Fellow Perseid Press author Tom Barczak and I built a relationship in 2014 when I interviewed him about his Evarun series. Since, we've shared a table of contents in several anthologies, most recently Mystics in Hell.
Every November I visit Norman for the Institute of Applied Surfactant Research consortium annual meeting and seek out Tom before the meeting starts; I have a blogger tag/label dedicated to our visits.
A work trip brought me to Chicago, and I managed to meet up with Joe Bonadonna for a few hours. In 2021, I visited the same restaurant in lieu of that yr's canceled GenCon Writer's Symposium. Had hopes of tracking down David C. Smith again, and perhaps John O'Neill, but fate would not have it. Turns out Greg Mele is nearby too. Next time, I'll have to track them all down!
Of course, Joe is hoot. He and I have been collaborating with our Heroes In Hell stories, ensuring themes and characters are shared. Enjoy satire and horror? Check out Liars in Hell!
I recently interviewed Joe for my Beauty in Weird fiction series on Black Gate. He really does make dark-fantasy fun.
Diemension Games has their 3rd (and expected last) reprint of their hit cooperative-horror tabletop game. The Kickstarter is live now and lasts until Oct25th!
In short, the original game emerged in 2016 and its success spawned lots of extra Epic Monsters to defeat, but there was so much content being generated, many of these bonus "Epic Monsters" did not receive dedicated scenarios (of course, they could be played/inserted into any other scenario, but most every scenario was designed with different Epic Monsters as the default enemy).
My involvement (corruption?) began with creating a tour guide that identified the chronology of the scenarios and the epic monsters associated with them. Check it out (also listed in Board Game Geek):
Meanwhile, uber-fan Phil Blake and his game-addicted friends (Sam Parsons, Fabio Faletti, and Oscar Bok) created playable scenarios with art provided by Diemension Games. This resulted in Exalted Blasphemies, a fan-made expansion
In Madness Reborn, this fan-made expansion was made real canon! It is being offered by Diemension Games with giant >100mm sized new sculpts of the Epic Monsters!
BTW, I've been getting to know Byron Leavitt well over the years. I reviewed his Deep Madness Shattered Seas Book for Black Gate Magazine and also interviewed him there. Recently, I hosted him on two author panels at the 2022 GenCon Writer's Symposium:
Servants of War by Larry Correia and Steve Diamond (Baen Books, 2022. 424pages).
Cover art by Alan Pollack
Veteran fantasy readers may yawn if they hear about an epic fantasy about a farm boy in a remote village rising to power, and the first few pages of Servants of War dangles that trope before readers. And then horror rushes in like a tidal wave, and before Chapter 1 can end, the worn trope is burning with hellfire billowing alchemical smoke, a Grimdark spirit rises out of the book to slap the reader in the face, crank the head back, and pour gasoline-action down a thirsty throat.
Welcome to Servants of War.
The combination of military-fantasy veteran Larry Correria with horror-guru Steve Diamond promises “military fantasy with horror” and you’ll get trenches full of that. Baen released this masterpiece that opens The Age of Ravens series in hardcover and audiobook in March 2022; the paperback is due February 2023. Without spoiling, this post covers a summary, excerpts, and a small hint as to the forthcoming sequel.
OFFICIAL SUMMARY:
NEW MILITARY FANTASY FROM THE CREATOR OF MONSTER HUNTER INTERNATIONAL LARRY CORREIA AND MASTER OF HORROR STEVE DIAMOND
The war between Almacia and the Empire of Kolakolvia is in its hundredth year. Casualties grow on both sides as the conflict leaves no corner of the world untouched.
Illarion Glaskov’s quiet life on the fringes of the empire is thrown into chaos when an impossible tragedy strikes his village. When he is conscripted into the Tsarist military, he is sent to serve in The Wall — an elite regiment that pilots suits of armor made from the husks of dead golems. But the great war is not the only — or even the worst — danger facing Illarion, as he is caught in a millennia-old conflict between two goddesses. He must survive the ravages of trench warfare, horrific monsters from another world, and the treacherous internal politics of the country he serves.
MILIEU & STYLE
The setting resembles an alternative earth on the Eurasia continent. A never-ending war continues between the Almacian state (West) and the Kolakolvia (East); cities and named battle zones resonate with pseudo-Eastern European flare: Rolmani, Praja, Transellia. Both sides disrespect (or forsake) the old ways and religions which are explicitly and overtly present, albeit repressed. Golems, ghouls, and blood storms haunt both armies. The clearest sacrilege is the repurposing of golem bodies to make Objects, the name for the mechanized war-suits Kolakolvia employs (how else can one defile another species than to tap its magical potential while playing in their corpses?). In short, there are three conflicting entities: the East, the West, and the Others. Each is manipulated by a Sister goddess. The variety of conflicts keeps this interesting, expect: human vs human; state vs state; human vs. state; and heroes vs supernatural.
If a dystopian, war-ravaged alternative earth feels too familiar, don’t worry. You’ll be salivating for a trip to an even darker realm, and you’ll get that too. That jolt reminded me of the beauty of the Silent Hill games in which players experience a terrifying ghost-town for a while until an air siren blares, paint peels off walls, Hell arrives, and players yearn to find a way back to the relative safety of the ghost-town.
Stylistically, this felt like a mashup of Warhammer’s gritty sci-fi battles, with Silent Hill’s weird world-building and exploration-of-Hells, with the demon-confronting Solomon Kane leading the sorties. Somehow the warfare was never portrayed as a giant chess board; instead, the combat was intimate, frontline adventure. Localized views of battle felt like episodes of Sword & Sorcery focused on the hero(ine). I kept thinking, this is what I’d expect if Mary Shelly teamed up with Robert E. Howard to rewrite Frankenstein for BattleTech fans.
WHO ARE THE SERVANTS OF WAR?
One didn’t think about war and politics when you had a mill to run, cows to tend, and crops to plant. The greatest question in Ilyushka every year had been how deep would the ground freeze? – Illarion character’s thoughts
Humans are just the puppets of the Three Sisters, but they comprise the titular servants of war. You’ll be rooting for them in a heartbeat. There are many characters, but the primary ones are below. Their paths intertwine, of course, as some become comrades and others enemies.
• Illarion Glazkov – a farm boy who evolves into an awesome soldier; he’s trailed by ravens as he seeks atonement • Scout Specialist Natalya Baston (once in the 17th Sniper Division) – she’s an outstanding rogue motivated to free her family • Arnost Chankov – a ghoul-tattooed, low-ranking officer over Illarion • Oprichnik Kristoph Vals – Secret Service Agent under Chancellor and Tsar of Kolakolvia – no one can trust this guy, and all fear crossing him • Amos Lowe – a mysterious prisoner seeking to remain anonymous and lost
EXCERPTS Reveal What to Expect
Mechanized Melee:
…More soldiers rushed out of the fog, swarming his legs. The hatch rattled as soldiers tried to pry it open. If they got that open he’d end up a red, oozing skeleton like the last pilot he’d seen. Only Illarion’s Object did not react in the lumbering, clumsy fashion they’d come to expect. He brought the empty cannon barrel down on the head of one, crushing his skull and snapping his spine. Inside the coffin of rapidly dwindling air, Illarion twisted the controls. 12 spun and kicked. Frail bodies were crushed underfoot. Instinctively, he crouched as low as the braces around his legs allowed, then launched his body up. He’d never seen anyone jump in the suits before, and didn’t know if it was at all possible, be he had to try something.
12 was briefly airborne. The ground shook when he landed, and most of the soldiers were thrown free. He stomped down, popping skulls and driving bodies deep into the mud. A punch from his gun arm caved in a chest. A sweep of his halberd cut three bodies into six pieces. The last man hanging onto the latches was hurled free, but unfortunately for him, he left one of his gloves behind. He hit the ground, flesh already smoking, and quickly tried to bury his hand in the mud to save it. Illarion would’ve killed him, but that would’ve taken another second or two worth of air….
Horrors of War, Confronting Weird Creatures:
The doors were being torn to splinters. Kristoph watched, fascinated and appalled, as a monstrous head snapped through a window and bit off a trencher’s face off. A scorpion tail, but big around as his arm, zipped through a window lightning quick and stabbed another soldier in the chest. He fell near Kristoph’s feet. Kicking and twitching.
Kristoph looked up to see the monster trying to squeeze through the gap nearest him, despite two other soldiers spearing it with their bayonets. Somehow, its body was still slick and pale, as if the blood snow slid right off. Jaws snapped at him. Spittle hit him. Kristoph aimed his pistol and shot through the gap, and another immediately took its place.
As he looked down to reload, the man who had been stung was grasping at Kristoph’s boots. It was hard to understand him, with all the foam coming out of his mouth, but Kristoph suspected he was begging for a quick and merciful death. Anything to be spared the torture of this poison. It was so piteous that even Kristoph was tempted to aid him, but he might need the ammo, so he kicked the dying man’s hand away….
NEED MORE OF The Age of Ravens?
Noir Fatale, an anthology edited by Larry Correia and Kacey Ezell (Baen, 2019), has a prequel to Servants of War called “The Privileges of Violence” by Steve Diamond. It’s a grim homage to the Maltese Falcon featuring at least three of the same characters. Highly recommended.
Servants of War focused on the machinations of two of the three Sisters. Subsequent books promise to highlight the remaining goddess as all the servants of war resolve their tension with the Tsar of Kolakolvia and the Sisters. Book 2 in The Age of Ravens is forthcoming and has a tentative title of Instruments of Violence.
Skallagrim – In the Vales of Pagarna (Hidden
Crown Press, 373 pages; Kindle,
Paperback, Hardcover, March 2022). Cover by Walking of Sky Tree
Experience Skallagrim – In the Vales of Pagarna by
Stephen R. Babb in all its forms. This post covers everything to get you
hooked, from a summary, review, excerpts, and links to the complementing albums
from Glass Hammer. Reading Skallagrim feels like you are a witness to the live
version of Frazetta’s “Against the Gods” painting! You actually witness a hero
grab a sword from the sky.
The opening scene poses a set of mysteries as the titular
protagonist is brutally attacked in the streets of Archon, the Dreaming City.
He loses his memory during the struggle, by wounds or sorcery, so the hero and
the reader want to know: Why Skallagrim in a melee? Who is he, really? Why does
he feel protective over a maiden kidnapped during the conflict? Why are
multiple sorcerers after him? Why the hell can he grab a sentient, screaming
sword that materializes from a sudden storm?
The rest of the book unravels these questions, as Skallagrim
races against time to save the mystery maiden. He’ll wrestle with eldritch,
chthonic creatures, a herd of ghouls, a few necromancers, and an assassin. As
Skallagrim unearths the weird history of Andorath’s Southern Region, we get to
learn about it as he battles. The book stands alone, but did you know that
Stephen R. Babb has been a progressive rocker and theatrical-album-leader for
thirty years (more on Glass Hammer below!). Poems and lyrics infuse the prose.
For the full effect, readers should listen to the complementary Skallagrim
albums. These are not Audio Books. These are thematic rock sets chronicling
Skallagrim’s heroic journey. Embedded below are the opening songs to (1)
and (2). Listen to these! Babb is creating a rich world here.
Want to learn more about the creation of Skallagrim’s world?
Check out Oliver Brackenbury’s recent interview with the author on his
podcast So
I’m Writing a Novel Interview (Aug
22 2022). Babb reveals his influences, from Tolkien, Dunsany, and RE
Howard, and discusses how music informs writing (and vice versa). Listening to
this I learned that Skallagrim’s world actually catalyzed in Glass Hammer’s
2005 album The Inconsolable Secret (which has tracks
called Lirazel, Mog Ruith!), which then inspired the epic poem Lay of Lirazel
(2014). To know why those matter, you’ll have to read the book.
The cover blurb below is a splendid summary; below that are
excerpts and embedded samples of the music.
Book Blurb
Skallagrim wakes in the middle of a fight for his life with
only the vaguest idea of who he is. Facing an angry mob of murderous
cutthroats, he watches helplessly while the love of his life is abducted before
his eyes. Finally, with a crushing sense of despair, he realizes he’s going to
die without even knowing her name.
But he doesn’t die.
To find the girl and take his revenge upon the fiend who
took her, Skallagrim, wounded and exhausted, must endure a journey like no
other. He’ll face madmen, ghouls, tentacled horrors, and witches, both foul and
fair, as he races toward a final showdown that will have readers on the edge of
their seats.
An awe-inspiring tale of adventure, triumph, and tragedy,
set in a brutal, unforgiving wilderness and packed with heart-stopping action,
Skallagrim – In The Vales Of Pagarna marks the first installment of an
outstanding new series.
Illustrations
from the CDs by Luke Eidenschink; Steve Babb snapshot from Youtube
Excerpts Reveal What to Expect
Weird settings
The forest was weirdly beautiful in a somber, funereal way,
like a colossal mausoleum whose joyless vaults were supported by interwoven
columns, their vast, mournful chambers hollowed out by the hands of giants.
There was a certain thrill to walking in that place with its cool air and
ancient trees whose limbs trailed moss like great sweeping beards of grey.
Bloody Action
…geysers of black water shot into the air from a hundred
places at once. The plumes sparkled in the weird, flickering light, then seemed
to cascade in slow motion in a myriad of diamond-like droplets. From the point
at which each geyser had sprung, writhing tentacles sprouted—fiendish bouquets
resembling Devil’s Fingers fungus… one such arm, slick and smelly with a
coating of gleba, whipped the water directly in front of Skallagrim. He did not
remember drawing Terminus, but the sentient sword was in his hand. He swept the
blade low, severing the tentacle from the submerged, suberumpent egg from which
it had burst. An immediate release or explosion of spores caught Skallagrim off
guard, and he coughed painfully—his throat inflamed….
The Albums
#1 Skallagrim: Dreaming City album – opening
titular track
#2 Skallagrim: Intro the Breach album
(2020) : “He’s Got a Girl” and “Anthem to Andorath”
#3 Due out Oct 2023 (preorder
now), Skallagrim:At the Gate (teaser trailer)
Glass Hammer
Glass Hammer is
an American progressive rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee,
created and led by Steve Babb and Fred Schendel. Babb and Schendel, who founded
the band in 1992, are the only constant members in the lineup, having
surrounded themselves by various guest performers
Fred
Schendel – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals
(1992–present), lead vocals (1992-2004,
2015–present), drums (1992-2004)
Steve
Babb – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1992–present), lead
vocals (1992-2004, 2016–present), percussion (1992-2004)
Aaron
Raulston – drums (2013–present)
Hannah
Pryor – lead vocals (2021–present)
Stephen R. Babb (a.k.a. Steve) Bio
First off, he prefers “Steve” to “Stephen.” Now that that’s
out of the way…
He’s best known as the bassist and co-writer for the
prog-rock group Glass Hammer. A professional musician for most of his life, he
started at the age of twelve as a church pianist. Since then, he has traveled
the US and a handful of other countries in various bands.
Glass Hammer, which he founded, has received critical
acclaim for their twenty-one studio albums, headlined major festivals, and have
become one of the most respected bands of the progressive rock genre.
In 1990, he had the good sense to marry the right girl, come
home from the road, settle down and start a business. Since then, he has busied
himself in the production of numerous albums for songwriters, the recording of
audiobooks, and in the day-to-day tasks required to operate a recording studio
while maintaining the persona of prog-rock star, prolific songwriter, and
lyricist. This last bit, he enjoys to the fullest.
In 2005 he penned the epic poem, The Lay Of Lirazel, which
was published in 2014. For that effort he was honored with The Imperishable
Flame Award by The North East Tolkien Society.
