Modern Sword and Sorcery Magazines: A Reader’s Guide to Today’s Best Fantasy Pulps

Back in the days of yore, some 100 years ago at this point, pulp fiction magazines were everywhere. Publications like Weird Tales and Black Mask were the places to be for short-fiction writers hoping to make a living.

Throughout the twentieth century, publications like these introduced the world to the likes of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, C.L. Moore, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and countless others. Without such authors, fantasy as we know it would not exist.

While all sorts of genre fiction were represented among the pulps, I've always been most interested in Sword & Sorcery and Heroic Fantasy, action-packed tales featuring outsider heroes solving their problems with steel, guile, and decisive efficiency.

We've published such tales in The Literary Fantasy Magazine, albeit with a focus on character development to fit within our preference for character-driven narrative. We also published Lee Patton’s novella, A Valley of Shadow, about an undead mercenary fighting to save a young girl pursued by monstrous men, which can be read for free in its entirety.

Many people believe the pulps are dead, but that could not be farther from the truth. There is a thriving community of Sword & Sorcery savants working day and night to keep the tradition of heroic fantasy alive.

If you've read our selection of Sword & Sorcery and ache for more sword-swinging badasses and tower-climbing scoundrels, I've curated a list (in no particular order) of all the active or recent Sword & Sorcery magazines I could find.

If you like what we do, check out our upcoming BackerKit campaign for Old Sorcery by James Callan.

10. Whetstone: Amateur Magazine of Sword and Sorcery

Unfortunately, Whetstone is defunct as of December 2023. The good news is that the entire back catalogue of eight issues is available for free download.

Edited by Jason Ray Carney of Spiral Tower Press, a resident expert on Pulp Studies and academic coordinator of the Robert E. Howard Foundation, Whetstone is a master-crafted, low barrier starting point for anyone curious to see how S&S has evolved in the present decade.

9. Tales From the Magician's Skull

Published originally by Goodman Games and later acquired by Outland Entertainment, Tales From the Magician's Skull does an amazing job honing the aesthetic of the classic pulps.

Repeat TLFM contributor DJ Tyrer was featured in their tenth issue alongside the previously mentioned Jason Ray Carney.

8. Sword & Sorcery Magazine

Edited by Curtis Elliot and Patrick Odren, Sword & Sorcery Magazine is a free, monthly web publication dedicated to the heart of the genre. With a backlog of over 160 issues, you could spend years diving into their archive.

They are funded solely on Patreon, so consider giving that a look if you love what they're doing.

7. Crimson Quill Quarterly

Crimson Quill Quarterly is a grass roots publication making paperbacks and offers their selection on Kindle Unlimited. There are nine volumes as of January 2026.

Their focus is purely on the authors and their stories. The issues are clearly made with the love and care found only in indie publishing, with every story headed by a classic black ink illustration.

6. Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

Heroic Fantasy Quarterly is a free, quarterly web publication and was founded by David Farney and Adrian Simmons in 2009. They have over sixty issues and began adapting recent tales to audio.

It's not clear how readers can support them financially, but they offer quarterly advertising for reasonable prices!

5. Old Moon Quarterly

Old Moon Quarterly is published by Julian Barona and edited by Graham Thomas and Caitlyn Emily Wilcox. Their eight volumes, and a gothic fantasy novel scriven by staff members, are available as eBooks on their website or paperbacks on Amazon.

4. New Edge Sword & Sorcery

New Edge Sword & Sorcery (NESS) approaches the formula of the classics while implementing an inclusive, boundary-pushing approach to the genre. Edited by Oliver Brackenbury, NESS is dedicated to making Sword & Sorcery for everyone.

Issue 0 is available as a free eBook (which features an excellent article from the editor about the definition of S&S) and they sell further issues as both paperback and hardcover on their website featuring truly wonderful interior design.

3. Goblins and Galaxies

Goblins and Galaxies is a newcomer to the market that came in with a splash. Their first issue was funded on Kickstarter with over $18,000, raised by 420 backers. Edited by Charles Tyra of Randolph Literary Press, who published 48 issues of Cosmic Horror Monthly, this publication is one to keep an eye on.

The first two issues are available now on their website as eBooks and physical books (paperback? probably a paperback).

2. Battleborn Magazine

Another newcomer to the scene and one I'm very excited about. Battleborn Magazine is positioned on the frontlines of fantasy, dedicated to presenting the best S&S has to offer. Battleborn has an ongoing IndieGoGo campaign and has raised over $11,000 by 193 backers.

The first issue releases in February of 2026, with a close followup coming in the Summer. They're very active on Facebook, where they are quickly cultivating a vibrant community of S&S fans.

Honorable Mention: Swords Against!

I just learned of this one! Swords Against! is the debut project of Elastic Torch Books, dedicated to S&S characters who defy power and resist oppression. Elastic Torch is an imprint of Mystic Bull Games, who have been publishing for 14 years—the perfect folks to bring about another high quality publication.

Follow the campaign on BackerKit

1. Savage Realms Monthly

To me, Savage Realms Monthly is the place where modern Sword & Sorcery authors are made. This was the start for modern indie classics like Bohun by Steve Dilks. Edited by William Miller of Literary Rebel, Savage Realms is the premiere proving ground of Sword & Sorcery.

They publish all their issues to Kindle Unlimited and, as their name suggests, release new issues every month. Just like the old days.