Swords And Sorcery

An anthology of seventeen original tales of sword and sorcery penned by masters old and new. Elric . . . the Black Company . . . Majipoor. For years, these have been some of the names that have captured the hearts of generations of readers and embodied the sword and sorcery genre. And now some of the most beloved and bestselling fantasy writers working today deliver stunning all-new sword and sorcery stories in an anthology of small stakes but high action, grim humor mixed with gritty violence, fierce monsters and fabulous treasures, and, of course, swordplay. Don’t miss the adventure of the decade! Featuring: Goats of Glory by Steven Erikson Tides Elba: A Tale of the Black Company by Glen Cook Bloodsport by Gene Wolfe The Singing Spear by James Enge A Wizard in Wiscezan by C.J. Cherryh A Rich Full Week by K.J. Parker A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet by Garth Nix Red Pearls: An Elric Story by Michael Moorcock The Deification of Dal Bamore: A Tale from Echo City by Tim Lebbon Dark Times at the Midnight Market by Robert Silverberg The Undefiled by Greg Keyes Hew the Tintmaster by Michael Shea In the Stacks by Scott Lynch Two Lions, a Witch, and the War-Robe by Tanith Lee The Sea Troll’s Daughter by Caitlín R. Kiernan Thieves of Daring by Bill Willingham The Fool Jobs by Joe Abercrombie “[Strahan and Anders] present seventeen original stories that recall the classic works of Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber. . . . Fans of the classics will appreciate the tie-ins to familiar series by Michael Moorcock, Glen Cook, and Robert Silverberg, plus a fully authorized Cugel the Clever cameo by Michael Shea.” —Publishers Weekly

The intense psychological portrait of a hitman—the anti-Jason Bourne—as he stalks his prey from Boston to LA. He wants you to know him, maybe even admire him, but only for his excellence in his craft. Perhaps he was even born for it. "A natural killer," his mentor—a middleman named Vespucci—said he was. He proved it with his first professional hit: a Fifth Circuit Court judge in Boston, executed with a sheet of Saran Wrap in the stairwell of her own courthouse. He's proved his merit often, usually with a Glock semiautomatic, but he's improvised too, with his bare hands, the heel of a shoe, knives, even a sewing machine. He is the consummate assassin, at the top of his form, immune to the psychological strains of his chosen profession. He is what the Russians call a Silver Bear. He calls himself Columbus. It's the name Vespucci gave him, ten years ago, when he discovered a dark, new world of fences, clients, marks, jobs, jack. Not that his real name meant much to him anyway. He never knew his father or his mother, a prostitute who became dangerously involved back in the seventies with an earnest young congressman named Abe Mann, then a rising star in the Democratic Party. The magnetic Abe Mann has since become the Speaker of the House. He is currently running for the Democratic nomination in an exhausting presidential campaign, weaving his way across the country. Columbus is not far behind. But as he pieces together his past and prepares the seamless assassination of his mark, the criminal underworld he has always ruled begins unraveling violently around him.

The start of one of the greatest fantasy stories ever told. Contains the first short stories featuring Robert E. Howard’s legendary Conan, one of the most iconic fantasy characters in history, on a rarified list next to Gandalf and Harry Potter. Also includes stories of of Kull of Atlantis, and an essay on the history of their world. Includes "The Tower of the Elephant," "The God in the Bowl," "Rogues in the House," "The Frost-Giant’s Daughter," and "Queen of the Black Coast." Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.

Picture violent, amoral swordsmen and their bloody confrontations with agents of evil in imaginary lands. Think of role-playing games, fantasy, and some of the most popular movies and novels ever created. Think ofThe Lord of the Rings, Conan the Barbarian, Dragonslayer, Dungeons and Dragons. InSwords & Sorcery, authorBryan Baughshows artists exactly how to create bold fantasy realms populated with fantasy characters both heroic (knights in armor, barbarians, wizards, warrior maidens, kings, princesses) and evil (sorcerers, orcs, trolls, black knights). And of course there are fantasy creatures like unicorns, war-dogs, dragons, giants, goblins, ogres, and demons, plus creatures from mythology such as Medusa, Minotaurs, Cyclops, and Pegasus. A good battle needs good weaponry, and here are catapults, battering rams, and castles bursting with battlements and other defenses. From the underlying anatomy of a warrior to the underlying mythology of today's stories,Swords & Sorceryhas everything the artist needs to create a rich fantasy world.

"Over 200 new monsters for 3rd edition rules from the horrible Wrack Dragons to the intoxicating Brewer Gnomes, from the colossal Mithril Golem to the tiny Bottle Imp, here is a host of new creatures for use in your 3rd edition campaign"--Cover. P. [4]

This is the first comprehensive encyclopedia of the fantasy field. It has proved to be the definitive guide to the genre, offering an exciting new analysis of this highly diverse and hugely popular sphere of literature, from precursors such as Shakespeare and Dante, through Lewis Carroll, George MacDonald and L. Frank Baum to J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and their modern successors, like Ursula Le Guin and Stephen R. Donaldson. With over 4,000 entries, and more than 1 million words, it covers every aspect of fantasy - in literature, films, television, opera, art and comics. Written and compiled by a team of editors with unparalleled collective experience in the field, it is an invaluable reference work not only for fans of the fantasy genre, but also for anyone interested in how elements of the fantastic are used in the imaginative arts.