I’m up to my armpits in other projects today, so I probably won’t get around to reading anything by today’s featured authors, but I did want to give a shout-out to two of the greatest and one artist who deserves better recognition. So in order of their birth, here are… Continue reading
Today’s post is a guest post by Will Oliver.
There is a writer we all know and love who was born in the American West in the 19-aughts, and his father was a doctor. When he first started writing, he churned out dozens of stories and sent them off to publishers with little acceptance. He finally got his first break with the pulp magazines and later published in such magazines as Thrilling Adventure. Although he wrote what is often called westerns, most of his stories were really about life on the frontier. He was also both a fan of boxing and was a boxer himself, and he incorporated this interest into many of his short stories.
He also had a distinct love for composing poetry, some of which was published, but he realized that he could not make a living from writing poetry. He wrote well over 200 short stories in his lifetime and wrote across many genres including westerns, adventure, and even science fiction. Although he did a lot of single character stories, some of his most popular writing included series involving the same characters. One of his most popular series was about a merchant sailor. He also wrote of a man named Sackett who came over from England and, on a few occasions, this author also did some ghost writing.
Early on in his career, some of his short stories found their way into a number of anthologies, and this increased the visibility of his name. The first book he ever published, however, was actually published in England, not in America. Later, some of his stories and characters were even made into television shows and movies.
He died in mid-June and his autobiography was published posthumously. Again, even though he wrote widely in many genres, he always believed that his most worthwhile contribution to the literary field was his western frontier stories.
And, of course, we all know I am writing about……………………………………………. Continue reading
Today, July 24, marks the birth of three writers and one artist who have not only been major figures in the fields of fantasy and science fiction but also personal favorites of mine. In order of the years of their births, they are Continue reading
Locus Online is reporting that William F. Nolan (1928-2021) passed away on July 15. He was 93.
Nolan is probably best remembered as the author of Logan’s Run, co-written with George Clayton Johnson, and several sequels, written solo. Nolan was primarily a short story writer. He was a member of the California school. While he might not have received the critical acclaim other members of the group did, such as Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson, he was able to produce a body of work that was quite consistent in quality. I’ve always enjoyed his work and bought any book with his name on it. I’ll raise a glass in his memory tonight.
Rest well, sir. You showed us that life is only getting started at the age of 30.
Today, July 10, marks the birth of three writers whose works I’ve enjoyed. They are Greye La Spina (1880-1969), John Wyndham (1903-1969), and Carl Jacobi (1908-1997). Continue reading
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
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.
(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
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
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