Old Gods and Other Tales

Content levels

Trigger warnings

Positive tags

Hero archetypes

Protagonist archetypes

Tropes

Themes

Synopsis

ROBERT E. HOWARD FOUNDATION AWARD WINNER! (Costigan Award, 2026) From the dust of ancient battlefields to the fluorescent glow of modern cubicles, the eternal dramas of human nature play out across eleven unforgettable tales. In Byzantine halls where emperors fall to ambitious generals . . . on plague-ravaged battlefields where leper kings become legends . . . in shadowy London where playwrights wield words like weapons, the past refuses to stay buried and the old gods have merely learned to whisper more quietly. With Old Gods and Other Tales Scott Oden delivers a masterful collection that spans millennia yet speaks to timeless truths. Meet Tisias, the silver-tongued thief whose greatest weapon is his wit. Witness the extraordinary courage of Baldwin IV, the Leper King whose diseased body housed a lion’s heart. Follow Martin Kestrel through a London where understanding the story itself becomes a form of power. Experience the vengeance of Meriones, a skeleton warrior animated by Hecate’s will and driven by memories of love and betrayal. Old Gods and Other Tales is heroic historical fiction at its finest—proof that every page of history teems with drama waiting to be discovered, and that some stories refuse to be silenced until they find their voice. The old gods have not died. They have simply learned patience.

Old Gods and Other Tales: content & age rating

Intended for adult readers (18+).

This collection features historical violence including battlefields, plague, and a skeleton warrior animated by dark magic. Strong thematic content around death, disease, and vengeance make it suitable for mature readers.

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