The May 2023 issue of Savage Realms Monthly, the magazine’s 20th, contains their usual three stories accompanied by author interviews.
First up is “Crypt of the Night Queen” by Remy Morgesen. This is the second May issue of SRM in a row to feature a tale of Morgesen’s thief character, Fex. Here, Fex has been hired to steal a signet ring. The story plays out over an evening full of “wenches,” with one “vixen” (who is not, of course, what she appears to be), and finishes off with a “trollop.” There is little of merit here, and the first part of the story shares more than just a passing structural similarity to Howard’s “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” having many of the problematic features of that tale as well.
“Adrik’s blows left his hand tingling in painful harmony with the ringing steel.” That’s a lovely line from Carl Brown’s “The Spirit of the Steppe.” This is a coming of age/initiation story where the initiation involves hunting aurochs, but the three heroes encounter much worse than angry cattle. I’m not saying a series of zestful fight scenes can’t make a gripping story, and I appreciate the efforts at world-building based on real-world steppe cultures, but the characterization is beyond slight.
Thankfully, “Hag of Bones” by W.E. Wertenberger is an excellent story and makes this issue worth the price. It’s basically Vikings versus Indigenous North Americans, though there’s a lot of interest added because the band of the hero is very diverse and draws on populations across the Mediterranean. The necromantic magic the witch of the title uses is rendered in frighteningly granular detail, and the characters are vivid, even the nameless Indigenous warrior who comes closest to felling the hero, Kol. I hope to see more of Wertenberger’s fiction in general and will seek out the other published adventures of Kol and his companions.
No comments:
Post a Comment