There are two birthdays today, October 12. The first is Richard Marsh (1857-1915) and Lester Dent (1904-1959). Continue reading
A Nearly Forgotten Victorian Writer of Weird Tales and a Pulpster Share a Birthday
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Alex Raymond and Flash Gordon
There are two birthdays today, October 2, I want to bring attention to. The first is Alex Raymond (1909-1956), the creator of Flash Gordon. The other is a nearly forgotten writer named Jack Finney. Continue reading
Artist and Editor Birthdays
There are two birthdays we need to recognize today, October 1.
The first is the artist J. Allen St. John (1872-1957). The second is editor Donald A. Wollheim (1914-1990). Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Tanith Lee
One of the most acclaimed writers of fantasy was born on this date, September 19, in 1947. I’m talking about Tanith Lee, of course. While there are other acclaimed writers with birthdays today, none of them are as important and significant as Tanith Lee was to the field of fantasy, nor ever likely to be. (Yes, that was a swipe at someone with a birthday today, in case you’re wondering. No, I’m not going to tell you who.) Tanith Lee died in 2015.
I’ve only read a little bit of her work, but what I’ve read, I’ve really enjoyed. I’m not sure I’ll have time today to read any of her fiction; the day’s pretty full. But if not today, then sometime in the next week. I’ll have some time to kill on Saturday when I’ll need something to read. Fortunately I recently purchased a couple of collections of her short fiction. Among them are The Weird Tales of Tanith Lee (stories published in Weird Tales) and Venus Burning: Realms (stories from Realms of Fantasy).
If you haven’t read her work, check her out.
A Look at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly 37
It’s been out for a while, but some of you may have missed it. The latest issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly has a solid lineup of great fiction.
Before we get to that, though. allow me remind you that HFQ has a Patreon page where you can support the publication. If you enjoy what you find there, show them a little tangible appreciation.
Now on to the fiction.
The first story is “Paladin of Golata” by P. Djeli Clark. Teffe is an orphan who survives by scavenging the dead on battlefields. One day he chances upon a dying paladin who has one final battle to fight. Teffe becomes a reluctant recruit and discovers there’s a life possible for him beyond his wildest dreams.
Christopher Chupik is a writer to watch. His story here, “The Forest of Bones“, concerns a wandering knight who has to face a giant protected by sorcery who is preying on the nearby countryside. Solid adventure fantasy about a hero who isn’t afraid to put himself at risk to protect others.
In “The Blitz of Din Barham“, Cameron Johnston gives us dragons. Not just one or two, but a whole family of them intent on devastating a city. When the all the practitioners of magic fail to come up with a successful strategy, it falls to the apprentice of one to think outside the box.
Adrian Simmons gives us “What Clev Yun Would Want to Tell”. This is a little different than what we usually see in HFQ, but it packs a powerful punch about people who aren’t willing to change in order to survive.
There are also poems by Adele Gardner, David Barber, and Ngo Binh Anh Khoa.
All in all, a solid issue of fantasy entertainment.
Sail Before The Devil’s Wind
The Devil’s Wind
Steve Goble
Seventh Street Books
print $15.99
ebook $9.99
I’d like to thank Seventh Street Books for sending me the review copy of this novel.
About this time last year, Steve Goble’s first novel, The Bloody Black Flag, hit shelves. I loved it. Spider John is back, and if anything, The Devil’s Wind is better than The Bloody Black Flag.
Here’s the setup. Spider John and the few surviving members of the crew we met in The Bloody Flag are trying to escape Jamaica. Spider John just wants to return to Nantuckett and his wife and son, whom he hasn’t seen in about eight years. (I have to wonder what he will find if/when he manages to make it back. Will she have been faithfully waiting for him to return, or will she have assumed he either died at sea or abandoned them and consequently remarried? We’ll have to wait and see.)
Spider John and his friends sign on to a merchant ship heading where they want to go. He thinks he’s through with life on the account. Sadly, life on the account isn’t through with him. It isn’t long before trouble rears its head. Continue reading
A Plethora of Birthdays
This will be a short post, as I am visiting family. They are between internet providers and won’t get the bew service until Tuesday. I’m typing this on my phone, which is a bit slow. I’ll add more photos and illustrations and maybe a liyttle more biographical detail when I return from my wanderings in the cyber wilderness. I’d also like to thank Deuce Richardson for the heads-up on the birthdays, as I have been distracted with travel today.
A number of my favorite writers were born today, September 1.
First, one of the greatest, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Born in 1875, Burroughs created some of the most iconic characters in modern literature, including Tarzan and John Carter. Continue reading
August of Alderdice: The Slayer
The Slayer
James Alderdice
print $9.99
ebook $2.99
Robert E. Howard wrote a handful of straight historical yarns before he decided to rewrite history in the guise of fantasy. The Slayer is in much the same vein as Howard’s historicals, although there’s a bit of fantasy involved in some of them. This a collection contains four historical fantasy stories, the two longest centered around the the Fourth Crusade. The central character is a Viking mercenary named Tyr who has taken up service on the side of the Crusaders. The other two tales take place later in his life.
In “The Dogs of War”, Tyr helps breach the outer defenses of Constantinople. In “Whispers of the Goddess”, he’s inside the walls on a mission from his employer, only to get caught up in machinations both human and divine. “Hel Awaits” concerns vengeance against a caliph and a rescue from a harem. “Sailing to Valhalla” takes place after Tyr has settled down and become a father and is trying to establish his own homestead.
Alderdice (AKA David J. West) handles the characters and historical events in a way that makes it look easy. The combat is bloody and visceral. Most of the supporting cast in the stories dealing with Constantinople are actual historical figures. The dialogue comes across as natural and believable, unlike in some novels where the character seem to be reading off of a script.
The Slayer isn’t a long book, but it’s a good collection that should appeal to all fans of heroic fantasy and historical fiction. I haven’t seen many stories about the Crusades lately, and you can never have too many Viking books. Check this one out.
You’re Offended?
I’m gonna rant.
There was a post the other day that I’m not going to link to because I don’t want to give the site the clicks. Fortunately someone archived it.
TL;DR version:
The author, one Matt Mikalatos, laments that rereading a childhood favorite (The Once and Future King by T. H. White) didn’t live up to his expectations, specifically there were some things said that he found to be racially insensitive. I’ve never read the book, so I can’t say for sure. He’s specific enough that I’m willing to give him the benefit of doubt. Continue reading
Pre-Tolkien Fantasy: “Black Heart and White Heart: A Zulu Idyll”
Tales Before Tolkien
Douglas A. Anderson, ed.
Print $16.00
Ebook $4.99
Deuce Richardson has been encouraging me to read H. Rider Haggard for quite a while. I’ve been intending to, and this story provided me with the perfect chance.
This story is more historical than fantasy, but there are some fantastic elements. It takes place just before the Zulu uprising of January 1879. Philip Hadden is a ne’er-do-well who is working as a trader. When he kills a man in a fight, he is forced to flee into Zulu territory.
This isn’t the wisest of moves. Continue reading