Short Stories and Novellas I Read in February 2026

 All short stories and novellas this month. All highly recommended.

“Rider in the Widow Lands” short story by Coy Hall. (The Scythian Wolf, 2026. Available as an ebook)

A dark rider on a mysterious mission in an eerie land. By the end all is revealed. A tale just brimming with sword & sorcery atmosphere with vivid prose, interesting worldbuilding, and an ending that totally sticks the landing.

“Viy” by Nikolai Gogol (From The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol. Vintage, 1999. Story first published in 1835)

A philosophy student holding vigil over the dead body of a beautiful young woman in a remote church is terrorized by supernatural creatures. It has a slow buildup up but the wild supernatural events that begin happening towards the end make up for it. As soon as I finished reading, I watched the film adaptation from 1967.

Viy (1967) Directed by Georgi Kropachyov and Konstantin Ershov 

A faithful and well-done adaptation with some beautiful location shooting in Ukraine. Like the novella, it has a bit of a slow beginning, but it leads into a phenomenal latter half. The set of the church interior, the lighting, the color, the direction, and the practical effects during those scenes were all amazing and creatively done, especially for a film from 1967.

The Dolphin and the Deep by Thomas Burnett Swann (Ace Books, 1968)

This collects three fantasy stories of varying length. Each story mixes history and mythology in a way that I really enjoyed. 

Where is the Bird of Fire? by Thomas Burnett Swann (Ace Books, 1970)

Three more stories that deftly mix mythology and history. Swann has become a new favorite author of mine. I’ll be looking out for more of his work, and I’ll write more details about both books in an upcoming post. 

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

Sixteen stories about sorcerers, warriors, demons, and gods on the island continent of Attluma. Fantastic stuff. Once again, I’ll post a longer review soon.

The Krieg Sword & Sorcery Stories of Charles Gramlich

I really enjoyed “The Skull of Ghosts” from Old Moon Quarterly #5 featuring Charles Gramlich’s sword & sorcery character Krieg, so I sought out the rest of the stories. In a blog post the author describes the character as someone who “combines certain elements of REH’s Kull and Wagner’s Kane,” which I felt as I read the stories. This is a small detail, but I really like how the stories are broken up into parts, each with its own chapter title, something I usually only see in longer works. 

“A Whisper in Ashes” (5/5) 

(Heroic Fantasy Quarterly #17, July 2013 and The Best of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly Vol. III, 2020)

After Krieg discovers the ruins of a funeral ship at the edge of a mountain lake, he follows a set of footprints to a town which is having trouble with an intruder. At first, they accept his help but then they become suspicious of him.

“Where all the Souls Are Hollow” (5/5) 

(Unsheathed: An Epic Fantasy Collection, 2018)

Krieg encounters something not of this world in a desert. I got a bit of a Karl Edward Wagner vibe with this one as it mixes science fiction with sword and sorcery really well. 

“The Rotted Land” (5/5) 

(Sword and Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 5, 2022)

After attempting to take a short cut though a swamp, Krieg meets a mysterious woman clad in black. The darkest story yet.

“The Skull of Ghosts” (5/5) 

(Old Moon Quarterly # 5, Summer 2023)

Krieg enters a plague infested town and meets people from his past. I loved the prose, the characters, and the backstory that’s hinted at. 

“Once Upon a Blood Dark Sea” (5/5)

(Savage Realms Monthly # 40, November 2025)

Krieg and the men he is travelling with at sea encounter an island newly risen from the ocean. On the island they explore the ruins of an ancient city and wind up battling all sorts of creatures. A real page turner. 

Each story is set up really well, has excellent pacing, and has a satisfying conclusion. Not a wasted word. Here’s hoping that the author writes more stories about Krieg. If he does, I’ll definitely be reading them. 

Old Moon Quarterly Issue 5

I really enjoyed reading Old Moon Quarterly 1-4, so it was only a matter of time before I got to issue 5. It’s another great mix of sword and sorcery/dark fantasy fiction & poetry. The issue begins with an interesting introduction that discusses the differences between Kull and Conan stories. 

Stories and poems:

Together Under the Wing by Jonathan Olfert (4/5)

A revenge story about a woolly mammoth warrior versus a giant. Dark and original.

Champions Against the Maggot King by K.H. Vaughn (5/5)

Elemental sorcery, landships, and a great cast of characters. Loved it.

The King’s Two Bodies by Joe Koch (4/4)

A cryptic but fascinating poem.

The Origin of Boghounds by Amelia Gordon (4/5)

Bounty hunters, swamps, and monsters. A fun read. 

Well Met at the Gates of Hell by David K. Henrickson (4/5)

After a warrior arrives in hell he must fight three figures from his past. I enjoyed how the story moved forward with each encounter and where the story led.

A Warning Agaynste Woldes by Zachary Bos (3/5)

An interesting but difficult to read poem, even more cryptic than the previous one. Both poems become more enjoyable with each re-read. 

The Skull of Ghosts by Charles Gramlich (5/5)

A warrior named Krieg enters a plague infested town and meets people from his past. I loved the prose, the characters, and the backstory that’s hinted at. This is a small detail, but I really liked how the story is broken up into parts, each with its own chapter title, something I don’t usually see in short fiction. 

The Headman’s Melancholy by Joseph Andrew Thomas (4/5)

An executioner in 14th century England begins to keep a diary after meeting a thief that he is sure he executed in the past. Dark and mysterious. 

A really solid issue. While I enjoyed some works more than others, I got something out of all of them.