In 1981, Poul Anderson put out a collection of selections of his fantasy short stories, titled plainly enough Fantasy. Though perhaps that’s misleading, as not every entry is a fantasy short story, some being essays, some humorous oddities, and some defying the reader to apply classification. But that, I believe, was intentional in order to… Continue reading Poul Anderson’s “Fantasy.” A Showcase.
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Writer of two-fisted fabulism.
Jack of Shadows. A Dark Gem of a Novel.
I have at last managed to fill in a lacuna in my Appendix N reading. Jack of Shadows is, in someways, Roger Zelazny condensed to the quintessence. A synecdoche of a sort. If you’ve read much Zelazny, you’ll recognize themes: resurrection, from Lord of Light; the corrupting nature of absolute power, from Amber; the ambiguously… Continue reading Jack of Shadows. A Dark Gem of a Novel.
The Swords Trilogy. Psychedelic Sword and Sorcery
It seems impossible to write about a book without invoking the reviewers personal connection with the book and the author. Age, circumstance, and location can have an effect on how a book hits any given reader. I won’t be able to perform the impossible, you may be surprised to learn. I’ve made no secret that… Continue reading The Swords Trilogy. Psychedelic Sword and Sorcery
The Green Knight, Roland, and More Delving into Roots
Stories cannot help but build on prior stories. Conventions story tellers are not even aware they are employing all derive from some earlier source. Even the wild and wooly field of speculative fiction, despite its reasonable claim to novelty, owes debts that can be traced back to Homer, if not earlier. J.R.R. Tolkien, in addition… Continue reading The Green Knight, Roland, and More Delving into Roots
Merida and Vicinity
I returned Wednesday from a week in Merida, Mexico. Merida is the capital, and largest city, in the State of Yucatan. MBW, the HA, and I rented an AirBnB and a car for the week’s explorations. We visited the city center, plazas, cathedrals, restaurant row, a chocolate shop, a well-done brewpub, ice cream and gelato… Continue reading Merida and Vicinity
Swords Against Tomorrow: A Wickedly Sharp Collection of Yesterday
I can’t say I get the title. The rather generic — but perfectly acceptable — introduction by Robert Hoskins does not clarify. But what is important is not the title but the contents. And what contents! The great Poul Anderson leads off with a story I’ve never encountered before, Demon Journey. Apparently it was originally… Continue reading Swords Against Tomorrow: A Wickedly Sharp Collection of Yesterday
Convention Weekend and the Thief of Time.
I am in Lebanon, Tennessee this weekend, about twenty minutes outside of Nashville, for a small convention. This is my second appearance here. I had to back out last year, but was happy to make it back to Mike Williamson’s annual gabfest and booze-a-thon. Sarah Hoyt served as Guest of Honor. It was nice to… Continue reading Convention Weekend and the Thief of Time.
The Exotic Enchanter. A Hero’s Homecoming — Eventually.
Here we are with part 4 of my look at the Harold Shea stories. The last part, as far as I am aware. The Exotic Enchanter returns L. Sprague de Camp and Christopher Stasheff to the series as well as adding three additional authors, two of whom co-write a story. The ongoing pursuit of Florimel… Continue reading The Exotic Enchanter. A Hero’s Homecoming — Eventually.
The Enchanter Reborn. Too Many Cooks?
Despite the passing of Fletcher Pratt, Harold Shea lives on. The fantasy humor writer Christopher Stasheff tries to fill in, though the proceedure of story creation differs. The collection The Enchanter Reborn contains, rather than collaborations, individually written stories: two by Stasheff, one by L. Sprague de Camp, one by Holly Lisle, and one by… Continue reading The Enchanter Reborn. Too Many Cooks?