I can conceive of no reason not to accompany a review of Maske: Thaery, by the sui generis literary genius Jack Vance, with a review of a few brews. And I might as well do it while watching a football game. If that seems an unexpected, odd, and yet ultimately compelling combination, welcome to the… Continue reading Jack Vance’s Maske: Thaery. Plus Beer Tasting Notes.
Tag: Jack Vance
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.
Appendix N in Retrospect. Resurrected Post.
July 7, 2019 Appendix N in Retrospect After this web log’s sporadic (perhaps, from your perspective, interminable) consideration of the authors listed in the Dungeon Masters Guide Appendix N, perhaps some sort of summation is required. What do I think of the list? What do I think of its application to the Dungeons and Dragons… Continue reading Appendix N in Retrospect. Resurrected Post.
Flashing Swords! #4: Barbarians and Black Magicians. Truth in Advertising. Resurrected Post.
January 17, 2021 Flashing Swords! #4: Barbarians and Black Magicians. Truth in Advertising. Lin Carter presents yet another anthology in his stellar Swords-and-Sorcery series. This one is Flashing Swords! #4: Barbarians and Black Magicians. Is there more than alliteration fueling the subtitle? He’s certainly doubled the thematic possibilities. Let’s see. Lin Carter’s introduction is a mere… Continue reading Flashing Swords! #4: Barbarians and Black Magicians. Truth in Advertising. Resurrected Post.
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.
Jack Vance, The Wizard of Appendix N. Resurrected Post.
May 13, 2018 Jack Vance, The Wizard of Appendix N I come at last to Jack Vance. Arguably he should be first, to the devil with alphabetical order. Look, there isn’t a lot I need to say about Jack Vance. There are encomiums a plenty to the man, and rightly so. His urbane, genteel command… Continue reading Jack Vance, The Wizard of Appendix N. Resurrected Post.
The Little and the Big. Resurrected Post.
December 17, 2017 The Little and the Big I’ve, at last, worked my way through a couple of massive, minor classics: Little, Big (John Crowley); and Stand on Zanzibar (John Brunner.) “Worked my way through” suggests the process was a chore rather than entertainment. I don’t think that’s entirely accurate, though it might be fair… Continue reading The Little and the Big. Resurrected Post.
Top Ten Most Influential Fantasy Writers of the Twentieth Century. Resurrected Post.
February 8, 2015 Top Ten Most Influential Fantasy Writers of the Twentieth Century The wellsprings of modern fantasy run deep. Very deep. People could write books about it. And they have. So if I have the temerity to toss my two-cents worth into the conversation I’d best limit the scope. I’m limiting myself to author’s… Continue reading Top Ten Most Influential Fantasy Writers of the Twentieth Century. Resurrected Post.