Savage Journal – Page 5

Grab Bag: Year’s Finest Fantasy, Texas Renaissance Festival, and Savage Journal Entry 11.

I picked up a paperback copy of Terry Carr’s inaugural Year’s Finest Fantasy. In all honesty I may have read this before, as a kid, shortly after its publication in 1978. The more I read (or re-read) the more convinced I became. Some of these stories are familiar, naggingly so. I can’t speculate based on… Continue reading Grab Bag: Year’s Finest Fantasy, Texas Renaissance Festival, and Savage Journal Entry 11.

County Fairs, Plus Savage Journal Entry 10.

Yesterday I drove MBW and the HA to the county fair. County or state fairs seem almost fungible. You could be anywhere in the country, you’ll see the same sights, events, livestock, exhibitions. The midway is the midway whether you’re in Washington or Florida.

What Fantasy Franchises Deserve a Licensed Beer? Plus Savage Journal 9.

As you’ve no doubt come to expect from this hard-hitting, contemporarily relevant web log, today I’m wresting with yet another vital topic of global significance. What Fantasy Franchises Deserve a Licensed Beer?

Appropriating Fictional Holidays. Plus Savage Journal Entry 8.

I took MBW and the HA to the local Oktoberfest celebration, hosted at a nearby golf course. It was rather smaller than I expected, especially given the deep German roots of Texas. But it was fun, with beer supplied by Texas Leaguer Brewing, the closest craft brewery to my new town. The HA had a… Continue reading Appropriating Fictional Holidays. Plus Savage Journal Entry 8.

Texas Beer Tasting. Plus Savage Journal Entry 7

The HA enjoyed a school event in the gymnasium, staying up late for games, crafts, an animated flick, and running around with her little friends. The school branded this as parents date night. So MBW and I took advantage of that. After dropping off the HA, we drove to a ramshackle brewpub/venue a few miles… Continue reading Texas Beer Tasting. Plus Savage Journal Entry 7

Savage Journal Entry 6. Plus, Austin

SAVAGE JOURNAL ENTRY 6. As I mentioned yesterday, dear diary, I am now burdened with a pair of traveling companions: an old man and a young woman. As a rule you do not find either one traipsing through the wild lands. You might encounter one or the… Continue reading Savage Journal Entry 6. Plus, Austin

Savage Journal Entry 5. Plus, What are the Five Best Science Fiction Films?

SAVAGE JOURNAL ENTRY 5. Generalization is an unsafe ship to sail in. Once you launch it, the exceptions immediately start letting in water. You’re scuttled from the get go. So, let me be measured, dear diary, and state that as there may be any number of reactions people might have to meeting a barbarian… Continue reading Savage Journal Entry 5. Plus, What are the Five Best Science Fiction Films?

How Does Post-Apocalyptic Fiction Tie in to Sword and Sorcery? Plus Savage Journal Entry 4.

The end of modern civilization. What caused it? Nuclear war, plague, zombies, alien invasion? Pick your poison. But the world we know is gone. Survivors must carry on. And therein lies a tale. Or a plethora of tales. Here you’ve got your Post-Apocalyptic fiction. A lone hero with a sword faces down supernatural foes in… Continue reading How Does Post-Apocalyptic Fiction Tie in to Sword and Sorcery? Plus Savage Journal Entry 4.

The Five Best Fantasy Series. Plus Savage Journal Entry 3.

There was a time when bookshops were the domain primarily of discrete novels, or perhaps a sequel or two. Complete, single-volume stories sat at the apex of the bookstore ecosystem in the epoch before multi-volume epics ruled the shelves. But, for good or ill, their time has passed, their dominance supplanted by the era of… Continue reading The Five Best Fantasy Series. Plus Savage Journal Entry 3.