Cathedral of the Drowned by Nathan Ballingrud In 1912, Edgar Rice Burroughs’s A Princess of Mars saw publication in The All-Story (under the title Under the Moons of Mars). It introduced the American reading public to John Carter: a swashbuckl…

We started the SH Reviews week with @mattholder93.bsky.social on the weird horror of Ballingrud's The Cathedral of the Drowned:

"while my initial interest in Ballingrud comes from the heavy metal of it all, my lingering investment is rooted in the ecologies and philosophies undergirding the texts."

A knight in gothic armor, studded with arrows, rides a pale horse. The horse clutches a crown in its mouth; its eyes glow. Directly behind knight and horse, there is a tree. Near it fly ravens. In front of the tree, a skeleton in medieval clothing points towards a mountain in the distance. Atop that mountain is a castle. Clouds gather over it.

Behold! The cover art for our upcoming Arthurian issue, as created by the inestimable @teradiamart.bsky.social ! We're incredibly thankful for this amazing art, and we're thankful for all the lovely stories our authors provided for this issue.

Keep eyes peeled for a ToC reveal in the near future!

Contra Amatores Mundi: A Gothic Fantasy by Graham Thomas Wilcox Contra Amatores Mundi is a love story soaked in martial theology and stylistic decadence.

Oh, hi. Yes, there’s a Wednesday review: it’s @mattholder93.bsky.social on the medievalist gothic fantasy of Graham Thomas Wilcox:

“Readers of Clark Ashton Smith or Wolfe will find much to enjoy in Wilcox’s baroque presentation, each sentence buttressed with beautiful crenellations and frescoes.”

Thanks for picking it up!

Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Review: Hurled Headlong Flaming Spiral Tower Press’ first novella in their Keen Blades series is a very strong opener. Matt Holder has created a riveting page turner that makes you wonder: Are we asking the right questions? This …

My review of Hurled Headlong Flaming ✝️⚔️ by @mattholder93.bsky.social

Great book 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

www.carlellis.co.uk/2025/04/10/r...

Perfect comics from Stan Sakai. I picked these up as singles, but I’m too lazy to dig those back out for a reread, so I picked up the trade.

It's a really good book! Easily worth a portion of Matt's student loans!

Please everyone go buy *checks student loan balance* a million copies of my novella. It features an Elric cameo, but you have to buy at least ten copies to unlock that particular feature. Incredible cover art by Jake Kelly, pubbed through Spiral Tower Press. a.co/d/gj3J1xs

In case you missed the week at @strangehorizons.bsky.social reviews:

- @abigailnussbaum.bsky.social with a Choose Your Own Adventure review of @ryannorth.ca
- @mattholder93.bsky.social on Alan Moore
- Cameron Miguel on @eliotschrefer.bsky.social

We’ll be back in ‘25 with our year in review!

Ep77 – Interview with Graham Thomas Wilcox In which I speak with Graham Wilcox about his Gothic Fantasy novella, Contra Amatores Mundi, that grew out from a story he published in Old Moon Quarterly.

In which I speak with Graham Wilcox about his Gothic Fantasy novella, Contra Amatores Mundi, that grew out from a story he published in @oldmoonquarterly.bsky.social.

soimwritinganovel.com/2024/12/02/e...

Some of William Blake’s pencil drawings.

Thank you for reading! I appreciate the kind thoughts.

Thanks for reading and your kind comments!

Please everyone buy 1000 copies of my sword-and-sorcery/dark fantasy novella, Hurled Headlong Flaming, so that I can make both responsible and irresponsible purchases — incredible cover art by Jake Kelly a.co/d/fCOYebU

The inaugural post of our blog is a review by Robin Marx of Matt Holder’s @mattholder93.bsky.social debut release from Spiral Tower Press’ newly established Keen Blades imprint: Hurled Headlong Flaming. newedgeswordandsorcery.com/review-hurle...

An Interview with Matt Holder, author of Hurled Headlong Flaming

An Interview with Matt Holder @mattholder93.bsky.social, author of Hurled Headlong Flaming, a Sword & Sorcery novella out now on Spiral Tower Press www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBfh...

Milton, Metalocalypse, and Medievalism Matt Holder talks about his debut novella, Hurled Headlong Flaming

I spoke with @mattholder93.bsky.social about his debut novella, Hurled Headlong Flaming. adamsnotes.substack.com/p/milton-met...

Today in Things We Like: Hurled Headlong Flaming, by Matt Holder. Damn, what a novella! A thoughtful, introspective and very metal take on a medieval warrior bishop's journey into hell. A risk-taking sort of story that you don't much see nowadays. www.amazon.com/Hurled-Headl...

This look's super cool! Matt Holder's short story "Towards a Justice" appeared in Old Moon volume 6, and it was an absolute killer of a tale (tarnished knight, strange mage, volcano-worshipping death cult!). Just ordered ourselves a copy of this novella; can't wait to dig into it once it arrives.

Story Chat #3 - The Wolves of Winter Road by author T.A. Markitan Recorded Oct 18, 2023, New Edge Sword & Sorcery editor Oliver Brackenbury is joined by fellow editor Jay Wolf and special guest Matt Holder, reviewer at Stra...

This month on Story Chat, Strange Horizons critic Matt Holder joins editor Jay Wolf and host Oliver Brackenbury to discuss the story from this year's anthology, A Book of Blades Vol II.

youtu.be/3-dXHHOt0Fk?...