Year 13 Comes to an End

Welcome to the January 2025 issue of Swords & Sorcery Magazine, issue 156. Another year of publication comes to an end. Now on to Year 14.

Thanks to the generosity of the folks who have joined the Patreon, this month I feature four new stories and an essay. I plan to keep bringing more stories to you every month, and to make more improvements when I can.

In “Shadows of a Forgotten Empire”, by D. K. Latta, an imperial officer and his barbarian prisoner confront the limits of civilization. Latta has published a few score of stories over the years, including previously in Swords & Sorcery Magazine.

In “The Hollowed Man”, by David J. Lynch, a wanderer confronts the power and price of carrying a cursed magic sword. Lynch writes stories that sprout from his love of sword & sorcery, classic science fiction, and horror. This is his first appearance in Swords & Sorcery Magazine.

In “Gargolyles”, by Ryan M. Patrick, a young architect finds out what happens when the gargoyles are removed from the cathedral. Patrick has self-published two novels, but this is his first published short fiction.

In “Sharper than Steel, Colder than Death”, by Robert Rhodes, a young revolutionary must confront a friend whose love for his lost wife threatens to undo what they have accomplished. Rhodes’s work has appeared in Black Gate, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, and Tales from the Magicians Skull. This is his first appearance in Swords & Sorcery Magazine.

In “Sonja, Sex, and the Armor Bra”, Bryn Hammond discusses Gail Simone’s Red Sonja novel Red Sonja: Consumed, as well as the portrayal of barbarian women in sword and sorcery fiction and art. Hammond’s short fiction has appeared in New Edge Sword and Sorcery and she has also written a series of novels based on the life of Chinsgis Khan. This is her first appearance in Swords & Sorcery Magazine.

If you enjoy reading Swords & Sorcery Magazine, please consider joining my Patreon. Any money raised will go towards making Swords & Sorcery even better.

Until next month… Curtis Ellett
editor, Swords & Sorcery Magazine