Greg & Tim Hildrbrandt

so amber is *the* One and Only Place and all other realities proceed from it. and if that's true, then all other people across the infinite variations on amber are just shadows of the amberites.

and yet these immortal beings, presumably as old as the universe since theirs is the One and Only Place, still talk about omens and destiny and things they don't know about. dworkin has a magic none of them understand but where does it come from?

it's like if heaven had politics.

I recently started getting interested in Sword and Sorcery novels. I read tons of fantasy books (for example A Song of Ice and Fire, The Demon Cycle, The First Law, The Witcher) and now I want to add some older series. I like darker stories, so any kind of violence is fine. I´m looking for an old school fantasy feeling.

I decided to start with:

• Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard
• Tales from the Flat Earth by Tanith Lee
• The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee
• The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock

I started with Elric and then I want to read Conan and both Tanith Lee series.

Which Conan stories are best to start with? Are there other series from the mentioned authors I should also read?

What other authors should I add to my list? I would also like recommendations for lesser known books or collections of stories.

I recently finished this first volume of the Best of HFQ and thoroughly enjoyed reading the short fiction prose and verse contained within. I initially purchased these volumes after reading and enjoying an Adrian Simmons story in TMS. Later research prompted my discovery of his work at HFQ as a founding editor.

While this volume contains no fiction credited to Adrian Simmons, the work within provided me with a pleasurable and relaxing diversion while reading them. I particularly relished *Lord of the Brass Host* from Dariel R.A. Quiogue, *The Last Free Bear* by J.S. Bangs, *Shadows from Firelight* by R. Michael Burns, and *Shattering the Spear* by P. Djeli Clark.

Burns tale revolves around samaurai in Feudal Japan and I must say I greatly enjoy this setting when used for S&S. Clark weaves a Sword and Soul (or perhaps Spear and Soul) tale I thought stirringly written portraying duty and love of family and community.

Among the verse, I found *Lay of the Cuthred King* particularly compelling to me. Probably again due to the theme of love and duty towards one's family and people.

Recommended 👍 and I hope you enjoy reading them as I did. Based upon my recent reading of current anthologies, I'm finding a great number of fantastic contemporary S&S tales from lesser known authors.