Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" discussion

Since Periklis gave me a nudge, I figured I'd drop a note here to mention my sword and sorcery series, The Tales of Egil and Nix. Book one is The Hammer and the Blade and book two (to be released on June 25) is A Discourse in Steel: A Tale of Egil and Nix. The third book, A CONVERSATION IN BLOOD, will be released next year.

So, who the Hell are these guys? Well, they're longtime friends, experienced tomb robbers, rakes and ne'er do wells who drink and womanize a bit more than is good for them.

Nix is a sneak-thief, a one-time student of the Conclave (ere being expelled), and his speed and precision of his blade work is matched only by the speed and precision of his wit.

Egil is a hulking priest, the more solemn of the pair, and a follower of the Momentary God.

Nix loves to talk, and is more than willing to rely on a cutting word. Egil, on the other hand, lets his hammers give his sermons.

Egil and Nix are more than a little acquainted with trouble, which seems to find them irrespective of their intentions.

So, that's the boys. Let me say a short bit about what I'm trying to do with these books.

Essentially, I want to tell ripping yarns with deft dialog and rapid pacing. I want to recall the vigor, the sense of wonder I felt when first reading Leiber and Brackett and Howard and Burroughs -- just unabashed adventures that are a blast to read. And I want to do that while at the same time modernizing the prose and thematic elements somewhat.

Happy to answer any questions. Meanwhile, I hope you'll give the duo a try. :-)

Paul

Thank you for introducing your heroic duo. I'm intrigued by the "Momentary God", so may I ask how magic & religion (the "sorcery" in S&S) are featured in the series?

As for the "swords" part, it's illustrated on the book's evocative cover:


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Links of interest:
*The Hammer and The Blade - Pocast on Functional Nerds
*Howard Andrew Jones and Paul S. Kemp - Pocast on Functional Nerds
*Paul Weimer's review of The Hammer and The Blade

Ebenor, the Momentary God, was a man who aspired to divinity, achieved it for a moment, and then was consumed by the power and died. For a time, obscure cults dedicated to his worship arose, but they, like him, were around for only a moment before fading away. In the now of the Egil and Nix stories, Ebenor is a throwaway god, the sometime butt of jokes, and, since he's dead, a divinity that no one worships -- except Egil.

Egil is a congregation of one, the lone "priest" of a dead god. His worship grants him no powers and no worldly authority. In fact, it sometimes gets him into mischief. But the notion of achieving one's life's desire, even if only for a moment, a moment that results in death, appeals to Egil for reasons I won't spoil here. :-)

As for magic and how it works: I deliberately chose to portray it the way it's portrayed in REH's Conan stories, or the Thieves' World anthologies -- there's no discernible system as such (save that most of it uses some variant of the Language of Creation). Think of Sanctuary with its Purple Mage and his spiders, the Blue Star Adepts, Lalo the Limner's magic paint, etc.

Magic is wondrous, unpredictable, and, in general, is not to be trusted. I very much wanted to portray it as a wild force, inscrutable (for the most part) to the heroes. I really like that vibe. I think it's much more sympatico with S&S than is systematized magic, which sometimes feels to me a bit too modern, more like technology or science.

True, Nix uses magic sometimes, though he doesn't always understand what he's doing and doesn't always get the outcome he wishes.

:-)

Magic should not be tossed about like some guy on a Vegas stage, not like Harry Potter wands and such. There should be a price for every act of magic: perhaps the sorcerer ages one year for every spell he casts, or gradually loses eyesight or mental faculties. Wizards should be spent after using magic. There should be a high cost to using magic -- it's deadly, it's damning. I'm tired of barbarian warriors who slay 50 men, and sorcerers who literally raise Hell, and then afterward go off and celebrate like some porn star after he's shagged 2 or 3 babes. The history of magic and witchcraft is filled with systems and rituals and guidelines. each school of magic -- necromancy, sorcery, witchcraft, wizardry, etc (and they are all different) has rules. There should be dire consequences to the use of magic -- especially when dealing with anything born of the Nether Regions. Magic should be used sparingly, with great care, and at risk of life, limb, mind and soul. Just my take.

Me, I quite enjoyed Hammer and the Blade and am looking forward to Discourse in Steel and (now that I've seen the title) Conversation in Blood and anything that may come after that.

Joseph wrote: "Me, I quite enjoyed Hammer and the Blade and am looking forward to Discourse in Steel and (now that I've seen the title) Conversation in Blood and anything that may come after that."

Much obliged, Joe.

Love the write-ups Paul. Sounds like I gotta get me some Kemp, Egil, and Nix!

Rock on. Glad to hear that, Jason. I hope you enjoy. :-)

Paul

All,

I thought I'd mention that Tor.com has posted the first chapter of A Discourse in Steel: A Tale of Egil and Nix, the second tale of Egil and Nix. It contains no spoilers (either for Discourse or for The Hammer and the Blade, which is the first tale of Egil and Nix).

Link: http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/05/a-...

I hope you'll give it a looksee. :-)

Paul

Hi all,

I wanted to mention that I'm giving away two copies of my sword and sorcery novel, A Discourse in Steel, the second tale of Egil and Nix.

Details: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Is it essential to read The Hammer and the Blade first?

Dan wrote: "Is it essential to read The Hammer and the Blade first?"

It isn't, no. They're each standalone.

Paul wrote: "Dan wrote: "Is it essential to read The Hammer and the Blade first?"

It isn't, no. They're each standalone."

Entered. If I'd known they were standalone, I would have snapped it up on Netgalley when it was available.

Would have entered, but being North of the 49th seems to be some kind of handicap ...

Sorry about that, S. I had to limit it to limit the geography to keep shipping costs reasonable. I should've mentioned that initially. Apologies.

Paul

No worries, not your fault. I live less than 1 hour from the border, so I'm used to missing out on lots of U.S. only special deals. Even online ebook deals, go figure.