Next week marks the 133rd birthday of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. I wonder if he would be surprised at his influence. He spawned an entire sub-genre: Lovecraftian Horror. Its tentacles reach from prose to film to games to seemingly every type of collectible merchandise imaginable. I wonder if this prominence, this degree of ubiquity would tickle… Continue reading Dust Off Your Fluffy Cthulhu Birthday Hat
Category: Authors
Tower at the Edge of Time. Not Precisely a Towering Achievement.
The indefatigable Lin Carter published a slender novel in 1968 titled Tower at the Edge of Time. I have been open in my admiration for Mr. Carter’s gifts as a scholar, editor, and stylistic imitator. I even enjoy, on occasion, his more independently innovative works. That being said…Well, let me just get into it. Tower… Continue reading Tower at the Edge of Time. Not Precisely a Towering Achievement.
Robert E. Howard’s Dennis Dorgan. Plus Savage Journal Entry 50.
Dennis Dorgan, the character whose exploits are collected in The Incredible Adventures of Dennis Dorgan, is definitely not Popeye the Sailor Man, despite his creation shortly after the release of E.C. Segar’s classic character in 1929. Dennis makes this perfectly clear by his stated dislike of canned spinach. Though both men are sailors, speak in… Continue reading Robert E. Howard’s Dennis Dorgan. Plus Savage Journal Entry 50.
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.
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.