This month's issue of Swords and Sorcery Magazine appeared on the interweb the other day. As usual it's got two stories. There's still no non-fiction but the editor is on the lookout for reviews and the like.
The first story, "The CarolianTablet", by Ed Ahern, is a ball. The Old One, a sorcerer, and his adept, Malame, have come to the Red City in order to hear a business proposal from Queen Hastert. She wishes to know the outcome of a looming war and doesn't want to risk her own sorcerer, Thorpak. The Old One agrees, but only for a price the Queen is initially unwilling to pay. What follows is a fun story full of duplicity, conjurations and a ferocious demonic dog. Malame narrates and his descriptions of standing in the presence of the demonic dog alone is worth the fifteen minutes it took to read the story. Nothing super special but fun stuff done very well.
Billy Wong's story, "Price of Fate" doesn't hold up the second story slot as well as Ahern's does the first. In it a seer envisions the death of her brother in a battle. Determined to avoid this she plots imprison him for the duration and take his place. There really isn't much more to the story and its outcome is as predictable as you're probably guessing.
That's all until next month brings us to Issue #6. I'm continuing to look forward to each new issue.
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