Who fears The Reaper? Not too many writers, it seems. RBE took a lot of submissions for this one, but for the most part the stories were actually pretty self-selecting. Challenges ranged from finding stories with that sought-after ambiance of Karl Edward Wagner's Kane (though not set in modernity) and striking that desired link to the immortal coil. Then there was the goal of not repeating similar motifs or duplicating interpretations of being deathless -- willingly or not. In the end (see what I did there?), there is a delightful table of contents offering a smorgasbord of perspectives and characters good, evil, and indifferent who have yet to finally exit into Death. I'm happy to say there are splendid appearances by characters inspired by most of our suggested immortal examples: Casca, Kane, Lestat, Rā's al Ghūl . . . though I am saddened that versions of Steven Erikson's Rhulad Sengar and Kallor do not.
As to be expected, Death is a constant in these tales: sometimes foe, occasionally friend, often ignored or simply used as a tool. Some fear it, some desire it, some despise it, while others defy it, mock it, personify it. There's a little look into a deep subject in every one of these tales, and I'm excited to see readers' response.
72,000 words in 14 tales are introduced in a foreword by a man who knows just a bit about The Void, Death, and even some of Robert E. Howard's characters -- Mr. Adrian Cole. Now let's see who dares write of Death:
J.B. Toner - "Red Horse, White Horse"
Keith West - "Ghosts of the Staked Plains"
Liam Hogan - "The Hungry Castle"
Logan Whitney - "The Bull and the Djinn"
Dawn Vogel - "Just Add Holy Water"
Matt Sullivan - "To Walk on Worlds"
D.K. Latta - "The Immortal Contract"
Daniel Loring Keating - "Idol of the Valley"
Kate Runnels - "A Thousand Deaths"
Brandie June - "The Death Of Sleeping Beauty"
KT Morley - "The Soldier"
Alfred D. Byrd - "Bhailgeth's Ransom"
Eadwine Brown - "Sand-devil"
Tony-Paul de Vissage - "Shadow's Crossing"
*Cover by RBE
*Foreword from Adrian Cole!
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