Read 'Invitations', an excerpt from Greg Stafford’s forthcoming Gloranthan novel A Pyre for Gods and Heroes
Posted by Michael O'Brien on 2nd Jan 2026
As many Glorantha fans will know, Chaosium founder Greg Stafford long harbored aspirations to be a published novelist, and worked on perfecting his “Harmast’s Saga” novel over many years – decades even – stopping and starting several times. Greg would sometimes read and share his work-in-progress at conventions; today there are different, incomplete fan versions out in the wilds of Gloranthan fandom, but no complete “novel” per se.
Starting in 2015, Jeff Richard, Greg’s frequent creative collaborator, and editor Susan O’Brien, who knew Greg personally, began – with Greg’s blessing – the task of gathering these manuscripts together and constructing a master text. The plan then was to work with Greg to “fill in the gaps” and, at long last, publish a novel pitched for Glorantha fans and the general reader alike.
Jeff and Susan made solid progress. Altogether the tale Greg wanted to tell was about 90% complete. And for the parts yet to be done, Greg left himself notes about what was needed. Sometimes these notes were detailed drafts, sometimes dot points, sometimes there were even diagrams.
Sadly, Greg’s untimely passing in 2018 put paid to this three-way approach. Work on the ‘Harmast’s Saga’ project was shelved as we mourned Greg. Jeff and Susan went on to other creative endeavours…
Six years later:
2025 was to be the 50th anniversary of Greg’s company, Chaosium. In November 2024, just before Pax Unplugged, the Chaosium management team met in Philadelphia to plan various ways to commemorate that milestone. One of the things enthusiastically agreed to was getting Greg’s novel done, at last. In the company’s anniversary year we could honor Chaosium’s founder by fulfilling what had been a life-long ambition of his.
And that’s where Andrew Logan Montgomery, author of the best-selling Six Seasons in Sartar and recipient of the 2022 Greg Stafford Memorial Award, comes into the picture. Joining Jeff and Susan, Drew spent the last five months helping to get Greg’s book done. And now, at the very close of 2025, it is. But, as Drew says, “Make no mistake. This is Greg's novel. First. Last. Foremost. Any choices we made, we made from reading the tea leaves of Greg's often cryptic notes and constantly asking, "Greg, where were you going with this?" Being something of a whacked out magician myself, I will not deny there were several times the old shaman paid me a visit to keep me on track.”
A Pyre for Gods and Heroes is a book that RuneQuest and Glorantha fans will certainly enjoy, but is also an accessible introduction to Greg’s mythic Bronze Age universe for non-gamers too. We’re proud to say this is a book that you could hand to a non-gamer friend and say, "read this, THIS is why we love the setting."
Download and read an excerpt from Greg Stafford’s A Pyre for Gods and Heroes here:
Special Leatherette Limited Edition for Collectors!
A Pyre for Gods and Heroes, Greg Stafford's long-anticipated novel, takes you back to Glorantha’s First Age, and into the early career of one of the fabled setting’s greatest heroes. It will initially be released as a special edition for collectors, as part of Chaosium's 50th anniversary celebrations. This leatherette limited edition will be individually numbered. This will be followed by a US Trade Paperback version, e-book, Kindle, and Audible.
If you’d like to be informed when the special collector limited edition goes on sale, sign up with your email address here and you’ll be first to know!