Review: Neither Beg Nor Yield edited by Jason M. Waltz

 

I once asked some friends to recommend a collection of modern Sword and Sorcery stories. They said that the definitive collection was Neither Beg Nor Yield edited by Jason M. Waltz and published in 2024. After reading it, I have to agree with them. The anthology is subtitled, “Stories with S&S Attitude” which is the subject of the opening essay by the editor. The definition of Sword and Sorcery is the subject of much debate, but the pillars of the genre are easily identified: Michael Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, and most notably Robert E. Howard. Waltz defines Sword and Sorcery as more an attitude than any combination of genre elements, but of the twenty tales in this collection about half clearly follow in the footsteps of Howard, Leiber, and Moorcock. The other half twist the genre, but all have that attitude which Waltz identifies.

Neither Beg Nor Yield features an impressive list of contributors including masters of the genre like Glen Cook, Andrew Howard Jones, Steven Erikson, Joe R. Lansdale, C. L. Werner, Adrian Cole, and Chuck Dixon. Virtually all of the stories deserve comment, but for the purpose of this review I will comment on a few favorites.

At this point in my reading life, I have read thousands of pages of Sword and Sorcery classics and am not as interested in stories in the vein of Howard’s classic work. I want authors who do something different, write against tropes, and rely on creativity. I am pleased to say that there was plenty for me in this collection. C. L. Werner’s “Hunters and Prey” has all the elements of a classic sword and sorcery story but pulls characters, setting, and themes from legends of the Samurai. “Suspension in Silver” is an urban werewolf tale—something I would not have picked up otherwise—but weird, violent, well told, and reeking of that attitude Waltz wants. Chuck Dixon’s “The Stone from the Stars” eschews the purple prose of the genre’s forefathers for a fast paced and humor filled buddy adventure. Joe R. Lansdale surprised me with an urban fantasy made up of a setting and characters I found instantly both incredibly familiar and incredibly strange. Newcomer Lawrence A. Weinstein surprised me by twisting a barbarian sword and sorcery tale into a courtroom drama with a lot of verve and humor. I was impressed by “The Barbarian’s Lawyer” and immediately went searching for more from the author, which I hope will be forthcoming. While not all of the stories in this volume were to my taste, anyone who wants to read contemporary Sword and Sorcery will find a stories to love here and more authors to explore.

Rating: I really like it.

Reviewed by Edmond Price

Purchase Neither Beg Nor Yield