A short post today, I’m afraid. (Hey, stop that cheering.) I’m freshly returned from Urgent Care this morning for “Paronychia of finger of left hand.” That is, draining an infected thumb. It required three tries for the needle to hit the proper pocket of puss. It was every bit as painful as you are imagining.… Continue reading Currently Reading
Author: admin
Writer of two-fisted fabulism.
Jack Williamson’s “Darker Than You Think.” Indeed.
Darker Than You Think does live up to the title in a slow burn fashion. It follows the dawning realization of the protagonist — Will Barbee, hardbitten, alcoholic journalist — that dark forces, witchcraft, and horrific legends of the past are all based on a semi-human race of beings. And that he might in fact… Continue reading Jack Williamson’s “Darker Than You Think.” Indeed.
Back Home
I spent the last two weeks revisiting family and old friends in the Portland area. It was at times relaxing and at others hectic. But overall I enjoyed it. Now I’m back home. While it feels good to return, I’m still facing much of the work deriving from the recent move. Such is life: a… Continue reading Back Home
Michael Resnick’s “Pursuit on Ganymede.”
Once upon a time, Powell’s Books in Portland used to be a trove of used paperback treasures at prices a hungry college student could afford. Now when I happen to visit PDX (to see old friends, family, visit clients, etc.) I still stop in to browse. Gone are the days of bargain prices. But still… Continue reading Michael Resnick’s “Pursuit on Ganymede.”
ERB’s “The Lost Continent” and the Great War.
The Lost Continent (original title Beyond Thirty) is a short, pared-down action novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs first published in 1916, only four years after ERB’s breakout work, Tarzan. 1916 was, of course, smack in the middle of World War I, and the influence is clear. The story takes place in the 22nd century. Pan-America… Continue reading ERB’s “The Lost Continent” and the Great War.
En Garde! “Cesar the Bravo” is En Route.
It has been about fifteen years in the making. As I recall, it was in 2010 that I began writing the first Cesar the Bravo story, longhand, in a notebook on a flight to Hawaii, finishing it up pool side. A rough life, I know. That story ended up in an anthology in 2011. The… Continue reading En Garde! “Cesar the Bravo” is En Route.
The Web Log Has Migrated
After three years in Houston, MBW, the HA, and I have packed our bags. Forgive this short post. I’ve been up since 4AM. I drove to the new Web Log Headquarters in San Antonio, and have been unloading, unpacking, driving about town for various essential purchases, and generally sweating my fundament off all day. I… Continue reading The Web Log Has Migrated
Poisoned Lands: Stormlands Book Three.
Several years pass between the end of the second book of John Maddox Roberts’ Stormlands, The Black Shields, and the third book, The Poisoned Lands. Enough years for the sons of the series’ hero, Hael, to have reached a warrior’s age. Hael, in fact, makes no appearance in this volume, apparently busy in the East… Continue reading Poisoned Lands: Stormlands Book Three.
Andrew Offutt’s “My Lord Barbarian.”
My Lord Barbarian is a slim planetary romance by Andrew Offutt. It begins with an intriguing premise and a reasonable pretext to include spaceships and sci-fi technology in a story of sword-swinging barbarians. (Again I’m reminded why Gary Gygax enshrined Offutt in Appendix N.) The pulp action picks up rather quickly after the introductory chapter… Continue reading Andrew Offutt’s “My Lord Barbarian.”