Yes, this is a new post. No, I’m not dead. I’ve just been very busy trying to wrap up parts of this semester from Hell before Thanksgiving and participate in NaNoWriMo. There hasn’t been much time for blogging or reading.

I do want to make note of two birthdays. The first is Robert Hugh (R. H. ) Benson (1870-1914). While not as prolific as his better-known brother E. F. Benson, Robert did write a few ghost stories and a couple of novels. Sadly, most of these aren’t available in electronic editions or at least reasonably priced electronic editions.

The other birthday is Alan Dean Foster (b. 1946). I was introduced to his works through Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. I soon was reading his original novels such as The Tar-Aiym Krang, Icerigger, Orphan Star, and The End of the Matter. His Humanx Commonwealth remains one of my favorite futures.

I’ve not had a chance to read anything by either of these gentlemen, but I did want to acknowledge their birthdays.