My edition of The Glory That Was is dedicated to Isaac Asimov and boasts an introduction by Robert A. Heinlein. So right up front you have substantial implied attestations of quality. But I’ve learned not to set my sights too high, and tempered my expectations accordingly. I expected an L. Sprague de Camp short novel:… Continue reading L. Sprague de Camp’s “The Glory That Was.”
Author: admin
Writer of two-fisted fabulism.
John Maddox Roberts “S.P.Q.R.” Ave!
I missed a great deal of excellent adventure fiction by failing to stumble across John Maddox Roberts during the last quarter of the twentieth century. I don’t know why our writing/reading paths did not cross: I was reading this stuff during the same period he was writing it, and his output was precisely in my… Continue reading John Maddox Roberts “S.P.Q.R.” Ave!
Lud-in-the-Mist
Lin Carter did readers a favor with his Adult Fantasy Series. It is unlikely I would have encountered Hope Mirrlees Lud-in-the-Mist without Ballantine’s unicorn head colophon. Lud-in-the-Mist belongs to that select group of tales set on the bounds of faerie, along with Lord Dunsany’s The King of Elfland’s Daughter and Tolkien’s Smith of Wooton Major.… Continue reading Lud-in-the-Mist
The Web Log is Off Today
Currently Reading
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
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.