I picked up Viking Fire in my local library and enjoyed it so much I went out and bought a copy! Viking Fire tells the story of the legendary Harold Hardrada, or King Haraldr Sigurðarson, to give him his full title.
Read MoreWhile the creation of the nearly immortal Dr. Fu Manchu will forever associate Sax Rohmer with the Yellow Peril, it was the call of the supernatural that he answered most consistently throughout his 56-year career as an author.
Read MoreA fighter and leader of soldiers in the religious war that nearly destroyed Central Europe, von Bek has left all faith behind for reason and the pragmatism necessary to survive. Sometimes that means doing cruel and terrible things.
Read MoreAfter examining some of Robert E Howard’s approaches to opening a yarn, in part two it’s time for a snapshot overview to show how other famous pulp and Swords and Sorcery authors have also used these eight opening elements to great effect.
Read MoreSince Robert E. Howard was a master at story openings, it pays to take a look at some of the ways he begins his own yarns to catch a glimpse of what he may possibly have advised us had he spoken on the topic at greater length.
Read MoreThe merits of Robert E. Howard’s fiction have long been overshadowed by public perception of him as a one-dimensional writer of simple-minded adventure and fantasy stories. Despite the fact that Howard’s work was roundly praised by readers during his lifetime, postwar awareness of the man and his works consisted of faintly damning praise.
Read MoreHoward distilled the proud, heroic tradition of works like the Iliad and the Odyssey into pulse-pounding, blisteringly-paced novelettes, novellas, and shorts. Nowhere is this more obvious than in "Spears of Clontarf" and "The Grey God Passes."
Read MoreToday, I'm looking to crowdsource answers to some Merritt-related enigmas, one of which has plagued me for well over a decade.
Read MoreAs important to me as A. Merritt is, it constantly surprises me that there are still many today who have never heard of him. Actually - let me walk that back a bit. It used to surprise me.
Read MoreThis week: Vikings, Merrit, Kuttner, Moore, Zelazny and more.
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