So, what is The Metal Monster? Imagine a concoction of one part She, one part The Moon Pool (natch), one part Lovecraft’s cosmic horror, one part D&D Modrons, and one part Big Hero Six. Blend and strain through A. Merritt’s glorious, vividly colorful, and painstakingly descriptive prose. It ought to make for a masterpiece. Maybe… Continue reading The Polychromatic Prose of A. Merritt’s The Metal Monster
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Writer of two-fisted fabulism.
The Dice Have Been Cast. NTRPG 2024 in the Rearview Mirror.
The fifth and final day of the North Texas RPG Convention is here. I’m packed and ready to hit the road. It is hard to believe that most of a week can pass seemingly so swiftly. But there you have it. I restricted myself to purchasing only three books in the dealers’ room, an exercise… Continue reading The Dice Have Been Cast. NTRPG 2024 in the Rearview Mirror.
“The Blue Star” Shines
I’ve written before about Fletcher Pratt, incidentally referencing The Blue Star. But it has been years since I’ve read it. It is one of those books pilloried by the scolds and Mrs. Grundy’s who appear like a locust infestation from time to time in the speculative fiction field. Perhaps they have a point and I… Continue reading “The Blue Star” Shines
Retro Review: December 1983 “Fantasy Book”
Later today I will be driving MBW, the HA, and myself down to Galveston for the remainder of the Memorial Day weekend. My sister and brother-in-law are driving down from Nebraska to join us. Time constraints thus demand a more abbreviated post, but I trust it will still be worth your reading time. Fantasy Book… Continue reading Retro Review: December 1983 “Fantasy Book”
Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Sir Nigel.” Bildungsroman? Prequel? Fun.
My post last week post reviewed The White Company. Today I’m looking at the subsequent novel, Sir Nigel. Though written about a decade later, the events it relates begin about twenty years prior to those in the White Company. Instead of covering the coming of age and adventures of Alleyne Edricson, we read about the… Continue reading Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Sir Nigel.” Bildungsroman? Prequel? Fun.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The White Company”
Originally serialized in a magazine in the last decade of the 19th century, A. Conan Doyle’s The White Company is damned near perfection. Conan Doyle is known to most as the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories. That would be enough to cement any writer’s reputation as one of the greats. But Doyle wrote prolifically… Continue reading Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The White Company”
Lord Dunsany’s Book of Wonder
This collection of short stories by Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, aka Lord Dunsany, is akin to a jewel box. Each story is a brilliant, faceted gem to be enjoyed for its color, sparkle, and luster. These are not lengthy tales. These are snippets, anecdotes, oneiric snapshots of dreamscapes. It there is a throughline or… Continue reading Lord Dunsany’s Book of Wonder
Poul Anderson’s Magnificent “A Midsummer Tempest.”
1974’s A Midsummer Tempest exhibits an artist working at the height of his powers. It is a work that defies clear categorization. Poul Anderson has created something utterly indiosyncratic that nonetheless depends entirely upon prior works. The tale occurs near the culmination of the English Civil War. So, it is historical fiction then, right? Not… Continue reading Poul Anderson’s Magnificent “A Midsummer Tempest.”
Science Fiction’s Top Five Tough Guys
Most everyone loves the fictional tough guy: the battle-hardened enforcer as quick with his fists as he is with a wry comment. He’s usually not the primary hero. Instead he’s Little John, not Robin Hood; T.C., not Thomas Magnum; Tars Tarkas, not John Carter. The hero is usually the swashbuckling, more vulnerable, romantic lead. But… Continue reading Science Fiction’s Top Five Tough Guys