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Tales from the Magician's Skull #9
Tales from The Magician's Skull #9
"The Skull sayeth: Jones the Managing Editor informs me that this is the first regular issue with more than fifty percent of its contents supplied from our open submissions period during the 2021 year. Yet more treasures were discovered during that time period, marvels which I will one day share with you, so long as you send me the praise I am due and spread word of my glorious magazine!” It’s the newest issue of Goodman Games sword-and-sorcery fiction anthology series!" Featuring an all-new story starring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser—Pawn’s Gambit, by Nathan Long Includes stories by Enge, Lindberg, Teng, Ritzlin, and others. Cover art by fantasy legend Sanjulian. Seven new sword-and-sorcery stories from some of the top talent in the industry.
Editor’s Introduction by Howard Andrew Jones
STORIES
Three Festivals by James Enge
A Tale of Morlock Ambrosius • Kalx, brazen defender of the city, had left a trail of ruins in his wake. Morlock followed the trail until he passed the border of the city — the line that Zlynth had called the pomerium. By the time Morlock caught up to the brazen monster, Kalx was already outlined in scarlet f lames, fighting a cloud of Furies.
The Raven-Feeder’s Tower by Philip Brian Hall
The skeleton was held upright by a tall stake driven deep into the ground, to which support its spine was f ixed by leather bonds. The breastplate covered bare white ribs and the helmet’s visor protected merely the empty eye-sockets of a morbidly-grinning skull.
Blue Achernar by Tais Teng An
Homage to Clark Ashton Smith • Lady Magida had slept in the tombs of magicians so feared that their names had never been written down, walking into their death-dreams, leafing through their grimoires that had long ago turned to dust. When she strode through the necropolises the ghûls fled like whimpering hares.
Pawns’ Gambit by Nathan Long
A Tale of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser • The monks howled at this violation of their sacred place, and Mouser saw he had been incorrect when he had thought them all unarmed. From every sleeve sprang a dagger, and they held them high as they rushed to encircle him.
Orphan Maker by S.E. Lindberg
Dyscrasia Fiction: “It is her time to sacrifice,” Ingrid explained while adjusting her mother’s hair. “Ma resisted. She escaped from the Bleeding Tree.” She laughed while shrugging. “But her blood is stronger than her faith!”
The Necromancer and the Forgotten Hero by D.M. Ritzlin
The wound was still fresh, but not a drop of blood escaped from it. Hyallbor wondered what sort of necromantical energies were sustaining him.
The Glass Dragon by David Gullen
Rhayder staggered grey-skinned from the mouth of a labyrinth of seventy-seven turns wielding a felling axe with a head of star-forged iron.
ARTICLES
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
INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS: Chris Arneson, Randy Broecker, Samuel Dillon, Jason Edwards, Tom Galambos, Doug Kovacs, Aaron Kreader, Brad McDevitt, Stefan Poag
Editor’s Introduction by Howard Andrew Jones
STORIES
Three Festivals by James Enge
A Tale of Morlock Ambrosius • Kalx, brazen defender of the city, had left a trail of ruins in his wake. Morlock followed the trail until he passed the border of the city — the line that Zlynth had called the pomerium. By the time Morlock caught up to the brazen monster, Kalx was already outlined in scarlet f lames, fighting a cloud of Furies.
The Raven-Feeder’s Tower by Philip Brian Hall
The skeleton was held upright by a tall stake driven deep into the ground, to which support its spine was f ixed by leather bonds. The breastplate covered bare white ribs and the helmet’s visor protected merely the empty eye-sockets of a morbidly-grinning skull.
Blue Achernar by Tais Teng An
Homage to Clark Ashton Smith • Lady Magida had slept in the tombs of magicians so feared that their names had never been written down, walking into their death-dreams, leafing through their grimoires that had long ago turned to dust. When she strode through the necropolises the ghûls fled like whimpering hares.
Pawns’ Gambit by Nathan Long
A Tale of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser • The monks howled at this violation of their sacred place, and Mouser saw he had been incorrect when he had thought them all unarmed. From every sleeve sprang a dagger, and they held them high as they rushed to encircle him.
Orphan Maker by S.E. Lindberg
Dyscrasia Fiction: “It is her time to sacrifice,” Ingrid explained while adjusting her mother’s hair. “Ma resisted. She escaped from the Bleeding Tree.” She laughed while shrugging. “But her blood is stronger than her faith!”
The Necromancer and the Forgotten Hero by D.M. Ritzlin
The wound was still fresh, but not a drop of blood escaped from it. Hyallbor wondered what sort of necromantical energies were sustaining him.
The Glass Dragon by David Gullen
Rhayder staggered grey-skinned from the mouth of a labyrinth of seventy-seven turns wielding a felling axe with a head of star-forged iron.
ARTICLES
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
INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS: Chris Arneson, Randy Broecker, Samuel Dillon, Jason Edwards, Tom Galambos, Doug Kovacs, Aaron Kreader, Brad McDevitt, Stefan Poag
84 pages, Toy
Published October 1, 2022
About the author
Howard Andrew Jones
70 books379 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 30, 2023
A wide range of storytelling in this issue. David Gullen's "The Glass Dragon" was absolutely beautiful. Nathan Long's "Pawns' Gambit" was well-played. And S.E. Lindberg's "Orphan Maker" was bloody fierce!
January 9, 2023
TftMS has become the premier source for Weird Fiction; a far truer heir to Weird Tales than the current reincarnation of that ancient mag. Issue 9 is interesting as it was largely composed of tales submitted during an open call, so while the Morlock Ambrosius tale by Jason Enge and the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser pastiche by Jason are commissioned texts, the others all are from the dreaded 'slush pile'.
And yet, this is one of the Skull's strongest issues, with quite a bit of diversity. "The Raven-Feeder’s Tower" by Philip Brian Hall is an historical tale that plays with the Siegfried saga in a new way, whereas "Blue Achernar" by Tais Teng An is a somewhat tongue in cheek tale set in Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique that does not have his idiosyncratically lush prose but certainly his vibe.
In some ways, DM Ritzlin's tales of a famed necromancer are even more in a CAS-vein, with a healthy-dose of Brian McNaughton and "The Necromancer and the Forgotten Hero" continues that cycle in the same vein.
"Orphan Maker" by S.E. Lindberg is set in his Dyscrasia setting and although you don't need to be versed in that world to understand this story, about an ancient hero brought back as little more than an animated skeleton, to stop his decidedly less savory brother from being reanimated as well, there are some references and setting details that may be a bit hard to parse if you are not.
But more me the standout find was "The Glass Dragon" by David Gullen which is surprising as I usually prefer my S&S decidedly on the low magic end of things -- and that generally precludes things like dragons made of living glass. But this was a real jewel that packs an amazing amount of world-building, characterization, and two different magical systems into one story that is both a standalone and a teaser of more to come -- which I hope we will see in the pages of future issues of the Skull.
A very strong issue!
And yet, this is one of the Skull's strongest issues, with quite a bit of diversity. "The Raven-Feeder’s Tower" by Philip Brian Hall is an historical tale that plays with the Siegfried saga in a new way, whereas "Blue Achernar" by Tais Teng An is a somewhat tongue in cheek tale set in Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique that does not have his idiosyncratically lush prose but certainly his vibe.
In some ways, DM Ritzlin's tales of a famed necromancer are even more in a CAS-vein, with a healthy-dose of Brian McNaughton and "The Necromancer and the Forgotten Hero" continues that cycle in the same vein.
"Orphan Maker" by S.E. Lindberg is set in his Dyscrasia setting and although you don't need to be versed in that world to understand this story, about an ancient hero brought back as little more than an animated skeleton, to stop his decidedly less savory brother from being reanimated as well, there are some references and setting details that may be a bit hard to parse if you are not.
But more me the standout find was "The Glass Dragon" by David Gullen which is surprising as I usually prefer my S&S decidedly on the low magic end of things -- and that generally precludes things like dragons made of living glass. But this was a real jewel that packs an amazing amount of world-building, characterization, and two different magical systems into one story that is both a standalone and a teaser of more to come -- which I hope we will see in the pages of future issues of the Skull.
A very strong issue!
May 2, 2023
TfTMS always delivers good stories and great art. I appreciated that a lot of the stories in this issue had a more comedic or light-hearted tone. I enjoyed The Raven-Feeder’s Tower, Blue Achenar & The Necromancer and the Forgotten Hero because of their humor and wit. Nathan Long’s Fafhrd and Gray Mouser pastiche was very funny too. And as much as I don’t like the idea of doing pastiches, in general, this felt really close to Leiber. Looking forward to more.
The other stories with more serious tones were also good. I always appreciate S.E. Lindburg’s wild imagination.
Good issue. If you like S&S you can’t miss out on this magazine.
The other stories with more serious tones were also good. I always appreciate S.E. Lindburg’s wild imagination.
Good issue. If you like S&S you can’t miss out on this magazine.
January 11, 2023
Another great issue of TFTMS, with loads of great sword-and-sorcery fantasy of the kind that is found in the famous Appendix N of Gary Gygax, the kind of fiction that inspired the creation of D&D. If you love fantasy, or D&D, or anything sword-and-sorcery adjacent, I'd highly recommend TFTMS!
August 6, 2026
More of a mixed bag than I expect from the Skull. Three stories fell flat for me. But there were two excellent stories by Nathan Long and D. M. Ritzlin. Interior illustrations were excellent as usual.
My thoughts on each of the stories:
Editor’s Introduction - the return to Gen Con for the first time since the pandemic. This is bittersweet reportage given that Howard Andrew Jones would only live a few more years. It’s great to see him in his element, though.
“Three Festivals” by James Enge (interior illustration by Chris Arneson)
I’m lukewarm about the Morlock Ambrosius tales, but this is a good one. Morlock seeks his missing phoenix in the dying city of Lopodysia. There, he must endure three strange festivals. The weirdness of Lopodysia was fun to read!
“The Raven-Feeder’s Tower” by Philip Brian Hall (interior illustration by Tom Galambos)
A historically-inspired tale of a knight on a quest to obtain the riches from a Jarl’s tower. A clash of two time periods playing on the Sigurd/Siegfried legend combined with the King Arthur legend. A good, mythic heroic fiction tale.
“Blue Achernar” (an homage to Clark Ashton Smith) by Tais Teng (interior illustration by Jason Edwards)
A warrior and his sorcerer cousin must protect their kingdom from an apocalyptic plot by a rival wizard-king. Duplicity is the agent in this very high-magic story. The ever expanding magical one-upmanship grew tiresome to me.
“Pawns’ Gambit” (a tale of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser) by Nathan Long (interior illustration by Doug Kovacs)
Another great Leiber Fafhrd and Gray Mouser pastiche by Nathan Long. Ningauble and Sheelba wager a bet over who is the most heroic, Fafhrd or Mouser. Manipulating the duo through dream visions, Fafhrd and Mouser plan heroic deeds that can’t go unnoticed they think. Reminiscent of “Lean Times in Lankhmar.”
“Orphan Maker” by S. E. Lindberg (interior illustration by Samuel Dillon)
A weird story about an animated skeleton that serves as the protector of a group of children in a keep. He ventures out to save a maiden in despair only to face his nemesis, his brother, in a corrupted glade. Lindberg calls this “Dyscrasia Fiction,” whatever that means. Short choppy sentences and an uninteresting world made me shrug at this story.
“The Necromancer and the Forgotten Hero” by D. M. Ritzlin (interior illustration by Randy Broecker)
An excellent tale of the necromancer, Xaarxool, in his youth. Xaarxool raises a great warrior from centuries past to protect him from a corrupt and decadent magistrate who wishes him dead. Interesting world and characters with bloody action to propel the story onwards!
“The Glass Dragon” by David Gullen (interior illustration by Samuel Dillon)
A sentimental fairy tale. A strange, seemingly mute girl appears on the coast and is taken in by a watchman who makes maze magic. They take in an orphaned, immature glass dragon. The girl and the dragon heal and grow until they’re needed for a great battle. A bit on the slow side and felt out-of place in a Sword & Sorcery magazine.
My thoughts on each of the stories:
Editor’s Introduction - the return to Gen Con for the first time since the pandemic. This is bittersweet reportage given that Howard Andrew Jones would only live a few more years. It’s great to see him in his element, though.
“Three Festivals” by James Enge (interior illustration by Chris Arneson)
I’m lukewarm about the Morlock Ambrosius tales, but this is a good one. Morlock seeks his missing phoenix in the dying city of Lopodysia. There, he must endure three strange festivals. The weirdness of Lopodysia was fun to read!
“The Raven-Feeder’s Tower” by Philip Brian Hall (interior illustration by Tom Galambos)
A historically-inspired tale of a knight on a quest to obtain the riches from a Jarl’s tower. A clash of two time periods playing on the Sigurd/Siegfried legend combined with the King Arthur legend. A good, mythic heroic fiction tale.
“Blue Achernar” (an homage to Clark Ashton Smith) by Tais Teng (interior illustration by Jason Edwards)
A warrior and his sorcerer cousin must protect their kingdom from an apocalyptic plot by a rival wizard-king. Duplicity is the agent in this very high-magic story. The ever expanding magical one-upmanship grew tiresome to me.
“Pawns’ Gambit” (a tale of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser) by Nathan Long (interior illustration by Doug Kovacs)
Another great Leiber Fafhrd and Gray Mouser pastiche by Nathan Long. Ningauble and Sheelba wager a bet over who is the most heroic, Fafhrd or Mouser. Manipulating the duo through dream visions, Fafhrd and Mouser plan heroic deeds that can’t go unnoticed they think. Reminiscent of “Lean Times in Lankhmar.”
“Orphan Maker” by S. E. Lindberg (interior illustration by Samuel Dillon)
A weird story about an animated skeleton that serves as the protector of a group of children in a keep. He ventures out to save a maiden in despair only to face his nemesis, his brother, in a corrupted glade. Lindberg calls this “Dyscrasia Fiction,” whatever that means. Short choppy sentences and an uninteresting world made me shrug at this story.
“The Necromancer and the Forgotten Hero” by D. M. Ritzlin (interior illustration by Randy Broecker)
An excellent tale of the necromancer, Xaarxool, in his youth. Xaarxool raises a great warrior from centuries past to protect him from a corrupt and decadent magistrate who wishes him dead. Interesting world and characters with bloody action to propel the story onwards!
“The Glass Dragon” by David Gullen (interior illustration by Samuel Dillon)
A sentimental fairy tale. A strange, seemingly mute girl appears on the coast and is taken in by a watchman who makes maze magic. They take in an orphaned, immature glass dragon. The girl and the dragon heal and grow until they’re needed for a great battle. A bit on the slow side and felt out-of place in a Sword & Sorcery magazine.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews