Although I loved the idea behind Home of Heroics articles, I had only planned on reading it, rather than contributing. Quite simply, I didn’t feel I was qualified to submit or had anything substantial to say. After being honored by a personal request from Jason Waltz, it was hard to refuse the offer. Even more difficult, choosing what I would write about that pertained to heroic fantasy. Ultimately, I decided to give credit to the authors who helped define this genre, and what they mean to me. These writers are all masters of the craft, and do many things well, but I chose to write about what each does that specifically resonated with me on a personal level and influenced my own works.

H.P. Lovecraft (atmosphere): Known primarily for weird horror mostly taking place in a fictional New England setting, Lovecraft is not considered a writer of “heroic fantasy” though his work is enmeshed in that culture. That in itself is quite remarkable. No other author I have read has equaled Lovecraft in commanding the English language—and he uses this ability to eloquent effect. Reading Lovecraft was the first time I realized that writing was an art form, more than simply the technical work of putting words on paper to relay a story. This subtle art is an ethereal nuance that could be described as atmosphere. It is elusive and perhaps why so many writers seem to lack that dimension in their works.

Robert E. Howard (vitality): Brutality, savagery, violence—Howard is a master of relaying these aspects of fantasy, obviously prominent in his Conan the Barbarian works set in Hyboria. Despite this mastery, Howard does not give us simple tales of hack and slash, which, to be honest, was what I was expecting the first time I began reading a Conan collection. Instead of simple brutality, savagery, and violence, I was treated to calculated brutality, cunning savagery, and orchestrated violence—all symptoms of character and plot complexity, other traits of Howard’s writing that lend cause to envy. Howard hammered away at the theme “one man can conquer all” but he showed us time and again that man used more than just a sword to accomplish this means.

J. R.R. Tolkien (world building): Not only did Tolkien supply his readers with exquisite background and lengthy histories of Middle Earth, he described lands and cultures to such extent the novels, at times, take on the guise of travel guides (and Tolkien has taken some criticism for the affect on his pacing). Wrongly or rightly criticized, he has earned acclaim as an expert in world building fantasy (creating languages for his races illustrates the extent of Tolkien’s involvement with Middle Earth).

Michael Moorcock (imagination): This author puts the “epic” in epic with his multiversal war between Law and Chaos and the many incarnations of the Eternal Champion. Moorcock pushes the envelope of sheer imagination, expanding the boundaries of what heroic fantasy means with his magically charged settings. As an aside, a lot has been written of his Elric character, without a doubt one of the finest in fantasy and perhaps my favorite. I’ve read where the albino prince was created as the antithesis of the heroic character trope, with his frail form, and living in the shadow of his own mighty sentient sword, Stormbringer—though it could be argued Tolkien had already preceded Elric with the physically weak hobbit Frodo and his Ring of Doom. Elric is, however, quite simply put, far cooler than Frodo.

Fritz Leiber (empathy, storytelling): As with Moorcock’s Young Kingdoms, Leiber’s Nehwon is a highly imaginative and magically charged world. Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser share the billing as main characters and it is perhaps their bond of friendship which is the real star of Nehwon. Leiber mesmerizes and draws in the reader by this exemplary display of camaraderie, for whom among us would not wish for a best friend of utmost loyalty, and to also be that friend? Leiber concocted highly unusual storylines, another hallmark of his Newhon tales and where his imagination excelled.

Karl Edward Wagner (satisfying ending): Karl did many things well with his Kane tales, but what he mastered, perhaps above all, was the satisfying ending. This is where Karl shined his brightest and left the reader wanting more. If ever there was a clear illustration as to the benefits of outlining a story and considering it carefully to end with a significant conclusion, Karl E. Wagner’s Kane tales are that illustration. Those who begin with a spark of an idea and just start jotting down a story and hope for a happy accident that will pay off the reader at the end, often fail. Karl always paid off his reader.

It is, in my opinion, unlikely that any writer today will excel to equal these grandmasters of heroic fantasy. Their influence perpetually reaches far and deep, and forms a foundation for the culture of heroic fantasy writers. They are the legends to whom we owe thanks.

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Baron Von Draukenhaus has been summoned from a century long, self-imposed exile to lead a band of expendable heroes in hopes of striking a tactical blow against an enemy hellbent on enslaving all of Azieran. Wielding Darkannis, the blade upon which a horned, demonic bat is crucified, Draukenhaus finds himself accompanied by a motley band of strangers: Mizzerotte the volatile mage,  St. Cerillian Skiles the pious saint, Diabolique the seductive trap master, Groan the steadfast giant, Delorian Dekx the deceptive harlequin, and a mysterious figure cloaked in black known only as The Archer.

During their travels, they must overcome personal differences and complete their individual secret agendas while building the trust and friendship needed to succeed in the world’s most desperate gambit.

Azieran: Coveting Bloodshed is the first book of The Bloodshed Trilogy, detailing the exploits of Baron Von Draukenhaus as he rediscovers and attempts to save Azieran after a century of isolation.