Lin Carter writes a several page intro entitled "Of Swordsmen and Sorcerers". His short version of what sword and sorcery is :-

"We call a story Sword & Sorcery when it is an action tale, derived from the tradition sof the pulp magazine adventure story, set in a land, age or world of the author's invetion--a milieu in which magic actually works and the gods are real--a story, moreover, which pits a stalwart warrior in direct conflict with the forces of supernatural evil."

He talks about the Flashing Swords project growing out of a group he helped found called SAGA - The Swordsmen and Sorcerers Guild Of America.

Three founding members

L. Sprague de Camp - Supreme Sadist of the Reptile Men of Yag
John Jakes - Ambassador-Without-Portfolio to the Partly Squamous, Partly Rugous Vegetable Things of the Sotuh Polar City Of Nugyubb-Glass
Lin Carter - Purple Druid of the Glibbering Horde of the Slime Pit sof Zugthakya

Not sure if they had contests to see who could still recite these over a few beers, or not!

They decided some others were also worthy o fmembership:

Fritz Leiber
Jack Vance
Michael Moorcock

and later on they agreed that
Poul Anderson
Andre Norton

made eight.

So, getting 15,000 stories from them for a book project for Dell, The Supreme Sadist of the Reptile Men of Yag pointed out that this would make a 'tome' of 120,000 words, and so had to be split in two! Pretty funny looking at that today.

Flashing Swords 1 : The Sadness of the Executioner - Fritz Leiber
Flashing Swords 1 : Morreion - Jack Vance
Flashing Swords 1 : The Merman's Children - Poul Anderson
Flashing Swords 1 : The Higher Heresies of Oolimar - Lin Carter

The Death of Newhon uses the boys to help in the proper death of heroes.

4.5 out of 5

IOUN stones, spells and stars.

3 out of 5

A medieval ballad moved to Denmark and novelettised.

or

Humans are a nasty lot, krakens are still big, scary, and rich.

3 out of 5

Comedic story of a 30,000 year old immortal man-god who saves a scribe-wizard thanks to his talent at gobby-bashing, and then drags him along adventuring.

4 out of 5

http://superprose.blogspot.com/2008/0... ( )