Some Warhammer Short Stories by Robbie MacNiven

I was in the mood for some Warhammer fiction and “Heartwood” by Robbie MacNiven looked interesting, so I gave it a read. 

Heartwood (Warhammer Age of Sigmar) Black Library, 2017 

A tale of the Sylvaneth, tree-like humanoids in the Warhammer fantasy universe. After a brutal battle against the servants of Chaos and decay, Nellas the Harvester and Branchwych of her clan encounters challenges while on a journey to save her people. An interesting mix of action, worldbuilding, and melancholy, with really enjoyable prose. 

Rating: 4/5

I enjoyed this so much that I decided to check out some more of Robbie MacNiven’s work. The other stories I read are all from the Warhammer 40K universe. 

Redblade (Warhammer 40K Deathwatch: Ignition Book 4) Black Library, 2015 

A young and reckless Space Wolf clashes with his older pack leader as they defend a refinery in the upper atmosphere of a planet against an onslaught of orks. This does a good job of setting up the characters and situation, has some good action scenes, and a solid ending but I never got into the character and setting. I also didn’t enjoy the prose as much as I did in the previous MacNiven story that I read.  That could either be because of the setting, or it could be because this is an earlier story from the author’s career. 

Rating: 3/5

Blood and Iron (Warhammer 40K: Call of Chaos) Black Library, 2015

A warpsmith for the Iron Warriors, Space Marines who have turned to the service of Chaos, attempts to fuse a demon with a Titan, a massive robotic combat walker. I’m thinking that I’m just not into stories that focus on characters on the side of Chaos, but this story does have some well-done worldbuilding with a great twist at the end. 

Rating 3/5 

A Song for the Lost (Warhammer 40K: Call of Chaos) Black Library, 2015

Ulix, a young Imperium of Man military recruit training under harsh conditions seeks solace in the singing of the mysterious Sister D'Fey, as only her song can ease his suffering. Years later we met him again, we learn how he has changed, and we learn more about his connection to the Sister. Okay, forget what I wrote in the previous review. Here’s a story that involves Chaos that I loved. MacNiven knocked it out of the park with this one. Wonderfully dark and twisted. The prose and the creepy atmosphere really drew me in. 

Rating: 5/5

The Reaping Time (Warhammer 40K: Carcharodons) Black Library, 2016 

A space marine chapter of the shark inspired Carcharodon chapter is sent to a mining colony to investigate after contact is lost with a ship. Mystery leads to savage action and a brutal ending.

Rating: 4/5

Death Warrant (Warhammer 40K: Carcharodons) Black Library, 2017 

As a rogue trader and her team search for an ancient artifact in a temple on a deserted jungle moon, a squad of Carcharodon space marines show up. After they descend into the depths of the temple together, something begins to awaken. An exciting dungeon crawl adventure.

Rating 4/5

All in all, these were enjoyable reads, but while earlier written stories were fine and competently written, the characterizations and the prose in the newer stories really stood out. He seems to get better with each story written. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. 

Four Conan Short Stories from Heroic Legends

Titan Books had a 99-cent sale on a number of their Heroic Legends short stories recently, so I picked up the Conan stories I was missing and I got caught up. 

Conan: The Amulet of Nakamar by Brendan Deneen (Titan Books, 2025)

Shortly after the events of “The Tower of the Elephant,” a young Conan is approached in a tavern and hired to recover a stolen jewel. This felt much too generic and the writing didn’t grab me. I found the constant references to Conan’s childhood training repetitive and some passages seemed to contradict each other. Disappointing. 

Rating: Two swords out of five.

Conan: Marked for Death by Tim Waggoner (Titan Books, 2026) 

Conan and his mercenary companions encounter supernatural trouble after a job gone wrong. I really enjoyed this. A great mix of mystery, action, and horror.

Rating: Four swords out of five. 

Conan: The Treasures of Tortage by Robbie MacNiven (Titan Books, 2026)

I wasn’t expecting a story from the perspective of another character, but the prose grabbed me from the first sentence and never let go. The twist that comes was well done and the ending stuck landing. I'm glad that I didn't read the story description beforehand as it has a spoiler. This is my favorite of the four I read. I loved how Conan is shown using his cunning as well as his strength in this story. 

Rating: Five swords out of five.

Conan: The Green God of Leng by Gavin G. Smith (Titan Books, 2026)

After people across the land are plagued by strange dreams, Conan is asked to help fight off the source of the nightmares. At the end we get a pretty wild final battle. This story has some nice nods to H.P. Lovecraft including the appearance of the Plateau of Leng.  Well done.

Rating: Four swords out of five.

Three great stories of four. Not bad. 

Books I Read in July 2026

One book, one comic, and two short stories this month.

Robert E. Howard Changed My Life: Personal Essays about an Extraordinary Legacy, edited by Jason M. Walz. (Rogue Blades Foundation, 2021)

I picked this up during Robert E. Howard Days 2026. It was my first time making the pilgrimage to Cross Plains, Texas, and I had a fantastic time. I have a blog post that I’m working on about my experiences there but it’s taking longer than expected to finish it. Hopefully soon. 

This is a collection of over thirty essays about how people discovered Howard and how he inspired them. It includes essays by Robert E. Howard Days founders Rusty Burke and Bill “Indy” Cavalier as well as from authors such as Joe R. Lansdale, Scott Oden, Nancy Collins, Roy Thomas, Howard Andrew Jones, Charles R. Saunders, and Michael Moorcock. Although a lot of the essays are written by authors, there are essays by those in other professions as. While I enjoyed some essays more than others, I got something out of all of them. As a Howard fan, I found it quite interesting reading how everyone first encountered him, the variety of characters that they were drawn to, and the different ways Howard’s work made an impact on them. In a way, it was an extension of the experience I had at Robert E. Howard Days 2026. Yeah, I really need to finish writing that post.

Rating: 5/5

Comics

So, I broke down and bought another single issue…

Conan and Dragonero #2. Written by Luca Enoch and Stefano Veitti, art by Lorenzo Nuti. (Titan Comics, July 2026)

This is the second issue of the crossover between Conan and the Italian fantasy character Dragonero. After escaping from the cell he was put in last issue, Conan joins Dragonero on a flying ship only for them to run into a new threat. This issue definitely feels more epic fantasy than sword and sorcery. I liked the art and the issue did a good job of moving the story forward, but as it was such a quick read I’m thinking of sticking to my usual plan of reading the trade. 

Rating: 3/5

Short Stories 

After a friend recently recommended “The Word of Unbinding” by Ursula Le Guin to me, I decided to read it as Le Guin is one of my favorite authors and I still haven’t read much of her work. I wound up reading it and another story as they are the first stories Le Guin wrote set in her Earthsea world. The stories are available in a collection titled The Wind’s Twelve Quarters. 

“The Word of Unbinding” 

A wizard awakes to find that he has been imprisoned by another wizard. After his attempts to escape keep ending in failure, he realizes that he will need to do something quite drastic in order to escape. Quite original and very moving. It’s amazing what Le Guin accomplished in a short story.

Rating: 4/5

“The Rule of Names” 

Things get complicated on an island with a local wizard that isn’t very good at his job, after a mysterious man shows up. I was blown away by the ending. 

Rating: 5/5

Le Guin introduced a lot of concepts in these two stories that she would later flesh out in her Earthsea novels. I read the first one a few years ago and really liked it but I never continued with the other books. I may have to jump back in soon. 

Books and Comics I Read in June 2026

Between a busy month at work, making plans for a much-needed vacation, driving halfway across the US and back (more details to come in an upcoming post), and the heat of summer, not only did I not get much reading done, but I also took forever to write up my notes for what I did read.  Well, I’m finally back so here are some reviews!

Jangar! Slaves of the MInd Mage by L. D. Whitney. (Cliffhanger Press, 2026)

A barbarian raised in the jungle fights to save a woman from savage beast-men. This novelette was a really fun read. A fast-paced sword & sorcery jungle adventure with some world building deftly mixed in. An interesting mix of Tarzan and Conan. I love the cover art by Mike Hoffman as well as the cover design, which is done in the style of the old Ballantine Tarzan paperbacks.

This is the first of a series of six planned stories. The first five will be released as eBooks while the sixth will be included in a collection of the previous stories in paperback. Looking forward to reading more. 

Rating: Five Atlantean swords out of five. 

Conan the Barbarian #32. Written by Jim Zub, art by Doung Braithwaite. (Titan Comics, June 2026)

I’m reading Titan’s Conan the Barbarian in trade as I stopped buying single issues of comics quite a while ago, but I couldn’t resist picking this one up as it’s a done-in-one story. A mysterious woman hires Conan to safeguard her across a desert. It starts out as an adventure story and then becomes something more with its twist ending. This felt like something that would have been published in Weird Tales. The more I think about the ending, the more questions I have. In any case, I really enjoyed it and it was nice to read a stand-alone story. 

Rating: Four Atlantean swords out of five. 

Conan and Dragonero #1. Written by Luca Enoch and Stefano Veitti, art by Lorenzo Nuti. (Titan Comics, May 2026)

When I went to my local comic book shop to pick up Conan #32, I told myself that I wouldn’t pick up anything else… but then I saw this and the item below and I caved. This was a complete blind buy which turned out to be an entertaining read. After Conan is pulled into another world that has dragons, he meets Dragonero, a famous dragonslayer.

I did some research and I learned that Dragonero is a long running Italian fantasy comic. Dark Horse published one volume in English in 2009. This first issue of a seven-issue mini-series has a nice European style art and does a good job of setting things up. I’m not sure how the mix of standard fantasy and sword and sorcery is going to play out, but I’m on board so far. Now, do I wait for the trade or continue to buy single issues…

Rating: Three and half Atlantean swords out of five. 

The Savage Sword of Conan Reforged #1. (Titan Comics, October 2025)

This magazine sized comic is basically a color version of The Savage Sword of Conan, as each issue includes color versions of stories that originally appeared in black and white. I wasn’t planning on picking this up as most of the modern re-coloring of old comics that I’ve seen have been pretty awful, but after flipping through some issues I have to say the coloring done for this is quite good. That and the fact that my local comic shop had a copy of the Boris Vallejo variant cover, plus that it was still at cover price, got me to come away with another single issue. It includes adaptations of two of Robert E. Howard’s most famous Conan stories, an illustrated version of Howard’s poem "Cimmeria," an essay by writer/artist Patrick Zircher, and some pinups. A pretty nice mix. The stories are:

“The Frost Giant’s Daughter” 

Written by Roy Thomas. Art by Barry Windsor-Smith.

(Savage Tales #1, 1971)

“The Tower of the Elephant”

Written by Roy Thomas. Art by John Buscema and Alfred Alcala. 

(Savage Sword of Conan #24, 1977)

The stories are well adapted, the art is fantastic, and as I mentioned the coloring is very well done. Between the stories and the extras, they really knocked it out of the park with this. 

Rating: Five Atlantean swords out of five. 

It’s still pretty hot but things have calmed down, so I’ve been doing more reading this month. We’ll see if I can keep it up. 

Solomon Kane Pastiche I Read in April 2026

Somehow this turned into a Solomon Kane pastiche month with me reading one comic book collection and four short stories. 

Solomon Kane: The Serpent King by Patrick Zircher (Titan Comics, 2025) 

This collects the four issue Soloman Kane: The Serpent King series in which Kane and a group of companions search for the lost Serpent Ring of Thoth-Amon. Patrick Zircher delivers a fantastic combination of story and art with lots of elements from the works of Robert E. Howard. This was a thrilling and fun read. 

Rating: 5/5

This put me in the mood to catch up with the Solomon Kane digital short stories from Titan Books, so here they are. 

Solomon Kane: The Hound of God by Jonathan Mayberry (Titan Books, 2023) 

Solomon Kane goes on the hunt after he comes across a village that has been brutally massacred by some kind of beast. Although he thinks he’s figured everything out, he learns that things aren’t quite as simple as they seem. I really enjoyed the prose and where the story led. 

Rating: 4/5

Solomon Kane: The Banquet of Souls by Steven Savile (Titan Books, 2024) 

After a shipwreck, Soloman Kane washes up on the shores of Japan and winds up helping a clan defend against demons. Solomon Kane in Japan sounds interesting to me but at no point did it feel like the character was actually in feudal Japan. Everyone speaks English, Japanese words are inserted randomly (no futon or kimono though), and the descriptions of almost everything come across as half-hearted. On top of that, the character felt off, the plot felt weak, and the prose didn’t grab me. 

Rating: 2/5

Solomon Kane: The Lair of the Mari Lwyd by Shaun Hamill (Titan Books, 2025) 

I first read this back in December, but I figured I’d give it a re-read since I was reading all the other Titan Books Solomon Kane short stories anyway. This story set during Christmas gives background on the character's Puritan beliefs and mixes sword & sorcery with Welsh folklore really well. A very fun read.

Rating: 4/5

Solomon Kane: Where the Whitehorn Meets the Black by Cavan Scott (Titan Books, 2026)

Solomon Kane returns to his home in Devonshire, England and along with a mysterious woodcutter, winds up searching for a missing child. Fair folk, cursed woods, and dark nursery rhymes. Fast paced, engaging prose, and an ending that stuck the landing. Fantastic story. 

Rating: 5/5

Shaun Hamill has also written Solomon Kane: Suffer the Witch, a full-length novel that was released at the beginning of this year. I’m not sure when I’ll get to it, but I’ll be picking it up eventually.

Tales of Attluma by David C. Smith

Tales of Attluma by David C. Smith (Pulp Hero Press, 2020)

Sixteen sword & sorcery tales about sorcerers, warriors, lost loves, demons, and gods on the doomed island continent of Attluma. In his introduction the author mentions that he was initially influenced by the works of Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E. Howard. I felt that clearly as I was reading. Although I enjoyed some stories more than others, as a whole this was a fantastic read. While some of the stories are standard if excellent dark sword & sorcery fare, there are others that have themes that go beyond that. 

The stories:

Descales’ Skull (4/5)

Three men bring together pieces of a sorcerer’s skull in hopes of being rewarded for their efforts. 

The Generosity of the Gods (4/5)

Two bumbling fishermen enter a temple in order to test the power of the gods. 

Feasting in Shadows (4/5)

Two people exploring a cave looking for ancient temples run into more than they bargained for.

Dark of Heart (5/5)

A soldier in prison for murder gets a second chance by leading a rescue party into a dangerous land. Absolutely thrilling. This story reminded me of the best of Robert E. Howard.

The Last Words of Imatus Istum (5/5)

A poet recounts the brutal tale of how his city was invaded by nomadic warriors on horseback. This story brought to mind the warriors of the Mongol empire and the devastation they brought when attacking cities. 

Aliastra the Sorceress (5/5)

A count who has fallen on hard times gets involved with a sorceress longing for her long dead lover. I really enjoyed the theme of choices that this story explores. 

Ithtidzik (4/5)

A student of sorcery who thinks he knows better than his master uses a demon to seek out an ancient tome. 

Rhasjud’s Destiny (4/5)

Warriors grow concerned when they reach a city they plan to invade but their leader hides in his tent instead of giving the order to attack.

Blood Ransom (4/5)

A young man gets caught up in a plot to kidnap a princess. 

Dark Goddess (5/5)

After raiding a city, the raiders find themselves attacked and haunted by something dark and deadly. Another story that reminded me of the warriors of the Mongol Empire. 

Come, Death (4/4)

A mysterious man named Akram enters a plague-ridden village and encounters a dying woman.

The Return to Hell (4/4)

Akram sets into motion his plan to lift the curse that he has been living with. 

The Passing of the Sorcerer (5/5)

After a sorcerer and a princess become lovers, the city they reside in is attacked by demons. Smith packs a lot into this story as it touches on love, sacrifice, reincarnation, and how doing something small in the present can effect change in the future. 

Patience Serves (4/5)

A lady visits a dying lord. A dark tale of vengeance. 

The Sounding of the Gong (3/5)

Thieves attempt to steal from an old sorcerer and a young sorceress. An interesting story set during the end days of Attluma, but this one didn’t grab me as much as the others. 

The End of Days (5/5)

The last survivors of Attluma race to escape the island continent as monsters and demons give chase. An epic final tale. 

In Conclusion

My one criticism is regarding the Kindle version. While there’s a contents page at the beginning (that you have to swipe a few pages to get to) that allows the reader to navigate between stories, the contents menu at the top of the screen is limited and does not allow one to navigate between the stories. 

Other sword & sorcery works by the author include a five-book series about a barbarian named Oron, a six book Red Sonja series based on the character from Marvel Comics, and the novel Sometime Lofty Towers. I have a paperback copy of the first Oron book and it’s available on Kindle. Here’s hoping the other books become available as eBooks in the future as I’ve never encountered them in the wild and online prices are pretty high. I’ve come across the Red Sonja books at one of the used bookstores I frequent but those books are pretty pricey as well. Sometime Lofty Towers was recently made available again as both a paperback and eBook from Brackenbury Books. One way or another, I’ll definitely be reading more from David C. Smith. 

Books I Read in March 2026

Just one book and one comic collection this month

Arcane Arts and Cold Steel by David C. Smith (Pulp Hero Press, 2025)

I enjoyed David C. Smith’s Tales of Attluma so much last month (and which I still plan to post a longer review of) that I read his recent book on writing sword & sorcery. It begins with what sword & sorcery fiction is and what it is not and then does a deep dive on how to write sword & sorcery fiction using numerous examples from both classic and contemporary authors. It’s a gold mine of information. I learned a lot and I discovered quite a few authors that are new to me. Highly recommended for readers of the genre as well as aspiring writers. 

Conan the Barbarian Vol. 5: Twisting Loyalties by Jim Zub, Danica Brine, and Doug Braithwaite (Titan Comics, August 2025)

This collects issues 17-20 of Titan’s Conan the Barbarian comic. The four issues cover two okay stories, one in which Conan and Belit attempt to steal a Stygian artifact and one that takes place later in which Conan is being stalked by something through the jungle. Not my favorite of the run so far but still enjoyable. It was cool to see a character show up from the original Marvel Comics Run.