Goats of Glory is a short story by Steven Erikson, appearing in the sword and sorcery anthology, Swords & Dark Magic. Although the story does not share any characters or locations with the Malazan novels to date, Steven Erikson has confirmed that it takes place in the Malazan world, "just south of Shal Morzinn on the same landmass as Seven Cities".[3]
Plot Summary
Five weary mercenaries, Captain Skint, Sergeant Flapp, Wither, Dullbreath, and Huggs, travel on horseback through a mountain pass into a river valley. Members of the Rams, they are now five where once they were a thousand after a year of fighting on the Demon Plain. Arriving in the sleepy hamlet of Glory, notable only for a ruined keep looming above the edge of town, they seek cold drink, food, and a room for the night. The local tavern can provide the first two, but there is no inn. Why not shelter the night in the ancient keep on the hill as recommended by the barkeep? As the sky darkens, the soldiers trudge up the hill to their new accommodations. Meanwhile, the town's gravedigger has eagerly prepared five new plots in the local cemetery...
Dramatis Personae
The Ram Mercenaries
Townspeople of Glory
- Graves, a gravedigger
- Snotty, a gravedigger's assistant
- Swillman, a barkeep
- Slim, an aged prostitute
- Flowers, a young girl
- Herribut, a cobbler
- Widow Bark
Trivia
Ever since this story was announced there was speculation among fans whether it was a Malazan tale. In answer to a fan question, anthology editor, Lou Anders, blogged in 2009 that it was "not a Malazan story, but an amazing one."[4] But a year after publication, Steven Erikson confirmed that the story was indeed set in the same world.
- "Goats of Glory is set just south of Shal Morzinn on the same landmass as Seven Cities, and hints at a conflict with The Three. In one respect it’s part of the Malazan canon, but in another, it isn’t, since should I write more about that crew there probably won’t be any cross-over."
- ―Steven Erikson
Other hints at the wider Malazan world:
- Sergeant Flapp has a sword of Aren steel.
- Descriptions of the moon place this story after Toll the Hounds.
- A coin with "three faces" likely refers to The Three, a trio of sorcerer kings.
Cover gallery
HarperCollins (2010)
Notes and references
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Swords-Dark-Magic-Sword-Sorcery/dp/0061723819/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439596205&sr=1-1&keywords=swords+and+dark+magic
- ↑ http://www.harpercollins.com/9780061723810/swords-and-dark-magic
- ↑ http://www.tor.com/2011/07/06/ask-steven-erikson-your-memories-of-ice-questions/#198146
- ↑ http://louanders.blogspot.com/2009/10/swords-dark-magic-table-of-contents.html