Arguments Discussions on the Best Conan Story to Begin at Black Gate

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I mentioned a little while back that I was participating in a series of posts at Black Gate on which Conan story is the best. Bob Byrne, who is heading up this project, announced the launch date (Monday, January 7). Bob also posted a list of the authors who are contributing to the series. I’ll not reproduce it here because I don’t want to steal his thunder. I’ll just say that I’m honored and humbled to be allowed to participate with this group of writers.

I’d also like to think Bob for this opportunity.

Keith Taylor’s Birthday

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Deuce Richardson tipped me off that today, December 26, is Keith Taylor’s birthday (b. 1946). So thanks, Deuce.

I know the name, but to my knowledge I’ve never read Mr. Taylor’s work. Based on Deuce’s recommendation, I’ll be addressing that shortcoming. I’ve got a copy of Bard II, but since I don’t have the first volume in that series, I’ve not read it. Taylor collaborated with Andrew J. Ouffut on two Cormac Mac Art novels in the early 1980’s.

A quick check of the ISFDB shows a number of short fiction titles, including one in Skelos #3, which I’ve not finished reading. Taylor is from Australia, and has been nominated for multiple Ditmar Awards (the Australian equivalent of the Hugo), winning twice, once for the short story “Where Silence Rules” in 1982 and for the novel Bard III: The Wild Sea in 1987.

The series that looks intriguing is Kamos the Magician. A collection of these stories is in print, although not in electronic format. I’ll buy a copy once things settle and and report back.

Belated Birthday: Fritz Leiber, Jr.

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Fritz Leiber, Jr., was born on Christmas Eve in 1910. I was spending the day with family and didn’t get a post up. Although considering it was Christmas Eve, I’m not sure how many people would have seen it. And since I’m writing this while Christmas dinner is being prepared, this is going to be a short post.

But I digress. Leiber was one of the greatest writers of fantasy, horror, and science fiction of the 20th Century. He’s best known among fans of Sword and Sorcery as the creator of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. It’s a landmark series in the genre.

But if that’s all you know about Leiber, then you’ve missed out. Leiber was a leading figure in the trend to bring horror into contemporary settings. He was also an accomplished science fiction writer. Other than a few short stories and a some Fafhrd and Gray Mouser, it’s been a while since I read any of his work. So later today, I’m going to work in a few of his short stories. There are a number of his works available in electronic format, so if you would like to do the same and don’t have any of his print books handy, you can still download some (after paying for them, of course.)

Merry Christmas 2018

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Everyone here at Adventures Fantastic wishes each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas. May your holiday be filled with love, laughter, family, and faith.

The staff and I have included our Christmas pictures. Everyone seems to be sending Christmas photos these days, so I and my helpers have decided to do the same.

Enjoy!

The Night Before Christmas at the 87th Precinct

A Look at Joseph Payne Brennan’s “An Ordinary Brick House”

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“An Ordinary Brick House”
Joseph Payne Brennan
originally appeared in Shadows 9, Charles L. Grant, ed.

A lot of great short fiction appeared in the Shadows series, and much of it has never been reprinted. “An Ordinary Brick House” is a perfect example. An that’s a shame because it’s an interesting haunted house story. Continue reading →

We Need a Joseph Payne Brennan Retrospective

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Today, December 20, marks the centenary of the birth of Joseph Payne Brennan. Brennan only wrote one novel, which was published by a small press. Most of his output was in the form of short fiction and poetry. Several volumes of both have been published, and are readily available on the secondary market. They ain’t gonna be cheap.

For example, The Shapes of Midnight, a paperback published by Berkley in 1980 shows eighteen copies available under a search on ABE. They cheapest is $27.63. The prices rise from there to a high of $176.04. That is not a typo. Someone is asking one hundred seventy-six dollars and four cents for a paperback. I don’t remember how much I paid for my copy, but it wasn’t anywhere near $27, let alone $176.

Brennan was a good writer. He was one of the last writers to write for the original incarnation of Weird Tales. I’ve liked everything I’ve read by him, which, granted, isn’t much. But that’s mainly because his work hasn’t been collected in a readily accessible form. Most of his books were published in limited print runs by small presses. It would probably be easier and cheaper to track down his stories in their original publications than to buy some of his books.

I would hope that Wildside or Centipede Press would do a large retrospective. While Centipede would do Brennan Justice by putting his work inside some very nice hard covers, the book would probably be out of nearly everyone’s reach due to the price. Not that I wouldn’t try to scrape the cash together. On the other hand, a couple of Megapacks of his work from Wildside would be great. There aren’t any electronic versions of Brennan’s work. Maybe one of these publishers will put something together soon. I would love to read some of Brennan’s poetry.

Quick Cancer Update

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Yesterday we saw the surgeon who’ll be doing the lumpectomy, and today we did lab work and paperwork at the hospital. The surgery is scheduled for January 2. It hit Kathy that today was the last thing to do before the surgery. The next thing will involve general anesthesia and cutting. That made her a little nervous, but for now she’s not freaking out. She really doesn’t like anesthesia.

As far as what comes after that, we’ll have to wait on the pathologist’s report. In addition to the tumor, the surgeon will be removing the three lymph nodes closest to the tumor just to make sure the cancer hasn’t spread. The whole procedure will take about an hour and a half. Of course we’ll be at the hospital for a lot longer than that. We have to get there at six, and after checking in, the first thing on the agenda is X-rays. If I understood the surgeon, then they’ll work us into the surgery schedule. This is an outpatient procedure, so we should be home by the end of the day.

As usual, prayers are appreciated.

Three Quick Birthday Notices

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Today is December 18, and I want to point out three birthdays of significance. Because today is going to be one of those days, at least schedule-wise, this will be short.

Alfred Bester (b. 1913) is better known as a science fiction writer, but he did publish some stories in Unknown, so I’ll use that as an excuse to include him here rather than at Futures Past and Present. Besides, I have another post for FPaP this evening if I can get to it. Bester is remembered primarily for the novels The Stars My Destination (which I haven’t read yet) and The Demolished Man (which is awesome). Bester also wrote some really good short fiction, especially “Fondly Fahrenheit“.

Of the three authors whose birthdays I’m mentioning today, Sterling E. Lanier (b. 1927) is probably the most unfamiliar to modern writers. There’s been some interest in his apocalyptic sf novel Hiero’s Journey online lately. I’ve not read that one or its sequel. I have read some of the Brigadier Ffellowes stories, which are tall tale club style stories. They are currently available in electronic form, although the price ($9.99) is a bit high in my opinion.

And finally we come to the writer born today who has cast the longest shadow across the genre, Michael Moorcock (b. 1939). I’m not sure what I can say about Moorcock that others haven’t said, and said better. He’s still with us, and I’m glad to have had the privilege to have met him a few times. I’ve not read a great deal of his work, but that’s partly because he’s so prolific.

I’m not sure which of these writers I’ll read something by today. Like I said, it’s going to be busy. But I’ll try to work one of them in and report back.

Helping Out a Brother in Need

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I’d like to thank everyone who has expressed support for my wife’s cancer battle, whether in the comments of the post or via email. I’ve shared all of those comments and emails with her, and she is overwhelmed by the response. We both greatly appreciate the support and the prayers. We’ll have a better idea of how things stand later this week when we see the surgeon who’ll do the lumpectomy.

I want to make you aware of another situation. A number of you are probably aware of Mark Finn’s situation, but in case some of you aren’t, I want to put a plug in for him and his wife, Cathy. They both are facing some serious medical issues.

Cathy has Stage 3 ovarian cancer. She is currently undergoing chemo and taking blood thinners to reduce a clot in her leg so she can have surgery. That will be followed by more chemo. Mark has two surgeries coming up himself. They are also having Fun With Insurance.

Mark is an author and a leading Robert E. Howard scholar. He and Cathy own the movie theater in Vernon, Texas. As you can probably imagine, their dual medical situations have placed a real strain on them financially. They’ve set up a GoFundMe account here.

Please consider contributing something to help Mark and Cathy out. And not just at Christmas time. Their insurance deductibles will reset next month, and surgeries and cancer treatments aren’t cheap.