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Whetstone #1
Whetstone: Amateur Magazine of Sword and Sorcery Issue One
WHETSTONE is an amateur magazine that seeks to discover, inspire, and publish emerging authors who are enthusiastic about the tradition of "pulp sword and sorcery." Writers in this tradition include (but are not limited to) the following: Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, Michael Moorcock, Karl Edward Wagner, and many more. "Pulp sword and sorcery" emphasizes active protagonists, supernatural menaces, and preindustrial (mostly ancient and medieval) settings. Some "pulp sword and sorcery" straddles the line between historical and fantasy fiction; at Whetstone, however, we prefer "secondary world settings" and other worlds liberated from the necessity of historical accuracy.
63 pages, PDF
First published June 12, 2020
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Jason Ray Carney
40 books76 followersJason Ray Carney, Ph.D. is a lecturer in popular literature and creative writing at Christopher Newport University; he is the author of the academic book, *Weird Tales of Modernity: The Ephemerality of the Ordinary in the Stories of Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and H.P. Lovecraft* (McFarland 2019) and the sword and sorcery collection, *Rakefire and Other Stories* (Pulp Hero Press 2020). He co-edits the academic journal, *The Dark Man: The Journal of Robert E. Howard and Pulp Studies* and is the editor of *Whetstone: Amateur Magazine of Pulp Sword and Sorcery.* He is the area chair of the "Pulp Studies" section of the Popular Culture Association.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 27, 2024
This is the first issue of the free Whetstone magazine of Sword and Sorcery. Yes, amateur is in the title, and some stories were better than others. The main point here is it was fun and free. A nice format for aspiring writers to show their talent.
September 24, 2020
A new Sword and Sorcery magazine! Ten stories to whet your appetite. Fledgling authors cutting their teeth, and you get to sample these delicacies for free. With no strings mind you. You have nothing to lose.
The stories present a variety of different styles and approaches to the genre. All are short, so no info dumping. Slim, trim, and to the point.
The Wizard's Demise would probably be my favorite. I relished the approach and the reversal of the point of view. Classic character roles but from a new angle.
Queslavalaka is an adrenaline thrill-ride. I could see this paired with just the right music. Cundar of Raelor is bad ass. What the heck is a queslavalaka anyway? Read this and you'll find out; you won't be disappointed.
The Temple of Vanas is a quieter, slower piece. The menace is lurking around the edges. Something is wrong. Orel knows this an is prepared. She's no slouch with a blade either. More adventures would be welcome.
As Repellant as I is fraught with darkness, death and despair. With help from an unexpected quarter.
Undying Thirst for Vengeance is not my favorite by Ritzlin (who also has a new book out now, Necromancy in Nilztiria) but it reminds you to be careful what you wish for.
Kauahoa and the Tattooed Bandit was different. Islanders use a form of tattoo magic.
A Thousand Words for Death is a dark story with plenty of despair. Eneko the Necromancer is a crafty bastard though. I would love to read more.
Totem and Stone is the story of a tribal people who worship a black totem. The totem is much more than it appears to be.
The Price seemed to be a David and Goliath type story. Although this reads like a brief glimpse at something quite larger.
The Stranger's Payment is the final story. I don't remember any names being mentioned; which I think adds a little something to it. What lengths would you go to to rescue a loved one from kidnappers? Cool way to wrap things up. Another favorite.
Issue Two is promised soon and I eagerly look forward to it.
Get your copy of Issue One @ whetstonemag.blogspot.com
Recommended!
The stories present a variety of different styles and approaches to the genre. All are short, so no info dumping. Slim, trim, and to the point.
The Wizard's Demise would probably be my favorite. I relished the approach and the reversal of the point of view. Classic character roles but from a new angle.
Queslavalaka is an adrenaline thrill-ride. I could see this paired with just the right music. Cundar of Raelor is bad ass. What the heck is a queslavalaka anyway? Read this and you'll find out; you won't be disappointed.
The Temple of Vanas is a quieter, slower piece. The menace is lurking around the edges. Something is wrong. Orel knows this an is prepared. She's no slouch with a blade either. More adventures would be welcome.
As Repellant as I is fraught with darkness, death and despair. With help from an unexpected quarter.
Undying Thirst for Vengeance is not my favorite by Ritzlin (who also has a new book out now, Necromancy in Nilztiria) but it reminds you to be careful what you wish for.
Kauahoa and the Tattooed Bandit was different. Islanders use a form of tattoo magic.
A Thousand Words for Death is a dark story with plenty of despair. Eneko the Necromancer is a crafty bastard though. I would love to read more.
Totem and Stone is the story of a tribal people who worship a black totem. The totem is much more than it appears to be.
The Price seemed to be a David and Goliath type story. Although this reads like a brief glimpse at something quite larger.
The Stranger's Payment is the final story. I don't remember any names being mentioned; which I think adds a little something to it. What lengths would you go to to rescue a loved one from kidnappers? Cool way to wrap things up. Another favorite.
Issue Two is promised soon and I eagerly look forward to it.
Get your copy of Issue One @ whetstonemag.blogspot.com
Recommended!
August 23, 2023
Whetstone is an amateur sword and sorcery magazine published twice a year. Issues are posted on the magazine’s website in PDF format and free to read. The stories are limited to between 1500 to 2500 words.
The first issue has ten stories. It was interesting reading such short stories and how each author handled the word limit. I enjoyed every story.
The first issue has ten stories. It was interesting reading such short stories and how each author handled the word limit. I enjoyed every story.
December 9, 2020
Loads of fun, a very nice first issue! Covers much of the appeal in S&S, both in contents and writer passion. While exactly what it claims (an ezine of amateur writers), it still contains two exemplary S&S tales that could easily appear elsewhere. Well done y'all.
October 1, 2020
Good assortment of stories with a couple standouts.
January 29, 2022
In this free 63 page PDF debut issue, edited by Jason Ray Carney, are 10 stories by: Géza A.G. Reilly, J.B. Toner, Kieran Judge, Chase A. Folmar, D.M. Ritzlin, Patrick S. Baker, Pedro Íñiguez, Chuck Clark, Steve Shaw, and Nidheesh Samant.
It’s a good collection of, like the title says, mostly amateur sword and sorcery tales, although a few truly could make it in professional magazines. The issues are free to download and the publisher wants folks to spread the word. They have a FB page and twitter presence, so follow along if you enjoy old style, pulpy S&S adventures. (The cover art gets better with every issue, btw. Not sure about the stories, as I’ve only read the first issue so far. Already downloaded the other 3 via Google Drive for later reading.)
Here’s a quick rundown of the stories and some thumbnail impressions (first three and the last were my faves)…
The Wizard's Demise (Reilly) is a Battle of the Ages story, but really an evolution of one hero-type to the next. Queslavalaka (Toner) excellent depiction of battle-lust and the result. The Temple of Vanas (Judge) is also good – a temple/priestess intrigue. As Repellant as I (Folmar) is dark and despairing, as it should be. Undying Thirst for Vengeance (Ritzlin) is a cautionary tale. Kauahoa and the Tattooed Bandit (Baker), a south pacific fantasy, different and intriguing. A Thousand Words for Death (Íñiguez) also dark and despairing. Totem and Stone (Clark) is a tribal tale of black magic. The Price (Shaw) pits two titans against one another. And The Stranger's Payment (Samant) has a nice set-up and twist; a solid concluding story.
It’s a good collection of, like the title says, mostly amateur sword and sorcery tales, although a few truly could make it in professional magazines. The issues are free to download and the publisher wants folks to spread the word. They have a FB page and twitter presence, so follow along if you enjoy old style, pulpy S&S adventures. (The cover art gets better with every issue, btw. Not sure about the stories, as I’ve only read the first issue so far. Already downloaded the other 3 via Google Drive for later reading.)
Here’s a quick rundown of the stories and some thumbnail impressions (first three and the last were my faves)…
The Wizard's Demise (Reilly) is a Battle of the Ages story, but really an evolution of one hero-type to the next. Queslavalaka (Toner) excellent depiction of battle-lust and the result. The Temple of Vanas (Judge) is also good – a temple/priestess intrigue. As Repellant as I (Folmar) is dark and despairing, as it should be. Undying Thirst for Vengeance (Ritzlin) is a cautionary tale. Kauahoa and the Tattooed Bandit (Baker), a south pacific fantasy, different and intriguing. A Thousand Words for Death (Íñiguez) also dark and despairing. Totem and Stone (Clark) is a tribal tale of black magic. The Price (Shaw) pits two titans against one another. And The Stranger's Payment (Samant) has a nice set-up and twist; a solid concluding story.
September 24, 2020
A good collection of amateur S&S. Standouts were Chuck Clark and DMR. The 5 page limit per story creates a very unique style of story telling.
September 14, 2021
While some of the stories are a little rough, for the first issue of a free amateur fantasy magazine Whetstone makes an impressively strong showing.
The issue puts its best foot forward with “The Wizard’s Demise” by Géza A. G. Reilly. While the premise is a fairly simple perspective reversal of the “barbarian stalks an evil sorcerer” premise, it’s cleverly written and just plain fun.
“The Temple of Vanas” by Kieran Judge is another highlight, with some nice twists, a paranoid feel, an a tough heroine.
D. M. Ritzlin’s “Undying Thirst for Vengeance” reads like a fantasy episode of The Twilight Zone. It has some excellent sword & sorcery names, too: Fanzubibar, Flargesht, Nilztiria.
While not every story took my breath away, there was at the very least something interesting about each of them. Some of the authors may lack experience, but even if one of this issue’s stories didn’t quite land right I was left looking forward to future work by them. It’s great seeing contemporary sword & sorcery fiction being promoted and new talent being cultivated, and this inaugural issue left me excited about subsequent installments.
The issue puts its best foot forward with “The Wizard’s Demise” by Géza A. G. Reilly. While the premise is a fairly simple perspective reversal of the “barbarian stalks an evil sorcerer” premise, it’s cleverly written and just plain fun.
“The Temple of Vanas” by Kieran Judge is another highlight, with some nice twists, a paranoid feel, an a tough heroine.
D. M. Ritzlin’s “Undying Thirst for Vengeance” reads like a fantasy episode of The Twilight Zone. It has some excellent sword & sorcery names, too: Fanzubibar, Flargesht, Nilztiria.
While not every story took my breath away, there was at the very least something interesting about each of them. Some of the authors may lack experience, but even if one of this issue’s stories didn’t quite land right I was left looking forward to future work by them. It’s great seeing contemporary sword & sorcery fiction being promoted and new talent being cultivated, and this inaugural issue left me excited about subsequent installments.
July 10, 2022
A solid and eclectic collection of S&S tales from new and unknown (to me, except for one) authors looking to hone their craft and storm the citadel.
This is free so go and download it now.
This is free so go and download it now.
November 12, 2021
While a little rough around the edges, a very good first issue for S&S goodness. I don’t typically read magazines, but S&S thrives in that format and you get nice taste of the different stories typical of the genre. I very much look forward to reading the next issues.
July 10, 2022
Whetstone's where it's at. They're doing Crom's work...or Mitra's.
Whatever, the content is always great!
Whatever, the content is always great!
January 15, 2024
These are action scenes, vignettes that show some cool action with a variety of moods. Some are fun and lighthearted, others enmeshed in the seriousness of death. A heads-up for those who feel as I do: two of the stories use modern cursing, which takes me out of the fantasy. While I wish they used words more appropriate to the setting, they were still excellent stories.
January 18, 2023
Solid magazine. Don't be put off by the "amateur" in the name. These are great stories, filled with action-oriented protagonists, quick to draw a blade. I particularly enjoyed "The Temple of Vanas", "Undying Thirst for Vengeance", "A Thousand Words for Death", and "Totem and Stone".
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews