"Introduction: Storytellers: A Guided Ramble into Sword and Sorcery Fiction" by David Drake
"The Tower of the Elephant" by Robert E. Howard
"Black God's Kiss" by C. L. Moore
"The Unholy Grail" by Fritz Leiber
"The Tale of Hauk" by Poul Anderson
"The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams" by Michael Moorcock
"The Adventuress" by Joanna Russ
"Gimmile's Song" by Charles R. Saunders
"Undertow" by Karl Edward Wagner
"The Stages of the God" by Ramsey Campbell (writing as Montgomery Comfort)
"The Barrow Troll" by David Drake
"Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted with Defeat" by Glen Cook
"Epistle from Lebanoi" by Michael Shea
"Become a Warrior" by Jane Yolen
"The Red Guild" by Rachel Pollack
"Six from Atlantis" by Gene Wolfe
"The Sea Troll's Daughter" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
"The Coral Heart" by Jeffrey Ford
"Path of the Dragon" by George R. R. Martin
"The Year of the Three Monarchs" by Michael Swanwick

Blood will flow, heads will roll, dragons will soar, and the dead shall rise. Journey to ancient cities ruled by sinister mages, storm-tossed seas where monsters dwell, mysterious towers full of ancient secrets and dark dungeons with untold treasures. From Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian to George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire, join the legendary heroes—and villains—of sword and sorcery in nineteen epic adventures that are sure to bring out the barbarian in you:

Anti-hero Elric infiltrates a band of mercenaries to match wits with a powerful sorcerer; With her trio of dragons, Daenerys Stormbringer makes a fool’s bargain with slave traders; A mage’s apprentice, the young Grey Mouser uses newfound power to battle an evil Duke; Conan breaks into the Tower of the Elephant to steal a spectacular jewel with a dark secret; Despite her drunkard’s ways, Malmury slays an old sea troll, before facing his powerful daughter.

This essential, fast-paced anthology is a chronological gathering of influential, inventive, and entertaining fantasy—sure to appeal to all action-oriented fans.