'Swords Against Darkness' (288 pp) was published by Zebra Books in February, 1977. It was the first of what would eventually be five 'Swords Against Darkness' volumes. The dramatic cover art is by Frank Frazetta.
Andrew J. Offutt (1934 - 2014) was of course a one-man publishing factory in the 70s; his main occupation was in churning out as many as 10 sleaze paperbacks per year, a practice he curtailed only in the mid-80s, when the genre began to die out. But he did give considerable effort to editing and writing sci-fi and fantasy paperbacks throughout the 70s, particularly for lower-budget publisher Zebra Books.
'Swords Against Darkness' was an anthology of tales emphasizing the sword-and-sorcery genre. Most of the contributors were fairly new to fiction writing, which means that readers should be prepared for a dose of sometimes Purple prose...........
My capsule summaries of the contents:
Nekht Semerkeht, by Robert E. Howard and Andrew J. Offutt: even by 1977, 'unpublished', or half-completed, manuscripts by Robert E. Howard still were being 'discovered' by literary agent Glenn Lord. Offutt himself completed this story fragment, which is about a Spanish conquistador who finds a lost city in the American Southwest; a lost city ruled by a powerful sorcerer..........
The Tale of Hauk, by Poul Anderson: Norse lore and myth combine in this story set in medieval Norway. Anderson was the most accomplished of the writers in this anthology, and 'Hauk' is the standout contribution.
The Smile of Oisia, by Geo W. Proctor: Proctor's hero 'Nalcon' joins forces with a red-haired witch to retrieve a fabled mask of power. This is an early story from Proctor and its prose can be a struggle to get through, although it does have a satisfying denouement.
Pride of the Fleet, by Bruce Jones: melding humor with sci-fi, author Jones takes aim at the concept of 'cosplay' (although in 1977 the term really didn't exist).
Straggler from Atlantis, by Manly Wade Wellman: Kardios, swordsman and adventurer from the sunken city of Atlantis, comes to the aid of a race of giants endangered by a unique type of monster. Another of the better stories in the anthology.
The Ring of Set, by Richard Tierney: this story takes place in Rome during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Simon the wizard pursues an artifact with the power to plunge all of mankind into chaos and despair.
Laragut's Bane, by Raul Garcia Capella: a fisherman battles a curse that threatens his daughter. A subdued, well-written tale that seems more in keeping with the fantasy stories Ursula K. LeGuin wrote in the the 70s, than a Conan-style sword and sorcery adventure.
Dragon's Teeth, by David Drake: one of the earliest short stories from author Drake, and one of the earliest of his stories to feature his character Vettius, the Roman legionary. In 'Dragon's Teeth', Vettius confronts a Sarmatian sorcerer. The prose can be stilted at times, but the story is an effective melding of sword and sorcery with a background in 'real' history.
The Sustenance of Hoak, by Ramsey J. Campbell: the first of four stories that Campbell wrote in the late 70s featuring his 'Ryre' the swordsman character. In this tale, Ryre visits a remote jungle village that harbors a sinister secret; the horror content is creepy enough to make 'Hoak' another standout entry in the anthology.
Summing up, 'Swords Against Darkness' ably represents the sword and sorcery genre as it stood in the late 70s and is deserving of a Four-Star Rating. The horror motifs that underpin many of the entries are effectively presented and that gives this anthology a tenser, more disturbing atmosphere than that of Linn Carter's contemporary 'Flashing Swords !' anthologies.
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