''Flashing Swords! #1'' is an
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
of
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
stories, edited by the American writer
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. Lov ...
. It was first published in hardcover by
Nelson Doubleday
Nelson Doubleday (June 16, 1889 – January 11, 1949) was an American book publisher and president of Doubleday Company from 1922–1946. His father Frank Nelson Doubleday had founded the business. His son Nelson Doubleday Jr. followed ...
in April 1973 as a selection in its
Science Fiction Book Club
Bookspan LLC is a New York–based online bookseller, founded in 2000.
Bookspan began as a joint endeavor by Bertelsmann and Time Warner. Bertelsmann took over control in 2007, and a year later, sold its interest to Najafi Companies, an Arizon ...
, and in paperback by
Dell Books
Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, I Confess (magazine), ...
in July the same year. The first British edition was issued by Mayflower in 1974.
Summary
The book collects four
heroic fantasy
Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of ...
novelettes by members of the
Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America
The Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America or SAGA was an informal group of American people, American fantasy authors active from the 1960s through the 1980s, noted for their contributions to the "Sword and sorcery, Sword and Sorcery" kind of ...
(SAGA), an informal literary group of fantasy authors active from the 1960s to the 1980s, of which Carter was also a member and guiding force, together with a general introduction and introductions to the individual stories by the editor.
Contents
*"Introduction: Of Swordsmen and Sorcerers" by
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. Lov ...
*"The Sadness of the Executioner" (
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by American author Fritz Leiber. They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories. One of his motives in writing them was to hav ...
) by
Fritz Leiber
Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Along with Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber is one of the fathers of sword and sorcery.
Life ...
*"Morreion" (
Dying Earth
''Dying Earth'' is a speculative fiction series by the American author Jack Vance, comprising four books originally published from 1950 to 1984.
Some have been called picaresque. They vary from short story collections to a fix-up (novel creat ...
) by
Jack Vance
John Holbrook Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013) was an American mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer. He also wrote several mystery novels under pen names, including Ellery Queen.
Vance won the World Fantasy Award for Life Ach ...
*"The Merman's Children" by
Poul Anderson
Poul William Anderson ( ; November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until his death in 2001. Anderson also wrote historical novels. He won the Hugo Award seven times an ...
*"The Higher Heresies of Oolimar" (Amalric the Mangod) by Lin Carter
Awards
The book placed eleventh in the 1974
Locus Poll Award for Best Original Anthology.
Reception
The anthology was reviewed by Bert Duch in ''Amra'' v. 2, no. 60, September 1973.
Notes
1973 anthologies
Fantasy anthologies
Lin Carter anthologies
Heroic fantasy
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