NOLA Bert’s Reviews > Tales from The Magician's Skull #9 > Status Update
NOLA Bert
is on page 50 of 84
“Pawns’ Gambit” by Nathan Long (Art 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.”
— Jul 14, 2026 08:38PM
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.”
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NOLA Bert
is on page 67 of 84
“The Necromancer and the Forgotten Hero” by D. M. Ritzlin (art 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.
— Aug 03, 2026 08:35PM
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.
NOLA Bert
is on page 59 of 84
“Orphan Maker” by S. E. Lindberg (art 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.
— Aug 02, 2026 08:23PM
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.
NOLA Bert
is on page 34 of 84
“Blue Achernar” by Tais Teng (art 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.
— Jul 08, 2026 08:34PM
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.
NOLA Bert
is on page 26 of 84
“The Raven-Feeder’s Tower” by Philip Brian Hall (art 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.
— Jul 01, 2026 08:19PM
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.
NOLA Bert
is on page 16 of 84
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
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.
— Jun 29, 2026 08:29PM
“Three Festivals” by James Enge
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.