I picked up this book for the cover. I mean look at it. There’s a story in that artwork. Unfortunately that story isn’t in this book. Not even tangentially. There are other disappointments. It is haphazardly edited and printed. The introduction (which opens the book for a page at the front, then is continued at… Continue reading Weird Tales Four, Plus Savage Journal Entry 49.
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Edgar Rice Burroughs’ I Am A Barbarian. Plus Savage Journal Entry 48.
Among the haul I picked up at the North Texas RPG Con was Edgar Rice Burroughs’ I Am a Barbarian. I’m not ashamed to admit that I was drawn by the cover. It appears to be early Boris Vallejo, prior to his style taking on a glossy sheen. Surprisingly, the cover depicts (more or less)… Continue reading Edgar Rice Burroughs’ I Am A Barbarian. Plus Savage Journal Entry 48.
Breckinridge Elkins: A Gent From Bear Creek. Plus Savage Journal Entry 47.
I enjoyed an eventful Saturday: I finished reading Robert E. Howard’s A Gent From Bear Creek and hosted the first pool party of the season here at Casa Lizzi. If any of you who attended are reading, thanks for coming. That was fun. As was Gent, a fix-up novel stringing together several of REH’s Breckinridge… Continue reading Breckinridge Elkins: A Gent From Bear Creek. Plus Savage Journal Entry 47.
North Texas RPG Con 2023. Plus Savage Journal Entry 46.
This will be a short post, as I am weary. I have just returned from a long weekend spent in a hotel near the Dallas/Fort Worth airport where I joined 500 or so like-minded individuals playing games. The North Texas RPG Con was my first gaming convention. I’m minded to return next year. I had… Continue reading North Texas RPG Con 2023. Plus Savage Journal Entry 46.
Howard’s Historicals: The Sowers of the Thunder. Plus Savage Journal Entry 45
I won’t delay any surprise here: the anthology of Robert E. Howard historical novellas The Sowers of the Thunder is an absolute treat. There, you can head off the used bookstore or open another tab and start the hunt at eBay or ThriftBooks. Or you can stay and keep reading. Roy G. Krenkel’s introduction is… Continue reading Howard’s Historicals: The Sowers of the Thunder. Plus Savage Journal Entry 45
Swords of Shahrazar. Plus Savage Journal Entry 44.
One of the treasures I picked up at Howard Days last month was the Robert E. Howard collection Swords of Shahrazar. That turned out to be some good reading, as colorful as the cover of my edition promises. And that cover is also included as a miniature fold-out poster inside. A nice bonus. We get… Continue reading Swords of Shahrazar. Plus Savage Journal Entry 44.
The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories 4. Plus Savage Journal Entry 43.
At Howard Days 2023 I picked up a copy of Lin Carter Presents The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories: 4. I have the first volume, so the two make a nice pair on my shelf. Carter’s introduction is, characteristically, informative and interesting. He demonstrates once again the astonishing depth and volume of his reading. “But how… Continue reading The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories 4. Plus Savage Journal Entry 43.
Heroic Visions II, In Need of An Optometrist. Plus Savage Journal Entry 42.
I have previously reviewed the first volume of Heroic Visions. (At least, I’m pretty sure I reviewed it. The mysterious disappearance of the majority of my posts a couple years back, and the slow resurrection of them, copied from a repository at Goodreads, have led to some number falling through the cracks.) The point is,… Continue reading Heroic Visions II, In Need of An Optometrist. Plus Savage Journal Entry 42.
Howard Days 2023. Plus Savage Journal Entry 41.
I made the Hajj, the Pilgrimage, to Cross Plains, Texas this weekend to visit the Robert E. Howard museum. Not coincidentally, it was also the weekend of the 2023 edition of Howard Days. I am, to be blunt, tired. It is only a five hour drive from Casa Lizzi, which is why I had no… Continue reading Howard Days 2023. Plus Savage Journal Entry 41.