Announcement from the Editor
It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that this will likely be the last issue of Thews You Can Use. Bringing you the freshest sword & sorcery news for the past thirty-eight Wednesdays has been a pleasure, but it’s also been quite a bit of work! My obligations in mundane life (parenting, day job, and grad school) have ramped up recently, and I’m also heavily involved with the New Edge Sword & Sorcery Kickstarter that launches next month, not to mention my own writing projects.
I’ve reached out to a few friends in the S&S world about possibly taking over the newsletter, and if anyone bites, I’ll be very pleased to hand over the reins. Otherwise, I’ll be shuttering the mailer indefinitely. Maybe we’ll start up again someday, in that mythical time when life isn’t quite so hectic. Regardless, it’s been an honor and an absolute blast.
Hail!
— Nathaniel Webb
Win The Obanaax and Track of the Snow Leopard!
Kirk A. Johnson and Dariel Quiogue are two of the most exciting rising stars in modern S&S. If you don’t have their collections The Obanaax and Track of the Snow Leopard already, here’s your chance: New Edge Sword & Sorcery is raffling off copies of both books to mailing list subscribers, ahead of the magazine’s February Kickstarter campaign!
To qualify for the raffle, all you need to do is be on the mailing list. Sign up here if you haven’t already.
Old Moon Taking Submissions—And Paying Mightily
Old Moon Quarterly, the dark S&S magazine, is currently accepting submissions for their third issue. What’s more, they’ve upped their rate to a massive (and professional-qualifying) eight cents per word! If you’ve got a tale that fits their needs, take your shot by the end of January.
Appendix N Book Club Features A Gathering of Ravens
The 132nd episode of the venerable podcast sees hosts Jeff and Hoi and guest Jeff Byrne discuss none other than Scott Oden’s A Gathering of Ravens! Listen here or on your podcatcher of choice.
Review Roundup
Some interesting reviews came across our desk this week.
- At Strange Horizons, reviewer Matt Holder’s 2022 retrospective celebrated the sword & sorcery resurgence and called out Flame and Crimson, Old Moon Quarterly, and New Edge Sword & Sorcery for particular distinction
- Schlock! Webzine launched a “New Edge Reviews” series focused on contemporary S&S, beginning with a writeup of the comic Head Lopper
- Finally, Whetstone editor Jason Ray Carney appeared in no less than the Los Angeles Review of Books with an S&S-adjacent review of Brandon R. Grafius’s Lurking Under the Surface, a discussion of the emotional purpose of horror
Thews You Can Use 