tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-310853202024-03-07T17:47:22.737-05:00Words of WondermentThoughts on History and Pop Culture from a Northern Michigan Geek.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-4340685404921763792022-03-28T08:00:00.139-04:002022-03-28T08:00:00.174-04:00BREAKING: New Conan the Barbarian Novel by . . . <p>. . . noted Alternate History author S. M. Stirling?</p><p>Yes, it's true, at least according to a <a href="https://conan.com/conan-returns/" target="_blank">press release</a> published last Thursday (March 24) by Conan.com. The rest of the press release is short on details, but does reveal that the novel - <i>Conan: Blood of the Serpent</i> - will serve as a prequel to the classic Conan adventure <i>Red Nails</i> - a personal favorite of mine due to its opening featuring Conan battling a stegosaurus.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpxL-zaxR9AH9azM135SfL3R9O6-JTmY8y5dZUff5cRUelweuP3XzesXuE1hmPU7yD6qTQl0Uvy13eVr9aI7YCBChGP756ngT_hZfgvk6uy7JgTV5P0eoAL4JWRgthQicis5cpBlB9RZUQhvY-1sm8VtaLu7-EESp85wY4N0ZTmkmhjea1l4/s792/Red%20Nails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Art by Alex Horley" border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="792" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpxL-zaxR9AH9azM135SfL3R9O6-JTmY8y5dZUff5cRUelweuP3XzesXuE1hmPU7yD6qTQl0Uvy13eVr9aI7YCBChGP756ngT_hZfgvk6uy7JgTV5P0eoAL4JWRgthQicis5cpBlB9RZUQhvY-1sm8VtaLu7-EESp85wY4N0ZTmkmhjea1l4/w320-h250/Red%20Nails.jpg" title="Art by Alex Horley" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's not the worst place to slot a pastiche story - I'm not up on the ins and outs of the post-Howard novels, though I have read a few, so I couldn't say if this is going to conflict with anything written previously. I feel confident in predicting that <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Valeria_(Conan_the_Barbarian)" target="_blank">Valeria of the Red Brotherhood</a> will appear if not have a prominent role, since she appears in <i>Red Nails</i> and is well, a woman rather like Conan himself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few pertinent details about the novel can be gleaned from the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Conan-Serpent-Chronicles-Greatest-Barbarian/dp/1803361832/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> page, including the October 18 release date, price and page-count. This last number, 496 pages, is slightly worrying - Conan as conceived by Robert E. Howard was the hero of short, tightly written novellas and short stories. Even advertised as a standalone, the page-count of a modern doorstopper stands in sharp contrast. That's not to say it can't still be the pulpy adventure Conan deserves, but much depends on the writer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14002.S_M_Stirling" target="_blank">S. M. Stirling</a>. Not the first name that comes to mind for Conan, but given the requirement for a certain level of name recognition I can think of several worse ones. I can also see the potential - as mentioned, he's primarily an alternate history author, but his most <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2017/05/is-smstirlings-emberverse-inspired-by.html" target="_blank">famous series takes place</a> in the sort of sword-swinging milieus that resemble the Hyborian Age in reasonable facsimile. And at his best, his novels do echo the pulpy action that Robert E. Howard excelled at - I've even heard that Howard himself appears in a short story set in the world of Stirling's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179021.The_Peshawar_Lancers" target="_blank">The Peshawar Lancers</a>. </i>At his worst - well, there's no need to dwell on potential disasters until we have more news. Sucess or failure, we'll know in the fall.</div><p>A big thank you to the DMR Books blog and their weekly <a href="https://dmrbooks.com/test-blog/tag/The+DMRtian+Chronicles" target="_blank">DMRtian Chronicles posts</a> for bringing this piece of news to my attention.</p>T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-46158855997856067232021-02-05T08:30:00.001-05:002021-02-05T08:30:03.184-05:00The Great Escapists<p> Have you ever found yourself watching <i>Survivor</i> and thinking to yourself, "haven't any of these people ever heard of <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Evaporative_cooler" target="_blank">evaporative cooling</a>?" If so, have I got the TV show for you.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdr1MmHd6aUbKURwrbgzWAmc8iqIpna6gePU-qQSgkixcfp6M79egksh9K-_SbJjQPRYglnqW-9CeM0zkJFUP8qu5eP6aBEM-gELncbt_zvb-k5U8HQaBs-NKJ5IadUDv_pEx5Eg/s1200/TheGreatEscapists.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="797" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdr1MmHd6aUbKURwrbgzWAmc8iqIpna6gePU-qQSgkixcfp6M79egksh9K-_SbJjQPRYglnqW-9CeM0zkJFUP8qu5eP6aBEM-gELncbt_zvb-k5U8HQaBs-NKJ5IadUDv_pEx5Eg/w192-h289/TheGreatEscapists.webp" width="192" /></a></div><br />From the moment I heard that <i>The Grand Tour</i>'s Richard Hammond and <i>Mythbusters'</i> Tory Bellaci were doing a show together, I knew it was something I would probably be checking out. Now that the Amazon Prime miniseries has dropped and I've had a chance to watch all six episodes, was it worth the wait? Spoiler warning, yes.<p></p><p>(More spoilers follow.)</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>As should be fairly easy to deduce, the general premise of the show is that while on a fishing trip on the Pacific Ocean, Richard and Tory get shipwrecked and stranded on a deserted island. They then must figure out how to survive (both the island and each other) and get home. While this is a tried-and-true scenario that hearkens back to some of the great classics like <i>Robinson Crusoe</i> and <i>The Swiss Family Robinson</i>, the two leads' background in science and engineering info-tainment gives the show a certain unique tone.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="331" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7534w3tnRfc" width="399" youtube-src-id="7534w3tnRfc"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>To that end, both castaways end up explaining the processes and principles behind their latest projects, either to each other or to a video diary. Taken at face value, Tory and Richard pull off some remarkable feats using the natural resources of the island and the wreckage of their boat, including waterwheel-driven electricity, fireworks, and a working gyrocopter.<div><br /></div><div>Of course, the "taken at face value" bit is the rub. The show is obviously scripted to some extent - they're obviously not filming everything on their phones, and there's never any real concern expressed that they might starve, at least when they're on the island and not attempting to sail, pedal, or steam-power their way into a shipping lane. Also, their boat is curiously well-stocked with power tools and other gear that happens to be useful in their situation (though they did mention the need to conserve the electricity, at least until the point where they were making their own). The scene where Richard is building a pineapple cannon is particularly egregious in this regard, as he just happens to have a ball valve that precisely fits both the fire extinguisher he's using as a pressure tank and the other pipe he's using as a barrel. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWGGEXL3bjPRT_z-t5KrWRy7UeiSn7XIfq4qn-vMl93jzlUjt3C3zefCd9IPoKE-w30wa9HLwzQtg1LDyRjPLYlPV3ootXyp4CSe_BMHU-voArQiPbOtpCgiQWene9H9L8u1fiQ/s620/Screenshot-2021-01-18-at-17.38.04-7375f8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWGGEXL3bjPRT_z-t5KrWRy7UeiSn7XIfq4qn-vMl93jzlUjt3C3zefCd9IPoKE-w30wa9HLwzQtg1LDyRjPLYlPV3ootXyp4CSe_BMHU-voArQiPbOtpCgiQWene9H9L8u1fiQ/s320/Screenshot-2021-01-18-at-17.38.04-7375f8a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div>And speaking of the pineapple cannon, that touches on the other issue I had with the show, namely the characterization. Now, I get that Richard and Tory are basically playing fictionalized versions of themselves, and I can even see the point in deriving tension and drama from having Tory more focused on leaving or attracting help, while Richard wants to make the best of their situation as is, and maybe recreate a few creature comforts. However, there were several points - culminating in the brief war in Episode 5 - where I thought they crossed the line into self-parody. Richard Hammond, I think, came off the worse, as his position was more easily framed as narcissistic idiocy. Really, toning things down to even <i>Grand Tour</i> levels would have made the whole thing much tighter.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the best parts of the show were the sequences where Tory and Richard were really cooperating on some engineering project, like drawing electricity from yucca plants, distilling ethanol to replace there finite gasoline/petrol supply, or <i>building a working gyrocopter.</i> It really says something that that last sequence, despite objectively being more unbelievable, felt more real than, say, Richard building a lighthouse rotor that requires Tory to sleep in 20-minute shifts, or bringing three autobiographies of himself on a fishing trip. It would really have elevated the show from good to great if they had actually been allowed to get themselves off the island - after their <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0655560/" target="_blank">Balloon-Boy experiment</a> blew up, the next logical step was a hot-air balloon, which was completely within their capabilities.</div><div><br /></div><div>But in the end, it really was good. <i>The Great Escapists </i>is, in some ways, a throwback to all the early-2000s-origin educational entertainment, not just <i>Mythbusters</i> and <i>Top Gear</i>, but also things like <i>Junkyard Wars</i> (which sometimes had the same issues with obviously-planted components, but still). I hadn't quite realized until I watched this show how nostalgic I could get for this sort of thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, there's not a lot of room left for a second season. It would stretch the already-thin credibility to have Richard and Tory end up in a similar situation <i>again, </i>but maybe if they got some different people? I bet James May and Jamie Hyneman would work well together . . . </div><div><br /><p><br /></p></div>T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-70898215168718507032020-04-30T20:28:00.000-04:002020-04-30T20:28:03.510-04:00The Shadowcast Knows<i>Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?</i><br />
<br />
Pulp enthusiasts of all descriptions will recognized the introductory catchphrase of <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Radio/TheShadow" target="_blank">The Shadow</a>, dark vigilante and superhero precursor. Indeed, although it's been ninety years since the first appearance of the character, he still has a loyal following. One example of this is the excellent, if irregular, <a href="https://theshadowcastknows.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><i>Shadowcast</i></a>, whose fifth episode earlier today was a welcome surprise: <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SIUZazQW0Io/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SIUZazQW0Io?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Ostensibly covering the first appearance in <i>The Shadow</i> (and indeed anywhere) of a supervillan, host <a href="https://twitter.com/raz0rfist" target="_blank">RazorFist</a> covers a wide spectrum of Shadow lore. I was particularly interested in his discussion of how The Shadow's primary author, Walter B. Gibson, apparently had an elaborate filing system that he used to control continuity, thus enabling the Shadows intricate cast of recurring characters. Also of note was the description of the way Gibson used his background as a stage magician to inform his writing, particularly in the climax of the story under discussion, <i>The Voodoo Master</i>.<br />
<br />
For those who are less familiar with The Shadow in general, or have hitherto been unaware of this podcast, I encourage you to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yJm_NknNdk" target="_blank">start at the beginning</a> and enjoy a celebration of an iconic hero by a knowledgeable and entertaining critic - even without his customary use of, shall we say, "colorful metaphors".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnz-CwtCZQV1ZiXNh68v6hOwbYevNzzfdtlKgn5PBHuv3tc9-zLgmQiiLCp3dFLWKjb-i23Xq7RhJCZD1khhZptWZc2KJcoEL_pQGcyrwSOEABhwpCBiSdhEy777VA3GhiUbM9gA/s1600/KirkSpockSTIVTHumb.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="400" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnz-CwtCZQV1ZiXNh68v6hOwbYevNzzfdtlKgn5PBHuv3tc9-zLgmQiiLCp3dFLWKjb-i23Xq7RhJCZD1khhZptWZc2KJcoEL_pQGcyrwSOEABhwpCBiSdhEy777VA3GhiUbM9gA/s320/KirkSpockSTIVTHumb.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-53654398143372571842020-03-21T16:26:00.002-04:002020-03-21T16:26:40.440-04:00Free Books For Your Quarantine DowntimeWhether from voluntary social distancing or official shelter-in-place orders, many of us are currently finding ourselves with more time on our hands than we're used to (others, of course, are in the medical field or grocery industry and working overtime to meet the current crisis, and I for one offer my sincerest thanks). Some of us, no doubt, are taking the opportunity to attack our <a href="https://egotistsclub.wordpress.com/2016/10/03/tsundoku/" target="_blank">tsundoku</a>, but just in case anyone is in danger of running out of things to read, many authors are stepping up to fill the gap - at no charge.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmp9Z54QBZ6yPTM4BvkAWcfuFATuCqgzR1l378Yrmzwy1KwWEltxm_8i2_wn3y8-AWhI3GWLDuY_mcs7q8wAgeQ-NVyoK-xfp3crSdgU_YpibsaBQ5CmNmQmnTI8jgDKP0KBbsIw/s1600/ETjWHGPXgAEEsQM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="583" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmp9Z54QBZ6yPTM4BvkAWcfuFATuCqgzR1l378Yrmzwy1KwWEltxm_8i2_wn3y8-AWhI3GWLDuY_mcs7q8wAgeQ-NVyoK-xfp3crSdgU_YpibsaBQ5CmNmQmnTI8jgDKP0KBbsIw/s320/ETjWHGPXgAEEsQM.png" width="245" /></a></div>
The most prominent, at least in my Internet circles, is <i><a href="https://dl.bookfunnel.com/1zbh21nwdx" target="_blank">Corona-Chan</a>: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0865LLFW4" target="_blank">Spreading the Love</a></i>, an anthology assembled in just a few days by <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidVStewart" target="_blank">David V. Stewart</a> and many, many authors of the Pulp Revolution. I've talked about some of them on this blog before - <a href="https://twitter.com/NotJonMollison" target="_blank">Jon Mollison</a>, for example, has donated his entire novel <i>Adventure Constant</i>, which I <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-pulp-revolutionary-sci-fi-of-jon.html" target="_blank">reviewed</a> a few years ago and still recommend wholeheartedly. Other contributors include <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2019/09/warriors-of-space-crusade.html" target="_blank"><i>Justified</i>'s Jon Del Arroz</a> and former and current Geek Gab hosts <a href="https://www.brianniemeier.com/" target="_blank">Brian Niemeier</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/DaddyWarpig" target="_blank">Daddy Warpig</a>. They are joined by a host of other independent authors, many of which have appeared in various issues of <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/Cirsova" target="_blank"><i>Cirsova</i></a> magazine. And speaking of Geek Gab, their most recent episode has as guests contributors <a href="https://twitter.com/NotJohnDaker" target="_blank">John Daker</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/YakovMerkin" target="_blank">Yakov Merkin</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1JTH4yDPmvE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1JTH4yDPmvE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiSINEpmPO6mKT-E1EF7TaDN6UkPX0VAYRwi_EPFi7bghpK-lDGxF4c_sEuuK5IEAzPA88ERan0J77Wmo52EAyCctlv6WBYWWOF8bh6OkEZ9BPYHlHWsNqaV1jDQv3OV-qKvIpg/s1600/flux-by-jeremy-robinson-big.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="288" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiSINEpmPO6mKT-E1EF7TaDN6UkPX0VAYRwi_EPFi7bghpK-lDGxF4c_sEuuK5IEAzPA88ERan0J77Wmo52EAyCctlv6WBYWWOF8bh6OkEZ9BPYHlHWsNqaV1jDQv3OV-qKvIpg/s200/flux-by-jeremy-robinson-big.png" width="188" /></a></div>
If you prefer something a little more mainstream, gonzo techno-thriller writer <a href="https://twitter.com/JRobinsonAuthor" target="_blank">Jeremy Robinson</a> is <a href="https://bewareofmonsters.com/covid-19-reading-stimulus-package-from-jeremy-robinson/" target="_blank">offering a five-book package</a> on his website, with a sixth offered for joining his mailing list. Now, I haven't read a great deal of Robinson, but what I have has kept me interested. Of the books in his bundle, I'm particularly interested in <i>Flux</i>, which sounds like it shares some premises with Eric Flint's <i>Time Spike</i> or <i>1632</i>. The latter of these also happens to be free, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/1632-Ring-Fire-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00BEQLQNE/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="https://www.baen.com/1632.html" target="_blank">Baen Books</a> directly, although it's been so since long before the Wuhan Flu made its presence known. Come to think of it, the <a href="https://www.baen.com/allbooks/category/index/id/2012" target="_blank">Baen Free Library</a> is another great source in general for free things to read, including one of my <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2011/03/hunting-up-good-read.html" target="_blank">perennial favorites</a> - <a href="https://www.baen.com/monster-hunter-international.html" target="_blank">Larry Correia's </a><i><a href="https://www.baen.com/monster-hunter-international.html" target="_blank">Monster</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00APAH7PQ/" target="_blank">Hunter International</a></i>.<br />
<br />
To conclude, I'd like to thank all the authors mentioned above for their generosity in making their work available to the reading public during this crisis. Now let's do our part by keeping our hands clean and giving the coronavirus no chance to spread.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-9016486283594828642020-02-06T18:15:00.000-05:002020-02-06T18:15:00.413-05:00Sabaton History Covers the Siege of Vienna<div style="text-align: center;">
AND THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED! </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rcYhYO02f98/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rcYhYO02f98?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
COMING DOWN THAT MOUNTAINSIDE!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eWkrQQly6xU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eWkrQQly6xU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Storm clouds, fire and steel,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Death from above,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Make our enemies kneel,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Shining armor and wings,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Death from above,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>It's an army of kings. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/K_L5acJht3g/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K_L5acJht3g?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
WE REMEMBER! IN SEPTEMBER!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
WHEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED!<br />
<span id="goog_899235381"></span><span id="goog_899235382"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNbPddpT1JJSG4plbnM97pEHPV6ixHpNHiBamU0TDUxzUfx5nWQoP5UiZtXSGNyx7u1fYKrnz7j8lk6shC_HfLadrshRnNzI1gFQZ6V7WUFMWaIGlKhp8nALRTFvj1bPCc9RhgQ/s1600/tomasz-jedruszek-asbringer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmNbPddpT1JJSG4plbnM97pEHPV6ixHpNHiBamU0TDUxzUfx5nWQoP5UiZtXSGNyx7u1fYKrnz7j8lk6shC_HfLadrshRnNzI1gFQZ6V7WUFMWaIGlKhp8nALRTFvj1bPCc9RhgQ/s400/tomasz-jedruszek-asbringer.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qA9XqD" target="_blank">Tomasz Jedruszek</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-946074601473706582019-11-17T08:00:00.000-05:002019-11-17T08:00:06.097-05:00Introducing the Inklings Literary Crossover UniverseThis past April Fool's Day, C. S. Lewis fansite <a href="https://narniafans.com/2019/04/tolkien-biopic-to-have-post-credit-scene-featuring-cs-lewis/" target="_blank">NarniaFans.com posted an article</a> claiming that the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3361792/" target="_blank"><i>Tolkien</i></a> biopic would feature a post-credits cameo of Lewis, thus setting up the "Inklings Cinematic Universe". While an amusing reference to 2008's <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/Iron%20Man" target="_blank"><i>Iron Man</i></a> and the franchise it spawned, in the absence of the scheduled-for-this-month <i>Lewis</i> film (starring current Spider-Man Tom Holland in the title role!), it occurred to me that the Inklings, or at least Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, had put enough shout-outs and shared concepts into their work to form a little universe of their own.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaw9Tgosxn5MLX6EGj3Wkzj8ATTSMQ987yUZwKQcgDZJFuPT2cgdwNMdegErGaB2H5PrIFKtxXsyg7BAi_HQL12ZobDHZIT9hDa13SOgmu5HKN2w6V_Ugu2DyQ7YOvtl9JS3Kpg/s1600/the_notion_club_papers_camera_by_afalstein_d165iv0-fullview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaw9Tgosxn5MLX6EGj3Wkzj8ATTSMQ987yUZwKQcgDZJFuPT2cgdwNMdegErGaB2H5PrIFKtxXsyg7BAi_HQL12ZobDHZIT9hDa13SOgmu5HKN2w6V_Ugu2DyQ7YOvtl9JS3Kpg/s320/the_notion_club_papers_camera_by_afalstein_d165iv0-fullview.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art by <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/afalstein/art/The-Notion-Club-Papers-Camera-70801596" target="_blank">Afalstein</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The linchpin of this Inklings Literary Crossover Universe, or ILCU, is Tolkien's unfinished 1945 novel <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/The_Notion_Club_Papers" target="_blank"><i>The Notion Club Papers</i></a>. In this story, an ersatz version of the Inklings discuss science fiction and experiment with astral projection, culminating in an echo of the sinking of Atlantis manifesting in the modern Atlantic. Now, there's a good deal more going on in the story than that - it's a very experimental piece of writing in many ways, quite distinct from Tolkien's usual neomythic mode - but for ILCU purposes there's two things to focus on. First is that Tolkien uses in the story his own version of Atlantis, or more properly <a href="https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/N%C3%BAmenor" target="_blank">Númenor</a>, that sits in the background of <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> as the homeland of Aragorn's ancestors. This fits with Tolkien's idea that Middle-Earth is the mythic past of our own world.<br />
<br />
The other thing to note about <i>The Notion Club Papers</i> is that one of the works discussed early on is <i>Out of the Silent Planet</i>, the first book in C. S. Lewis' <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/The_Space_Trilogy" target="_blank">Cosmic Trilogy</a>. What makes this interesting from a crossover world-building perspective is that <i>Out of the Silent Planet</i> ends with a conversation between the protagonist Elwin Ransom (in many ways a fictionalized Tolkien) and the un-named narrator (implicitly Lewis himself) discussing how they were going to publish an account of the story marketed as fiction. So, we can assume that the world of the Notion Club's psychic voyages is the same as Dr. Ransom's physical ones, and both are the far future of Middle-Earth. The last Cosmic Trilogy book, <i>That Hideous Strength</i>, also talks about Atlantis as "Numinor", strengthening the connection.<br />
<br />
Another connection to the Cosmic Trilogy that only recently came to my attention is the result of the academic work of Brenton Dickieson, who in a <a href="https://apilgriminnarnia.com/2016/05/26/a-cosmic/" target="_blank">2016 blog post</a> described his discovery of a hitherto unknown draft preface to <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/The_Screwtape_Letters" target="_blank"><i>The Screwtape Letters</i></a> which attributed the acquisition and translation of the letters as being from none other than Dr. Elwin Ransom. As the following chart shows, <i>Screwtape</i> was written after <i>Out of the Silent Planet</i> but before its two true sequels (there's also the whole issue of the controversial <i>The Dark Tower</i>, which I have yet to read):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-Qvq4XPlZJLhXnU5uXCQkDjdudPItmTqYY8MLpv-cjiVNIGrdgkHruGZfIuHNob30OMCFBCdeSxXzaDDHSz0ARBK3gIDbYc6W9KeKFkMTnxEMpFhK9jhThHXN91SK22R4gZS7Q/s1600/ransom_cycle_cs_lewis.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="640" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-Qvq4XPlZJLhXnU5uXCQkDjdudPItmTqYY8MLpv-cjiVNIGrdgkHruGZfIuHNob30OMCFBCdeSxXzaDDHSz0ARBK3gIDbYc6W9KeKFkMTnxEMpFhK9jhThHXN91SK22R4gZS7Q/s400/ransom_cycle_cs_lewis.png" width="380" /></a></div>
<br />
Now, this definitely shows that Lewis made a couple of false starts in developing the sequel to <i>Out of the Silent Planet</i>, and the extent to which he still considered <i>Screwtape</i> to be connected is an open question. Personally, I can think of a couple of episodes in <i>Screwtape</i> that support the connective interpretation, such as the incident where Screwtape "inadvertently assumes the form of a large centipede", similar to the end of the fight between Ransom and the Un-Man in <i>Perelandra</i>. And frankly, the idea of Wormwood and Screwtape as bent Eldila toiling away under the fallen Oyarsa <a href="https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Melkor" target="_blank">Melkor</a> is, to me at least, a pleasingly coherent one.<br />
<br />
One final thought for this post, and that's how Lewis' claim to fame, <i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i>, might be brought into the ILCU. Unfortunately there is not, to my immediate recollection, a direct textual link between the Chronicles and the other works of the various Inklings. The penultimate book in the series, <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/The_Magician%27s_Nephew" target="_blank"><i>The Magician's Nephew</i></a>, offers a few thematic links, such as a mention of Atlantis (not Numenor, this time), and the image shared with Tolkien's work of the universe being sung into existence. There are references to Sherlock Holmes and the <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/The_Story_of_the_Treasure_Seekers" target="_blank">Bastable</a> children, which were used by Win Scott Eckert in his <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2010/06/in-past-one-of-my-favorite-websites-to.html" target="_blank"><i>Crossovers</i></a> series to fit the Chronicles into his post-<a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Philip_Jos%C3%A9_Farmer" target="_blank">Farmer</a> Wold Newton work (a context in which I've mentioned <i>The Notion Club Papers</i> <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2010/09/some-proposed-additions-to-crossover.html" target="_blank">before</a>), but a direct Inklings-only connection will require additional research.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-50554789442892480232019-10-25T08:13:00.000-04:002019-10-25T08:13:06.330-04:00A Tale of Two ConansWhen Conan of Cimmeria, <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/Robert%20E.%20Howard" target="_blank">Robert E. Howard's</a> iconic sword-and-sorcery hero, was first being adapted to American comic books in the 1970s, the publisher - <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/Marvel" target="_blank">Marvel</a> Comics, home of Spider-man, the <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/Avengers" target="_blank">Avengers</a>, and a bright destiny in the movie industry - gave him a starring role in two separate magazines. The first, <i>Conan the Barbarian</i>, was the mainstream, all-ages title while <i>Savage Sword of Conan</i> was meant to be a more adult, sophisticated title. Nearly fifty years later, the Wheel of Copyright has once again brought Conan to Marvel, and while they seem to have a fairly aggressive schedule planned, the central focus is again those two titles.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUzZGakfLndkh0QOYfilWy-8NpP4jHEUPyoRoi3W62NNr_2QbEVG8EmTMsJfey72bPt6bO7d1N5JL7lgwmmfz970LGIdF6P0v_-ptR06_I981BYpGrNa1kef2CsXHAI5pZydn5A/s1600/42994024._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUzZGakfLndkh0QOYfilWy-8NpP4jHEUPyoRoi3W62NNr_2QbEVG8EmTMsJfey72bPt6bO7d1N5JL7lgwmmfz970LGIdF6P0v_-ptR06_I981BYpGrNa1kef2CsXHAI5pZydn5A/s320/42994024._SY475_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<i>Conan the Barbarian: The Life and Death of Conan Book One</i> is the first trade collection of the former, although its family-friendliness seems suspect when practically the first time we see Conan he's in a fighting pit in the Maul decapitating his two opponents. Readers familiar with Conan may remember the Maul as being a district in the city <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/The_Tower_of_the_Elephant" target="_blank"><i>The Tower of the Elephant</i></a> took place in, and indeed the stories that make up this collection have something of a "Conan's Greatest Hits" feel to them. The stories that follow, although there's a continuing story-line with an undead witch and her creepy child minions, jump around to some of the most well-known episodes of Conan's life - one takes place immediately following <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Beyond_the_Black_River" target="_blank"><i>Beyond the Black River</i></a>, one while Conan is a pirate, another while he's king, and so on. While the stories are mostly well done, a couple of places (such as the appearance of a <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1619880/" target="_blank">sharktopus</a>) get a bit campy - the idea of King Conan and his pet lion becoming a masked vigilante in the Aquilonian capital was so ridiculous it had to have come from corporate meddling. There were some nice shout-outs to the greater Conan continuity, although this was matched by at least one timeline flub (the chapter that takes place after <i>Beyond the Black River</i> ends with Conan going back across the river to civilization, while in the original stories he fights his way through the wilderness to the coast and gets caught up in the plot of <i><a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/The_Black_Stranger" target="_blank">The Black Stranger</a>)</i>. I also noticed a general trend, common in Conan pastiche, of giving Conan's life an air of Destiny, with everything bending towards his becoming a king. This was something that Howard managed to avoid, even though Conan was already king in his first appearance, and all the earlier stories were technically prequels.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU5zNkXZmxAbrIsXOx1GbcRPI3bnc7-JF_Dg1Yifk9FdHQXUWJpc5TG68BUZkpWSwebjGdqTfNjX3arIgOUO4wdGEMdiJkxuSTh7ANLDU2Z-AtMWD8GurjhOWIwMege6W833gpQ/s1600/43210923._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU5zNkXZmxAbrIsXOx1GbcRPI3bnc7-JF_Dg1Yifk9FdHQXUWJpc5TG68BUZkpWSwebjGdqTfNjX3arIgOUO4wdGEMdiJkxuSTh7ANLDU2Z-AtMWD8GurjhOWIwMege6W833gpQ/s320/43210923._SY475_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
Far less epic in scope, <i>Savage Sword of Conan: The Cult of Koga Thun</i> manages to seem much more complete as a story, although this is probably an unfair comparison to make with something explicitly labeled Book One. Following the well-trodden formula of Conan escaping from dire circumstances that would kill a lessor man, getting mixed up in a struggle over a fabulous treasure, and escaping into the night as everything collapses into chaos; it still manages to insert a few interesting wrinkles, such as the nature of the treasure and the involvement of the mysterious serpent-men, who are usually a <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Kull_of_Atlantis" target="_blank">Kull</a> thing but always fun to see show up (indeed, of the various scheduled appearance of Conan tying him to the greater Marvel universe, the one I'm most interested in has the intriguing title of <i>Conan: Serpent War</i>). The use of magic in the story seemed heavy compared to the original Howard, what with the undead hordes <i>and</i> the poison that turns humans into serpent-men <i>and</i> the map that imprints itself onto Conan's mind, but the Cimmerian was at least properly suspicious of all of it.<br />
<br />
In the end, although they were trying to do quite different things with the pulp-era character, both of these comics presented reasonably enjoyable takes on Conan the Barbarian. It goes without saying that the prose originals by Robert E. Howard were the best, but once you've read all those, these make as good a continuation as you're likely to find. I did hear that the original single issues that these editions collect had a prose Conan serial in them too, and was a bit disappointed that they weren't also collected. Hopefully they'll turn up in a collection of their own at some point.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-63524798420537962602019-10-07T22:10:00.001-04:002019-10-07T22:10:25.595-04:00Heavy Metal History<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeXBv_1uk7mZqypU76abmNO2bknYr8mwWvFE-MP3F-Hl6U4AdW5_c7qcT6cOBNOXj7TDIKELfw8h5MqtcPOMROAT3vWJCom6DJNn-f53E-SoHOBWuRtGsQu2BmAQ7DQ5ggiXRRw/s1600/526px-German_-_Sabaton_for_the_Right_Foot_-_Walters_51591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="526" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeXBv_1uk7mZqypU76abmNO2bknYr8mwWvFE-MP3F-Hl6U4AdW5_c7qcT6cOBNOXj7TDIKELfw8h5MqtcPOMROAT3vWJCom6DJNn-f53E-SoHOBWuRtGsQu2BmAQ7DQ5ggiXRRw/s200/526px-German_-_Sabaton_for_the_Right_Foot_-_Walters_51591.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured - a <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Sabaton" target="_blank">sabaton</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Over the years, I've enjoyed <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/Music" target="_blank">music</a> from a wide variety of genres and styles. Lately, I've been really into <a href="https://www.sabaton.net/" target="_blank">Sabaton</a>, a metal band out of Sweden. Taking their name from the technical term for a piece of armor covering the foot, their songs, for the most part, have a historical focus to them, mostly (as you might imagine) memorializing various wars and battles.<br />
<br />
This focus has enabled the band to engage in some interesting and unusual promotional collaborations. One such is <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaG4CBbZih6nLzD08bTBGfw" target="_blank">Sabaton History</a></i>, a YouTube channel hosted by popular Internet-based historian <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Indy_Neidell" target="_blank">Indy Neidell</a> that examines the background of a given songs' subjects. For example, one of my favorite Sabaton songs is "Blood of Bannockburn", about the <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Wars_of_Scottish_Independence" target="_blank">Scottish wars for independence</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oi7xBe5-M8k/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oi7xBe5-M8k?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Much to my delight, the second ever episode of <i>Sabaton History</i> covered the song; explaining the greater historical context, the immediate tactical byplay, and even the writing of the song:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pT7rteGNM_A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pT7rteGNM_A?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
While an excellent example of the format of the show, it is a bit atypical in that subject isn't from one of the World Wars of the early 20th Century. If I have one criticism of the show, it's that it does tend to focus on that era - and to be fair, not only does it appear to be Neidell's historical specialty, but Sabaton just this summer released <i>The Great War</i>, an entire album of songs about that conflict.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HkbG39-T4H0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HkbG39-T4H0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JUQ5omgRn44/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JUQ5omgRn44?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
While metal often has something of a dark reputation, and indeed neither Sabaton's songs nor their history videos shy away from the realities of war and bloodshed, they never fall into a meaningless, nihilistic glorification of violence. Much to the contrary, the subjects they choose primarily exemplify virtues like courage and faithfulness, even in the face of overwhelming odds, and ensure that the stories of these heroes - individuals and armies - are remembered for another generation.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-89418629620068612162019-09-05T23:49:00.001-04:002019-09-05T23:57:00.939-04:00Warriors of the Space CrusadePicture, if you will, a crusading knight. Struck by a sudden war-weariness, he abandons the fight against the infidel and wanders into the desert, finding himself in an enemy-controlled city. There he wrestles with his newfound pacifistic desire while at the same time freeing and converting enough of the enslaved populace to kick off a full-blown revolt.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-b53QbyEKcGdxsU9VgZUXGSyfm4Ebn0h5m0YYFlxbB2PYWe1AlU90tbtgjcb66ijzfQZ7E30xjEnPBgOkdOu47XNeOdrY-7ZpjolXbAX_rcc1ISHF5ASFN7jnND9B4TmfSY4ig/s1600/47556593._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-b53QbyEKcGdxsU9VgZUXGSyfm4Ebn0h5m0YYFlxbB2PYWe1AlU90tbtgjcb66ijzfQZ7E30xjEnPBgOkdOu47XNeOdrY-7ZpjolXbAX_rcc1ISHF5ASFN7jnND9B4TmfSY4ig/s320/47556593._SY475_.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
A mid-20th-century Technicolor epic? A serial novel from some long-lost historical pulp magazine? In fact, this is the general plot of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W192X3S" target="_blank"><i>Justified: The Saga of the Nano Templar</i></a>, the latest novel from the most electrifying Hispanic in science fiction, <a href="http://delarroz.com/" target="_blank">Jon Del Arroz</a>. Mixing the rather obvious historical allegory with familiar <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MilitaryScienceFiction" target="_blank">Mil-SF tropes</a> like power armor and space navies, what comes out is a satisfying tale of equal parts derring-do and Christian philosophizing.<br />
<br />
Yes, Christian, for despite the book seeming to take place in a galaxy far, far away with no humans whatsoever in it (although as far as I could tell Templar Drin's enemies, the Sekarans, receive no physical description that differentiates them from humans), the religion of the Elorians is basically Christianity. There are, naturally, some altered details - it's oddly Narnian in that respect - but close enough that the tension between "loving your enemy" and "protecting the innocent" echoes all too strongly with the sympathetic reader.<br />
<br />
That tension being the main internal conflict for our Nano Templar means that he remains a very static character throughout. This provides an interesting contrast with the book's other viewpoint character, Anais, who goes from leporine party brat to defiant harem slave to revolutionary guerrilla. The nascent romance between her and Drin was, I thought, one of the book's few weak points, as it bounced hard against the Templar's vows of chastity and generally got lost in the more general swirl of Drin's search for meaning and divine goodwill. As for whether he finds it, well, I think the title of the book is a big clue here.<br />
<br />
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-31002409390784770952019-07-21T23:57:00.001-04:002019-07-22T00:05:24.073-04:00Read Old StoriesA wizard's tower with a captured extra-terrestrial. A murder-by-arson with a shocking twist. A robotic policeman. A mountain from which no-one has returned. An eerie painting that menaces its owner. A swashbuckling stagecoach robber. An underground boxing match in an exotic port.<br />
<br />
What do all these elements have in common? They're all from classic stories from a bunch of different genres that I've recently read thanks to the Pulp Classics Reading Club. Brainchild of author <a href="https://eykd.net/about/" target="_blank">David Eyk</a>, this free weekly email delivers stories from some of the best authors of the early 20th century - the likes of Robert E. Howard, Dashiell Hammett, Harry Harrison, Manly Wade Wellman, Max Brand, and Lord Dunsany. What inspired Eyk to such a project? In his <a href="https://eykd.net/pcrc/vol1-afterword/" target="_blank">own words</a>:<br />
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
In the erudite and cultured Wisdom of the Current Year, it is an accepted posture to scoff at “escapist literature”: it’s alright to read it <i>if you’re twelve</i>.</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f4f4f4; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.5; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
But the Wisdom of the Ages tells us something different: a certain form of story nourishes and nurtures our psyches. Especially in hard times, we fall back on the stories closest to our hearts for encouragement and, yes, escape.</div>
<br />
If this sounds like something you'd like to get in on, I encourage you to sign up for the <a href="https://eykd.net/pcrc/" target="_blank">Pulp Classics Reading Club here</a>. And if you want to read the stories I alluded to above? Check below the jump.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">"<a href="https://eykd.net/pcrc/howard-tower/1/" target="_blank">The Tower of the Elephant</a>" by Robert E. Howard</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">"<a href="https://eykd.net/pcrc/hammett-arson/1/" target="_blank">Arson Plus"</a> by Dashiell Hammett</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">"<a href="https://eykd.net/pcrc/harrison-arm/1/" target="_blank">Arm of the Law</a>" by Harry Harrison</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">"<a href="https://eykd.net/pcrc/dunsany-poltarnees/1/" target="_blank">Poltarnees, Beholder of Ocean</a>" by Lord Dunsany</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">"<a href="https://eykd.net/pcrc/wellman-golgotha/1/" target="_blank">The Golgotha Dancers</a>" by Manly Wade Wellman</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">"<a href="https://eykd.net/pcrc/brand-laughter/1/" target="_blank">The Laughter of Slim Malone</a>" by Max Brand</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">"<a href="https://eykd.net/pcrc/howard-pit/1/" target="_blank">The Pit of the Serpent</a>" by Robert E. Howard</li>
T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-26713949090239224092018-12-23T15:18:00.000-05:002018-12-23T15:18:57.661-05:00Three Hearts, Three Lions, Two Wizards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkZvAZxy5ySnFcLZRRcxf8N1X2N780i0Eyf3N-90Wd40ow49-54DdFauI5J9iZyoLzM43QOKSFfPCm4_lCoeg8YFa2hiHztF61yvOLd60htQN73S5P2tmrrVWGMkZiIi0MWArCQ/s1600/Three-Hearts-Three-Lions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="863" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkZvAZxy5ySnFcLZRRcxf8N1X2N780i0Eyf3N-90Wd40ow49-54DdFauI5J9iZyoLzM43QOKSFfPCm4_lCoeg8YFa2hiHztF61yvOLd60htQN73S5P2tmrrVWGMkZiIi0MWArCQ/s320/Three-Hearts-Three-Lions.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
Recently I've been reading <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27239451-three-hearts-and-three-lions" target="_blank"><i>Three Hearts and Three Lions</i></a> by Poul Anderson, which is about a man fighting in World War II who discovers he has another life as a famous knight in a world that resembles the <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChivalricRomance" target="_blank">chivalric romances</a> of King Arthur and similar tales.<br />
<br />
It's an enjoyable read, and a fascinating work for any number of reasons - the both implicit and explicit Christianity, the clear antecedents for some elements of fantasy role-playing games (I believe <a href="https://jeffro.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Jeffro</a> addressed this in <i>Appendix N</i>), the way the main character uses his modern knowledge to survive some of the more fantastic elements - although this last, I thought, was somewhat overused and undercut my belief in the setting, to an extent. The rationalization of the giant's cursed gold as being irradiated by the process of turning to stone was an especially bad example.<br />
<br />
But the one element that really made me take notice was in Chapter 15, when the knight and his companions visit a wizard to see about getting the knight back to his home world. Said wizard has a sign on his house that reads:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
MARTINUS TRISMEGISTUS</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Master Magici</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Spells, Charms, Prophecies, Healing, Love Potions</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blessings, Curses, Ever-Filled Purses</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Special rates for parties</div>
<br />
It's not, I think, intended to be entirely serious, and indeed the wizard in question admits that some of the services are for advertising only. However, it brought to mind another advertisement by a wizard some half a century later:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TheDresdenFiles" target="_blank">HARRY DRESDEN</a>-WIZARD</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lost Items Found, Paranormal Investigations</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Consulting, Advice, Reasonable Rates</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties, or Other<br />
Entertainment</div>
<br />
Now, I've checked the <a href="http://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/home/" target="_blank">Word of Jim</a> website and have seen no definitive proof of this, but I cannot believe that Harry's ad isn't a response to Martinus'. Not just the format, but especially that last line seems to set up a deliberate dichotomy between the two.<br />
<br />
Whether this specific influence is intended, unconscious, or imagined, I would say that both <i>The Dresden Files</i> and <i>Three Hearts and Three Lions</i> are worth reading. Indeed, as a standalone work the latter is in some ways, despite being originally published in 1953, more accessible. T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-89657793128418851982018-05-27T23:01:00.000-04:002018-05-27T23:01:16.397-04:00Meet the New Doc, Same as the Old DocMost of the time, out there in the wilds of the Internetz, coming across something completely flabbergasting is a negative experience. About a week ago, however, I came across something that was definitely positive, if still flabbergasting.<br />
<br />
Over at the Castalia House blog, one of their <a href="http://www.castaliahouse.com/new-release-roundup-19-may-2018-fantasy-and-adventure/">periodic posts highlighting recent releases</a> in Indie and small-press adventure fiction caught my eye with a header mentioning the Man of Bronze, a pseudonym of the classic adventure pulp science-hero and superhero precursor <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Doc_Savage">Doc Savage</a>. Now, on previous occasions Castalia House has highlighted the release of the new Doc Savage stories being produced by Will Murray and <a href="https://www.altuspress.com/">Altus Press</a>, but this case turned out to be far more interesting.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lmCuUOPFV8W4_HPn6EhLLydsSJwGiskqI8v96IExY1c9-dmgyI7xGD_g46BNd2B-LnVRKOkYwpuUKB06V0yAwzvZJjwjkVkjfSEX5odr_CQElDIY05Y_Vmj-nfKGBXWiMjWgkQ/s1600/Man+of+Bronze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="283" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lmCuUOPFV8W4_HPn6EhLLydsSJwGiskqI8v96IExY1c9-dmgyI7xGD_g46BNd2B-LnVRKOkYwpuUKB06V0yAwzvZJjwjkVkjfSEX5odr_CQElDIY05Y_Vmj-nfKGBXWiMjWgkQ/s320/Man+of+Bronze.jpg" width="188" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Except for this one, which is replaced with<br />the Dynamite comic adaptation cover.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In fact, somebody has released about a dozen of the original <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st_date-desc-rank?rh=n%3A133140011%2Cp_27%3AKenneth+Robeson&qid=1527472873&sort=date-desc-rank">Doc Savage pulp stories as Kindle e-books</a>, for about $3.50 a pop. The publisher is listed only as "Amazon Digital Services", and the text appears to be taken from the original 1930s - '40s magazines (complete with introductory illustrations), though the covers are the classic James Bama pieces from the Bantam paperback editions of the '60s - '70s.<br />
<br />
With the sole exception of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Man-Bronze-Doc-Savage-ebook/dp/B07CV785BS/">Doc's introductory adventure</a> seen here, none of the specific titles are ones that I'm familiar with. On the strength of <i>The Man of Bronze,</i> however, I'm perfectly willing to recommend them to anyone interested in stories of adventure and heroics.<br />
<br />
However, I'm still curious as to how exactly this cornucopia came to be. I'm pretty sure that Doc is not yet in the U.S. public domain (<i><a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Steamboat_Willie">Steamboat Willie</a></i> is older), yet besides the Castalia House piece I can't find any other references to them. They're not from Altus or the <a href="http://www.radioarchives.com/eBooks_s/128.htm">Radio Archives</a> people, as far as I can tell, and I'm not sure who would own the copyright on them anyway. Conde Nast? The price seems way too reasonable to have been set by any major publisher. Maybe it's a stealth marketing campaign for the rumored <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606752/">upcoming Doc Savage movie</a> starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CBWdivSA2MJhL8_vLbLVx01yhfi9eMW7UO1OSOSdb0xrjyz8M2ejDsMPxi7iiukUBXmBGP4M1ReNKNIYTFSa0kpKo2sCLe3Zx4UKMbjAAYjEZKRSCCVhg-OTpCU6tetCMRx0nw/s1600/dr-smolder-bravestone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CBWdivSA2MJhL8_vLbLVx01yhfi9eMW7UO1OSOSdb0xrjyz8M2ejDsMPxi7iiukUBXmBGP4M1ReNKNIYTFSa0kpKo2sCLe3Zx4UKMbjAAYjEZKRSCCVhg-OTpCU6tetCMRx0nw/s200/dr-smolder-bravestone.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THE DOC IS COOKING?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In any event, whether the rest of the 100+ Doc Savage stories are going to be hitting Amazon shortly, or whether these are actually pirated editions that will shortly be yanked, this is a great low-investment way to check out the original tales of a key figure in the history of pop culture.<br />
<br />T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-64827425336551439622018-03-13T18:27:00.001-04:002018-09-01T17:42:21.174-04:00So What Is This #PulpRevolution, Anyway?By now, regular readers of this blog will have noticed several posts using the <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/%23pulprevolution">#pulprevolution</a> tag, and might be wondering what I mean by that descriptor. Happily, author J. D. Cowen has just made an <a href="http://wastelandandsky.blogspot.com/2018/03/rev-it-up-quick-history-of-pulp.html">excellent blog post</a> that recaps the last several years of rediscovery of what pulp fiction really means.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">"Of course, pulp fiction has never fully gone away. But that isn't without lack of trying. It has been used as little more than an insult or a cheesy aesthetic for those who hated them. It has been used as an insult by those who never bothered to read the original works. Pulp became a synonym for trash, and nothing else. The Tarantino movie didn't help. The tradition of genre fiction actually goes back through the pulps and the penny dreadfuls all the way to at least Poe. By ignoring the pulps you are cutting the line of tradition and thumbing your nose at it. Those who trash it have no idea what they are actually doing."</span>
<br />
<br />
The post compiles a lot of the discussions, videos, and controversies of this movement to date (including one of the most objective takes on the whole Sad/Rabid Puppies Hugo Awards thing I've ever seen), making it a valuable resource for those interested in improving their writing craft.<br />
<br />
And though it's only been a few years in the making, there's already been progress made. Jeffro Johnson recently had cause to give a <a href="https://jeffro.wordpress.com/2018/03/12/pulp-revolution-and-winning/">quick sketch of some of the standout authors</a> in the movement, a few of which have been mentioned here before.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border: 0px; color: #242424; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
If we can take it for granted that the past forty years has been a veritable Dark Age for science fiction and fantasy, then having P. Alexander’s Cirsova magazine has been an absolute godsend. Has it come close to the very best of the Weird Tales era? No one that I know of has argued that. But I believe he can go toe to toe with some of the better works in Andrew J. Offutt’s Swords Against Darkness series. More recently he has managed to go further and acquire stories that are on par with the better efforts you could find in Planet Stories.</div>
<div style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border: 0px; color: #242424; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
You’d rather have the next H. P. Lovecraft? Well maybe he hasn’t arrive yet. But <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1541381726/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jeffjohn03-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1541381726&linkId=fbed889bc8186a63f44ed2b5d1c94c85" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Misha Burnett</a>‘s New Wave style handling of the Great Old One’s oeuvre sure did manage to raise the bar on what I expect today’s short fiction authors.</div>
<div style="background-color: #f7f7f7; border: 0px; color: #242424; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 18px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">
Who has managed to capture some of the more thrilling qualities of Jack Vance and Robert E. Howard? <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1530140358/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jeffjohn03-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1530140358&linkId=5d4f6180b608eab7cfb7fda370bbab49" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Schuyler Hernstrom</a>, hands down. Who has succeeded in imbuing his stories with the more compelling aspects of Lord Dunsany, C. S. Lewis, and 1930s space opera? <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L43JG88/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jeffjohn03-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01L43JG88&linkId=801d81e85108a2f50f13ffce2d41f69b" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">John C. Wright</a>. Who has diligently applied himself to reclaiming pulp era heroism and romance? <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XKRYQL7/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jeffjohn03-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B06XKRYQL7&linkId=e2de63c7b2ca9e5bd54b8026bb438dd4" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Jon Mollison</a>. Who has gone from making a work comparable to a short Andre Norton novel to recapitulating the fire of an early 1940’s Leigh Brackett? <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1521884498/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jeffjohn03-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1521884498&linkId=521cc4229e2987f60ad0a098f5d73266" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dominka</a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1978208847/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jeffjohn03-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1978208847&linkId=f0d99cd4012184d8abe7400e46a76323" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Lein</a>!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW15sMLDuKOes21fEpAIOvxw21hCfKZArEXM3SJCLMM8_YdXBLbnSkg5OixnKuuHoZZY05G659fyWh4m9vo7UI2uunVhNNYFNCR9wzJqz7lBuBbGqO7rDrKp92ydCHgwgyDtMI_w/s1600/cirsova5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW15sMLDuKOes21fEpAIOvxw21hCfKZArEXM3SJCLMM8_YdXBLbnSkg5OixnKuuHoZZY05G659fyWh4m9vo7UI2uunVhNNYFNCR9wzJqz7lBuBbGqO7rDrKp92ydCHgwgyDtMI_w/s320/cirsova5.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
While I haven't read everything by every author on that list, <i><a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/Cirsova">Cirsova</a></i> magazine, <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/John%20C.%20Wright">John C. Wright</a>, and <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/search/label/Jon%20Mollison">Jon Mollison</a> have all made appearances, to much-deserved praise. And Jeffro modestly neglects to mention his own <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Appendix-Literary-History-Dungeons-Dragons-ebook/dp/B01MUB7WS6/">Appendix N</a></i>, which as J. D. Cowen noted above deserves a great deal of credit as a catalyst for the movement. But you don't have to take our word for it - lots of these author have free works available on their websites (many of which are in my blogroll) or for their newsletter subscribers. And speaking of <i>Cirsova</i>, this week the<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHJMSS3/"> fifth issue</a> is free on Amazon Kindle - it's a great example of some of the ideas being thrown around in the Pulp Revolution (especially considering it has a story by Schuyler Hernstrom taking place in Misha Burnett's Eldritch Earth setting, and it's one of the highlights of the issue, too!).<br />
<br />
Possibly the most astounding thing about the Pulp Revolution is the way it's expanded over only a few short years. If you're a fan of science fiction and fantasy and have felt that recent mainstream offerings lacked something, now's the time to dig in and try something new - the only place to go from here is up!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-67001776413813339892018-03-03T22:26:00.001-05:002018-03-03T22:26:11.696-05:00The Pulp Revolutionary Sci-Fi of Jon MollisonOK, now that I've given author <a href="http://jonmollison.com/">Jon Mollison</a> grief a <a href="http://www.castaliahouse.com/review-sudden-rescue-by-jon-mollison/">couple</a> of <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-answer-should-be-obvious.html" target="_blank">times</a> over the cover of his novel <i>Sudden Rescue</i>, I probably ought to mention that it's really a pretty good book. In fact, last summer was something of a breakout season for Jon, and so far I've picked up three of his novels and thought them all great reads.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRc0ZbqLmwioFFsZJ3T_nOJtWU2CYGKNVc38s_hfbEa128_CGThsYP3sxmZ18QpT0BlF7jdqxs3wZ1I8UyTv7sG-3PDiADPC3o-MiP_4ziHr636AKr3nV6wdQwsi4414-xHajow/s1600/Sudden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieRc0ZbqLmwioFFsZJ3T_nOJtWU2CYGKNVc38s_hfbEa128_CGThsYP3sxmZ18QpT0BlF7jdqxs3wZ1I8UyTv7sG-3PDiADPC3o-MiP_4ziHr636AKr3nV6wdQwsi4414-xHajow/s200/Sudden.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I still say he looks like Luigi.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sudden-Rescue-Jon-Mollison-ebook/dp/B06XKRYQL7/">Sudden Rescue</a></i>, released just under a year ago, starts with an archetype we're all very familiar with, the independent space hauler who's not afraid to shade the finer points of smuggling law. Captain E. Z. Sudden would be right at home with the likes of Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds, dodging space pirates and overbearing AI empires until he is suddenly thrust into galactic politics with the recovery of some lost cargo containers, one of which contains a member of the local space nobility named Karenina. When it is revealed that she was on her way to a wedding that could make or break the human alliance against the aforementioned AI, she and Sudden must embark on a journey through treacherous peril and exotic, imaginative locations to stop a terrible war.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCrmJFN7mNTGoDEe0AglDn-D9dn62whP-BueRKgUFaCiJIGCPX7lcHjckRrILEzXy41PeOAc8IIjC7XRjSjHr3kKut_XhVZl4pLPuhTUB0YSKtDnxUVp6xvtvFs7TeO5DyIZ2VQ/s1600/Adventure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="244" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCrmJFN7mNTGoDEe0AglDn-D9dn62whP-BueRKgUFaCiJIGCPX7lcHjckRrILEzXy41PeOAc8IIjC7XRjSjHr3kKut_XhVZl4pLPuhTUB0YSKtDnxUVp6xvtvFs7TeO5DyIZ2VQ/s200/Adventure.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
The next novel, and probably my favorite of the three, is <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Adventure-Constant-Planetary-Romantic-Dashing-ebook/dp/B07414JLSK/">Adventure Constant</a></i>. This one uses travel to parallel dimensions rather than space, postulating a world where the physical laws of the universe encourage swashbuckling and derring-do. I suspect Jon especially enjoyed the world-building on this one, what with the Panama Canal becoming a lizardman-infested suicide run, Hawaii still an independent kingdom, and the US equivalent run by an office called the Autocrat of Liberty, the current holder of which is described as a "bombastic business tycoon who had rallied the common man to his cause and was even now attempting to roust the cancerous elitists and their foot soldiers from the country." OK, that last one probably didn't take much imagination.<br />
<br />
As a crossover enthusiast, I also need to mention the couple of times that Jack Dashing, the hero from our world transported via crashing rocket to this new one, makes a literary reference only to discover that he's accidentally talking about real people. When this happens to the Three Musketeers it's kind of understandable, since half the characters in that work were real people anyway, but when Jack mouths off to a British spy about his 00 number, he barely manages to get the words "secret agent named James -" out before the spy is question goes from demanding <i>where he heard that</i> to ranting about fraudulent poster boys.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGyv-IgCONyzXhUU6tARZVMbreKDmxH29V4wDH0meUINV2EolApLSvbSa_-E-7oeneu5QvnkGfgK3dXgt8WL-Jz1Q3gyHcb1mYW3QmJ0LXFvExO_veEgsyXSdHTD60tQanMIcvg/s1600/Space+Princess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="353" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGyv-IgCONyzXhUU6tARZVMbreKDmxH29V4wDH0meUINV2EolApLSvbSa_-E-7oeneu5QvnkGfgK3dXgt8WL-Jz1Q3gyHcb1mYW3QmJ0LXFvExO_veEgsyXSdHTD60tQanMIcvg/s200/Space+Princess.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
With his next release, Jon Mollison returns to the stars with the aptly named <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Space-Princess-Jon-Mollison-ebook/dp/B0764ZV3K4/">Space Princess</a></i>. In this case, however, the princess is an infant, rescued by a fairly standard American Catholic family and caught up in the political intrigue and space combat that naturally follows. Jon does a neat trick here by making a setting that shares some broad similarities with that of <i>Sudden Rescue</i> - both are interstellar monarchies - but is quite individual at the same time. In fact it reminds me a bit of a lighter and softer <i>Warhammer 40,000</i>, what with all the cathedral- and chapel-shaped ships being used by the Space Catholics (the red crescent fighters and minaret-bedecked capital ships of the Holy Terra-threatening enemy weren't terribly subtle, either). But the best part is the way in which the ordinary family rises to their very un-ordinary circumstances.<br />
<br />
In a way, (and given a flexible definition of "ordinary") that's something that all three of these works have in common. In addition, of course, to being fun, adventure-filled works that rest on sound Christian principles without being preachy. The heroes are all heroic, in every sense of the world, and their sense of optimism makes a fine alternative to the too often nihilistic spirit present in many SF works today.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-21668760106289821452018-01-13T16:24:00.001-05:002018-01-13T16:24:27.114-05:00Deuterocanonical Dresden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36Av0fmsdrQP5YTOp8CFCcF1D_tUFlmnQJhMwIaO7mRy9mOg-4RGV8EtO3pgz3brDzS96Pb6QE3q6UvW0TEgRXmtC8RFWxqGZOJIZyN5ubdsZh-LOEQPVqHxgb5Vsk2WQ4pkSdg/s1600/91VXt02331L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36Av0fmsdrQP5YTOp8CFCcF1D_tUFlmnQJhMwIaO7mRy9mOg-4RGV8EtO3pgz3brDzS96Pb6QE3q6UvW0TEgRXmtC8RFWxqGZOJIZyN5ubdsZh-LOEQPVqHxgb5Vsk2WQ4pkSdg/s320/91VXt02331L.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
One of my blogging goals for 2018 is to revisit and hopefully cap off some of the series of posts that have been left hanging in previous years. Of these, the most egregious is my <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-dresden-files-latest-first.html" target="_blank">planned re-read of the <i>Dresden Files</i> series by Jim Butcher</a>, which spluttered out before I even got to the first novel. There are now fifteen novels in the series, along with the various short prose and comic-book stories, and while the release date for the sixteenth has not yet been announced, this summer will see the release of the second short story collection, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Brief-Cases-Dresden-Files-Butcher/dp/0451492102/" target="_blank">Brief Cases</a></i>. Whatever the real-life circumstances that have delayed Harry's adventures, at least we know Jim hasn't lost his touch in coming up with snappy titles.<br />
<br />
But all of that is in the future - today, I'd like to highlight a neat resource for Dresden fans that has recently come online. This website is called <i><a href="http://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/home/" target="_blank">Word of Jim</a></i>, and is a compilation of forum postings, live interview responses, comments left on Amazon reviews, and other such ephemera made by Jim Butcher himself that drop hints at future books and explain or undercut various explanations for ongoing mysteries, or just wacky fan ideas. It's great fun to browse through, although I have yet to locate the place where he says that Ronald Reuel, the titular Summer Knight of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/91478.Summer_Knight" target="_blank">Summer Knight</a></i>, is not the same guy as J. R. R. Tolkien. However, <a href="http://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/old-woj-pulled-from-laura-k-hamilton-yahoo-email-list/" target="_blank">another tidbit</a> seems to support my theory that he is:<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: #f2f2ef; box-sizing: inherit; color: #777777; font-family: Bitter, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0.34px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">
I’m sure it’s just one of those freaky coincidences. Tweed-clad old smiling ‘creator of worlds of imagination’ Ronald Reuel, Summer Knight of the Seelie Court does not look a thing like Tolkein.<br />
<br />
Or, uh. Well he does, yeah.<br />
<br />
On advice of legal council, I claim the right of the fifth amendment not to testify against myself…</div>
On the other hand his statements that Justin DuMorne, Harry's guardian, was absolutely, no-questions, "D-E-D dead" (which I take as evidence that Harry's mentor is still alive*) are <a href="http://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/word-of-jim-woj-compilation/woj-on-other-bad-guys-beyond-the-outer-gates-demonreach/">available</a>, although I had a bit of trouble finding them since I was initially using "DuMorne" as my search term. Truth be told, some of the pages could use a bit of subdivision.<br />
<br />
As we mostly-patiently wait for <i>Brief Cases,</i> as well as the next two novels,<i> Peace Talks</i> and <i>Mirror, Mirror</i> (which will be about <a href="http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Mirror,_Mirror_(episode)" target="_blank">exactly what you're thinking</a>), I anticipate that <i>Word of Jim</i> will become a well-used resource by the Dresden fan community, and I thank the compiler "Serack the WoJ Guru" for his efforts.<br /><br /><br />*OK, here goes. Some years before gaining guardianship of the young Harry Dresden, Justin DuMorne was, by all accounts, an exemplary Warden (<i>The Dresden Files'</i> version of a wizardly police officer), who was involved in the takedown of a dangerous necromancer named Kemmler. Immediately after Kemmler's seemingly final demise, however, he absconded with a dangerous artifact (the yet-unnamed Bob the Skull) and, later, trained Harry as a wizard without any of the usual ethical instruction. Later Harry encounters a bunch of Kemmler's old hangers-on, including one with the charming nickname "Corpsetaker", who specializes in tactical body-swapping.<br />
<br />
My theory, then, is that during that last battle Justin DuMorne was the victim of a similar body-swap initiated by Kemmler, and thus was killed in the necromancer's body while his own identity was stolen by Kemmler. Thus, DuMorne is, as Jim points out, as dead as Kemmler, in that they both half are and half aren't. Of course, if Jim never brings Kemmler back to face Harry again they might just as well be all dead, but at this point in Harry's career a legendary necromancer with the face of his hated guardian is just the sort of enemy he might encounter. And I have my suspicions about the mysterious figure called Cowl . . .<br />
<br />
<br />T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-58514104700399686422018-01-05T08:30:00.000-05:002018-01-05T08:30:53.007-05:00Kickstart Your New Year With Card Games and Adventure Fiction!Happy 2018 to all my readers! As I do from <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2016/05/signal-boosts-and-tab-clearing.html" target="_blank">time to time</a>, I'd like to start this year of blogging off by highlighting a couple of crowd-funded projects I'm following.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcJb_ztpx7z5XrwS2x4MSyVrPgiBHbYFGAAnDft3CBFDQXeSNcSYZbNE6ZBD_203NHZJoNLvbeiOD56cIG0HhMI-QJOzhFNEfU_EXagn9Mar0srBn8OILd-WEdxO4NEyrYipqZw/s1600/college+experience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcJb_ztpx7z5XrwS2x4MSyVrPgiBHbYFGAAnDft3CBFDQXeSNcSYZbNE6ZBD_203NHZJoNLvbeiOD56cIG0HhMI-QJOzhFNEfU_EXagn9Mar0srBn8OILd-WEdxO4NEyrYipqZw/s320/college+experience.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The first is a card game called <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1374079572/the-college-experience-card-game/description" target="_blank">"The College Experience"</a>, put together by some folks in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Now, I have to admit a little bias, here - the artwork for this game is done by a very dear friend of mine, through whom I was able to get access to a play-testing copy. While not particularly complex, as a pickup game for a spare half-hour or so it does it's job well, especially in the endgame when the players are getting a little more desperate to fill one of the two victory conditions (either holding the "Diploma" card when the draw pile runs out or, in one of the games more elaborate jokes, getting all three of the other highest value cards at any one time. These three cards, of course, represent Good Grades, Enough Sleep, and your Social Life). With just a single day left in the campaign, the game has raised nearly 30% more than its original goal, which is a victory condition in itself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-6fnsr70yiKWUauzAONvePn9bYPSzHBx1P110vCxYYEcsUkiwJAMQ_6w5U3zwDOREjea3BBncPBms4dL9TbCFTbeHrHcg7xqqrkaLIdImIDDoLkDOgDv37brIeo5D7I0APJogA/s1600/issue-7-cover-1-front-cover-lower-res.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="549" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-6fnsr70yiKWUauzAONvePn9bYPSzHBx1P110vCxYYEcsUkiwJAMQ_6w5U3zwDOREjea3BBncPBms4dL9TbCFTbeHrHcg7xqqrkaLIdImIDDoLkDOgDv37brIeo5D7I0APJogA/s200/issue-7-cover-1-front-cover-lower-res.png" width="156" /></a></div>
Also crowd-funding this month - although it's really more of a subscription drive, the goal-meeting aspect is something of a formality, given the circumstances - are the next two issues of the excellent pulp fantasy and science fiction <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1161542777/cirsova-2018-spring-summer-subscription/description" target="_blank">adventure magazine <i>Cirsova</i></a>. The magazine has apparently been doing quite well for itself, since the two-issue digital subscription is a whopping $1. With the back issues going on Amazon for about $3 each (for Kindle Readers, of course, the physical copies are more costly no matter which way you buy them), the magazine is practically being given away - and, if you still need convincing, most of the first three issues are literal giveaways at the <a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/cirsova-magazine/" target="_blank">magazine's website</a>. But don't delay too long, the subscription is only open until the end of the month!<br />
<br />
No matter if you're a reader, a gamer, or both, there's nothing quite like helping someone else fulfill a creative dream. Although the technology is only a few years old, it's amazing the kind of things that can be produced by crowd-funding. Both of the projects I've mentioned here have met and exceeded their initial goals, and I hope the successes of these projects inspire their creators for a long time to come.<br />T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-63837249253527274972017-12-24T23:45:00.000-05:002017-12-24T23:45:17.103-05:00Christmas Cheer!Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my readers - may they be filled with the love of Christ and the joy of family (and of mashup art)!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4REJu2i_P2kFU6DxY9BHULG3d96vZCaSCkb0E2lqQYABfv62mLAeDUDgcrFaZSFvDmmktnk_VReRESvMiWUwXbqU0wTagVMBA69HaaSGO9hC0jZyVqnVb8seKEgTu04096dJf8Q/s1600/Funny-three-wise-men-cartoon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4REJu2i_P2kFU6DxY9BHULG3d96vZCaSCkb0E2lqQYABfv62mLAeDUDgcrFaZSFvDmmktnk_VReRESvMiWUwXbqU0wTagVMBA69HaaSGO9hC0jZyVqnVb8seKEgTu04096dJf8Q/s400/Funny-three-wise-men-cartoon.png" width="305" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqg5we5DzTSRGWxLz2z0khaVh0HIcsZ7OKgMOaWo6cKyuRqpEGEsUvR7TJQPITt4NTbp2a3hkpVmMhWyURNQTjyBw6T8UuESm-9wuo5tQhmShsl4miLmqUzcFiPiLE3dNDs0BWQg/s1600/Indy%2527s+Last+Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqg5we5DzTSRGWxLz2z0khaVh0HIcsZ7OKgMOaWo6cKyuRqpEGEsUvR7TJQPITt4NTbp2a3hkpVmMhWyURNQTjyBw6T8UuESm-9wuo5tQhmShsl4miLmqUzcFiPiLE3dNDs0BWQg/s400/Indy%2527s+Last+Christmas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_SgRtQnnDp9woDvHdnx6-lkRmkJiOtYkTUM3MpAoMG4e54J2BlBBUOKsgpOaRXSJqd9vtv7PKEw-Q8yeraYgnp8xQzGdx52RnZmy2TP6ZCy5tJWWmfezhLfolj3m7QJYtHHfgg/s1600/PARAABdloweKLINGONklaus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_SgRtQnnDp9woDvHdnx6-lkRmkJiOtYkTUM3MpAoMG4e54J2BlBBUOKsgpOaRXSJqd9vtv7PKEw-Q8yeraYgnp8xQzGdx52RnZmy2TP6ZCy5tJWWmfezhLfolj3m7QJYtHHfgg/s400/PARAABdloweKLINGONklaus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0XZmupdbVlot-u9TkVJ81rkjzcmj01Pv62f_x2o6GJBi4stgd6ta2lO_VLHZG6VSxBYJgE7jHBa3vBhSVcXw4osDIrgJaXcdQeu2M8x1pwSChBuVDkPN_RKEIMxTU_ebrpJHZA/s1600/Shadow_Santa_1883592958616510840_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje0XZmupdbVlot-u9TkVJ81rkjzcmj01Pv62f_x2o6GJBi4stgd6ta2lO_VLHZG6VSxBYJgE7jHBa3vBhSVcXw4osDIrgJaXcdQeu2M8x1pwSChBuVDkPN_RKEIMxTU_ebrpJHZA/s400/Shadow_Santa_1883592958616510840_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYu0UUUv5x-KQTix4KWcgtpa9n2QDt31oUNl8Y-SDj_0Nt8kyFfJTydr5BRhT8m1Knxq_xBgKcmId5ka4E4v-82ijP_AH0ikuisra5ghSk8rRQQjAiZ7oqqxYo-NCVV8VyWuX7LA/s1600/xmas+of+the+apes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="560" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYu0UUUv5x-KQTix4KWcgtpa9n2QDt31oUNl8Y-SDj_0Nt8kyFfJTydr5BRhT8m1Knxq_xBgKcmId5ka4E4v-82ijP_AH0ikuisra5ghSk8rRQQjAiZ7oqqxYo-NCVV8VyWuX7LA/s400/xmas+of+the+apes.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h0X1peEgTqw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h0X1peEgTqw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-85749251535969669572017-12-09T23:17:00.000-05:002017-12-09T23:17:35.657-05:00Bright Sunshiny DaysOnce upon a time, there was a <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/BBC" target="_blank">BBC</a> car show called <i>Top Gear.</i> It was a fun little show that eventually became popular even outside England, due in large part to the three hosts - Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond - whose camaraderie, automotive knowledge, and general attitude of amateurish enthusiasm made what could have been a boring news show into an award-winning phenomenon.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, even the most popular TV programs have the detractors, and over the years <i>Top Gear</i> received many <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Top_Gear_controversies" target="_blank">complaints</a>, not an insignificant number of which involved Jeremy's humor not being appreciated by humorless scolds. Even more unfortunately, some of these scolds were executives at the BBC, and eventually an excuse was found (a fistfight with a producer, or something) to kick Jeremy off the show. James and Richard resigned in protest, the BBC hired a carefully diverse array of forgettable replacements (the only one who sticks in the memory being <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Matt_LeBlanc" target="_blank">Joey from </a><i><a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Matt_LeBlanc" target="_blank">Friends</a>)</i>, and it looked like the spirit of <i>Top Gear</i> would be gone forever.<br />
<br />
But then, Clarkson, May, and Hammond got together with one of the producers whom Jeremy <i>didn't </i>punch, got in contact with <a href="https://www.amazon.com/The-Grand-Tour-Teaser-Trailer/dp/B01J94B90W/" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, and we all got to go on the Internet and find <b>this</b>:<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="216" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/192572642" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="384"></iframe>
<a href="https://vimeo.com/192572642">The Grand Tour [opening sequence]</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user56013028">Daniel Siegling</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
I really like this whole opening sequence, not just because it marks the beginning of a terrific show (<i>The Grand Tour</i> is basically <i>Top Gear</i> with everything the BBC could legally block removed or altered), but as a piece of art in its own right. The choice of the <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Hothouse_Flowers" target="_blank">Hothouse Flowers</a>' cover of "<a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/I_Can_See_Clearly_Now" target="_blank">I Can See Clearly Now</a>" works really well as the mood swings from dour to triumphant, and is perfectly timed to little moments like Jeremy's face lighting up when James and Richard's muscle cars catch up with his. Best of all is the moment when the saxophone solo revs up, and the hosts are joined by a magnificent escort of cars from across automotive history. From modern supercars to pulp-era touring models, standard-issue daily drivers to outrageous art cars . . . now there's a diversity worth celebrating!T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-54475092464815163612017-11-05T17:22:00.000-05:002017-11-05T17:22:15.473-05:00The Answer Should be ObviousWhile I don't particularly consider myself a "Gamer" in the way the term is normally used these days, I have over the years enjoyed many video games, especially ones from the <i>Super Mario Brothers</i> series. It was therefore with great interest that I read this article last week on Tor.com, "<a href="https://www.tor.com/2017/10/24/super-mario-brothers-fantasy-or-science-fiction/" target="_blank">Super Mario Brothers: Fantasy or Science Fiction?</a>".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwfui_TtnXonYXB4zsgIdMSg1yKBRLn5zXGBpp6PUGtIhZ4dIrvMAyTmGad0c5-cFEyN6f8wA7kNvsznq5-B7U4VmDzjCFOaE5JNg38qJpqPdQWqqHeuQ9GIFQ1bjF0lWnZfKIA/s1600/800px-SuperMarioBrosArtwork2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="800" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwfui_TtnXonYXB4zsgIdMSg1yKBRLn5zXGBpp6PUGtIhZ4dIrvMAyTmGad0c5-cFEyN6f8wA7kNvsznq5-B7U4VmDzjCFOaE5JNg38qJpqPdQWqqHeuQ9GIFQ1bjF0lWnZfKIA/s200/800px-SuperMarioBrosArtwork2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Now, while Tor.com (much like its paper-book-publishing big brother) is often (usually) ground zero for much that is wrong-headed or actively malicious about today's speculative fiction culture, this particular article is fairly decent, with some interesting thoughts about the interconnectedness of the <i>Super Mario</i> franchise. However, I couldn't help but notice that, aside from a brief invocation of "science fantasy" towards the end, the article is pretty set on its binary SF-or-Fantasy question, when a different way of looking at the genre question comes up with a completely different, but much better-fitting answer.<br />
<br />
<i>Super Mario Brothers</i> is a <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlanetaryRomance" target="_blank">Planetary Romance</a>.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>I mean, think about it. Mario is a blue-collar everyman who gets whisked off to another world filled with strange landscapes and weird creatures (including reptile-men, fungus-men, and even the traditional <a href="https://www.mariowiki.com/Donkey_Kong" target="_blank">ape-men</a>), and falls in love with a princess, whom he's constantly <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CliffHanger" target="_blank">following</a> to Another Castle. He's basically <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/JohnCarterOfMars" target="_blank">John Carter</a> with a funny ethnic accent.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YpXPtAVdMIY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YpXPtAVdMIY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOexYosDV3MTxi_MERP7niUckaed0oVIjq1zjUrVBzwx8RE-LkLYHhFRRG1Ln41a36hYn3cAhLV6ULHxOb0COJxa8ZCoyF5zZnQtppiL9RNsnIlaIxFM0cpQt_VE6TmnM7mrR2g/s1600/Sudden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOexYosDV3MTxi_MERP7niUckaed0oVIjq1zjUrVBzwx8RE-LkLYHhFRRG1Ln41a36hYn3cAhLV6ULHxOb0COJxa8ZCoyF5zZnQtppiL9RNsnIlaIxFM0cpQt_VE6TmnM7mrR2g/s200/Sudden.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope, no influence here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This idea neatly ties in with some of the conversation going on in <a href="http://www.pulprev.com/2017/07/getting-started-stuff-you-can-show-your.html" target="_blank">various</a> <a href="https://bradfordcwalker.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-pulp-revolution-bring-diaspora-home.html" target="_blank">places</a> about a "Pulp Diaspora", the idea that after the Campbellian Revolution the pulpier sorts of writers, who were no longer in favor in the sci-fi prose markets, found outlets in other places, like action movies, or <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Techno-thriller" target="_blank">techno-thrillers</a>, - or video games. I don't know for certain that the classic pulp sci-fi novels were an inspiration for <i>Super Mario Brothers</i>, but with the recent upswing in interest in returning speculative fiction literature to its pre-Campbellian roots, might not <i>Super Mario Brothers</i> end up being an inspiration to the new generation of writers?T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-64919074598602854052017-08-18T08:00:00.000-04:002017-08-18T08:00:44.549-04:00World History According to Back to the FutureThe other day I was browsing YouTube and happened across this highly amusing (if slightly-mis-titled) video:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="252" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uWJkuJvW510" width="448"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
What it lacks in not having the whole six-hour movie saga, of course, it makes up for by including snippets from the Animated Series, the Telltale video game, and even screen-shots from the tie-in comics, both the current IDW series and the old Harvey Comics stories. The inclusion of the former, by the way (not to mention the 30th anniversary short from a couple years back), makes this technically more up-to-date, if far less comprehensive, than the excellent <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18607801-back-in-time" target="_blank">Back in Time</a></i> by Greg Mitchell.<br />
<br />
In a way, it illustrates both the positives and negatives of opening up such a well-crafted story into an Expanded Universe. Some consistency of tone and quality is lost, a well as opening up many more opportunities for continuity errors to creep in (already a particular peril for time-travel stories). At the same time, however, the scope is greatly increased - as we see in the video, <i>Back to the Future: The Animated Series</i> hit many of the most popular eras of historical fiction, with pirates and dinosaurs and knights and Romans, among others. The ongoing IDW comics do the same thing for the characters, giving us such gems as Griff Tannen's 2035 employment as a police officer (!) and Doc's mid-1960s attempt to get government funding for his experiments (which somehow resulted in Marty coming back from the future only speaking Russian).<br />
<br />
If nothing else, an active EU shows that a story like <i>Back to the Future</i> still resonates with the listeners, even after over 30 years. Fan projects, like this video, are another encouraging sign, and I'm glad to be able to share it.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-8258752174251297412017-07-07T08:21:00.000-04:002017-07-07T08:21:10.244-04:00The Age of the Orc<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5d5jOvJHZwWnFMFpElS-mc1xpU94TjQCngYx27XLGSP8KsR2kshfcmvVVN1W0BRI9Vcit8cbA1HcI0HlebQMUBBhLvyxEGIVVgmrAwOvfQ-bqb2hIQD3VEEuu3Am_AdWyZ4f6Gg/s1600/AoR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5d5jOvJHZwWnFMFpElS-mc1xpU94TjQCngYx27XLGSP8KsR2kshfcmvVVN1W0BRI9Vcit8cbA1HcI0HlebQMUBBhLvyxEGIVVgmrAwOvfQ-bqb2hIQD3VEEuu3Am_AdWyZ4f6Gg/s320/AoR.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
. . . is often coming, but never quite seems to get here. <a href="https://scottoden.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Scott Oden</a>'s new historical fantasy novel <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31450847-a-gathering-of-ravens" target="_blank">A Gathering of Ravens</a></i>, however, brings it as close as it's ever been.<br />
<br />
While this is not the first time that Oden has tackled writing from the orcish point of view - the short story "Amarante" in <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34518319-skelos-ii" target="_blank">Skelos II</a></i> is another example - it's certainly the most ambitious. The story follows Grimnir, who is definitely an orc even if the word is never used (the neologism <i>kaunr</i> is used for Grimnir to describe himself, while other cultures use <i><a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Skr%C3%A6ling" target="_blank">skraelingr</a></i>, <i>orcneas</i>, or <i><a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Fomorians" target="_blank">fomoraig</a></i>) - murderous, crude, and bloodthirsty. After kidnapping an incredulous Christian traveler as a guide, he sets off from his lair in 10th-Century Denmark in search of the Dane that killed his brother, <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Beowulf" target="_blank">Grendel</a>.<br />
<br />
Well, almost. The brother's name is actually Hrungnir and his killer's Bjarki (a name that, like Beowulf, means bear), but the parallels are undeniable - Hrungnir's arm being displayed along with his head is just one of the more obvious. I was delighted to note there were even shout-outs to more modern versions of the story - at one a Dane begins reciting the famous poem from the film <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120657/" target="_blank">The Thirteenth Warrior</a></i> ("Lo, there do I see my father . . . "), and certain spoilery facts of Bjarki Half-Dane's backstory are somewhat reminiscent of the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0442933/" target="_blank">2007 <i>Beowulf</i> film</a>.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrXuRuVFXr7MRJdqhMts7VF66mh8jU9mQPyAD1M_MDBaez0QSWdc-x6TZK6kliKp79kkvq-FZpPiVhYEOxFTKxJWKPsC_IYcT38NpWqmjHMi3JIKZRs2j1Sxd04ge8bFXFG0ZJw/s1600/snow-white-the-huntsman-shield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="321" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrXuRuVFXr7MRJdqhMts7VF66mh8jU9mQPyAD1M_MDBaez0QSWdc-x6TZK6kliKp79kkvq-FZpPiVhYEOxFTKxJWKPsC_IYcT38NpWqmjHMi3JIKZRs2j1Sxd04ge8bFXFG0ZJw/s320/snow-white-the-huntsman-shield.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another appearance of the White Tree.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But <i>Beowulf</i> isn't the only piece of meat in this literary stew. There's some Tolkien, of course - a tale about an orc could hardly avoid him - but it's surprisingly superficial. There's a scene with some dwarves (taller than Grimnir!), one of whom is named <a href="http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Nori" target="_blank">Nori</a>; and there's a section with a willow-spirit who, in addition to acting like close kin of <a href="http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Old_Man_Willow" target="_blank">Old Man Willow</a>, uses heraldry described similar to Gondor's.<br />
<br />
In terms of overall style and theme, though, <i>A Gathering of Ravens</i> owes much more to Robert E. Howard than to J. R. R. Tolkien - not just little things like the dog named <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian" target="_blank">Conan</a> and the Viking that swears by Crom, but the way the cosmic conflict between paganism and Christianity (not for <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/The_Twilight_of_the_Grey_Gods" target="_blank">nothing</a>, I think, is the <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Battle_of_Clontarf" target="_blank">Battle of Clontarf</a> the climax of the book) forms the background of a personal revenge story, in which the actors shake out in some surprising directions. Not to mention the action and combat scenes, which richly evokes the hard-scrabble life-or-death struggles such events would have been.<br />
<br />
Overall, as someone with both an interest in fantasy fiction and medieval history this book was a joy to read - it's obvious the author is well-read on both the historical and mythical background of Viking-age Europe. I have heard that Scott Oden intends to pen more adventures of Grimnir the Last Orc, and can only say the sooner the better.<br />
<br />
Favorite line: "This was no game of thrones where generals sacrificed and maneuvered on the backs of their soldiers; this was the most primal sort of conflict - Odin's weather, the red chaos of slaughter - where men stood breast-to-breast and shield-to-shield, and dealt the same blows they took in kind."<br />
<br />
I see <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire" target="_blank">what you did there</a>!T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-1711508638983424612017-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:002017-06-15T08:00:24.833-04:00This is Gonna Be a Good One, I Can Tell . . . Somehow I missed the initial announcement since he's already up to <a href="http://www.scifiwright.com/2017/06/lost-on-the-last-continent-episode-02-the-unearthly-earth/" target="_blank">Chapter 2</a>, but after what I can only assume was a rousing success with his pulpy gonzo space-opera web serial, science fiction grandmaster John C. Wright has announced his latest effort, <i>Lost on the Last Continent:</i><br />
<div style="color: #2c4353; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 5px 5px 10px;">
<a href="http://www.scifiwright.com/2017/06/18493/" target="_blank">Colonel Preston Lost, a big game hunter, is catapulted into the far, remote future of AD Two Hundred Fifty Million. The single remaining landmass above the waves is the supercontinent of Pangaea Ultima.</a></div>
<div style="color: #2c4353; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 5px 5px 10px;">
<a href="http://www.scifiwright.com/2017/06/18493/" target="_blank">Mankind is nigh extinct, barbarism is rampant, and science is magic.</a></div>
<div style="color: #2c4353; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 5px 5px 10px;">
<a href="http://www.scifiwright.com/2017/06/18493/" target="_blank">Dwarfish posthumans called Grays maintain an oasis of cruel and tyrannical civilization, its decadence upheld on the backs of slaves.</a></div>
<div style="color: #2c4353; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 5px 5px 10px;">
<a href="http://www.scifiwright.com/2017/06/18493/" target="_blank">Among these slaves are true humans abducted from all the lost cities of man, thought drowned, abandoned, or buried: the populations of Ys, Togenkyo, Catalhoyuk, Aztlan, Atlantis.</a></div>
<div style="color: #2c4353; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 5px 5px 10px;">
<a href="http://www.scifiwright.com/2017/06/18493/" target="_blank">Preston Lost must fight his way from slave pits to sky pirates, past dinosaurs and dervishes, samurai and six-fingered giants to destroy the Time Tesseract and preserve every eon from the evil at the end of time!</a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK-X6ZK3f7b2YGAYWXk_jX30H7AOs7dwQ-YejjqF6NE9IoxTfZKigITvceer7iwCtFMzhvvgNcU-tiCPUiWJmdzTcvKhxAFG4hsmPcxmbahyOuZXU0wB4WM3xRLqjAeh9NntGCA/s1600/the-shadow-knows.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK-X6ZK3f7b2YGAYWXk_jX30H7AOs7dwQ-YejjqF6NE9IoxTfZKigITvceer7iwCtFMzhvvgNcU-tiCPUiWJmdzTcvKhxAFG4hsmPcxmbahyOuZXU0wB4WM3xRLqjAeh9NntGCA/s200/the-shadow-knows.gif" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably not the author.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And he wastes no time in getting to the stuff adventure literature is made of: UFO/space-plane chases, dogfights with dinosaurs, gunfights* with dinosaurs, treacherous landscapes, pithy inner dialogue - "He had two hands, after all. But only one Holland & Holland", - the works. And given that this is John C. Wright, I have no doubt that beneath all the spectacle will be a spiritual foundation both solid and thought-provoking.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.scifiwright.com/pangaea/#01">Read <i>Lost on the Last Continent</i> here.</a><div>
<br /><a href="https://www.patreon.com/JohnCWright" target="_blank">Subscribe to John C. Wright's Patreon account here.</a><br /><br />
*Because Colonel Preston Lost is exactly the sort of person to take a big-game rifle and an antique sidearm to test an experimental rocket-plane.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
</div>
T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-83638758814457582892017-05-28T08:30:00.000-04:002017-05-28T08:30:23.759-04:00Is S.M.Stirling's Emberverse Inspired By John Norman's Gor Series?A few months back I talked about a <a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2017/01/gabbing-geeks-on-appendix-n.html" target="_blank">podcast called <i>Geek Gab</i></a>, mentioning that I wasn't a regular listener, but was interested because they were interviewing Jeffro Johnson about his "Appendix N" book. Since then, however, I've been tuning in more often than not, even as they've grown from a single weekly show to a veritable online network.<br />
<br />
In one recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIJLdpfU2Pg" target="_blank">episode</a> of the spinoff show <i>Geek Gab Game Night,</i> the guest, game designer <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/James_Desborough_(game_designer)" target="_blank">Jim Desborough</a>, was talking about his adaption to tabletop gaming of the <i><a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Gor" target="_blank">Gor</a></i> novels by John Norman. Now, I'm only familiar with this series through it's rather dubious reputation, but the podcast covered most of the non-dubious basics - Gor is a planet in Earth's orbit (only on the opposite side of the sun so it can't be detected from Earth), which has been seeded by inscrutable aliens with small populations of various Earth cultures spirited away and kept from progressing to far down certain areas of technological development, notably firearms.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrblfRaH33AAb4kNpDjGtXhrxHdMnTgKMp6miOW9fxYb7ApTyV2PuDm2PUKGFKrvze3qwvVa9iWJOI0U-yFVR9_ec6bAs4rYrAojtB-xbHIg_aQfICZWktze4MIfkpbIhSJV_08A/s1600/DtF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrblfRaH33AAb4kNpDjGtXhrxHdMnTgKMp6miOW9fxYb7ApTyV2PuDm2PUKGFKrvze3qwvVa9iWJOI0U-yFVR9_ec6bAs4rYrAojtB-xbHIg_aQfICZWktze4MIfkpbIhSJV_08A/s320/DtF.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
In the course of the discussion, a brief mention was made of S. M. Stirling's <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Nantucket_series" target="_blank">time-traveling Nantucket trilogy</a> that began with <i>Island in the Sea of Time</i>, which got me thinking about the <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/The_Emberverse_series" target="_blank">spin-off series</a> that Stirling started with <i>Dies the Fire.</i> That book begins with a catastrophe similar to a worldwide EMP pulse that also depowers gunpowder, somehow. As the books go on, there's a recurring theme - calling it a subplot would be giving it too much credit - of people studying what they call the Change and concluding that, scientifically, it makes absolutely no sense. Eventually it is revealed that, like on Gor, humanity is being artificially kept in its <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MedievalStasis" target="_blank">Medieval Stasis</a> by inscrutable aliens*, albeit ones considerably less flashy than the ones on Gor.<br />
<br />
Even more intriguingly, the setting has gone through a number of time-skips and is now a couple of generations from the Change. One of the more interesting aspects, as the character's horizons expand, is that they keep meeting different groups of people who've survived psychologically by taking a shared element - say, the <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police" target="_blank">RCMP</a> or the Boy Scouts - and making it the foundation of a new culture. This tends to give the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHPqowIzCOjIOD1SGq1UvkcrjM1DoYOLIruwkZnSW_NP4YpLjCFQ0uNwQqhLo9ob5JNjo3i9e6Qa0wqhGx1b5R2uokArH9f0M76qwNLOAZP47wKfe5MtwehRec-ivxwECCjLe/s1600/Emberverse+map.jpg" target="_blank">map</a>, at least in North America, a sort of anachronistic crazy-quilt feel, much like the descriptions of Gor with its chronologically diverse groups of alien-abducted Earth people.<br />
<br />
So was Stirling intentionally riffing on these elements of the Gor setting? I don't know of any concrete evidence one way or another, but I do suspect it to be an unconscious influence. Of course, it could also be a coincidence** that the main villain of the first few books is named Norman, and has a bit of the, shall we say, Gorean philosopher about him . . .<br />
<br />
*Actually an inscrutable far-future human gestalt super-mind, or something.<br />
<br />
**More certainly a coincidence, and certainly more of a stretch, is the appearance of an ersatz Tarzan in one of the stories in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398873-the-change" target="_blank">universe-opening short story collection</a> Stirling edited a few years back. Tarzan, of course, was an invention of Edgar Rice Burroughs along with John Carter, whose Barsoomian adventures the first few Gor books are said to be a <a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/New_Wave_science_fiction" target="_blank">New Wave-ish</a> pastiche of.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-24434048668257299592017-04-06T08:36:00.000-04:002017-04-06T09:46:12.640-04:00Magazine Rack Revolutionary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IWltcdU6cXbsS8CBDPcqkneIxSPyf1LV09RoPBfzTqMK2fgXquLSQl4Q-2fdD-d3m9XYW50UhX-5UpAOrkFOg1iCOkiRB_kt-HlkcJ710q9OY0ZZJhrW3anGFaUvfvHWOhmsng/s1600/Cirsoca1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6IWltcdU6cXbsS8CBDPcqkneIxSPyf1LV09RoPBfzTqMK2fgXquLSQl4Q-2fdD-d3m9XYW50UhX-5UpAOrkFOg1iCOkiRB_kt-HlkcJ710q9OY0ZZJhrW3anGFaUvfvHWOhmsng/s200/Cirsoca1.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
Earlier this week the nominees for the <a href="http://www.worldcon.fi/wsfs/hugo-finalists/" target="_blank">2017 Hugo Awards</a> were announced, and while for the most part I can't really gin up much of a reaction I was quite gratified to see that <a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><i>Cirsova Heroic Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine</i></a> has won a nomination (which, these days, is almost more prestigious than actually winning) for Best Semiprozine. Now, I've been an eager reader of <i>Cirsova</i> since it premiered on Kickstarter in January 2016, but have inexplicably failed to talk about it here.<br />
<br />
Time to fix <i>that.</i><br />
<br />
Inspired by what he called "<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1161542777/cirsova-sword-and-planet-heroic-fantasy-pulp-zine" target="_blank">older, weirder, and pulpier</a>" fiction and seeking to provide an outlet for the same, editor P. Alexander really hit the ground running with <a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/cirsova-magazine/issue-1/" target="_blank">Issue #1</a>. Basically every story, from the <a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/cirsova-magazine/issue-1/this-day-at-tilbury-by-kat-otis/" target="_blank">alternate-history Spanish-Armada-with magic story by Kat Otis</a> to the <a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/cirsova-magazine/issue-1/at-the-feet-of-neptunes-queen-by-abraham-strongjohn/" target="_blank">pure undiluted sword-and-planet tale by Abraham Strongjohn</a> to the first part of <a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/cirsova-magazine/issue-1/my-name-is-john-carter-part-1-by-james-hutchings/" target="_blank">James Hutchings's poetic adaption of Edgar Rice Burrough's "Princess of Mars"</a> has something to recommend it. My personal favorite, I must say, is <a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/cirsova-magazine/issue-1/a-hill-of-stars-by-misha-burnett/" target="_blank">"A Hill of Stars" by Misha Burnett</a>, which has a great take on the Howardian pre-historic civilization idea, mainly by using the Old Ones from H. P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness" as the just-fallen empire which the dinosaur-riding human barbarians are in the process of looting. The main character is a former slave of the Old Ones who uses their knowledge to win life, love, and liberty in a terrific example of what the "Pulp Revolution" literary movement is about.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkPNeKm06ikXJes1RTUF1RW2A8za7jOAOXrDbk2QOjg2RsgdyBKqMXedkcLcOT1I7epdPQPtw96LcTsk9DuK2LAaeU8jgApi0inPbhzisl7TJwHxW5bNC5XWcvpLs1s8LNVwVlA/s1600/cirsova5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkPNeKm06ikXJes1RTUF1RW2A8za7jOAOXrDbk2QOjg2RsgdyBKqMXedkcLcOT1I7epdPQPtw96LcTsk9DuK2LAaeU8jgApi0inPbhzisl7TJwHxW5bNC5XWcvpLs1s8LNVwVlA/s200/cirsova5.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>
And I'm not the only one who thinks so - shortly after the issue was published, Misha Burnett <a href="https://mishaburnett.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/an-invitation-to-join-the-eldritch-earth-geophysical-society/" target="_blank">opened up the "Eldritch Earth" setting</a> for other writers to use, and the just-released <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cirsova-Fantasy-Science-Fiction-Magazine-ebook/dp/B06XHJMSS3/" target="_blank">Issue #5 of <i>Cirsova</i></a> is reported to have several of the resulting stories. Alas, while I have downloaded the issue I haven't yet found time to read it, but I'm definitely looking forward to it.<br />
<br />
Certainly the middle three issues have consistently met the expectations set by #1. While there's certainly an emphasis on science-fantasy stories of one sort or another, there's really something for everyone here. Just to give a quick idea, some of the other stories that impressed me the most included -<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"<a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/cirsova-magazine/issue-2/hoskins-war-by-brian-k-lowe/" target="_blank">Hoskins' War</a>" by Brian K. Lowe, from <a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/cirsova-magazine/issue-2/" target="_blank">Issue #2</a>, a Weird American Revolution story.</li>
<li>"The Lion's Share" by J. D. Brink, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cirsova-Fantasy-Science-Fiction-Magazine-ebook/dp/B01LX6PNI1/" target="_blank">Issue #3</a>, featuring a space pirate operating in the classic piratical mode.</li>
<li>"Blood and Bones: Caribbean 1645" by Jim Breyfogle, also from Issue #3, in which a young wizard pulls a fast one on both the colonial government and a pirate crew.</li>
<li>"The Lady of the Amorous City" by Edward Ermelac, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cirsova-Fantasy-Science-Fiction-Magazine-ebook/dp/B01N75BODD/" target="_blank">Issue #4</a>, in which a not-yet-King Arthur fights a really weird knight.</li>
</ul>
<div>
And that's just a few of the dozens of stories that I found the most memorable - I haven't even mentioned the essays by <a href="https://jeffro.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Jeffro Johnson</a> and others analyzing the older pulp stories, or the fact that Issue #3 was designated the "Pirate Issue", or hardly anything other than the surface of this fine magazine. And to top it all off, all the content from the first two issues is available free at the links above!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Even if, like me, you're a fan of science fiction or fantasy but don't consider yourself a short fiction reader, if anything would change your mind, <i><a href="https://cirsova.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Cirsova</a></i> would. I really don't know of anything else (except maybe <i><a href="https://wordsofwonderment.blogspot.com/2016/05/signal-boosts-and-tab-clearing.html" target="_blank">Skelos</a></i>) like it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkjvujD2Oy9mslkSsJGD3WyHKkPaSVyEpyP0-oJ5BBoOwdZnzwumYJV5hFVNwKxbK2-v5BCEGWX-5JgGjnyPihqIdjr-dgWXrShwlZWGYZIZNFXFZIoxrRiLEyo-zEbkoT6fpSA/s1600/issue-3-cover-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJkjvujD2Oy9mslkSsJGD3WyHKkPaSVyEpyP0-oJ5BBoOwdZnzwumYJV5hFVNwKxbK2-v5BCEGWX-5JgGjnyPihqIdjr-dgWXrShwlZWGYZIZNFXFZIoxrRiLEyo-zEbkoT6fpSA/s200/issue-3-cover-2.png" width="157" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFm19G5F-PloxgVtm9ScwvWRnTEifLgzmsk9c5qid186CmFiF4uH2mVP8BZllHH0hKWPEfgUZiSQq8MzbUFyVx8f7Rr3ePGvKw9HX9fGPl0523aFjWkehqZb531nWVG3QLkp0hg/s1600/cirsova4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFm19G5F-PloxgVtm9ScwvWRnTEifLgzmsk9c5qid186CmFiF4uH2mVP8BZllHH0hKWPEfgUZiSQq8MzbUFyVx8f7Rr3ePGvKw9HX9fGPl0523aFjWkehqZb531nWVG3QLkp0hg/s200/cirsova4.jpg" width="154" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfzH76LexryBKDg2TdmpKGF04_N33sq0IMMZvT9qO_w-tNd46dGJuPHLlDfoXyovt4T5SihGhIIMwuCFbaeD_ZsVbL_SERqtMqrblyBfNmtCHoG1NEgHgUE8vNSUijBEm_zkqIQ/s1600/cirsova+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfzH76LexryBKDg2TdmpKGF04_N33sq0IMMZvT9qO_w-tNd46dGJuPHLlDfoXyovt4T5SihGhIIMwuCFbaeD_ZsVbL_SERqtMqrblyBfNmtCHoG1NEgHgUE8vNSUijBEm_zkqIQ/s320/cirsova+2.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31085320.post-62870618635273396802017-02-26T16:56:00.000-05:002017-02-26T16:56:22.705-05:00SF&F History Month - From Amber to AvalonWell, we've had some schedule slippage, which I apologize for, but I have a semi - decent excuse in that some personal life changes meant I was without ready Internet access for some of the last month. On the plus side, I was able to finish both <i>Nine Princes in Amber</i> and its first sequel, <i>The Guns of Avalon</i>. Before I get to my thoughts on them, however, I wanted to highlight a bit of (less than hot-off-the-presses) relevant news - <a href="http://www.skybound.com/were-developing-chronicles-of-amber-for-tv/" target="_blank"><i>The Chronicles of Amber</i> appears to be in production as a television series</a>.<br />
<br />
As neat as it would be to see, the most interesting thing about the press release is the many comparisons to <i>Game of Thrones</i>, especially the ones that claim the Amber was an inspiration for Westros. Now, I have yet to read any of the books and have only seen a little of the show, but I can definitely understand where such comparisons come from, given all that happens in Amber in these relatively short books.<br />
<br />
(Spoilers Ahead:)<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
When we left Corwin, he had just recovered his memories and declared his intentions to move against Eric, the brother who currently controls the throne of Amber. Indeed, Eric is about to throw himself a coronation, which makes it a perfect time for Corwin to hastily assemble a huge army of primitives from some shadow-reality or other (he does feel a twinge of guilt about this), lose 90% of them to the perils of the journey (implied to be caused by a weird power of Eric's), battle through the very gates of Amber itself . . . and be captured.<br />
<br />
Yes, Zelazny completely subverts the expected triumph of our protagonist, letting Eric force him into participating in the coronation (Corwin crowns himself first, to no avail), <i>burn his eyes out</i>, and leave him to rot in the dungeons.<br />
<br />
Happily for Corwin, the exact opposite happens. It takes four years, but his <i>eyes grow back</i> and, with the assistance of another prisoner, he escapes. And that's the end of the first book.<br />
<br />
Now, that's a lot of ground to cover with the novel's page count, but Zelazny makes up for it with a relatively breezy style that neither dwells on the multidimensional military march (another reviewer I read recently but can no longer find compared that section to a series of military bulletins) nor revels in the eye-burning process - Eric commands it, Corwin curses at him, and then it's over and he's in the dungeon smoking smuggled cigarettes. It's a delicate balance, but Zelazny skillfully gives just enough detail for the reader to imagine the rest. His escape is a bit of a <i>deus ex machina</i>, but only a bit of one as most of the elements were set up beforehand.<br />
<br />
With the basic premise settled, the second novel <i>The Guns of Avalon</i> start really setting up what I suspect are going to be major themes going forward. Corwin's immediate goal is to develop firearms that work in Amber (the physics are just different enough that regular gunpowder doesn't, another now-common conceit that I think Zelzany may have originated), for which he needs to visit a shadow-realm known as Avalon. Despite the name and a cameo appearance by Sir Lancelot, however, this is no Arthurian fantasy - in fact, Corwin himself was the ruler long before his amnesia-driven exile, and from the hints given he was a fairly despotic one.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5V1DdTJkDL9UgPo7YnyA_1kJQkQR911P84f4CQMbOh8C8UpS86lpx_sDA7ISQgd72LyUrdHQp8JDm9oWzBExSLnsegFZjBINwjkn7EvokE4sW4ehDEUctAh6eCM9PdHbLhzxeg/s1600/ChroniclesOfAmber-BVallejo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5V1DdTJkDL9UgPo7YnyA_1kJQkQR911P84f4CQMbOh8C8UpS86lpx_sDA7ISQgd72LyUrdHQp8JDm9oWzBExSLnsegFZjBINwjkn7EvokE4sW4ehDEUctAh6eCM9PdHbLhzxeg/s320/ChroniclesOfAmber-BVallejo.jpg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boris Vallejo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course Corwin is not like that currently, a condition he calls "chickenhearted" and attributes to his time on Earth and in the dungeons of Amber. Repercussions for his past actions form a big part of the theme of this book, however, not only in that the current inhabitants of Avalon do not remember his reign particularly fondly (luckily they don't recognize him), but there's a mysterious ring of haunted forest that recently appeared out of nowhere. To his horror, Corwin determines that the origin of this ring is somehow <i>outside</i> the realm of Amber and it's shadows, an outpost of something called . . . <i>Chaos</i>. Even worse, it was let into what we were assured in the previous volume was the whole of reality by Corwin himself, from the curse he laid on his brother during the coronation.<br />
<br />
After a great deal of subterfuge, combat, and journeying (including the fight with the dire Siamese depicted on the cover art), Corwin finds himself back in Amber with an army of fire-arm bearing troops . . . right in the middle of his family's battle against a Chaos invasion. Quickly deciding that his overthrow of Eric's regime can wait until reality is no longer threatened, he throws in with his family and winds up with the kingship anyway, when Eric is conveniently killed. Of course, that means that he's the one now in charge of defending against the Chaos invasion, a story arc set up with a very skillful revelation of a Chaos spy in the family who promptly escapes.<br />
<br />
I'm skipping a lot here - Zelazny is very skillful at world-building by implication from a few remarks. For example, Sir Lancelot's appearance indicates that the shadow-realms of Amber include not only our world, but the various worlds of fiction and myth.<br />
<br />
To bring this series to a belated conclusion, the first two Books of Amber showcase how Roger Zelazny used, and may have pioneered, many of the tropes used in sci-fi and fantasy works today. He did so using a sparse prose style that nonetheless paints a vast setting, writes gripping scenes of action and intrigue, and undergirds the whole with a subtle message of repentance and redemption for past misdeeds. Not for nothing, I think, is he known as one of the genre's Grandmasters.T. Everetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17792175853139507757noreply@blogger.com0