5/23/2007

CSFF Blog Tour Presents:

. . . The Sword Review

What is it?

The Sword Review is one of Double-Edged Publishing Inc.'s (a not-for-profit company) several speculative fiction ezines/ projects. At the forefront of TSR is the fantasy and sci-fi stories, poetry, reviews and essays written by a variety of authors; featured selections must meet strict standards of quality at the same time as respecting traditional values and Christian principles.
Behind the scenes TSR is a-buzz with activity, for instance, every published piece has a forum attached. And there are the columns, with their wide variety of topics. The discussion forum topics range from the usual to featured writing to news to general chat.


Okay, that was really dry; now really, what makes The Sword Review so special . . .


Flip open the cover and inside are all manner of treats. Features are usually updated twice weekly. In this issue a couple of my favourites:

1. a sci-fi by G.K. Werner: "ME Control" looks ahead to a time when educators are held responsible for the behaviour of their students! Teachers, just imagine if technology could be used to ensure that all learners were open and ready to . . . well . . . learn. No fidgeting, no staring out the window, no whispering, no passing notes, no playing with the pet mouse hidden in a desk for hours, to the delight of the rest of the students and hours before the teacher notices (the last not mentioned in the story, merely taken from my own experience!). I gotta tell you, the description of the students and teacher, while frightening, still gave me pause.


2. Joan L. Savage "Sarah’s Stone" is a well-crafted fantasy about a little girl whose father is taken by local goblins. The imagery in the story is wonderful, e.g. as Sarah nears the land of the goblins, in search of her father, she enters the forest where "The trees waved angrily, standing straight and thin and cruel, their leaves sharp and pointed. They would beat her with their whip-like limbs." I won't give away anything but what a lovely story and beautiful ending.


3. "Criticism, Revision and Concept Integrity" written by Marcie Lynn Tentchoff who is a guest writer at a local sci/ fantasy convention, is an informative essay all about receiving literary critiques. Part of Tentchoff's role at this convention is presiding over writer workshops and in this essay she provides 11 points that will be of value to any writer receiving feedback about their work.


There is much more offered every week at The Sword Review. Check it out and see for yourself at http://theswordreview.com/contents.php

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tentchoff's poetry was one of the highlights of the tour for me. I really like the phrase "concept integrity."

As an editor that reminds me of one of my big goals.

I wonder if "voice integrity" isn't just as important, though perhaps a little harder to quantify.

chrisd said...

Hi Cyn-

You did a lovely job with your overview.

chrisd

Daniel I Weaver said...

Nice review, Cynthia. I like that you incorporated pictures. I had issues with my post and couldn't get it up until Thursday AM. There is so much lovely artwork and so many great resources at the SR that I hope more folks stop by and check it out.

Rebecca LuElla Miller said...

Yep, I'll add my two pennies. This is a very nice overview of TSR, while highlighting some individual art and writing. Great post.

Becky