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Tales from the Magician's Skull #6
Tales from the Magician's Skull #6
Tales From The Magician’s Skull is a magazine of all-new swords & sorcery fiction. Issue #6 features cover art by Doug Kovacs of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser as we launch our new series of stories set in Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar! Licensed by Leiber’s estate, these new stories and novellas faithfully expand upon the legendary tales of Lankhmar’s most famous duo.
STORIES
Calicask’s Woman by John Hocking
A TALE OF THE KING’S BLADE • “I can’t hold them back for long,” gasped the apprentice. His face had gone pallid and sweat dripped from his chin. “Stand by the opening and try to take them one at a time. Perhaps we can… where are you going?!”
The Feathered Shroud by Howard Andrew Jones
A TALE OF HANUVAR • The water behind the soldier erupted, and Hanuvar lunged past him to jam the pitchfork at a shovel-shaped reptilian head. The tines bit deep, and the dark water reddened.
Guilty Creatures by Nathan Long
A TALE OF FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER • In the circle, Mouser stared cross-eyed at the tip of Kalphin’s blade, knowing death was coming to him at last.
Shadows of a Forgotten Queen by Greg Mele
I’ve seen a maiden’s veins opened as she is led through the fields, watering the new crops with her life’s blood in honor of Majawl, Our Lady of Maize, and lit my own father’s funeral pyre. But what manner of man owned books made of human flesh?
Cold in Blood by James Enge
A STORY OF MORLOCK AMBROSIUS • She moved with a lithe, muscular dancer’s grace as she walked around him to enter the room. Her hair was a waterfall of starless night. Her eyes were the stars, shining with tears. Morlock had seen a more beautiful woman, but not recently.
Isle of Fog by Violette Malan
Dhulyn judged from the way his mouth moved now that he was screaming. That was easy to fix, she thought, as she brought her sword up and sent the head bouncing and rolling across the tiled floor.
ARTICLES
A Profile of Fritz Leiber by Michael Curtis
Leiber replied, “I feel more certain than ever [that this field] should be called the sword-and-sorcery story.” And thus a sub-genre, while not quite newly born, received a name for the first time…
The Monster Pit by Terry Olson
Enter the monster pit! Down here in the pit, we provide tabletop RPG fans with playable DCC RPG game statistics for the creatures in this issue of Tales From The Magician’s Skull.
The Skull Speaks by The Skull Himself
STORIES
Calicask’s Woman by John Hocking
A TALE OF THE KING’S BLADE • “I can’t hold them back for long,” gasped the apprentice. His face had gone pallid and sweat dripped from his chin. “Stand by the opening and try to take them one at a time. Perhaps we can… where are you going?!”
The Feathered Shroud by Howard Andrew Jones
A TALE OF HANUVAR • The water behind the soldier erupted, and Hanuvar lunged past him to jam the pitchfork at a shovel-shaped reptilian head. The tines bit deep, and the dark water reddened.
Guilty Creatures by Nathan Long
A TALE OF FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER • In the circle, Mouser stared cross-eyed at the tip of Kalphin’s blade, knowing death was coming to him at last.
Shadows of a Forgotten Queen by Greg Mele
I’ve seen a maiden’s veins opened as she is led through the fields, watering the new crops with her life’s blood in honor of Majawl, Our Lady of Maize, and lit my own father’s funeral pyre. But what manner of man owned books made of human flesh?
Cold in Blood by James Enge
A STORY OF MORLOCK AMBROSIUS • She moved with a lithe, muscular dancer’s grace as she walked around him to enter the room. Her hair was a waterfall of starless night. Her eyes were the stars, shining with tears. Morlock had seen a more beautiful woman, but not recently.
Isle of Fog by Violette Malan
Dhulyn judged from the way his mouth moved now that he was screaming. That was easy to fix, she thought, as she brought her sword up and sent the head bouncing and rolling across the tiled floor.
ARTICLES
A Profile of Fritz Leiber by Michael Curtis
Leiber replied, “I feel more certain than ever [that this field] should be called the sword-and-sorcery story.” And thus a sub-genre, while not quite newly born, received a name for the first time…
The Monster Pit by Terry Olson
Enter the monster pit! Down here in the pit, we provide tabletop RPG fans with playable DCC RPG game statistics for the creatures in this issue of Tales From The Magician’s Skull.
The Skull Speaks by The Skull Himself
- GenresFantasySword and Sorcery
80 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2021
1 person is currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Howard Andrew Jones
68 books370 followersHoward Andrew Jones was an American speculative fiction and fantasy author and editor, known for The Chronicles of Hanuvar series, The Chronicles of Sword and Sand series and The Ring-Sworn trilogy. He had also written Pathfinder Tales, tie-in fiction novels in the world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, published by Paizo. He was the editor of Tales from the Magician's Skull and had served as a Managing Editor at Black Gate since 2004. He assembled and edited a series of eight volumes of the short fiction of Harold Lamb for publication by Bison Books.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 25, 2022
Great issue, solid through and through. I particularly liked "Cold in Blood" by James Enge and "Guilty Creatures" by Nathan Long who really nails the essence of the Fafhrd/Mouser relationship which is at the heart of all of Leiber's great Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories.
September 6, 2021
Full disclosure -- I am one of the contributors to this issue, so in the interests of fairness, my review is based on everything BESIDES my story (Shadows of a Forgotten Queen) in this issue.
TftMS is a true Weird Tales style sword & sorcery magazine -- far more so than the latest reboot of WT, and I have been in love with it since #1. This issue has a number of strong issues, but this one is filled with particular gems.
I was a little slow to warm to John Hocking's stories of Benhus, the King's Blade, but I as a realized how he is slowly building a multi-layered character and royal court I became more and more of a fan. I loved his entry in Skull #5, which I think was the strongest, but "Calicask’s Woman" which appears here, is a close second, that has a baroque and ironic quality to it that reminded me of Vance's "Dying Earth".
I love Howard Andrew Jones' writing, and I love his "Hannibal-esque" Hanuvar tales most of all.
"The Feathered Shroud" is quite different from the recent stories -- a "no shit this happened while we were on the road" interlude story that starts off as a rescue story and becomes something quite different (or at least a rescue of another sort). I really enjoyed this tale; it isn't one of Hanuvar's more epic ones, and instead shows the fun an author can have with a developed character.
"Guilty Creatures" by Nathan Long is the real reason most people will hear about this issue, as it features A TALE OF FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER. Yup, first one in 23 years, second one that is a pastiche (Leiber died in 1993). Pastiche isn't easy (as the reams of bad Conan and Holmes pastiche has shown); pastiche done well can, however, truly delight (as the bits of good Conan and Holmes pastiche also shows). "Guilty Creatures", in which the Mouser comes up with a scheme to have our daring duo become part of a stage troupe so they can get inside the Sorcerers' Guild library, hits all of the right notes; from the plot to the wry humor that runs through it (including the Mouser's misadventures as an actor), to the bickering like an old married couple for which our heroes are famous. This is a very well-done homage that feels like Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story and is enough in a Leiberian voice to not jar, while not feeling forced -- but it is also just a fun story that would be lovely if the character's names were Fafnir and the Rose Rodent.
"Shadows of a Forgotten Queen" by Greg Mele is my own offering, and I will leave it to others to review.
"Cold in Blood" by James Enge is another Morlock Ambrosius story -- a very tight, short one that really carries the reader along. I'm as a rule not the target audience for Enge, whose Morlock stories always feel to me like they stray a bit too much into high fantasy for my tastes, but I enjoyed this story.
A really strong issue I am honored to have contributed to.
TftMS is a true Weird Tales style sword & sorcery magazine -- far more so than the latest reboot of WT, and I have been in love with it since #1. This issue has a number of strong issues, but this one is filled with particular gems.
I was a little slow to warm to John Hocking's stories of Benhus, the King's Blade, but I as a realized how he is slowly building a multi-layered character and royal court I became more and more of a fan. I loved his entry in Skull #5, which I think was the strongest, but "Calicask’s Woman" which appears here, is a close second, that has a baroque and ironic quality to it that reminded me of Vance's "Dying Earth".
I love Howard Andrew Jones' writing, and I love his "Hannibal-esque" Hanuvar tales most of all.
"The Feathered Shroud" is quite different from the recent stories -- a "no shit this happened while we were on the road" interlude story that starts off as a rescue story and becomes something quite different (or at least a rescue of another sort). I really enjoyed this tale; it isn't one of Hanuvar's more epic ones, and instead shows the fun an author can have with a developed character.
"Guilty Creatures" by Nathan Long is the real reason most people will hear about this issue, as it features A TALE OF FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER. Yup, first one in 23 years, second one that is a pastiche (Leiber died in 1993). Pastiche isn't easy (as the reams of bad Conan and Holmes pastiche has shown); pastiche done well can, however, truly delight (as the bits of good Conan and Holmes pastiche also shows). "Guilty Creatures", in which the Mouser comes up with a scheme to have our daring duo become part of a stage troupe so they can get inside the Sorcerers' Guild library, hits all of the right notes; from the plot to the wry humor that runs through it (including the Mouser's misadventures as an actor), to the bickering like an old married couple for which our heroes are famous. This is a very well-done homage that feels like Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story and is enough in a Leiberian voice to not jar, while not feeling forced -- but it is also just a fun story that would be lovely if the character's names were Fafnir and the Rose Rodent.
"Shadows of a Forgotten Queen" by Greg Mele is my own offering, and I will leave it to others to review.
"Cold in Blood" by James Enge is another Morlock Ambrosius story -- a very tight, short one that really carries the reader along. I'm as a rule not the target audience for Enge, whose Morlock stories always feel to me like they stray a bit too much into high fantasy for my tastes, but I enjoyed this story.
A really strong issue I am honored to have contributed to.
September 7, 2021
Tales from the Magicians Skull stays strong with each issue. This one will get lots of attention as it has a Fafhrd and Gray Mouser pastiche by Nathan Long that is approved by Fritz Leiber’s estate. Nathan Long writes that he hopes the fans will see it is a worthy homage. This fan did. Taking the Twain into the world of theater seems a wonderful choice, and with Leiber’s background, I’m shocked he never did so himself.
Doubtless there will be disappointed fans, perhaps even angry fans. With a cow as sacred as the Gray One and his hulking Northern partner, it is impossible to please all; however, Mr. Long won this fan over.
Issue six also sees the return of John C. Hawking’s Benhus. The dastardly King’s Blade is a favorite of mine. This tale of mysterious wands and wards does not disappoint.
Howard Andrew Jones returns his character of Hanuvar to the pages of the Skull. I like this series, and now that I have read books 1 and 2 of HAJ’s Ring-Sworn Trilogy, I am a fan of HAJ. Seek him out.
I cannot remember if Greg Mele’s Azatlan is new to TftMS, but new or not, his story delivers the stuff.
James Enge’s Morlock Ambrosius is definitely not new to the magazine (or elsewhere for that matter). I did not immediately warm to Enge’s Morlock tales, but this one was short, with just the right touch of bitter.
Violette Malan’s Mercenary Brothers have appeared before. I enjoy the adventures of Dhulyn and Parno. This might be the weakest story between the covers, but trust me, if this is the weakest link, than there is little room for complaint.
The included essay about Fritz Leiber by Michael Curtis is short, but sufficient and gives a good back on the history of the Twain and Leiber.
If you have not jumped onto the Tales From the Magician’s Skull bandwagon, this is a great starting point. Many of the characters repeat from issue to issue, but you will not be lost.
Doubtless there will be disappointed fans, perhaps even angry fans. With a cow as sacred as the Gray One and his hulking Northern partner, it is impossible to please all; however, Mr. Long won this fan over.
Issue six also sees the return of John C. Hawking’s Benhus. The dastardly King’s Blade is a favorite of mine. This tale of mysterious wands and wards does not disappoint.
Howard Andrew Jones returns his character of Hanuvar to the pages of the Skull. I like this series, and now that I have read books 1 and 2 of HAJ’s Ring-Sworn Trilogy, I am a fan of HAJ. Seek him out.
I cannot remember if Greg Mele’s Azatlan is new to TftMS, but new or not, his story delivers the stuff.
James Enge’s Morlock Ambrosius is definitely not new to the magazine (or elsewhere for that matter). I did not immediately warm to Enge’s Morlock tales, but this one was short, with just the right touch of bitter.
Violette Malan’s Mercenary Brothers have appeared before. I enjoy the adventures of Dhulyn and Parno. This might be the weakest story between the covers, but trust me, if this is the weakest link, than there is little room for complaint.
The included essay about Fritz Leiber by Michael Curtis is short, but sufficient and gives a good back on the history of the Twain and Leiber.
If you have not jumped onto the Tales From the Magician’s Skull bandwagon, this is a great starting point. Many of the characters repeat from issue to issue, but you will not be lost.
September 8, 2021
I took my time reading and re-reading this one (I wanted to savor it) - I really love sword & sorcery fantasy, and Goodman Games puts out a consistently excellent product with Tales From The Magician's Skull - highly recommended to all fans of such fiction! This one includes a Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story approved by the Leiber estate - the first new such story in decades, I believe - and it was really enjoyable. DCC RPG gamers get a nice extra, as always, since Terry Olson provides game stats for some of the wonders encountered in the stories (this one seemed very heavy on the monsters, in particular). Anyway, love swords & sorcery? Love DCC RPG? Love Appendix N? Then you owe it to yourself to check this out!
October 17, 2025
5 stars for consistency, in quality of storytelling and quality of Sword & Sorcery. Perhaps nothing worthy of rock star adulations, but a strong and fun issue overall. Hocking's and Long's tales take top spots for me.
Hocking, "Calicask's Woman": perhaps my favorite Benhus story, as he's not a prick in this one. Great premise, fun plot, nicely employed magics. Poor Benhus used up a great toy though - I look forward to him regretting this in the future.
Long, "Guilty Creatures": best F&GM story I've read in a long while. Humorous without being labored or overdone as so many of Leiber's stories are. Great subterfuge, cunning action and misdirection, and excellent emotional appeal - I especially feel sorry for the deceased sorcerer who should have received his justice. Fun storytelling.
Mele, "Shadows of a Forgotten Queen": Greg always pulls the reader into his world with spectacular and atmospheric description of weapons, clothing, actions, and words. And there was definitely sorcery here, and it's cool in its evocation and employment, and the enemy held real power too, making things dicey until the end.
Enge, "Cold in Blood": An enjoyable Morlock tale that occurs all in one evening. Bloody, cold, moody. I honestly don't know why Morlock doesn't off himself and put the rest of us out of his misery but every once in awhile he experiences something entertaining enough to enjoy.
Malan, "Isle of Fog": these soul partnered mercenary brothers are always cool. Spooky enemy environment and the atmosphere and setting are wonderful. A bit of a surprise in the denouement.
Curtis, "Of Swords and Scrivening": informative article about Fritz Leiber by someone who obviously loves the man's work. To say Leiber is the father of Sword and Sorcery -- how ludicrous!
Hocking, "Calicask's Woman": perhaps my favorite Benhus story, as he's not a prick in this one. Great premise, fun plot, nicely employed magics. Poor Benhus used up a great toy though - I look forward to him regretting this in the future.
Long, "Guilty Creatures": best F&GM story I've read in a long while. Humorous without being labored or overdone as so many of Leiber's stories are. Great subterfuge, cunning action and misdirection, and excellent emotional appeal - I especially feel sorry for the deceased sorcerer who should have received his justice. Fun storytelling.
Mele, "Shadows of a Forgotten Queen": Greg always pulls the reader into his world with spectacular and atmospheric description of weapons, clothing, actions, and words. And there was definitely sorcery here, and it's cool in its evocation and employment, and the enemy held real power too, making things dicey until the end.
Enge, "Cold in Blood": An enjoyable Morlock tale that occurs all in one evening. Bloody, cold, moody. I honestly don't know why Morlock doesn't off himself and put the rest of us out of his misery but every once in awhile he experiences something entertaining enough to enjoy.
Malan, "Isle of Fog": these soul partnered mercenary brothers are always cool. Spooky enemy environment and the atmosphere and setting are wonderful. A bit of a surprise in the denouement.
Curtis, "Of Swords and Scrivening": informative article about Fritz Leiber by someone who obviously loves the man's work. To say Leiber is the father of Sword and Sorcery -- how ludicrous!
October 31, 2021
Tales from the Magician's Skull #6 (Cover Illustration: Doug Kovacs) ramps up an already impressive line-up. Editor and author Howard Andrew Jones and publisher Joseph Goodman must be possessed by this Skull character, which is fine by me. Listen here to what the Skull has them creating:
Like the first five issues, the print copy of #6 is an ~8.5x11 inch masterpiece printed on high-quality, textured paper. Fully illustrated again, of course. PDFs have always been available too, but this issue is also available in ePub from the publisher. Also, this issue continues the great tradition of enabling readers to play RPG versions of the stories with statistics for items/characters provided by Terry Olsen.
And rise from your chair, mortal dogs (that's Skull speak), #6 has an officially licensed pastiche of Fritz Leiber's Fafhred and the Gray Mouser tales, brought to you by veteran writer Nathan Long. His story has the famous duo attempting to steal books from a secretive clan of sorcerers; honestly, it felt just like "Leiber," with an entertaining, weird adventure that works in humor to break the tension.
Hocking, Enge, and Malan continue to extend their series that have been anchors to the magazine to date. All the contributions are episodic (i.e. stand-alone). However, Hocking has a knack to impart more character progression with his Benhus than traditional, episodic action heroes of the pulps. His style is to ramp up slowly over a few pages, and then roll it into epic madness. Hocking delivers again as he had before. And Enge Morlock's character is a wonderful, troubled man; I feel empathetic and attached to him as he struggles with inner and real demons--great stuff. And Malan's Parno and Dhulyn make an entertaining pair of mercenaries.
Mele offers up his "Azatlan" milieu, which is akin to Robert E. Howard's Hyborian World (a harmonized blending of anachronistic European/North-African/West-Asian cultures), but with a focus on South/Meso-American flare. Necromantic rituals feel fresh here. This complements Howard's champion Hanuvar who goes undercover in the Dervan Empire (which radiates a Romanesque feel). Varied stories, characters, and lands make this a splendid issue.
TABLE OF CONTENTS with official snippets.
1) CALICASK'S WOMAN by John Hocking (A TALE OF THE KING’S BLADE): “I can’t hold them back for long,” gasped the apprentice. His face had gone pallid and sweat dripped from his chin. “Stand by the opening and try to take them one at a time. Perhaps we can… where are you going?!”
2) THE FEATHERED SHROUD by Howard Andrew Jones (A TALE OF HANUVAR)
The water behind the soldier erupted, and Hanuvar lunged past him to jam the pitchfork at a shovel-shaped reptilian head. The tines bit deep, and the dark water reddened.
3) GUILTY CREATURES by Nathan Long. A TALE OF FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER
"In the circle, Mouser stared cross-eyed at the tip of Kalphin’s blade, knowing death was coming to him at last."
4) SHADOWS OF A FORGOTTEN QUEEN by Greg Mele. A TALE OF AZATLAN
"I’ve seen a maiden’s veins opened as she is led through the fields, watering the new crops with her life’s blood in honor of Majawl, Our Lady of Maize, and lit my own father’s funeral pyre. But what manner of man owned books made of human flesh?"
5) COLD IN BLOOD by James Enge. A STORY OF MORLOCK AMBROSIUS
"She moved with a lithe, muscular dancer’s grace as she walked around him to enter the room. Her hair was a waterfall of starless night. Her eyes were the stars, shining with tears. Morlock had seen a more beautiful woman, but not recently."
6) ISLE OF FOG by Violette Malan. A DHULYN AND PARNO ADVENTURE.
"Dhulyn judged from the way his mouth moved now that he was screaming. That was easy to fix, she thought, as she brought her sword up and sent the head bouncing and rolling across the tiled floor."
ARTICLES
A PROFILE OF FRITZ LEIBER by Michael Curtis
Leiber replied, “I feel more certain than ever [that this field] should be called the sword-and-sorcery story.” And thus a sub-genre, while not quite newly born, received a name for the first time…
THE MONSTER PIT by Terry Olson
Enter the monster pit! Down here in the pit, we provide tabletop RPG fans with playable DCC RPG game statistics for the creatures in this issue of Tales From The Magician’s Skull.
THE SKULL SPEAKS by the Skull Himself
He asks us to prepare to celebrate Sword & Sorcery on October 23rd, 2021, a day slated to begin an annual Day of Might celebration.
Like the first five issues, the print copy of #6 is an ~8.5x11 inch masterpiece printed on high-quality, textured paper. Fully illustrated again, of course. PDFs have always been available too, but this issue is also available in ePub from the publisher. Also, this issue continues the great tradition of enabling readers to play RPG versions of the stories with statistics for items/characters provided by Terry Olsen.
And rise from your chair, mortal dogs (that's Skull speak), #6 has an officially licensed pastiche of Fritz Leiber's Fafhred and the Gray Mouser tales, brought to you by veteran writer Nathan Long. His story has the famous duo attempting to steal books from a secretive clan of sorcerers; honestly, it felt just like "Leiber," with an entertaining, weird adventure that works in humor to break the tension.
Hocking, Enge, and Malan continue to extend their series that have been anchors to the magazine to date. All the contributions are episodic (i.e. stand-alone). However, Hocking has a knack to impart more character progression with his Benhus than traditional, episodic action heroes of the pulps. His style is to ramp up slowly over a few pages, and then roll it into epic madness. Hocking delivers again as he had before. And Enge Morlock's character is a wonderful, troubled man; I feel empathetic and attached to him as he struggles with inner and real demons--great stuff. And Malan's Parno and Dhulyn make an entertaining pair of mercenaries.
Mele offers up his "Azatlan" milieu, which is akin to Robert E. Howard's Hyborian World (a harmonized blending of anachronistic European/North-African/West-Asian cultures), but with a focus on South/Meso-American flare. Necromantic rituals feel fresh here. This complements Howard's champion Hanuvar who goes undercover in the Dervan Empire (which radiates a Romanesque feel). Varied stories, characters, and lands make this a splendid issue.
TABLE OF CONTENTS with official snippets.
1) CALICASK'S WOMAN by John Hocking (A TALE OF THE KING’S BLADE): “I can’t hold them back for long,” gasped the apprentice. His face had gone pallid and sweat dripped from his chin. “Stand by the opening and try to take them one at a time. Perhaps we can… where are you going?!”
2) THE FEATHERED SHROUD by Howard Andrew Jones (A TALE OF HANUVAR)
The water behind the soldier erupted, and Hanuvar lunged past him to jam the pitchfork at a shovel-shaped reptilian head. The tines bit deep, and the dark water reddened.
3) GUILTY CREATURES by Nathan Long. A TALE OF FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER
"In the circle, Mouser stared cross-eyed at the tip of Kalphin’s blade, knowing death was coming to him at last."
4) SHADOWS OF A FORGOTTEN QUEEN by Greg Mele. A TALE OF AZATLAN
"I’ve seen a maiden’s veins opened as she is led through the fields, watering the new crops with her life’s blood in honor of Majawl, Our Lady of Maize, and lit my own father’s funeral pyre. But what manner of man owned books made of human flesh?"
5) COLD IN BLOOD by James Enge. A STORY OF MORLOCK AMBROSIUS
"She moved with a lithe, muscular dancer’s grace as she walked around him to enter the room. Her hair was a waterfall of starless night. Her eyes were the stars, shining with tears. Morlock had seen a more beautiful woman, but not recently."
6) ISLE OF FOG by Violette Malan. A DHULYN AND PARNO ADVENTURE.
"Dhulyn judged from the way his mouth moved now that he was screaming. That was easy to fix, she thought, as she brought her sword up and sent the head bouncing and rolling across the tiled floor."
ARTICLES
A PROFILE OF FRITZ LEIBER by Michael Curtis
Leiber replied, “I feel more certain than ever [that this field] should be called the sword-and-sorcery story.” And thus a sub-genre, while not quite newly born, received a name for the first time…
THE MONSTER PIT by Terry Olson
Enter the monster pit! Down here in the pit, we provide tabletop RPG fans with playable DCC RPG game statistics for the creatures in this issue of Tales From The Magician’s Skull.
THE SKULL SPEAKS by the Skull Himself
He asks us to prepare to celebrate Sword & Sorcery on October 23rd, 2021, a day slated to begin an annual Day of Might celebration.
March 13, 2023
Hocking's Benhus stories always make this magazine worth the price of admission. Howard Andrew Jones writes a great tale featuring his Hanuvar character, and then there is an intriguing tale by Greg Mele about the servant of a sorcerer. I hope to see more of these!
On top of this, a new Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story debuts! Author Nathan Long writes the tale in Fritz Leiber's stead and does an admirable job evoking the quirky nature of the original tales even while capturing the magic.
On top of this, a new Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story debuts! Author Nathan Long writes the tale in Fritz Leiber's stead and does an admirable job evoking the quirky nature of the original tales even while capturing the magic.
April 28, 2022
Another very good entry from a worthwhile magazine that all S&S fans should subscribe to. Thoughts on each story below, but I gotta say the production here is great, in terms of what the art, and the character stuff like "the skull speaks" adds.
Calicask's Woman by Hocking. The Benhus stories really connect with me. I always dug REH God in the Bowl. Mixing Conan with whodunnit really worked. Hocking continues in this tradition with his hard-boiled detective vibe stories in a S&S setting. These yarns would make a great monster of the week TV Show.
The Feathered Shroud by HAJ. I really love HAJ Dabir and Asim novels, and I think the Ringsworn trilogy is solid, but I think his writing comes most to life in short fiction. This story is just so polished and it feels like the edge of a perfectly sharpened blade, all puns intended. I really loved this one.
Guilty Creatures - by Nathan Meyer. So this is the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser Pastiche. I have a confession for S&S fans. Though some of the F&GM stories are amazing, in general I've never had the same admiration or love the series as most of the genre's fans. I think a lot of the stories are meh, and found the ones he wrote later in life deeply unpleasant. I also am not crazy about pastiches, I just don't like the idea of writing someone else's characters. Though I have enjoyed some pastiches. All this being said, I think this got the feel of F&GM down really well, and feels true to the source material. It's also a good story on its own, even if you had no prior knowledge of Fritz Lieber's work.
Shadow of the Forgotten Queen - by Greg Mele. I definitely think blending Mezoamerican culture influences works well with S&S. I am also a sucker for mummies. I enjoyed this one, but I think it felt a little bit too much like it was happening to the main character, and not enough that he was participating in the story. But it was good, and I hope to see more of this world.
Cold in Blood - by James Enge. I have to be honest, the Morlock Ambrosius stories in TftMS do not click with me. There's some really elegant prose in this story and the writing is excellent, but I have just found these ones not my cup of tea. Maybe it feels too 'contemporary' in that its very introspective and character internal monologue driven. That's just not my thing personally, but I admit my preferences in story telling are antiquated.
Isle of Fog - by Violette Malan. I really enjoyed this one. It's got the classic S&S buddy duo. There's a lot of whit to the story but it still keeps the horror of the genre. Its a great pair, a great story, and a good time.
Overall, I think all these stories are well crafted and this is some of the best S&S around. Definitely subscribe to the magazine...I need to catch up on back issues.
Calicask's Woman by Hocking. The Benhus stories really connect with me. I always dug REH God in the Bowl. Mixing Conan with whodunnit really worked. Hocking continues in this tradition with his hard-boiled detective vibe stories in a S&S setting. These yarns would make a great monster of the week TV Show.
The Feathered Shroud by HAJ. I really love HAJ Dabir and Asim novels, and I think the Ringsworn trilogy is solid, but I think his writing comes most to life in short fiction. This story is just so polished and it feels like the edge of a perfectly sharpened blade, all puns intended. I really loved this one.
Guilty Creatures - by Nathan Meyer. So this is the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser Pastiche. I have a confession for S&S fans. Though some of the F&GM stories are amazing, in general I've never had the same admiration or love the series as most of the genre's fans. I think a lot of the stories are meh, and found the ones he wrote later in life deeply unpleasant. I also am not crazy about pastiches, I just don't like the idea of writing someone else's characters. Though I have enjoyed some pastiches. All this being said, I think this got the feel of F&GM down really well, and feels true to the source material. It's also a good story on its own, even if you had no prior knowledge of Fritz Lieber's work.
Shadow of the Forgotten Queen - by Greg Mele. I definitely think blending Mezoamerican culture influences works well with S&S. I am also a sucker for mummies. I enjoyed this one, but I think it felt a little bit too much like it was happening to the main character, and not enough that he was participating in the story. But it was good, and I hope to see more of this world.
Cold in Blood - by James Enge. I have to be honest, the Morlock Ambrosius stories in TftMS do not click with me. There's some really elegant prose in this story and the writing is excellent, but I have just found these ones not my cup of tea. Maybe it feels too 'contemporary' in that its very introspective and character internal monologue driven. That's just not my thing personally, but I admit my preferences in story telling are antiquated.
Isle of Fog - by Violette Malan. I really enjoyed this one. It's got the classic S&S buddy duo. There's a lot of whit to the story but it still keeps the horror of the genre. Its a great pair, a great story, and a good time.
Overall, I think all these stories are well crafted and this is some of the best S&S around. Definitely subscribe to the magazine...I need to catch up on back issues.
December 27, 2023
Excellent issue! Tales from the Magician’s Skull is a high quality Sword & Sorcery magazine, from the stories to the paper it’s printed on. The standout story in this issue is the Fafhrd & Gray Mouser story by Nathan Long and approved by the Leiber estate. It’s really good. Other great stories include a new Benhus tale, “Calicask’s Woman” by John C. Hocking and a Hanuvar story by Howard Andrew Jones, titled “The Feathered Shroud.”
November 23, 2021
Another really good issue of this booklike magazine. I think the quality of its contents is actually improving, the new Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story is quite good, and there are many other interesting stories. They are broadening their focus away from "classic" sword and sorcery - a refreshing development.
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