle version, and paperback soon.

Heroika I: Dragon Eaters: The art of dragon killing: Dragons have been eating humans for centuries. Now heroes throughout history stalk their legendary foe. Learn how to hunt, kill, and eat the wild dragon. Never before has revenge tasted so good. A literary feast for the bloody-minded. In Janet Morris' anthology on the art of dragon killing, seventeen writers bring you so close to dragons you can smell their fetid breath. Tales for the bold among you.

S.E. Lindberg  resides near Cincinnati, Ohio working as a microscopist by day. Two decades of practicing chemistry, combined with a passion for the Sword & Sorcery genre, spurs him to write adventure fictionalizing the alchemical humors (under the banner Dyscrasia Fiction). With  Perseid Press , he writes weird tales in the same vein (Heroika and Heroes in Hell series). He co-moderates the  Sword & Sorcery group on Goodreads , and invites all to participate. He enjoys studying Aikido and creates all sorts of fine art in the family workshop. Touch base via  Facebook  or  Twitter .

[Sean Poage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following on from Heroika: Dragon Eaters, this new anthology, Heroika: Skirmishers, continues with a new theme: the shieldless warrior or skirmisher. Twelve authors, each contributing an original, and very unique, story ranging in time from ancient Egypt through to the modern era. Wits and skill over brute force! This was a blast to read. I love the variety and imagination. Highly recommended!