Author Archives: Keith West

“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”: Robert E. Howard Relates a Myth of the Battle of the Little Bighorn

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Here’s another guest post by John Bullard. Today, June 25, is the 145th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Detail from Paxson’s painting of the Little Bighorn Battle.

Robert E. Howard was definitely a born story-teller, and in his letters to his author pen-pals, he definitely followed the rule to never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Since the anniversary of the battle has just passed, let’s look at what Howard had to say about it. In the middle of his August 9, 1932 letter to H.P. Lovecraft, Howard segues from talking about Texas gunfighters to the Battle of the Little Bighorn: Continue reading →

Ambrose Bierce’s Birthday, with a Guest Appearance by Robert E. Howard, Part 2: The Effects of Psychological Horror and Snakes

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Today we have another guest post by John Bullard.

Ambrose Bierce

Today, June 24th, is the birthday of writer, reporter, and Civil War veteran, Ambrose Bierce. I originally wrote this piece  last year after having thought about Bierce’s influence on some of Robert E. Howard’s stories. Well, I have recently read another Bierce story that Howard may have read, and influenced a story he wrote. At the very least, they both wrote a story on the same idea- the psychological effects of horror on a person’s mind involving snakes. Did Bierce’s story influence Howard in writing his story?

Massive Spoilers follow for both stories.

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Robert E. Howard Days, 2021

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(i. to r.) Your Intrepid Blogger, Jason M. Waltz, and James McGlothlin visit the Howard family plot.

This past weekend was the 2021 Robert E. Howard Days. After last year’s cancellation, it was a much needed gathering. And while many of the regulars weren’t able to attend, the number of first time attendees made up the difference. The gift shop sold out of almost all the books they had in stock.

Roy Thomas was the Guest of Honor. The schedule was a little different this year, with a fewer panels and later starting times.

Mark Finn did the Fists at the Ice House panel solo after the banquet on Friday night. That panel is different every year and depends on who is there. Mark listed his ten favorite Howard boxing stories and read excerpts of  each one. If you’ve not read Howard’s boxing stories, you’ve missed a major portion of his output. Howard’s send of humor really comes through in his humorous boxing stories. The four volumes of the collected boxing stories are almost our of print, so move quickly if you want to get copies of the first printings. They are available from the Robert E.Howard Foundation Press. Continue reading →

Hammett and Harlan

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Today, May 26, marks the birth of two of the most important writers of the 20th Century, Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) and Harlan Ellison (1934-2018).

Hammett, of course, was one of the founders of the hardboiled school of detective writing. Ellison was primarily a short fiction writer, but he will long be remembered as the author of the classic Star Trek TOS episode “The City on the Edge of Forever”. If you ever get a chance to hear a performance of his original script, do. It’s different than the filmed version in some key respects. Continue reading →

Hunting Beetles with Arthur Conan Doyle

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Today, May 22, is the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). And while his other work will almost certainly be eclipsed by Sherlock Holmes, Doyle produced an extensive body of work that should be in any library of adventure literature, fantastic or not. If you haven’t read “The Captain of the Polestar” or “The Horror of the Heights”, do yourself a favor and get your hands on copies. Continue reading →

Three by Wellman

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Today, May 21, marks the birth of Manly Wade Wellman (1903-1986). Much Wellman’s work incorporated the folklore of the Southern Mountains. Wellman is best remembered for his stories of John the Balladeer, but he wrote a number of stories in mountain settings that weren’t part of that series.

Worse Things Waiting was Wellman’s first non-John the Balladeer collection. It was published by the legendary Carcosa. It’s the only Carcosa title I don’t have in the original edition. Fortunately it has been reprinted in trade paper at a reasonable price, as has Lonely Vigils. The new publisher is Shadowridge Press. For today’s post, I’m going to look at three stories from Worse Things Waiting. Continue reading →

Remembering John Collier

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Today, May 3, is the birthday of John Collier (1901-1980). Collier was primarily a short story writer. This is a different person than the artist with the same name. Although he’s faded into obscurity today, he wrote some good fantasy. My favorite is a little called “Evening Primrose”. I had intended to reread it today, but with the semester winding down, I’ve had hardly a free minute. It’s a story I’ll try to revisit sometime later this weeks.

“Evening Primrose” is about a man who hides out in a department store only to discover that there is a whole society of people who live in various businesses and only come out at night. He’s welcomed among them, unlike the woman he falls in love with, who got locked in one night by accident and is now treated as an indentured servant among them.

It’s been years since I read it, but it’s a chilling little horror story. If you haven’t read Collier, check him out. His collected fantasies are available in electronic format.

Happy Birthday, Larry Niven

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Today, April 30, marks the birth of science fiction and fantasy author Larry Niven (b. 1938). I’ve been away from the house for most of the day, so I’ve not had a chance to read anything by him. Niven was one of the first authors I read when I was getting into science fiction and fantasy, and he’s someone I reread when I get a chance.

So Happy Birthday, Mr. Niven, and many happy returns.

A Trio of Birthdays

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As I write this, there are still a few hours left in April 29, at least in this time zone. Final exams start a week from today, and between trying to get my classes ready and dealing with emails from students who are suddenly concerned about bad lab grades they received months ago (and mostly didn’t bother to read the lab syllabus), I’ve not had time to read anything by these gentlemen. So no close look at any work by these guys. Just a shout-out to bring them some recognition. So in order of their births, here are: Continue reading →

Fishing with Frank

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Frank Belknap Long

Today, April 27, is the birthday of Frank Belknap Long (1901-1994). Long is best remembered today as a member of the Lovecraft Circle, and his best-remembered work is arguably “The Hounds of Tindalos”, one of my personal favorites.

It’s unfortunate that his Lovecraftian fiction has overshadowed his other work. Long was a pulp writer who wrote a lot of other things than just Mythos tales, including science fiction and other types of fantasy. I want to look at one of his fantasies, “Fisherman’s Luck”. It was originally published in the July 1940 issue of Unknown. It has been reprinted a number of times since. I read it in The 9th Golden Age of Weird Fiction Megapack: Frank Belknanp Long Vol. 2. 
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