Swords Against Darkness, Volume 1

Edited by Andrew Offutt

Zebra, 1977

Reviewed by Steve Goble

Swords Against Darkness is a five-book anthology series of “heroic fantasy in the tradition of Robert E. Howard” and edited by Andrew J. Offutt, creator of Hanse called Shadowspawn in the “Thieves' World” books.

With that pedigree, you’d expect a fun anthology that doesn’t take itself too seriously--action, vivid color, memorable characters. And the first volume delivers on that promise. Other volumes in the series will be taken up in future reviews.

Swords Against Darkness Volume 1 includes the following: “Nekht Semerkeht,” an unfinished Howard story completed by Offutt; “The Tale of Hauk” by Poul Anderson; “The Smile of Oisia” by Geo. W. Proctor; “Pride of the Fleet” by Bruce Jones; “Straggler From Atlantis” by Manly Wade Wellman; “The Ring of Set” by Robert L. Tierney; “Largarut’s Bane” by Raul Garcia Capella; “Dragon’s Teeth” by David Drake and “The Sustenance of Hoak” by Ramsey Campbell.

That’s a fine lineup of authors, and they deliver stories that readers of the Flashing Swords e-zine will likely appreciate. The first volume of Swords Against Darkness sold well enough to spawn four sequels; the reason, I suspect, is that this anthology does a better job than most in displaying the wide range of storytelling possible within the sword-and-sorcery genre. Let those who scoff complain about the genre’s cliches and stock elements if they like. This volume uses--indeed, often embraces--those stock elements of mighty sword-wielding barbarians, evil sorcerers, big nasty monsters, sinister intrigues and the like. It does so while proving that strong writers can put their own stamp on such things and make them fresh. There is a wide range of stories here--some grimly funny, some terrifying, some dark and savage, some that will touch your heart and even make you think. Not bad for a supposedly hackneyed genre, I say.

Let’s take the stories in turn (and I’ll do so without spoiling plots.)

“Nekht Semerkhet”: This tale follows the exploits of Hernando de Guzman, a Spaniard in the New World, and pits him against both the dangers inherent of an unknown country and dark Aztec magic, plus some imported Egyptian mayhem. Howard wrote most of the tale, and outlined the rest; Offutt writes that he finished it while adhering to Howard’s outline. The story, written near the end of Howard’s life, has a good deal of action conveyed in moody prose. Howard had been writing other, non-supernatural stuff for a while at this point, and it seems in this tale he was in a mood to give full vent to his talent for weird fiction. It’s a dark tale, and a good one.

“The Tale of Hauk”: Anderson is always at home in tales of Norsemen, and here he has turned out a story I think is the best in this volume. The prose evokes the Norse feel, without stepping on the story. The Norse background seems real. The tale itself, though short, has a vivid, realistic protagonist and an antagonist the reader can identify with as well. The action is vivid, and Hauk’s challenge places more demand on him than is usual for the hero in a heroic fantasy story. If you are an Anderson fan, and particularly if you are a Viking buff, this story will please you.

“The Smile of Oisia”: Proctor’s tale is a fairly standard sword-and-sorcery piece featuring oddly-matched characters in a bit of action and intrigue. It breaks no new ground, and its characters do not seem as real and vivid as those in the first two stories, but the story is well told and its a fun read.

“Pride of the Fleet”: Bruce Jones plied his talents in the world of comics with ‘Red Sonja,” and it’s a wonder he didn’t take this sword-and-planet story and run with it in comic book form, because it would have been excellent in that format. It features a beautiful protagonist in Deja Thoris-style garb, a telling fashion statement, because most of the characters in this tale dress in more standard sci-fi apparel--it is only the elite members of the Colonial forces who eschew modern weaponry in favor of swords and Barsoomian attire. The story also features one truly nasty beast. The protagonist, Sheffield, swaggers in fine form throughout this twisted little story. Jones tells it well, and describes it vividly enough to make this reader wish to see how it would have turned out in comic book form.

“Straggler From Atlantis”: Wellman produces a work here that is closer to the Conan mold than anything else in the book. But, because the story is imbued with Wellman’s style, Kardios of Atlantis comes off as more than a Conan clone. Kardios has a touch of poet in him, and is a bit of a romantic, and altogether has more fun while romping through his adventures than most sword-and-sorcery heroes. Wellman also turns some genre expectations on their ears, in that the danger doesn’t always lie where it would seem to be. It’s a solid tale, and the exploits of Kardios are continued elsewhere in this anthology series.

“The Ring of Set”: Tierney’s hero, Simon of Gitta, is sort of a secret agent battling the forces of dark magic in the age of Caligula. Simon relies not so much on brawn as on a wide range of skills to defeat darkness: he’s a master of disguise, of sleight of hand, of picking locks, of ventriloquism--and he can handle a blade when he needs to. Tierney continues Simon’s adventures elsewhere in the series, and the historical details and unique hero make for a welcome addition to the sword-and-sorcery family.

“Largarut’s Bane”: Capella strays further from the typical sword-and-sorcery story than anyone else in this book, but I don’t see that as a fault. Yes, the anthology’s name, the demon on the cover of my third-printing edition and the inclusion of three writers and an editor with “Thieves World” ties had me expect lots of action and bloodshed. But there is enough of that in the other tales to make this gem from Capella a welcome change of pace. This one pits a non-heroic protagonist--an aging fisherman--against a nightmare thing that threatens his daughter. The story involves a witch and some heroism on Largarut’s part, but the plot and resolution have a closer kinship to fable than to sword-and-sorcery. Even so, I’m glad Offutt included it in this anthology because it is a fine, fine story I might have missed otherwise.

“Dragon’s Teeth”: Drake, a “Thieve’s World” alum along with Anderson and Offutt, pulls the reader right back into the action-adventure realm with an engaging story set on the Roman frontier. As usual, Drake’s details about Roman military practices come off as rock solid, and the magical elements in this book are well done. From the opening battle to the clandestine operations that follow, Drake keeps things moving at a strong pace. His characters lack the depth of those in Anderson’s “Hauk” story and Capella’s “Largarut” story, but this is a solid read for those who like their sword-and-sorcery on the grim and bloody side.

“The Sustenance of Hoak”: Campbell made his name in the horror genre, and he brings a strong sense of dread and horror to this story. This is a tale of Ryre, a grim lone-wolf adventurer moving through a world that is hostile, dangerous and full of old and terrible secrets. Campbell’s prose is subtle, and with excellent word choices he can make the hair stand up on your heck even as he writes descriptions of furnishings. You read, and feel impending dread, even if you don’t quite know why yet. Ryre’s adventures continue in other Swords Against Darkness volumes.

Summary: Swords Against Darkness, Volume 1, is worth a look for any fan of Conan, Fafhrd and the Mouser, the denizens of Sanctuary and the like. Keep an eye out for it when you browse used book stores.

My one big problem with the anthology as a whole is that Offutt used 23 of his book’s 288 pages to tell us what terrific guys his contributors are. While some information about the writers is always welcome, Offutt often goes on at length to make a point. Some brevity on his part as an editor would have allowed room for at least one more short story. To be fair, though, his budget may well not have allowed him to purchase another work for this volume, and his introduction to the book indicated he already was working on volume two, so he might well have decided to save some stories for that one.

Still, fans of the Sacred Genre should thank Offutt as much for this volume as for his creation of Sanctuary’s most-talented thief.