Heroic Fantasy Quarterly–Q43

The holidays are over and it is time to get down to business.  The business of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly issue #43!  We’ve got three stories, two poems, and art and audio for you.  Check it out!

 

Fiction Contents

Low Tide, by Conor DiViesti, with artwork by Karolína Wellartová.  A disgraced Naval Captain at on the run at the edge of the empire is drawn back into using his unreliable powers to help his remaining shipmate.  Treasures, dangers, and mysteries abound. 

Five Days to DragonHaul, by Evan Marcroft, with artwork by Miguel Santos, and audio by Karen Bovenmyer.  Etlin Jaud is out to collect a debt and gets drawn into a journey to wastelands.  Part dragon tale, part bio-punk, and all awesome. 

Beast in the Woods, by Peter Fugazzotto.  There is a war on and Hwaeth,the half-orc hopes to come out of it with freedom, and wealth.  But the Northerners have a trick up their sleeve that will upend the conflict and force Hwaeth to confront enemies both within and without.  A classic S&S work!

 

Poetry Contents

The Priestess Daughter, by Jenny Blackford.  Ancient Greece is the setting for this remarkable piece about magic, love, and revenge. 

Jumble, by Mary Soon Lee, with artwork by Gary McCluskey.  Lee is back with another poetic tale.  Young King Xau must confront the weight of his responsibilities.

 

Banner Art

Jereme Peabody is back with a piece appropriate for the winter months:  “World Traveler”.  Jereme is a software engineer in the DC area and is also a freelance concept artist working mostly on video games and books.  He started his artistic career dabbling with sculpting, pencils, and even still-life oil painting.  As tablets became available, he crossed over from traditional art to digital by first digitally painting still-lifes, then through experimentation and practice, transitioned to landscapes and fantasy.

 

Goings On

David Farney continues to work behind the scenes at HFQ, keeping the entire operation running smooth.

Adrian Simmons has seen the recent publication of his story “A Wolf Slips Through the Fence Between Ages” at Helios Quarterly Magazine.

James Rowe and Arien Skiba have been toiling in the submissions mines to find you the great fiction and poetry you have come to expect!

 

Tales From Around the Fire

We wrapped up Heroic Fantasy Quarterly Best-of Volume III, in both hardcopy and kindle versions.  With an introduction by Darrell Schweitzer, and illustrations for each story and poem.  Click on the ad at the right, or here and get your copy!

Robert Zoltan gave us an last minute assist on the best-of anthology, and we return the favor by emphasizing that if you haven’t read the collected tales of Darrion and Blue in Rogues of Merth you need to correct the error of your ways!

We continue to sing the praises of fellow Oklahoman Troy C. Bucher’s Lies of Descent.  His work is not to be missed.

“The opening salvo in what promises to be a dramatic and inventive new fantasy series.” —Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

“Troy Carrol Bucher deftly twists all of your expectations into new and innovative directions.  Unpredictable; readers will not know what to expect from this epic fantasy as the lies that the world lives by begin to unravel.” —Joshua Palmatier, author of the Ley trilogy