Lin Carter: A Proud Legacy As an Editor
The merits of Lin Carter’s fiction can be argued, but it is difficult to deny that he had an outsized, positive impact on fantasy literature as an editor.
Read MoreLike a Thread Through Many Beads
Theosophy arose in the late 1800s and quickly spread throughout the Western world. Its doctrines and mythology fascinated everyone from political revolutionaries to pulp authors. Its influence is still felt today, after nearly one hundred and fifty years.
Read MoreScarce Our Mirages Now Are Seen
Whatever his flaws as a writer, Carter’s enthusiasm comes through clearly in Lost Worlds, and in reading it, some of it was imparted to me.
Read MoreA Fantastic Chapter for Conan and Sword-and-Sorcery
The late 1960s and early ‘70s were peak sword-and-sorcery. The Lancer Conan Saga was at its zenith of popularity, eventually selling by some estimates upwards of 10 million copies. And as the ‘60s gave way to the ‘70s a struggling magazine was about to get a signal boost from S&S’s mightiest hero.
Read MoreThe Sword and Sorcery Legacy of Donald A. Wollheim: Part Three
Donald A. Wollheim debuted—or ‘broke out’—Tanith Lee’s various S&S/heroic fantasy works, Moorcock’s Elric and Dorian Hawkmoon, Saunders’ Imaro and Dossouye and Shea’s Nifft the Lean. In other words, most of the major sword-and-sorcery protagonists of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Read MoreKlarkash-Ton's Sword-and-Sorcery: Another Look
It seemed to me that I should revisit my old essay for The Cimmerian blog, “The Sword-and-Sorcery Legacy of Clark Ashton Smith”. While recognition of Klarkash-Ton as the co-founder of Sword-and-Sorcery has increased since I wrote that essay in 2010—most notably in Brian Murphy’s excellent Flame and Crimson—it appears to me that Smith’s influence on the S&S genre is still very undervalued.
Read MoreThat Time When Roy Thomas Influenced Conan the Buccaneer...
Roy Thomas is the Guest of Honor at Howard Days this year. That makes his second round as GoH, with his first being during the REH Centennial in 2006…an honor that few others can claim. What you may not realize is that Roy probably had an influence on the original run of Lancer Conans before Conan the Barbarian #1 was ever published by Marvel.
Read MoreReview: Lin Carter's Flashing Swords #6
Many very familiar characters and locales are featured in these stories, from Barsoom to Lemuria, from Ki-gor to Elak.
Read MoreREVIEW: Appendix N: The Eldritch Roots of Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragons has become a household name. It is firmly embedded in our pop culture. Whether you have played the game or not, you are aware of it. Within its pages, co-creator Gary Gygax shared a list of stories that inspired him. This list is known as Appendix N.
Read MoreFrazetta's Thongor Art
Frank Frazetta would have turned ninety-three today. February 7th marked the thirty-third anniversary of Lin Carter’s death. Frank turned sixty two days after Lin died. The careers of the two men intertwined in the late ‘60s, when Frazetta painted two covers for Carter’s Thongor novels. That would be interesting enough, but the saga continued on into the ‘80s and ‘90s.
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