HERO OF OLD, by John Keller: The hero sat upon his horse; his steely gaze was set. Before him was an army fell. His blade with blood was wet. With aching arms he held aloft, a blessed, shining blade. His battered plate-mail dully shone, No fear his face displayed. A horde of reavers, giants, trolls, […]

Welcome to the third issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly!  As required by our (non-binding) blood oath, we’ve brought you three outstanding works of fiction. Alas, though, with heavy hearts we bring news of no poetry for this issue (we receive a lot of good poetry, but not so much HFQ poetry). Regardless, there’s plenty at our […]

THE LAST OF HIS KIND, by Bill Ward: Desert winds churned around Tanout, and sand wraiths struck him to the earth.  On hands and knees, half-buried, blind, he fumbled toward his dead camel. A wraith twisted near, raked his face with granular claws, and gyred back into the howling storm. Another tugged his arm, trying […]

DEAD IN THE WATER, by Josh Wolf: We should have heeded Merlin, Gawain thought as the moon sank behind the trees. Across from him in the tiny coracle Lamorak and hulking Glachis snored like two metal clad bears in the darkness. The three of them were floating at the center of a small lake, held […]

SHADOWS FROM FIRELIGHT, by R. Michael Burns “The way of the samurai is to be found in death.”   — Yamamoto Tsunemoto, Hagakuré   The figure on the moon-viewing balcony of Yamagumo Castle might’ve been no more than a shadow but for the faintest shimmer of starlight in his dark, attentive eyes.  His face was […]