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Cover art realized

Raum grasped the man’s head in both hands and twisted it savagely. All could hear the loud popping sound as the man’s cries ceased. Raum twisted again, and to the horror of the onlookers, jerked the head free from the man’s thick neck. No one there, save Wulfgar, had ever seen such a brutal feat of strength. Raum now stood, drenched in blood, and held his grizzly trophy high

Just as Raum gained the knife, the struggling man’s teeth sink into his wrist. The knight bellowed more from rage than from pain. He thrust the knife down and through the hand gripping the ax haft, impaling it to the earth. Now it was the man who filled the night air with his screams and curses..

Instantly the big man gave a war cry and lunged toward Raum. The dark knight made no move to draw his sword, but instead fell to a crouch and launched himself forward into the man’s charging legs. With lightning speed Raum rolled to one side, avoiding the men’s falling bulk, before pouncing on him. He worked to free the knife from his foe’s grasp while his knee pinned the hand holding the ax to the earth.

On page 18 Nada explains how Raum arrived on earth because she witnessed it. However on page 20 Thorvald credits Wulfgar for stating this.

Is Thorvald confused or did the editor not catch this? I am certain it is the former.

“I know his name!” shouted Wulfgar before the shaken witch could answer. “The lady interprets her vision well. The creature’s name is Raum.”

“He is a god. . . a demon from the underworld, my lord, a creature of awesome power. . . and he has been here before. He entered the earth in this very land!”

Thorvald blinked in disbelief. He could not take Nada’s words as truth. Perhaps the old woman’s age had at last impaired her talents. “By what name is this creature called?”

“He comes!” the woman said, trembling. “He who is covered with the blood and death of others. He comes in a great ship with a winged death’s head as his crest. He comes in a cloud of ravens!

Wulfgar tensed at the woman’s words.

“Who is this bringer of death?” Thorvald questioned, his voice betraying his nervousness.

Another 70+ year old book I accidentally dropped and tore the cover from. Damn shame.

The print is tiny. The story thus far isn’t very exciting. I am looking for something more interesting for the interim.

We galloped over pathways carpeted with amber leaves, through yellow forests, where the sun shafts lit the woods to glory. We rose early, we halted seldom. We flung out an arc of outriders far to the rear to give us warning of pursuit.

So you may think of us for making so much haste to overtake our fate. Indeed, I think we would have halted then, and there, if we could even have imagined all that lay ahead.

The story breaks from first person pov for a chapter

He seized the amulet and held it above his head so that the device graven thereon pointed toward Krimpal.

I believe this is the illustration on the cover. A short decisive moment.

A scene much like the cover. The black tendrils were absent

Riddled with typos. Page 83 seems to omit the article A. More of the sentence could be lost but I don’t think so.

Reading the stories all-together and in sequence makes for a tedious read. This last story’s only item of interest was it introduced a character for the next story.

Wow! The Rexa didn’t have sex with her female companion. I didn’t know this was possible!

Though Pemba was short and without honed muscles, she appeared dangerous in ways only the worst witches could. By magic or mad medical practices, she had merged metal into her arms. Iron and copper conduits ran through her flesh, glimmering in the sun. While many mages favored the use of ores and crystals to enhance their spells, few were as damned to use their very bodies, sapping dormant energy from blood and bones

“Oh shit!” was my exclamation. My wife, in the other room, was very concerned. When I explained myself she was relieved that it wasn’t an emergency, but quickly grew bored with my recitation.

A character just stepped forth and I was completely shocked when I recognized him! he has not been named yet. I am grinning ear to ear. I haven’t felt like this in a long time.

Good on you, Mr. Feist!

Tim Akers has the best story this far

A very slow start but things are heating up

Thus far it remains an unsung anthology. Enjoying it quite a bit

*spoiler alert*

Quintessential S&S archetype. Bests everything the tower has to offer and when offered the world he refuses to share power with the sorceress when it is already within his power to take.

Troy!

Inviting in something from the outer dark