

ROGUES. ASSASSINS. MERCENARIES.



Coin is their master, and their trade, more often than not, is blood. These are BLACKGUARDS .



Whether by coin or by blood...YOU WILL PAY.



Swift from the shadows, comes an 'edgy' anthology, edited by J.M. MARTIN, featuring sundry tales of roguish types—assassins, mercenaries, thieves—many of whom are already established in well-known fantasy series.



Fantasy is a very broad genre and when I truly think about it, my heart has always had that special place reserved for those EPic Fantasy stories featuring well rogues, assassins and the like. It's with these characatures or elements whatever you want to call them that you can write such a good story. They feature well in funny, humorous stories as well as those that have a much darker and grimmer undertone, or what is often seen is the combination of both. I am of the opinion that this latter option is the best path. Last year when I heard that Ragnarok was running a kickstarter for Blackguards I got excited, there was a definite list of names and of more potential names if certain goals would be achieved. Now the initial list of authors was well, more than impressive, but those that could have their story added made it even more so. In the everyone got their story in the anthology, no acutally I should say Anthology, because just take a look at the names. Blackguards: Tales of Assassins, Mercenaries, and Rogues is a collection of story with the some of the best fantasy authors out there.



As shown in the list below:

Jean Rabe – Mainon

Bradley P. Beaulieu – Irindai

Cat Rambo - The Subtler Art

Carol Berg – Seeds

Kenny Soward - Jancy's Justice

Michael J. Sullivan - Professional Integrity

Richard Lee Byers - Troll Trouble

Paul S. Kemp - A Better Man

Django Wexler - First Kill

Mark Smylie – Manhunt

John Gwynne - Better to Live than to Die

Mark Lawrence - The Secret

Laura Resnick – Friendship

Clay Sanger - The First Kiss

Shawn Speakman - The White Rose Thief

Peter O'Rullian - A Length of Cherrywood

Tim Marquitz - A Taste of Agony

James A. Moore - What Gods Demand

David Dalgish - Take You Home

Joseph R. Lallo - Seeking the Shadow

Jon Sprunk - Sun and Steel

S.R. Cambridge - The Betyár and the Magus

Snorri Kristjansson - A Kingdom and a Horse

James Enge - Thieves at the Gate

Lian Hearn - His Kikuta Hands

Anthony Ryan - The Lord Collector

Anton Strout - Scream

This list has a whopping twenty-seven (27) original stories. What I always do with anthology review is highlight some of the stories, so as not to make the review to lengthy.





Bradley P. Beaulieu - Irindai