Falden's Forge

Home
Short Stories & Fiction ⚔️
On History & Fantasy ⛰️
On Fantasy Narrative 🧙‍♂️
Commentaries 📚
On Writing ✒️
Table of Contents
Archive
About
Is Tolkien Old-Fashioned? What Happens when Substackers Dissect “On Fairy-Stories.”
Pt. 5: Highlights from the Community
 • 
Eric Falden
 and 
Clifford Stumme
5
Tolkien Gives George R. R. Martin the Smack Down or Why Happy Endings in Fantasy Are a Requirement
Pt. 4 on Tolkien's "On Fairy-Stories" with Eric Falden: Consolation
Published on Past the Dragon • 
Embracing Reality by Escaping to Faërie
Pt. 3 on Tolkien's "On Fairy-Stories," with Clifford Stumme: Escapism, Technology, and Endorsing Reality
 • 
Eric Falden
20
Good Fantasy Makes the Real World Better
Pt. 2 on Tolkien's "On Fairy-Stories" with Eric Falden: Recovery
Published on Past the Dragon • 
The Heart of Fantasy According to Tolkien
Pt. 1 on Tolkien's "On Fairy-Stories," with Clifford Stumme: Exploring Faërie, Fantasy, and Myth.
 • 
Eric Falden
20

September 2024

Weird Weapons, Cringe Combat
Weapons, tactics, fantasy, and history. Part 2.
 • 
Eric Falden
57
Why Warriors Wield the Weapons They Wield
Dynamics of tactical kit development. Or “People Do Things for Actual Reasons”
 • 
Eric Falden
31

August 2024

✹ Start Here ✹
A Tour around the Forge
 • 
Eric Falden
Which Came First: the Kingdom or the King?
The origins of kingdoms in history and fantasy
 • 
Eric Falden
14
A Missive for Mankind
A letter between feuding colleagues, with the essence of magic at stake
 • 
Eric Falden
12

July 2024

Why Hard & Soft Magic Systems Matter
It’s not about worldbuilding. It’s about narrative.
 • 
Eric Falden
33
Table of Contents | Falden's Forge
Where to read everything written by Eric Falden
 • 
Eric Falden
© 2024 Eric Falden
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture