Non-complaining thread

[rabidtictac]

People don't wanna touch Sword & Sorcery because that entire genre is inherently racist, sexist and probably colonial (because of tomb robbing and conquering empires).
And then his second favorite character is Solomon Kane, a Christian on some kind of one man crusade against evil. I probably don't even have to tell you why even fewer people would touch that.

Basically, yeah. Even the black versions (Umaro) are still sexist and morally ambiguous.

Solomon Kane is based btw. So nice to read a character who doesn't chase bitches. He tips his cap respectfully and gets back to killing evil monsters.

[Kugelfisch]

Basically Euro Berserk?

[rabidtictac]

Not too far off. Solomon Kane is also a lot like those Matthias Thulmann Warhammer novels if they weren't shit.

[Old Black Man]

“Solomon Kane is a fictional character created by the pulp-era writer Robert E. Howard. A late-16th-to-early-17th century Puritan, Solomon Kane is a somber-looking man who wanders the world with no apparent goal other than to vanquish evil in all its forms. His adventures, published mostly in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, often take him from Europe to the jungles of Africa and back.”

“In his story "Moon of Skulls", Robert E. Howard described Kane as "He was a man born out of his time — a strange blending of Puritan and Cavalier, with a touch of the ancient philosopher, and more than a touch of the pagan, though the last assertion would have shocked him unspeakably. An atavist of the days of blind chivalry he was, a knight errant in the somber clothes of the fanatic. A hunger in his soul drove him on and on, an urge to right all wrongs, protect all weaker things, avenge all crimes against right and justice."

Solomon Kane is a deeply devout Puritan. He is characterized by his fanaticism, unshakable faith, and religious zeal. His forename references King Solomon, who was righteous and wise. His morality is starkly black and white, allowing for no grey areas of uncertainty. To Kane, the wicked are wicked, and the righteous are righteous, with little between. His surname, Kane, is a reference to Cain, the Bible’s first murderer. A hint towards Kane's dangerous nature and willingness to take other men's lives. Like Conan the Barbarian, Kane shows a keen sense of chivalry and propriety, defending the innocent and the weak from their wicked oppressors.

Kane lives on an endless odyssey to destroy evil and darkness in the name of God Almighty. He also seems to have little regard for his own life and safety, giving away years of his life to pursue and track down evil doers who deserved punishment. He is the archetypical wandering hero, seeking no reward for his actions.”

Pretty much yeah.

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

The OG Kaiketsu Zubat.

[Old Black Man]

Hell yeah Zubat! I found a channel that does a lot of readings of Conan and Kane and damn the stories are great to listen to while working or trying to sleep.

[rabidtictac]

Umaro's not bad either. It's literally just Black Conan. As I said before, still sexist and politically incorrect as hell. Lots of evil juju men who get murdered by Umaro in between his hot bitch fuck sessions.

Some other good Sword and Sorcery stories:

M. John Harrison's Pastel City. You don't need to read the rest of Viriconium. It diverges pretty hard from the simple premise of Pastel City. I think a really talented writer shows off their talent best when constrained to a simple format. Like a blues genius who confines himself to just a few notes.

Michael Moorcock's Fortress of the Pearl. Far and away my favorite Elric novel. Elric stories have a tendency to navel gaze and wax lyrical about Le Ebin Moorcock Cinematic Multiverse. Fortress of the Pearl sets up a story and pays it off. That's a commonality in all the books I recommend, btw. Philosophical shit better serve the interests of storytelling, otherwise it's of no use.

The Dying Earth by Jack Vance. It straddles genre lines, but the first couple of stories starring Turjan of Miir are sword and sorcery by way of sorcery. The stories then diverge into anti-heroic fantasy ("Liane the Wayfarer"), picaresque fantasy ("The Eyes of the Overworld" and "Cugel's Saga") and far-flung science fantasy with a bureaucratic bent (Rhialto the Marvelous.) Most importantly, however, all of the stories are highly entertaining.

I have read a bit of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. From what I have read, none of the stories can compete with Ill Met in Lankhmar. The later stories in this series become rather comic and strange. I prefer the simple setup and payoff of this one. It's not hard to see why Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser became so influential on the fantasy world, and particular D&D, which owes so much of its flavor to Sword and Sorcery novels.

I've read the vast majority of Warhammer fantasy and 40k which can all be loosely categorized as sword and sorcery. Some would call it "dark fantasy," but "dark fantasy" is just nu-S&S anyway. It was called sword and sorcery before dark fantasy existed and there is very little to differentiate them. Most of the warhammer stuff is enjoyable shlock. A few of the stories can claim some level of literary quality (Eisenhorn, Gaunt's Ghosts, Night Lords) and some is particulary shitty (Matthias Thulmann, anything involving the goddamn Ultramarines.) But it can make for an enjoyable time if you don't expect anything amazing.

John Carter of Mars, of course that's the Ur-example for sword and sorcery. People call it "sword and planet" but who fucking cares. We are talking about works that predate S&S just as S&S predates dark fantasy, so we can safely say it's all the same shit. Whether Tarzan kills a lion in the jungle, john carter kills a green Goro on Mars or Elric kills an eldritch horror in the desert, the story doesn't change much. We're talking about setting transposition and little else. For that matter, Joe Abercrombie's novels fit the profile of Sword and Sorcery. Particularly the stand-alones, which tend to have lower stakes.

TL; DR novel sperge. I think I covered most of the major S&S authors. I've read some others, but they didn't grab me. Gor is hilariously bad and Jirel of Jory had some enjoyable sections but ultimately failed to grab me.

Edit: Oh and it's not sword and sorcery, but if you like science fiction, David Drake's Hammer's Slammers will always provide a good time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer%27s_Slammers

[VoiceOfReasonPast]

>Cugel's Saga
I know a fellow Kraut who'll love this.

Some would call it "dark fantasy," but "dark fantasy" is just nu-S&S anyway.

Dork fantasy was invented because S&S is considered too problematic.
Also calling something "dark fantasy" always makes it sound more mature and badass than just calling it "fantasy".
It's a bit like comicfags using the term "graphic novel" to sound more mature and sophisticated.

We are talking about works that predate S&S just as S&S predates dark fantasy, so we can safely say it's all the same shit.

And that shit is called "pulp".

Gor is hilariously bad

Gor is really only noteworthy for having the one fandom that might even be more autistic than the Sanic one. Because at least the Sanicfags don't try to build an entire subculture modeled after the society seen in Sonic Fucking SatAM.

Jirel of Jory had some enjoyable sections but ultimately failed to grab me.

You should check out C. L. Moore's other work Northwest Smith. It's a bit like Han Solo stories if Han Solo blasted Eldritch gods on the regular.

[Kugelfisch]

Not into that stuff.

[CuckTurdginson]

Being a film bro is watching your list of favorite filmmakers get overtaken by asians.