Heroic Fantasy Quarterly #65, August 2025
“Bride-Price Paid Twice” by Gregory Mele
“The Golden Goat Caper” by Mark Finn
“Sea Henge” by Phil Emery
“A Knowledge Sharper Than Flint” by Adrian Simmons (Part 2, not reviewed)
Reviewed by Mina
“Bride-Price Paid Twice” by Gregory Mele (a tale of the Azatlán) is a brutal story of vengeance. The narrator is a young warrior in Kereopa’s crew. He is with Kereopa when the grizzled warrior makes a bargain with Henare as the price for the weapon made by the master craftsman. Henare tells a tale of love, captivity, torture and escape. His price for the sword is that Kereopa slay the tribe that crippled him and rescue his illegitimate daughter.
What follows is the tale of the price being paid, but with a couple of twists at the end. The identity of the bride is soon made apparent, but the human cost of the twice-paid bride price is only clear at the end. First Nations meet Conan the Barbarian.
In “The Golden Goat Caper” by Mark Finn (Larsen and Co.), the crew has gone to ground in the port city of Byle. The gang nabs two bragging thieves to find out where they stashed their loot. I can’t say that I am a fan of trying to make torture sound funny, but they get answers. Of course, retrieving the loot turns into a very hairy venture. Literally, with a giant spider, monks on a quest to recover a magic set of beer steins and accompanying cask, and absolutely no honour among thieves. Although, sometimes doing the right thing is the best way to stay alive.
I enjoyed the names, as the author is very good at making up names that sound like something else, like Larcen and Thurl; Brother Sonorous says it all.
“Sea Henge” by Phil Emery is set on a ship travelling to war. Along the way, it gets stuck, unable to lift the anchor after stopping to pick up new sailors. Jack O’Wraiths has magic and can see what he calls “lingerings.” He sends his spirit down the anchor to find what god is holding the ship. He finds a circle of submerged trees hungry for sacrifice. Will Jack get out alive and what is he willing to do to save himself?
The story is well written, with a bitter aftertaste.