I think by now it is no secret I am a fan of Sword and Sorcery fiction. The genre has been around for decades, even before Fritz Leiber gave it its name and has given us classic characters like Conan and Elric. While we do not see many mainstream publishers delve truly into the genre, there are still many publications releasing new Sword and Sorcery fiction, including Savage Realms Monthly, which has been consistently putting out amazing Sword and Sorcery tales by modern authors.
I was recently given the chance to review the February 2026 issue of Savage Realms Monthly, with stories by Annie Shi, Carson Ray and Seain Dunne, and I have had some time to think about the stories and how I feel about them. All three felt different, but in a good way, and there was definitely some great variety in the tales. Going in order, let’s talk about the stories.
Borne of Bone by Annie Shi is the shortest of the stories in this issue, but it is direct, vicious and gives a visceral feeling of impact as you read it. There is very little dialogue and Shi instead builds a story through narrative and action and does it well. We follow the protagonist on her quest, which I will not go into the details of here, and the action is brutal and does not hold back in any way. It may be short, but the story feels perfect as a Sword and Sorcery tale for the modern day that also respects the past. It is quick and to the point, and manages to pack so much action and story into a small amount of pages without any need to go into any extra detail and just giving a good story.
The Soldier and The Witch: An Unhappy Home by Carson Ray is a story that did not grab me immediately and took a few readings to appreciate. It is definitely different, but not in a bad way as it definitely feels rooted in classic Sword and Sorcery, and also gave me a feel similar to some of the recent Solomon Kane pastiches. We have a clear character to get behind, a clear motivation and a setup that makes us want to read more, especially as we learn more about who he really is. I will say that some sections feel a little awkward though and while the ideas were clever, it threw me for a loop as I read it and I am not sure I liked those aspects. Still, it does well overall, and I want to see more of the universe in this story.
The Executioner’s Axe by Seain Dunne was the best story in this issue and a clear callback to classics like Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. I am going to note that while a story can be predictable, a predictable story is not necessarily a bad story and while I could predict almost every story element that happened here, I enjoyed myself the whole time because of how well this was written. This felt like something you would find in the classic pulp magazines, with clever writing and character depiction, though I will concede that it took a bit for the story to get going. That being said, this proved to be necessary for the story Dunne wanted to tell and I found myself wanting more, which is the best compliment I can give a Sword and Sorcery author.
Savage Realms Monthly may not always give us the best story every issue, but it does entertain us and the three tales included in the February 2026 issue are some of the better modern Sword and Sorcery tales, and the variety between the tales provides a nice selection of fiction. You can check purchase the issue here if you want to read for yourself and you can see why the Sword and Sorcery genre is not leaving us anytime soon.
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy for the purpose of this review