Monthly Archives: February 2024

Jo Clayton

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Jo Clayton (1939-1998) was born on this day, January 15.

In a post earlier this  year, I asked what writers should be remembered. One of the suggestions was Jo Clayton.

I’ve never read her work, although based on some of the covers, they look like a lot of pulpy fun. The Diadem series was publiished  back in the days when DAW was still being run by Donald A. Wolheim. And old Don, he did love him some pulp.

I have most of this series in a box (or boxes) somewhere that I haven’t unpacked yet. I picked most of them up at the Friends of the Library sale on the cheap.

They are on my radar and have been for q while. I just haven’t worked them in. I’ll be unpacking boxes when I get the new bookcases next week, and I’ll keep an eye out for them.

This isn’t the only series Clayton wrote, but it is the one I’ve seen most associated with her. I’m not familiar with her other work.

DAW covers back in the 1970s really made the books look like fun. Those yellow spines were an eye-catching thing in a bookstore when the books were shelved spine out.

If any of you have read Clayton, what do you think of her work in general and this series specifically?

 

A Little Bronze Book of Weird Tales by Robert E. Howard

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A Little Bronze Book of Weird Tales
Robert E. Howard
Borderlands Press $32.50 Sold Out

This one sold out fast. You pretty much need to preorder the Little Books from Borderlands Press if you want to get one. Even then, it’s not a guarantee. I missed the Joe Hill volume because I waited until the evening to preorder.

But I digress.

Borderlands Press has been publishing these small collections for quite a while. I believe they are on the  fourth series of them. They are currently $32.50 and run about 130 pages.  They are nice little hardbacks and are signed and numbered.

Their current series is looking at classic authors of the weird and fantastic. Previous authors include Arthur Machen, Henry S. Whitehead, Ambrose Bierce, and J. Sheridan LeFanu. I’m enjoying the heck out of them.

I don’t know about the current series, but at least some of the older titles are available in ebook for only a few bucks if  you don’t want to shell out the cash for the print edition.

So, what does the Robert E. Howard volume look like? Continue reading →

Terry Bisson

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January 12, today as I write this, is the birthday of Terry Bisson (1942-2024). We lost Terry last month.

He was a critically acclaimed writer. I hate to say that I’ve not read much of his work. Maybe a few short stories over the years.

If any of you have read much of his work, what would you suggest I read?

Susan Cooper Named as SFWA Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master

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SFWA has named Susan Cooper as the 40th Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master. Congratulations to Ms. Cooper. Susan Cooper is known primarily for a five book sequence entitled The Dark is Rising. I have a copy of the SFBC omnibus edition in a box somewhere, but I haven’t read it. Like most of her work, it is written for younger readers, but it can also be enjoyed by adults. She has written a few other books for children and middle grade readers.

Some general thoughts on this awad to follow below the fold. Continue reading →

RIP, Christopher Priest (1943-2024)

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Christophoer Priest passed away from cancer on February 2. While not prolific, he produced several works that received widespread recognition. Of these, the best known was The Prestige. This was a story about Victorian-era stage magic where one of the illusions is more than it seems. It was made into a film starring Christian Bale and Michael Caine. While the film is good, the book is even better. Yes, I know that’s a cliche, but the movie left out an entire plot line that takes place in the present world. The big surprise at the end fo the film wasn’t the big surprise in the book but rather the penultimate surprise. If you have only seen the movie, check out the book.

The other item of note that Priest wrote was something  I referenced in the Dangerous Visions post a few days ago. Priest wrote the book The Book on the Edge of Forever. This is a history of Harlan Ellison and Last Dangerous Visions. It’s fascinating reading. As you can probably imagine, Harlan doesn’t come off looking too well.

I picked up my copy at Aggiecon a number of years ago, when Harlan was GoH. The vendor who sold it to me said, “Don’t let Harlan see it.”

Good advice.

Priest produced a solid, if not extensive, body of work. He should not be forgotten.

Two by Hautala

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Today, February 3, is the birthday of Rick Hautala (1949-2013). I actually had some time today while sitting in the Husband Holding Area while my wife did some shopping, so I read a couple of his stories. Both of these stories can be found in Glimpses: The Best Short Stories of Rick Hautala.

I’ve read some of Hautala’s work before, but that was years ago. It was good to be reminded of why I like his stuff.  Feel free to consider this post to be another in the informal series I’ve been doing of writers whose work shouldn’t be forgotten.

Before I get to the stories, let me say that Glimpses is a great  collection. I’ve only read a little of it, and the stories I chose are in the middle of the book, but if you want to sample Hautala’s work, especially at shorter lengths, then this is a great place to start. Continue reading →

Writing Update, January 2024

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Just a quick update on the 2024 Words per Day in 2024. I hit the target and averaged 2031 words per day in January.

So far, that’s a win for the year. I didn’t write anything yesterday because I was on the road, so I’m starting February behind. I’ll catch up.

Writing included blog posts, an article for REHUPA, which I’ll reprint here in a few weeks, and or course, fiction. I’m working on what started out as a short story but is heading into novella territory. I’ve got some otyher fiction I need to finish, as well.

So that’s  how things stand with the writng at the moment.

Onward to February.