Collecting Clark Ashton Smith
The New Year’s Guest Bloggerama continues, as Chris L Adams celebrates the 128th anniversary of Clark Ashton Smith’s birth by showing off his collection of CAS books.
Read MoreMaal Dweb as Protagonist: "The Flower-Women" by Clark Ashton Smith
“I, Maal Dweb, the ruler of six worlds and all their moons, shall go forth alone, unheralded, and without other equipment than that which any fledgling sorcerer might possess. In this way, perhaps I shall recover the lost charm of incertitude, the foregone enchantment of peril.”
Read MoreJack London: Blood and Redemption
Struggle defined Jack London’s life and fiction. To London, such struggle was not only natural, but a necessary component of personal fulfillment. And more – he believed that confronting challenges instilled in the individual a sense of purpose which could rescue him from modern aimlessness.
Read MoreSilverlock by John Myers Myers
John Myers Myers’ picaresque novel, Silverlock, has remained a cult classic for seven decades, beloved by the likes of Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, Andrzej Sapkowski and Ken Lizzi.
Read MoreThe DMRtian Chronicles, 1/10/2021
This week: Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Merritt, Moorcock, Weird Tales, Kurosawa, and more.
Read MoreMonks, Maps, Monsters and Fairy Tales
Weird monsters and the Dark Ages are a perfect fit. Grendel and his mother could have stepped out of the pages of any story published in Weird Tales, and no-one would notice a shoggoth if you hid it between a giant and a troll.
Read MoreBoris Vallejo at 80
If you grew up in the 1980s it was impossible to avoid Boris Vallejo’s influence. Love him or hate him, he is inextricably intertwined with all things sword-and-sorcery, sword-and-planet, and fantasy art in general.
Read MoreVictor Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris: Proto-Sword-and-Sorcery?
What an immersive and surprising experience reading Victor Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris proved to be! Countless references to alchemy, hermeticism, magic, witchcraft and sorcery — no dragons perhaps, but layer upon layer of dungeons. But perhaps most striking of all are Hugo’s detailed and fascinating descriptions of the late medieval Parisian underworld.
Read MoreJames Branch Cabell, America's Forgotten Fantasist (Or, Don't Merely Dabble in Cabell)
Cabell -- at one point a household name -- has sadly fallen into obscurity. It is a shame that such a master -- once banned in Boston, a sign of quality if there ever was one -- should no longer be widely read.
Read MoreThe Weird Genius of Tanith Lee’s “The Sombrus Tower”
The stories you never forget are the ones that really move you. It takes more than traditional supernatural tropes like magic and monsters to create a truly weird experience—to weave a spell of words that fascinates and mystifies the reader. Such is the case with Tanith Lee’s “The Sombrus Tower.” Here is a knight’s tale that really brings the weird.
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