Otis Adelbert Kline’s Planet of Peril bears a copyright notice of 1930. It is the first of a three book Peril series, which, I discovered while reading the first, is connected to his Mars books, The Swordsman of Mars and the Outlaw of Mars. I don’t feel that I missed anything essential by not reading… Continue reading Otis Adelbert Kline and Homage
Tag: Edgar Rice Burroughs
ERB’s The Mad King
Re-reading rolls on. I just finished Edgar Rice Burrough’s The Mad King for the second time. If you’ve read Anthony Hope’s The Prisoner of Zenda (or any of the other entries in the Ruritanian Romance genre) you have a pretty good idea of what ERB is dishing up in Mad King. Now, this is ERB.… Continue reading ERB’s The Mad King
Michael Resnick’s “Pursuit on Ganymede.”
Once upon a time, Powell’s Books in Portland used to be a trove of used paperback treasures at prices a hungry college student could afford. Now when I happen to visit PDX (to see old friends, family, visit clients, etc.) I still stop in to browse. Gone are the days of bargain prices. But still… Continue reading Michael Resnick’s “Pursuit on Ganymede.”
ERB’s “The Lost Continent” and the Great War.
The Lost Continent (original title Beyond Thirty) is a short, pared-down action novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs first published in 1916, only four years after ERB’s breakout work, Tarzan. 1916 was, of course, smack in the middle of World War I, and the influence is clear. The story takes place in the 22nd century. Pan-America… Continue reading ERB’s “The Lost Continent” and the Great War.
Finding ERB’s The Land of Hidden Men
Tarzan and John Carter are deservedly famous. But I have extracted a perhaps unexpected amount of enjoyment from several of Edgar Rice Burrough’s less well known books, such as The Mucker, I Am A Barbarian, The Outlaw of Torn, and The Mad King. Now add to that The Land of Hidden Men. The Land of… Continue reading Finding ERB’s The Land of Hidden Men
Leigh Brackett’s The Coming of the Terrans. Mars as God and ERB Intended.
Leight Brackett’s The Coming of the Terrans is a slim volume, packaging five thematically related stories. Slim, yes, but not light weight. Brackett takes what could be a frothy, fun topic of men on ancient, dusty Mars and instead gives us insightful tales in her own unique Martian setting: a grim intersection of Edgar Rice… Continue reading Leigh Brackett’s The Coming of the Terrans. Mars as God and ERB Intended.
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.
S&S 202: Does Sword-and-Planet Fiction Qualify as Sword-and-Sorcery? Resurrected Post.
March 15, 2020 S&S 202: Does Sword-and-Planet Fiction Qualify as Sword-and-Sorcery? Does the Sword-and-Planet (also known as Planetary Romance) genre qualify as Sword-and-Sorcery? Or, more precisely, can it? Yes. Next question. Wait, you want some sort of explanation rather than a blanket agreement or denial. Fine. You might think that swapping out “sorcery” for “planet”… Continue reading S&S 202: Does Sword-and-Planet Fiction Qualify as Sword-and-Sorcery? Resurrected Post.
S&S 201: Five More You Should Know. Resurrected Post.
February 16, 2020 S&S 201: Five More You Should Know In a previous post I’ve written about the five Swords & Sorcery writers the novice reader should be familiar with. Let’s assume this imaginary individual has completed that introductory course of study and is ready to move on to the intermediate-level: S&S 201. Because this… Continue reading S&S 201: Five More You Should Know. Resurrected Post.