Monthly Archives: November 2024

From Poul to Pohl

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Yesterday was Poul Anderson’s birthday. Today (November 26) is Frederik Pohl’s. Unlike Anderson, Pohl (1919-2013) wrote science fiction pretty much exclusively.

Pohl was a little older than Anderson, so he began writing for the pulps before World War II. He started out writing for the lower-end pulps and went on to become editor of two pulps, Astonishing Stories and Super Science Stories in 1940 and 1941, The war put an end to that.

Pohl was a member of the fabled Futurians. He was involved in some of the more famous (or infamous, if you prefer) fan fueds of the time. That topic deserves its own post. Continue reading →

Poul Anderson, Master of Science Fiction, Master of Fantasy

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Poul Anderson (1926-2001) was born on this day, November 25.

I ahven’t had time to read anything to review for his birthday, and I was wondering what to write about that I haven’t said before in a previous birthday post.

Anderson was a master of both science fiction and fantasy. Sometimes blending the two genres together.

Aanderson first began seeing his work in print in the late nineteen forties. He lived in the same rooming house as Gordon R. Dickson while they were in college. (And he collaborated with Dickson on the Hoka stories later.)

Anderson came in at the end of the pulp era. Witihin a decade, the pulps would be gone, replaced by the digests and paperbacks. And that got me thinking. Continue reading →

E. R. Eddison

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Today is November 24, and that marks the birth of Edward Rucker Eddison (1882-1945).

E. R. Eddison wrote only six novels. The Worm Ouroborous (1922), Styrbiorn the Strong (1926)  Egil’s Saga (1930), and The Zimianvian Trilogy, consisting of Mistress of Mistresses (1935). A Fish Dinner in Memison (1941), and The Mezentian Gate (1958). The trilogy shares a setting with Worm, if my understanding is correct.

I’ve only read The Worm Ouroborous. That was back in my undergraduate days. I enjoyed it and hope to reread it and the trilogy at some point. It’s not light reading. Eddison came from a more, shall we say, verbose period in literature.

But he also wrote fantasy before the current tropes had been well established, which gives his work a different feel and tone. That’s a good thing.

This type of thing isn’t for everyone. But if you like older styles and things being strangely different yet familiar, then Eddison might be someone whose work you might want to sample.

Be advised, these aren’t short books, which is why I haven’t read them yet.

 

William Hope Hodgson

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Today, November 15, is the birthday of William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918). Hodgson isn’t as well remembered today as he should be, but he isn’t forgotten, either.

Hodgson is best remembered for his tales of Carnacki the Ghost Finder and the novels The Night Land and The House on the Borderland.

He wrote a number of short stories, many of them with nautical themes.

Night Sahde Books did a five volume set of his collected fiction in the early 2000’s. Copies go for a pretty penny these days.

Hodgson came from a time when short fiction markets were much more abundant than they are today. Lately I’ve been finding myself drawn to works from that period. Not that I’ve had a lot of  time for reading or writing (Note to self: October Writing report). But the thought of sitting back for a few hours and reading well-written short fiction has been very appealing.

Anyway, if you’re so inclined, raise a glass to Hodgson’s memory tonight, and if you have the time, read something by him.

 

Ben Bova

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Ben Bova image courtesy ISFDB

I don’t normally do two separate birthday posts on  one day, but Bram Stoker and Ben Bova (1932-2020) were such different writers that I didn’t want to mix them.

Bova was a hard science practitioner. I read a juvenile version of The Winds of Altair in fifth or six grade.  Bova had the unenviable job of editing Analog after the death of John W. Campbell, Jr. He succeeded.

He also went on to become the editorial director of Omni if my memory isn’t failing me.

Bova’s greatest achievement, though, is probably The Grand Tour. This is a series of novels that takes place (mostly) within the solar system, with novels focusing on single planets. There were also other books that didn’t  focus on a single planet. The Asteroid Wars was a set of four books in this universe.

Version 1.0.0

He was working on a trilogy set in that unvierse called  the Outer Planets Trilogy. Uranus was publsihed before he died. Neptune was released after his death. The third volume concerns Pluto. Bova’s website, which has been maiintained after his death, has announced that Les Johonson has completed the novel.

Other series include Orion, Sam Gunn, Kinsmen, Voyagers, and Exiles.

Bova wrote short fiction all his life. He never left it to solely focus on novels the way some authors do. Baen published a three volume Best of Bova collection that is still available.

There aren’t many writers of pure science fiction, especially near future, solar system oriented science fiction writing anymore. At least, I’m not aware of many. Fortunately, Bova left a large body of work.

Bram Stoker

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One of the people who has cast the longest shadow over the genre of the dark fantastic is Bram Stoker (1847-1912). Today, November 8, is his birthday. He wrote this novel about a vampire, see, and it made a big splash. He also wrote soem short fiction and a handful of other novels.

But it’s Dracula he’s known for. Dracula the character has become such a cornerstone of popular culture that if Stoker had never written anything else, he wouls still be remembered. Writers of vampire lore are to Dracula what epic fantasy writers are to The Lord of the Rings. They tend to imiitate or be as different as possible.

It’s hard to overstate the impact Dracula has had on popular culture. I’m not even going to try and find out how many movies have been made where he is either  the central character or one of the other major players. And let’s not even get into comics or books.

It’s getting later in the year. The nights are coming sooner. The leaves are falling. Perhaps that’s them making the scittering sound as they blow along the sidewalk.

Or maybe not.

Perhaps its something else.

If you hear a tapping on  the window pane, feel free to check it out. It might only be that branch you forgot to trim the last time you did yard work.

Or it could be someone wanting in.

It if is, don’t open the window.

 

R. A. Lafferty

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Among the short fiction writers of the Twentieth Century, there were  few like R. A. Lafferty (1914-2002). He was born on this day, November 7. Centipede Press has been reprinting his collected short fiction. It’s been a while since I read his work, so there aren’t any stories that come to mind.

I read his Hugo Award winning novel Past Master when I was in (I think) the ninth grade. I enjoyed it at the time. I’m not sure I was old enough for it. Not that it had anything that would be considered adult content. It didn’t. But it concerns Thomas Moore, about whom I knew little. I would probably have a different opinion of the book today because I would understand a lot of the subtext that I missed as a teenager.

Like Avram Davidson and to a lesser degree Robert Sheckley, his reputation rests on his short fiction. He had a unique vision. I’m hoping I can take some time when the semester is over and do some reading. Lafferty will be on the list.

Merritt’s The Ship of Ishtar: A Guest Post by John Bullard

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The Ship of Ishtar: 100 Years of a An Influential Fantasy Masterpiece

A Guest Post by John Bullard, with assistance from Deuce Richardson.

If you have never read, or heard of A. Merritt’s The Ship of Ishtar, then you are in luck. On the centennial anniversary of its first publication, November 8, a new, definitive printing of it by DMR books will be available to buy in paperback or digital form (Centennial Edition of A. Merritt’s Ship of Ishtar Coming in November — DMR Books ).

Merritt was one of the founding fathers in America during the 1910’s and 20’s of fantasy literature. He was incredibly popular and successful, so much so that after his death, a pulp magazine was named after him: A. Merritt’s Fantasy Magazine.

The Ship of Ishtar is considered to be Merritt’s greatest fantasy work. The story concerns the adventures of an American, John Kenton, who is a member of the Lost Generation after surviving World War I.

He funded the archaeological dig of Forsyth, an archaeologist friend of his doing an excavation in Iraq on Mesopotamian and Babylonian sites. Kenton was unable to go on the dig as America entered the War and he patriotically joined the army instead.

After being wounded and sent home, Kenton is aimless and restless until Forsyth sends him a block of stone from the dig to examine. As Kenton is  inspecting the stone, he strikes it with his hand in frustration, and breaks the stone open to reveal a magnificent ship model that appears to come alive before his eyes. Magically he is transported to the ship and becomes embroiled in the never-ending battle between the Sumerian deities, Ishtar and Nergal as embodied in the two forces occupying the ship.

The side of Ishtar is led by one of her priestesses, the beautiful Sharane, while Nergal’s group is commanded by his priest, Klaneth. The ship is divided in the middle with Ishtar’s bow side a brilliant white ivory and Nergal’s stern side a dark black. The amidship is a magical boundary which neither side can cross except when their two leaders see each other and can physically attack each other, being the only two that can make contact at that time.

The battle started when the high priests of Ishtar and Nergal, Zarpanit and Alusar, fell in love, in violation of their respective god’s wishes, and were condemned to live in a timeless, pocket universe on the ship with their assistant priests, Sharane and Klaneth, and some followers, on an endless voyage where whenever the two lovers saw each other on the ship, they would become possessed by Ishtar and Nergal and attack each other until the priests’ love for each other is replaced by sheer hatred and revulsion.

Zarpanit and Alusar eventually died, only to have their places taken over by Sharane and Klaneth. Kenton, not being a member of either religion, and a man from the modern world, has the ability to cross through the barrier on the ship, and each side tries to use him to win the battle.

Of course, Kenton falls madly in love with Sharane the moment he sees her, and only wants to help her. Merritt then sends Kenton on a path from a galley slave on the ship gaining allies, to a leader, in Kenton’s quest to end the war, with all the resulting violent fights in his hero’s journey to succeed and win the love of Sharane.

The Ship of Ishtar was a massive success and ruled the American Fantasy market for decades. Merritt had an enormous impact on many writers. H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, E.E. “Doc” Smith, Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett and Michael Moorcock were and are huge fans. Robert E. Howard also liked Merritt’s work, and one can see the probable inspiration and influence this book had on Howard’s famous Conan story, “The Queen of the Black Coast”.

So, if you’re interested in reading The Ship of Ishtar, please take a look at the DMR book’s forthcoming edition. As Dave Ritzlin says in his announcement, the book will have Merritt’s preferred version of the text, all of the illustrations Virgil Finlay did for the first two times the book was published in pulps, and other items from A. Merritt’s estate in it.

Abraham Merritt definitely needs to be re-examined by all lovers of fantasy if you haven’t read any of his stuff. So if you have never read The Ship of Ishtar, or it’s been years since you read it, get a copy of it at DMR books ( https://dmrbooks.com/ ) starting November 8th, and start enjoying a forgotten master’s work again.

Gordon R. Dickson

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Today, November 1, is the birthday of Gordon R. Dickson (1923-2001). Dickson wrote both science fiction and fantasy. Sadly, his star, which was once prominent, has faded into near obscurity.

Dickson wrote adventure science ficetion, usually with military overtones. His best-known series was the Dorsai series. From what I can remember about them, these novels featured a future where humanity fractured into different groups. the Dorsai were the soldiers. Continue reading →