Daniel (@dungeondive) returns to the world of books with a deep dive into sword and sorcery fiction, reviewing the first two Red Sonja novels and sharing his top-tier recommendations.
Red Sonja reviews:
- The Ring of Iribu (Vol. 1) by Smith & Tierney — A-tier. Great ensemble cast, fantastic action set pieces (the winged demon attack, the haunted swamp), and solid prose that feels more like Tierney’s style
- Demon Knight (Vol. 2) — B-tier. Fast-paced with Red Sonja taking a young priestess under her wing, though not quite as strong as the first
Top-tier sword and sorcery picks:
- We Are All Legends by Darrell Schweitzer — Daniel’s all-time favourite. A knight who sold his soul to Satan wanders seeking death while avoiding damnation. Exquisitely written, deeply weird
- The Shadow People by Margaret St. Clair — The most unique fantasy Daniel’s ever read. Half dungeon crawl, half Philip K. Dick dystopia, set in 1960s Berkeley
- Nifft the Lean by Michael Shea — Literary, body-horror-adjacent, and psychedelic. The descent into hell in The Fishing of the Demon Sea reads like a Bosch painting
- Elric of Melniboné and Sailor on the Seas of Fate by Moorcock — The first two volumes remain brilliant; the series dips after that
- Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn collections by Robert E. Howard — Daniel prefers these over Conan. Wings in the Night and Worms of the Earth are standouts
- Sorcery Against Caesar by Richard Tierney — Simon of Gitta stories set in biblical times, weaving Cthulhu mythos with history
- Elak of Atlantis by Henry Kuttner — Prototypical sword and sorcery that reads like a D&D module
- The Blood Song Saga by C. Dean Anderson — Pure Saturday-morning-cartoon fun
- Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber — Lean Times in Lankhmar and Thieves’ House are particular favourites
- House of Cthulhu by Brian Lumley — Sword and sorcery in the Primal Land, blending mythos with adventure
- Dilvish, the Damned by Roger Zelazny — A man who escaped hell with a sentient metal horse. Weird, evocative, and wonderful
What’s your top-tier sword and sorcery? Any hidden gems Daniel should cover?