Sword and sorcery (S&S) or heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. Sword and sorcery commonly overlaps with heroic fantasy. The genre originated from the early-1930s works of Robert E. Howard. The term "sword and sorcery" was coined by Fritz Leiber in the May 1961 issue of the fantasy fanzine Amra, to describe Howard and the stories that were influenced by his works. In parallel with "sword and sorcery", the term "heroic fantasy" is used, although it is a more loosely defined genre.
Thieves' World is a shared world fantasy series created by Robert Lynn Asprin in 1978. The original series comprised twelve anthologies, including stories by science fiction and fantasy authors Poul Anderson, John Brunner, Andrew J. Offutt, C. J. Cherryh, Janet Morris, and Chris Morris.
Victor Koman is an American science fiction and fantasy writer and agorist. A three-time winner of the Prometheus Award, Koman is mainly popular in the libertarian community. He is the owner of the publishing house KoPubCo. His Ph.D. in Information Technology was conferred by Capella University in 2016. He also possesses a BSIS from University of Redlands (2001) and an MBA from Pepperdine University (2004).
Andrew Jefferson Offutt V was an American science fiction, fantasy, and erotic fiction author. He wrote as Andrew J. Offutt, A. J. Offutt, and Andy Offutt. His normal byline, andrew j. offutt, has all his name in lower-case letters. His erotica appeared under seventeen different pseudonyms, principally John Cleve, John Denis, Jeff Morehead, and Turk Winter.
Flashing Swords! is a series of fantasy anthologies published by Dell Books from 1973 to 1981 under the editorship of Lin Carter, and revived under the editorship of Robert M. Price in 2020. It originally showcased the heroic fantasy work of the members of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), a somewhat informal literary group active from the 1960s to the 1980s, of which Carter was the guiding force. Most of the important sword and sorcery writers at the time of the group’s founding were members; later, membership was extended to other fantasy authors.
Christopher John Offutt is an American writer. He is most widely known for his short stories and novels, but he has also published three memoirs and multiple nonfiction articles. In 2005, he had a story included in a comic book collection edited by Michael Chabon, and another in the anthology Noir. He has written episodes for the TV series True Blood and Weeds.
The Sword of Skelos is a fantasy novel by American writer Andrew J. Offutt, featuring Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian, the third and final volume in a trilogy beginning with Conan and the Sorcerer and continuing with Conan the Mercenary. It was first published in paperback in May 1979 by Bantam Books, and reprinted in August 1981. Later editions were issued by Ace Books and Tor Books. The first British edition was published by Sphere Books in 1989.
Conan and the Sorcerer is a fantasy novel written by Andrew J. Offutt and illustrated by Esteban Maroto. Featuring Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian, it is the first in a trilogy continuing with Conan the Mercenary and concluding with The Sword of Skelos. It was first published in paperback by Sunridge Press in October 1978, and reprinted in May 1979, 1982, and March 1984 by Ace Books.
Conan the Mercenary is a fantasy novel written by American writer Andrew J. Offutt and illustrated by Esteban Maroto featuring Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian, the second volume in a trilogy beginning with Conan and the Sorcerer and concluding with The Sword of Skelos. It was first published in paperback by Ace Books in 1980, with an official publication date of January 1981. Ace reprinted the novel in April 1983, and issued a trade paperback edition in 1985. The first British edition was published by Sphere Books in July 1989.
The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 4 is an anthology of fantasy stories, edited by American writer Lin Carter. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in 1978.
Keith John Taylor is an Australian science fiction and fantasy writer.
Lore of the Witch World is a collection of science fantasy short stories by American writer Andre Norton, forming part of her Witch World series. It was first published in paperback by DAW Books in September 1980, and has been reprinted numerous times since. Early printings had cover art by Michael Whelan and a frontispiece by Jack Gaughan.
Swords Against Darkness II is an anthology of fantasy stories, edited by Andrew J. Offutt, the second in a series of five anthologies of the same name. It was first published in paperback by Zebra Books in September 1977.
Swords Against Darkness III is an anthology of fantasy stories, edited by Andrew J. Offutt, the third in a series of five anthologies of the same name. It was first published in paperback by Zebra Books in March 1978.
Swords Against Darkness IV is an anthology of fantasy stories, edited by Andrew J. Offutt, the fourth in a series of five anthologies of the same name. It was first published in paperback by Zebra Books in September 1979, and reprinted by the same publisher in 1981; a Canadian reprint was issued by General Paperbacks, also in 1981.
Swords Against Darkness V is an anthology of fantasy stories, edited by Andrew J. Offutt, the fifth and last in a series of five anthologies of the same name. It was first published in paperback by Zebra Books in November 1979, and later reprinted by the same publisher; a Canadian reprint was issued by General Paperbacks in 1981.
World's Best Science Fiction: 1968 is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Terry Carr, the fourth volume in a series of seven. It was first published in paperback by Ace Books in 1968. It was reprinted by the same publisher in 1970 under the alternate title World's Best Science Fiction: Fourth Series. The first hardcover edition was published by Gollancz in 1969.
James Arthur Anderson's first published short story appeared in Andrew J. Offutt's Swords Against Darkness V anthology in 1979. He has since published stories in Lin Carter's Weird Tales 4, Elditch Tales, Fantasy Tales, and Haunts. His nonfiction has appeared in Fangoria. In 1997 he began using his complete name, James Arthur Anderson, in his by-line. He has won several poetry awards, including first place in the rhymed poetry category in the 79th annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition.
Wizards' Worlds is a collection of science fantasy short stories by American writer Andre Norton. It was first published in hardcover by Tor Books in September 1989, with a limited edition, also in hardcover, following in December of the same year from Easton Press as part of its "Signed First Editions of Science Fiction" series. The book was reprinted in paperback by Tor in July 1990.
Jefferson Putnam Swycaffer is an American writer best known for his "Traveller-like" science fiction who lives in San Diego.
