Old Moon Quarterly delivers another interesting mix of dark fantasy and sword and stories. This issue also includes an editor’s introduction, two poems, and a review. Here are my thoughts on the stories.
The Orphan of Bones by Josh Reynolds
A group of ghouls confront a pair of adventurers in order to recover something that the ghouls were protecting. Interesting characters all around and a creepy atmosphere. I’m not sure if I buy something that happens towards the end, but this was still a great read.
Rating: 4/5
Corpse Wax by R. L. Summerling
After beheading a tyrant king, a woman has dark visions of the future. I didn’t think I was going to like this one as it's written in the second person POV, but the prose and story really drew me in.
Rating: 4/5
The Marchers in the Fog by Daniel Quiogue
Starving soldiers run into trouble after entering a strangely deserted town. I liked the creepy atmosphere and building sense of dread.
Rating: 4/5
The Festering Mantle by J.M. Hayes
An “E.R. Eddison-esque” tale in which one of the men guarding a deposed king hiding in a marsh grows suspicious after seeing something mysterious at night. I might have enjoyed this more if I had read some Eddison.
Rating: 3/5
Towards a Justice by Matt Holder
An old sorcerer enlists the help of a battle-weary knight in order to defeat a group of cultists living by an active volcano. While I really enjoyed the story and the prose, the ending left me flat.
Rating: 3/5
Diary of a Wolf by Adam McPhee
A werewolf story written in the style of a 17th century diary. I enjoyed the period-accurate writing style and where the story led.
Rating: 4/5
Once again while I enjoyed some stories more than others, I got something out of all of them. Looking forward to reading the next issue.
