Dark Muse News: Anna Smith Spark’s A Sword of Bronze and Ashes

 Simulcast on Blackgate.com:
Dark Muse News: Anna Smith Spark’s A Sword of Bronze and Ashes

A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, September 12, 2023, FLAME TREE PRESS (Cover illustration by Broci)

Welcome to more Dark Muse News. This post reviews Anna Smith Spark's A Sword of Bronze and Ashes. It was released in September 2023 (Flame Tree Press, cover illustration by Broci) and is the first book of the series The Making of This World: Ruined. The sequel, A Sword of Gold and Ruin, was recently published in October, 2025.

Anna Smith Spark is known as the Queen of Grimdark, a moniker she acquired with her Empires of Dust series. You can expect the same poetic brutality here.  Her style and approach are very unique but are reminiscent of Tanith Lee. Literary wording may keep you distanced as a reader, but the raw emotion expressed throughout is so real that it makes the fantasy feel real, too.  We interviewed Anna Smith Spark in 2019 - Disgust and Desire as part of our Beauty in Weird Fiction series, where she revealed all sorts of muses and inspirations. That year, we hosted a Q&A Session at Gen Con; there, she, John O'Neill, and I showed off our footwear (link); Anna's footwear won hands down!

Dark Muse News: Affirmations and Exploits of a 50+ Year Old Miniature Gamer

 Simulcast on Black Gate: Dark Muse News: Affirmations and Exploits of a 50+ Year Old Miniature Gamer

 Warhammer Quest: Dark Water

For this round of Dark Muse News, we'll be seeking affirmations.

I'm older than the typical kid who plays with toy-soldier figurines (well, I'm over 50) and love to play with plastic figurines. If you are like me, and need affirmations on occasion that it is okay to be a kid still (and perhaps even okay to spend a load of hobby money on boutique board games), then this post is for you.  We'll highlight H.G. Wells, Peter Cushing, and delve into preparing for Warhammer Quest: Darkwater. This confesses my obsession with miniature board games that include miniatures; my collection includes shelves of asylum horror crawlers [yes, it's a whole subgenre, and this blog will cover them] and traditional dungeon crawlers. The post overviews the evolution of some dungeon crawlers.

Saluting Goth Chick and Interviewing Waclaw Traier of War Claw Games

 Simulcast on Black Gate: Dark Muse News: Saluting Goth Chick and Interviewing Waclaw Traier of War Claw Games

Happy New Year!

This emerging blog salutes Sue Granquist, who contributed every other Thursday championing Goth Chick News in this very time slot. Sue Granquist contributed 741 articles over 16 years here on Black Gate with a special focus on horror movies and conventions (the longest-running column in Black Gate history). Sadly, she passed away in November 2025. John O'Neill penned a moving tribute: Goth Chick, January 13, 1966 – November 18, 2025. The outpouring of comments there is a testament to her influence.

In short, 2025 was a sad year for Black Gate champions, marked also by the passing of Howard Andrew Jones last January and Rodger Turner in June. I imagine them bolstering Black Gate (especially John O'Neill) from beyond, as force ghosts and role models. Peace to those who fell before us.

Going forward, as a tribute to Sue's moniker "Goth Chick News" and the need to report on dark fantasy, I'll be bringing you "Dark Muse News."