Confession: I don’t read “romantasy.” Though I did read some Anne Rice novels in the late 80s and early 90s, if that counts. But given that yesterday was Valentine’s Day (digression into my simple V-Day: I took MBW and the HA out for barbeque and gave them both boxes of chocolates) I thought I might… Continue reading The Valentine’s Day Post
Author: admin
Writer of two-fisted fabulism.
Rereading Firelord.
I have intended to reread Parke Godwin’s Firelord for years. But somehow I always picked something else. Perhaps I wasn’t in the mood for yet another retelling of the King Arthur legend. More likely it was just the length. At almost 370 pages it is healthy chunk of paperback. That in itself is no hindrance;… Continue reading Rereading Firelord.
Poul Anderson Opening Markets
Memorable characters can be hard to come by in classic science-fiction. The stories may be memorable. Authors were invested in the scene, the problem to be overcome, and the solution. Characters (sometimes: this isn’t a blanket indictment) could often seem mere afterthoughts. Poul Anderson created an unforgettable protagonist when he invented Nicholas van Rijn, head… Continue reading Poul Anderson Opening Markets
Plasma Pulp: Lost Worlds
There are times to sink into the philosophical depths or the detailed, scientifically grounded world building of a thoughtful work of speculative fiction, whether on the page or the screen (big or small.) Other times, however, we want Buck Rogers. We want Brian Daley’s Han Solo novels. We want the scorched ozone burn of blaster… Continue reading Plasma Pulp: Lost Worlds
The Kull Dialectics
It had been some time since I last read the collection King Kull. Picking it from the shelf was rewarding. The general impression and memory of a Kull story is one of blood soaked battles, with a half-naked Kull butchering a dozen men with an ax. But while there is the occasional red-mist set piece,… Continue reading The Kull Dialectics
Musings on the Lord of the Rings. An Appendix.
You read “‘Well, I’m back,’ he said.” and close the book. Or do you? There is more if you just turn the page. But why would you read material that isn’t part of the novel? If it was important, it would have been in the story. Allow me to offer some reasons. If you were… Continue reading Musings on the Lord of the Rings. An Appendix.
Commencing the New Year in Monterrey
MBW, the HA, and I jaunted down to Monterrey for the New Year. Not to stay up until midnight and toast the changing of the calendar with champagne and fireworks, but to be in town for the 60th birthday party of my brother-in-law. It’s a short one-hour flight from San Antonio. Convenient. And the notorious… Continue reading Commencing the New Year in Monterrey
The 2025 Rearview Mirror
I hope yours were merry and bright, that your halls were decked, and that any lingering reindeer pellets on your roof have ceased to smell. 2025 was…memorable for MBW, the HA, and me. But this isn’t the appropriate venue to rehash house-sale travails, or gnash my teeth over financial hiccups. Instead, I will review my… Continue reading The 2025 Rearview Mirror
Musings on The Lord of the Rings. Part II.
While following Frodo, Sam, and Gollum from the Emyn Muil to Cirith Ungol, I paused at a few passages, considering them in a new (to me) light. Perhaps you consider these old hat, having long since mulled the various permutations of meaning. But let we slow one in the back of the class proceed at… Continue reading Musings on The Lord of the Rings. Part II.