In an age when the fantasy genre is synonymous with material that would have been kept in small out-of-the-way rooms behind beaded curtains, it’s incredibly refreshing to see the boys at Iron Age Media doing their bit to put something out worthwhile. That something is Battleborn, and their debut issue is quite a roller coaster, with a veritable buffet of material within its 200-plus pages ranging from touching tributes to legends past, to gripping novelettes, riveting short stories and interesting essays and columns.
Battleborn magazine’s successful Indiegogo campaign is now coming to fruition, with its debut issue releasing this weekend. We received an e-ARC ahead of release, and having read it I can safely say that a new band of bloodstained, brazen marauders have kicked the door down and are flipping the tea tables of a genre that’s become far too cozy.
The Content
During my peak tabletop gaming years in the 90s, I was a huge fan of Inquest, a monthly magazine that was as heavy on humor as it was on interesting editorial content. What made “IQ” my publication of choice for gaming news when compared to more “serious” magazines like The Duelist or Dragon was that the overall experience of reading an issue felt like hanging out with friends. This was a magazine clearly made by guys who loved their hobbies and it bled into every page. Battleborn made me feel the same way. This is a magazine made by fans, and it shows.
Things kick off with an introduction to “The Commander” via the “Commander’s Brief”, complete with illustration that reminded of the contributor-as character-avatar custom in the pages of GamePro magazine.
Following the Commander’s red-blooded welcome, Editor-in-Chief Sean Korsgaard gives an introduction which recounts how real life heroes like his grandfather and his experiences in the military taught lessons of heroism and perseverance that undergird what makes fantasy such an enduring style of storytelling. The issue then begins in earnest.
The roundup of material in the debut issue is very impressive. For fiction it boasts three novelettes and five short stories along with six columns for editorial and non-fiction offerings.
As my personal favorites for each go, Greg Mele’s Jaguar’s Children, was my pick for novelette, a truly bloody and white-knuckled tale of Pirates reluctantly allied with shipwrecked privateers attempting to survive an encounter sandwiched between an advancing wave of bloodthirsty island locals on one side and the ocean on the other. There wasn’t a weak link in the selection of short stories, which really speaks to the high standards of their submissions.
For my money (such as it were), I enjoyed Erik Waag’s latest appearance of his barbarian Skarde, To Boast of Victory, a hilarious yet satisfyingly action dense tale of a drunken dare between Skarde and a pair of noble knights that winds up turning into a glorious military victory. On the tonal flip side, TJ Marquis’ Vengeance Vow is a pulse-quickening tale of thief-assassin Jain on a mission to take out the mad King Ahmulah, who’s quite fond of sacrificing scores of people during his festivals. In a grimy and dense urban setting reminiscent of Wolfe (the festival happening in question is the “Festival of the Long Sun”, wink, nudge). This was a story that had me leaning into my screen the whole way through. This may in fact be my favorite offering from him so far. The previously unpublished excerpt from Howard Andrew Jones’ Hanuvar series, A Stone’s Throw is also not to be missed.
The poem on offer is the short but classic The Road of Kings from none other than Robert E. Howard (not to be confused with the excellent novel of the same name, there’s my free recommendation for you, you’re welcome).
The Features columns and essays on offer are a bit of a mixed bag, but someone is likely to find at least a couple that will pique their interests. Korsgaard pulls double duty in his essay Lord of a Shattered Genre, where he recounts his time and tutelage with the aforementioned Howard Andrew Jones and the impact his legacy continues to have on the genre. It’s a deep and touching tribute. First Lines by Jason M. Waltz is an interesting concept, highlighting great opening lines of stories and novels and dissecting them. Korsgaard’s piece on the famed Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood is sure to be a hit with military history buffs.
In short, Battleborn is a publication that one should steep themselves in and enjoy a nice, relaxed pace because there is quite a bit of meat to chew on here.
Politics
None.
Content Warning
This is blood-and-guts fantasy, so there’s clearly going to be a healthy heaping of gore, and some stories have salty language.
Who is it for/ Why buy it?
Fans starved of genuine fantastical, brutal, vividly detailed sword and sorcery in all of its glory. Battleborn is a must for the bookshelf of any died in the wool fantasy fan.
Alright man, so glad you got a review copy. Thanks for shouting out Jain too!
:arm flex:
Will it be available for purchase soon without a pledge?