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
Other blogs that you will want to read for a different take on TSR:
Jim Black
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Frank Creed
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
April Erwin
Kameron M. Franklin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Lost Genre Guild
Kevin Lucia and The Bookshelf Reviews 2.0 - The Compendium
Terri Main
Rachel Marks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Cheryl Russel
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Daniel I. Weaver
Russell Griffith
Jason Waguespac
Holly
Brandon Barr
