In previous posts I’ve praised David Drake’s Vettius and Dama stories. It was clear to me he had a gift for melding historical accuracy with Sword-and-Sorcery. So I wasn’t surprised to find that his first novel pulled off the same trick.
Category: Reading
Rereading “Janissaries”
Jerry Pournelle’s Janissaries was first published in 1979. I was ten. My copy is the 1982 edition. So I probably first read this in ‘82 or ‘83 in my early teens. I’ve gone through it and the sequels a couple of times. Now I’m starting again, preparatory to reading the final, posthumous volume, Mamelukes (hoping a paperback edition will… Continue reading Rereading “Janissaries”
“The Moon Pool.” Dive In.
My faulty memory assured me that I had read Abraham Merritt’s The Moon Pool. So I picked up a copy figuring I would enjoy a re-read. While it is possible that I did read it during some lost year of my long and dubious past, I consider it unlikely now. How could I have forgotten such… Continue reading “The Moon Pool.” Dive In.
The Sword of Welleran. Speculations on the Afterlife.
Edward Plunkett, Lord Dunsany, is probably best known for The King of Elfland’s Daughter. Otherwise perhaps for his Jorken’s stories and his clever, witty fables of the foibles and fallacies of gods and men. The Sword of Welleran is a collection of his earlier works. I think, perhaps, his relative inexperience shows when these stories are compared to… Continue reading The Sword of Welleran. Speculations on the Afterlife.
Sellswords
As I recall, certain of Zelazny’s Amberites spent quality time as mercenaries, as well as serving in standing armies. Moorcock’s Elric and Moonglum are often soldiers of fortune. Fletcher Pratt’s The Well of the Unicorn prominently features mercenary companies. The mercenary company is itself the focus of Glen Cook’s The Black Company. And, of course, more recently, companies… Continue reading Sellswords