Category Archives: birthday

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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Talbot Mundy

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Today, April 23, is the birthday of Talbot Mundy (1879-1940). It’s been a hectic week, and I haven’t had a chance to read anything by him. (I did manage to remotely attend a few panels at the Jack Williamson Lectureship today, though.)

I read the first of the Zebra editions of the Tros of Samothrace books last summer. I started the second but got bogged down. I’m going to try to at least finish that one once the semester ends.

Even though I didn’t manage to read anything by Mundy for today, I didn’t want to let the occasion pass without acknowledging it. Mundy was an influential writer and deserves to be remembered.

When the Magic is Wet

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Henry Kuttner

Today, April 7, is the birthday of one of my favorite writers, Henry Kuttner (1915-1958). For today’s post, I’ve inadvertently broken my informal rule about only reviewing works that are easily available.Today’s post is a review of “Wet Magic”. It had been a number of years since I read the story, and most of the details had faded from my memory.

I  knew I had at least three copies of it. The original issue of Unknown Worlds (February 1943), an electronic copy of that same issue, and a copy in Echoes of Valor, edited by Karl Edward Wagner. It was in the latter where I had originally read it, and that was where I reread it. Then I went to find where else the story had been reprinted.

It hasn’t been. I was a little surprised, because “Wet Magic” is an excellent story. Kuttner had a dry sense of humor, and it shows here. John W. Campbell, Jr. wanted much of the fantasy he published in Unknown Worlds to be set in the modern world and not take itself too seriously. “Wet Magic” was a perfect fit. Continue reading →

Gothic Bloch

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Today, April 5, is the birthday of Robert Bloch (1917-1994). Bloch was one of the best writers of horror, suspense, crime, fantasy, and science fiction of the 20th Century. Sadly, his excellent body of work will probably always be overshadowed by his most famous novel, and the basis of the Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name, Psycho. And if you’re only  familiar with Psycho from the movie, there are some differences between the film and the book.

Bloch took the story of real-life killer Ed Gein and turned it into the source of many people’s nightmares, and in the process made taking a shower an act of courage.

For today’s post I’m going to look at his fictionalization of another famous murderer, H. H. Holmes, who killed many people (the exact number is open to question) during the Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893. Like he did with Gein, Bloch fictionalized the events and changed the name of the character. Continue reading →