Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" discussion

I was stewing about getting a poll together for the July-Aug topics.
New Edge S&S has been a hot topic lately... spurred on by Scott Oden and others like Oliver:

Putting a NEW EDGE on an Old Blade
https://scottoden.wordpress.com/2022/...


New Edge S&S Guest Post: Oliver Brackenbury
https://scottoden.wordpress.com/2022/...


This, and a few folks have been direct messaging me about contemporary S&S authors.

So.... I was considering making July-Aug a "New Edge S&S" topic, and we can use the Poll to nominate/declare books that folks could or intend-to read (kinda like we do with the Anthology topic in Jan-Feb period.

Defining New Edge wouldn't have to be too tricky. It would basically be S&S published in >2000 (or something like that....i.e. it would mean "not the classic 1930-1980" offerings).

Thoughts?

Are there other topics that would be desired? Like this idea?

I like any idea that affords me the chance to discover someone/something new.

Count me in, swordbrother. Great idea. I'm always wanting to pull the spotlight over to shine on S&S authors of the present.

May I recommend....

Frolic on the Amaranthyn by Chase A. Former

The Red Man and Others by Angeline B. Adams and Remco Van Straten

Swords of the Four Winds by Dariel Quiogue

Hag of the Hills by JTT Ryder

Issue #4 of Whetstone Magazine would be a cool, free way to sample several current authors

Not free, but #7 of Tales from the Magician's Skull would also be good for that.

If Oliver is gonna rec some stuff I'm gonna have to do the same! ⚔️🗡️⚔️

Thune's Vision by Schuyler Hernstrom

Out of the Garden and Other Tales of the Barbarian Kabar of El Hazzar by Angeline Hawkes

Azaroth & Sefalin by Leonard Mokos

The Servant of the Manthycore by Michael Ehart

Blood Bound by Sarah Cawkwell

The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones

The Best of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly: Volume 1, 2009-2011 edited by Adrian Simmons

Savage Realms Monthly: January 2021

Ah ok crew... hold on. This is good. Lol. Just wanted to see if we had passion to propose the New Edge topic,

So it seems a "go!"

Allow me a few days to get the poll together. We can add books to that list.

Recall, the poll is not really a poll....but a means to share what we all plan to read. Also, I can repopulate the list with some of thee suggestions above.

Future, but related idea: group read of publications such as Whetstone, TftMS, etc.. @Seth, we have done this idea before, but I feel t is important that we, the fans and consumers, support these products so they do not fade away.

If the vehicle has no wheels, you can put as much gas in the tank as you wish, but t isn’t going anywhere.

those count as new edge too...but we could focus on them

The July August "2-month spotlight/groupread" will be New Edge (i.e. contemporary) S&S. What "new" S&S will you be reading? Write-in "answers" to this poll to grow the list.

Your mission (when July arrives): explore a new S&S author (and/or magazine). And, chime in...but let us not get mired is "what is" or "what is not S&S." Share where you think the genre is going, or can go.


Link to the "poll" which has no winners but dose broadcast what can/will be read: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/8...

You can only vote for one thing on the list. This is a weakness.