Tag Archives: P. Djeli Clark

A Look at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly 37

It’s been out for a while, but some of you may have missed it.  The latest issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly has a solid lineup of great fiction.

Before we get to that, though. allow me remind you that HFQ has a Patreon page where you can support the publication.  If you enjoy what you find there, show them a little tangible appreciation.

Now on to the fiction.

The first story is “Paladin of Golata” by P. Djeli Clark.  Teffe is an orphan who survives by scavenging the dead on battlefields.  One day he chances upon a dying paladin who has one final battle to fight.  Teffe becomes a reluctant recruit and discovers there’s a life possible for him beyond his wildest dreams.

Christopher Chupik is a writer to watch.  His story here, “The Forest of Bones“, concerns a wandering knight who has to face a giant protected by sorcery who is preying on the nearby countryside.  Solid adventure fantasy about a hero who isn’t afraid to put himself at risk to protect others.

In “The Blitz of Din Barham“, Cameron Johnston gives us dragons.  Not just one or two, but a whole family of them intent on devastating a city.  When the all the practitioners of magic fail to come up with a successful strategy, it falls to the apprentice of one to think outside the box.

Adrian Simmons gives us “What Clev Yun Would Want to Tell”.  This is a little different than what we usually see in HFQ, but it packs a powerful punch about people who aren’t willing to change in order to survive.

There are also poems by Adele Gardner, David Barber, and Ngo Binh Anh Khoa.

All in all, a solid issue of fantasy entertainment.

A Review of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly 23

Apologies to Adrian Simmons, to whom I had promised this review a few weeks ago.  (To give you an idea of how hectic things are, I started this post on Sunday and am finishing it on Wednesday.) In the past, I’ve read HFQ in spare moments at work and have usually managed to finish an issue in about a week or ten days.  The problem this go around is that there hasn’t been any free time.

HFQ 23

Chimera by Giovanna Guimarães

Anyway, HFQ returns with one of its strongest issues.  Included are a wandering Comanche in Central America, sky pirates raiding a lost city, and an offering to a goddess which unleashes all kinds of problems. Continue reading