HEROIC FANTASY QUARTERLY — ISSUE 6

Adventure Fantasy, Stormwater Diversion, Engineering, and Irishmen

Welcome one and all to the sixth issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly!  Once again we’ve ventured to the deepest levels of the Internet, fought the hordes found there, and brought back rich treasures of gleaming wordsmithery for you, the fans.

Our wares:

Fiction Contents

HEART OF MAN, by David Pilling
Heathen rites and anti-establishment battles in ye olde Britain.  Last issue we mentioned HFQ would consider publishing historical fantasy — stories like this are why we opened the doors to real world settings.

THE SEA WASP, by Robert Rhodes
Thuggery on the high seas as superstitious corsairs abscond with a young scribe.  What’s the saying? You can take the boy out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the boy . . .

Poetry Contents

AMBITION, PURPOSE, OUTCOME, by Charles Saplak
The future is a hard thing to know. But you knew that. Nevermind — we think you’ll like this one.

THE DANCE, by Shennandoah Diaz
How long did you think it would last?

Art
This issue’s art comes courtesy of Mariusz Gandzel, who was born in 1980 in the south of Poland — where he still lives. He graduated from the Architecture Department in Poland (Gliwice), and there he started his adventure with drawing. At present he’s drawing SF, fantasy and horror illustrations. These arts are used in books, magazines, board games, role playing games and CD covers. He is interested in various techniques of painting like water colors, oil, and ink; he also enjoys computer processing, but mostly he uses the computer to draw. Mariusz is a big fan of horror movies from the 80’s, Stephen King books, Andreas Martens’ comic books, and film music of any kind. He is currently working as an international freelance artist. To learn more about Mariusz or to check out more of his art, please visit his websites: http://mariuszgandzel.carbonmade.com/ and http://www.gandzelart.com/

Goings-On
Life has not let up on any of us behind the scenes at HFQ, and with that comes a temporary change in the editorial mix.

After stumbling upon a rare opportunity to level-up, Adrian Simmons will be taking off the next two quarters at HFQ in order take a Numerical Analysis of Data course, as well as a prep course for the Fundamentals of Engineering test. Thus begins a six-month process akin to the development of the classic AD&D bard. If he passes, he looks forward to the ability to charm monsters.

As it stands, he can sometimes charm editors. Check out his story “Hard Crossing at Luhinmov Ford” in Rogue Blades Entertainment’s Roar of the Crowd Anthology.

In spite of the heavy study load, Adrian will be winging up to Columbus, Ohio, for the World Fantasy Convention, where he will meet with fellow S&S publishers Jason Waltz of Rogue Blades, and John O’Neill of Black Gate. Rumor has it this conclave will lead to readings.

During Adrian’s absence, two-time HFQ contributor and proud Irishman James Lecky will be filling in. Jim’s presence brings forcefully to the fore the fact that delivering the best adventure fantasy to the world is an international effort. Not only that, his fiction flies from the Emerald Isle like the Wild Ganders of old! Check out his upcoming work at:

Innsmouth Free Press — The Song of Tussagaroth
Iron Bound — The Cold Legions
Through Blood and Iron (from Ricasso Press) — Forged in Heaven, Tempered in Hell

Life’s adventures have not left David Farney unscathed. Following the elemental beatdown his home and daughter’s car suffered just prior to presstime of HFQ’s last issue, he spent the rest of the summer like a sunscreened dwarf on growth hormones: with pick and shovel mining the red Oklahoma clay to reroute a decrepit 60’s era yard drainage pipe. Recent test-drives look promising and, while he’s far from raising the middle finger to Mother Nature, the term ‘water intrusion’ is slipping further and further from his mind. If that’s not enough, David recently survived his employer’s annual week-of-woe national meeting. (Memo to his coworkers: that’s a Conan reference, not a jab. Questions? Give him a call. Just don’t stick a vulture’s neck in front of him at next year’s gathering!) Though all this has left him bruised and bloody, he remains committed to publishing heroic fantasy and sword and sorcery on schedule. He laughs at these troubles from his mountain of power!

William Ledbetter has a finger in many editorial soups, and he’s running the Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest.  Try your hand at it — we dare you!

Last but far, far from least, we’re proud to report that HFQ T-shirts are in the offing!  They will premiere at World Fantasy Convention. You heard it here first, and come the first of November you’ll find our online shop here too!

As always, thanks for giving some time and love to HFQ. That’s all we’ve got for now — now go forth and read!