Swords Against Cthulhu

Swords against Cthulhu, an anthology of sword and sorcery/Cthulhu Mythos crossovers. Mighty thewed barbarians battle alien wizardry and cosmic terror in a blind, unreasoning universe where only the strong survive... The Cthulhu Mythos is best known as a horror genre, but its influence was felt on the work of seminal sword and sorcery writers Robert E Howard and Clark Ashton Smith, and its pessimistic tone has continued to predominate in the genre to this day. However mighty the hero, the forces of chaos, the blasphemous powers of an insouciant universe, are stronger-or are they? All a doomed swordsman can do is face the outer darkness, blade in hand, a song of defiance on his lips, and hope to die fighting... Including stories by Damir Salkovic, Mark Sims, Sergio Palumbo and many more!

IN THE eldritch writings of Ec'h Pi El we learn that the land of Lomar, first chronicled by that aeons-dead author, lay contiguous in time and space to Ancient Hyperborea, sinister kingdom of the North described in the story cycles of the prophet Klarkash Ton. Twin lands beyond the Arctic Circle, home to a cyclopean civilisation long ground to dust by the advancing glaciers, they flourished in blasphemously, inconceivably ancient days when Lemuria and Hyboria and Mu were but a dream... Against this background of savage tribes and more savage gods dwell sorcerers, warriors, rogues and thieves, whose brutal adventures are chronicled by the spiritual heirs of Ec'h Pi El and Klarkash Ton in Rogue Planet Press' new anthology, Swords against Cthulhu II: Hyperborean Nights.

What hope has a humble adventurer when faced with a fight against Cthulhu himself? No matter; the true swordsperson cares only for the bite of steel against flesh, whether that flesh be eldritch or more conventional. So, grab your khukuri knife, your iklwa spear, or a legendary blade and journey with us from ancient Rome to feudal Japan, from the Dreamlands to lands there are no names for in any of the tongues of men. If you have any doubts, inside this tome you can consult some of Lovecraftiana's hottest voices, be they seasoned veterans or hot-blooded new recruits.

Sword and sorcery in the aeon of Cthulhu Rising! 'The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.' So saith Lovecraft. Picture a future Earth, a savage world where science is jettisoned in favour of primitive superstition, where technology has become the idol of a new religion. A world where the truth of Cthulhu has been revealed, where a lunatic humanity has discovered its true insignificance-the punchline in a cosmic joke. A new dark age has descended upon a species that has learnt too much. Science and superstition and the sorcery of the Mad Arab create a world where only the strong survive, and barbarian warriors battle for existence in a bleak and pitiless universe...

A REBEL AGAINST ROME Simon of Gitta, an escaped slave turned magician, roves the Roman Empire battling dark magic and demons, all the while pursued by Caesar’s soldiers. Join Simon as he flees across the ancient world evading cultists and Legionaries, outwitting sorcerers and Centurions, and fighting gladiators and gods, even the deities of the Cthulhu Mythos. Yet all these foes cannot prepare him for his greatest challenge: the pursuit of his lost soul-mate Helen, a love so deep even death can’t stand in its way for long. These stories were one of the inspirations for the Cthulhu Invictus campaign for the Call of Cthulhu role playing game by Chaosium. Enjoy sixteen stories combining superbly researched historical fiction with sword & sorcery and Lovecraftian horror, including: The Sword of Spartacus The Fire of Mazda The Seed of the Star-God The Blade of the Slayer The Throne of Achamoth The Emerald Tablet The Soul of Kephri The Ring of Set The Worm of Urakhu The Curse of the Crocodile The Treasure of Horemkhu The Secret of Nephren-Ka The Scroll of Thoth The Dragons of Mons Fractus The Wedding of Sheila-Na-Gog The Pillars of Melkarth Vengence Quest (poetry)

In the eldritch writings of Ec'h Pi El we learn that the land of Lomar, first chronicled by that aeons-dead author, lay contiguous in time and space to Ancient Hyperborea, sinister kingdom of the North described in the story cycles of the prophet Klarkash Ton. Twin lands beyond the Arctic Circle, home to a cyclopean civilisation long ground to dust by the advancing glaciers, they flourished in blasphemously, inconceivably ancient days when Lemuria and Hyboria and Mu were but a dream...

Aztec warriors ready for battle, intent on conquering a neighboring tribe, but different gods protect the Matlazinca. For Arthur Pendragon, the dream of Camelot has ended. What remains is a nightmarish battle against his own son, who is not quite human. Master Yue, the great swordsman, sets off to discover what happened to a hamlet that was mysteriously abandoned. He finds evil. Sunsorrow, the ancient dreaming sword, pried from the heart of the glass god, yearns for Carcosa. Fifteen writers, drawing inspiration from the pulp sub-genres of sword and sorcery and the Cthulhu Mythos, seed stories of adventure, of darkness, of magic and monstrosities. From Africa to realms of neverwhere, here is heroic fantasy with a twist.