Originally serialized in a magazine in the last decade of the 19th century, A. Conan Doyle’s The White Company is damned near perfection. Conan Doyle is known to most as the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories. That would be enough to cement any writer’s reputation as one of the greats. But Doyle wrote prolifically… Continue reading Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The White Company”
Category: Authors
Lord Dunsany’s Book of Wonder
This collection of short stories by Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, aka Lord Dunsany, is akin to a jewel box. Each story is a brilliant, faceted gem to be enjoyed for its color, sparkle, and luster. These are not lengthy tales. These are snippets, anecdotes, oneiric snapshots of dreamscapes. It there is a throughline or… Continue reading Lord Dunsany’s Book of Wonder
Poul Anderson’s Magnificent “A Midsummer Tempest.”
1974’s A Midsummer Tempest exhibits an artist working at the height of his powers. It is a work that defies clear categorization. Poul Anderson has created something utterly indiosyncratic that nonetheless depends entirely upon prior works. The tale occurs near the culmination of the English Civil War. So, it is historical fiction then, right? Not… Continue reading Poul Anderson’s Magnificent “A Midsummer Tempest.”
Poul Anderson’s “Fantasy.” A Showcase.
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.
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
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
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.