“A Rose for Ecclesiastes” was a triumphant re-telling of the great pulp story. Mars as the home of a mysterious alien civilisation, a secret history of triumph and collapse, played out in a past age while Earthmen fought battles with swords and spears.
Read MoreThe Land That Time Forgot uses science to build the world of Caspak, but the foundations are pure adventure. Edgar Rice Burroughs combines all sorts of wild concepts into a ripping yarn worthy of any adventure fan's library. A century later, it is still by no means ‘forgotten’.
Read MoreWhen Edgar Rice Burroughs incorporated himself and his creations in 1923, he blazed a trail for the thousands of other authors who have followed his example in the hundred years since.
Read MoreJohn Taliaferro has given us the living, breathing Edgar Rice Burroughs and shown us what a wonderful writer he was. He shows ERB as a courageous and admirable man, a patriot and a family man. Tarzan Forever is also a good book for anyone who wants to understand the pulps and how they produced the finest American stories.
Read MoreToday marks the thirtieth anniversary of when Fritz Leiber departed this mortal coil. At the venerable age of eighty-one, he left behind him a truly great legacy in the fields of fantasy, science fiction and horror, not to mention the realms of literary criticism and role-playing games. When he died, Leiber had already influenced the likes of Ramsey Campbell, Michael Moorcock, Harlan Ellison, Terry Pratchett, Glen Cook, Tim Powers, Neil Gaiman and Michael Chabon, demonstrating the sheer breadth of what he had wrought.
Read MoreMichael Wm. Kaluta is a living legend in the field of SFF art. Mentored by Roy G. Krenkel, he went on to be part of The Studio, a legendary collective of 1970s artists. His illustrations of the Shadow and the creations of ERB and REH remain legendary.
Read MoreJoe Kubert passed on ten years ago today. An absolute legend in the comic book industry, Kubert's career spanned an astounding seventy-five years. Joe was one of the few comics giants to be admitted to various comic book halls of fame as a writer, artist and inker. In Comic Book Valhalla, Joe Kubert sits at the high table.
Read More2022 marks several landmark anniversaries in the history of the Sword and Planet genre, so skipping Mars Day this year entirely was out of the question.
Read MoreIt occurred to me that I should clarify my views on 'pastiches', now that there appear to be new Conan pastiches on the horizon courtesy of Funcom.
Read MoreContrary to what “The Tolkien Professor” Corey Olsen says, the modern fantasy genre does NOT all come from Tolkien, and it would have arrived even without him. In fact, it already had. And pre-Tolkien fantasy matters.
Read More