Musings on the Lord of the Rings. An Appendix.

You read “‘Well, I’m back,’ he said.” and close the book. Or do you? There is more if you just turn the page. But why would you read material that isn’t part of the novel? If it was important, it would have been in the story. Allow me to offer some reasons. If you were… Continue reading Musings on the Lord of the Rings. An Appendix.

Red Moon and Black Mountain

Joy Chant’s Red Moon and Black Mountain is a book I wanted to like more than I actually did. I’ve a notion that timing is a factor. Had I read it, oh, 40 years ago, I might have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is, after all, an ambitious piece of fantasy, the language skillfully and often… Continue reading Red Moon and Black Mountain

Fantasy and Sword-and-Sorcery for Turbulent Days. Resurrected Days.

May 31, 2020 Fantasy and Sword-and-Sorcery for Turbulent Days We are living in interesting times. Whatever your take on current events, however much or little the global turmoil and tumults have affected you personally, it is likely you feel at the least a bit of consternation, perhaps even pique. My day-to-day existence has altered little.… Continue reading Fantasy and Sword-and-Sorcery for Turbulent Days. Resurrected Days.

Aftermath. Resurrected Post.

April 14, 2019 Aftermath I had a party at my house last night, a triple celebration: my fiftieth birthday, the tenth anniversary of my marriage to MBW, and MBW’s U.S. citizenship. The house echoed at times with the play of what seemed a hundred children, but couldn’t have been more than a half dozen. At… Continue reading Aftermath. Resurrected Post.

Top Ten Fantasy Films. Resurrected Post.

February 17, 2019 Top Ten Fantasy Films These things are subjective. They have to be. By what metric does one objectively quantify entertainment value? I believe I’ve said before I don’t really have favorites. I can and do enjoy things equally, without rankings. So what I’m listing herein is merely a current snapshot of what… Continue reading Top Ten Fantasy Films. Resurrected Post.

Amateurish Tolkien Sleuthing. Resurrected Post.

August 19, 2018 Amateurish Tolkien Sleuthing MBW, the HA, and I drove out to the Columbia River Gorge yesterday and embarked on a paddlewheel sightseeing excursion upriver. The sky offered better visibility than it had most of the previous month: about this time every year everything west of the Rockies bursts into flame. Smoke obscures… Continue reading Amateurish Tolkien Sleuthing. Resurrected Post.

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.

Tolkien Birthday Celebration. Resurrected Post.

January 15, 2017 Tolkien Birthday Celebration I made my annual pilgrimage to the Kennedy School for the J.R.R. Tolkien Birthday Bash on Saturday. The recent inclement weather is the likely culprit for this year’s rather sparse attendance. (Seriously, I saw a couple guys on cross-country skis crossing the street when I left.) So I suppose… Continue reading Tolkien Birthday Celebration. Resurrected Post.

Dreams and the Perilous Realm. Resurrected Post.

November 13, 2016 Dreams and the Perilous Realm At what point during parenthood do you begin getting a full night’s sleep again. I’m nearly at the three-year mark and I’m still not there. I’m tired. I mention this because I was considering today’s post with my head on my wife’s shoulder. She asked if was… Continue reading Dreams and the Perilous Realm. Resurrected Post.