Jack Massa may not be a name many here are familiar with. My first encounter was with his novel Mooncrow, which was published in 1979. Since then he has published several novels including The Conjurer of Rhodes trilogy. This trilogy is a historical fantasy following the exploits of young Korax as he tries to recover his past and return home to Rhodes.
Read MoreSpace Viking, written by legendary Science Fiction author H. Beam Piper, is surely among the finest titles ever to grace a Science Fiction novel. In two words it seizes the imagination with a bold image. Every literate person knows what Vikings are: pirates, mercenaries, explorers, settlers, and conquerors. Append to the iconic image of the Viking the word “Space” and you have a new creation, rooted at once in the legendary past and the 20th century’s self-made mythology of Science Fiction.
Read MoreWith last year’s Renegade Swords a rousing success for DMR Books, it’s only natural to follow it up with a second volume.
Read MoreRobert Stewart Sherriffs worked as a cartoonist and caricaturist, specializing in portraits of theater and cinema stars. That would remain his primary vocation until his death in 1960. However, it was when his career intersected with the legacy of Christopher Marlowe that Sherriffs ventured into DMR Blog territory. His illustrations for The Life and Death of Tamburlaine the Great are extravagant, grotesque, surreal—much like the play they illustrate.
Read MoreThis week: Rowena Morrill, Richard Corben, Jack Vance, Edmond Hamilton, John Carter, Witchfinder General (the movie), Frankenstein (the book), and more.
Read MoreGordon D. Shirreffs was a successful pulpster who made the jump to paperbacks. Before he reached his seventieth birthday, he'd seen seventy-nine of his novels published. One of those novels was Calgaich the Swordsman, which enjoys a healthy reputation in sword-and-sorcery/historical fiction circles. The man led a full and interesting life.
Read MoreFrank 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.
Read MoreThis week: Elric, Clark Ashton Smith, Tales from the Magician’s Skull, Manilla Road, Karl Edward Wagner, and more.
Read MoreWhen it comes to sword-and-sorcery/sword-and-planet art, Tim Conrad is one of the Elder Titans that all fans of such should be familiar with. Conrad also has plenty to offer aficionados of the grotesque and the horrific.
Read MoreArtist Robert McGinnis, who should be designated a national treasure, turned ninety-five yesterday. He’s painted iconic characters ranging from James Bond to Barbarella to Captain America. He’s done covers for authors such as Rafael Sabatini, Neil Gaiman, John Jakes, Gardner F. Fox, Donald Westlake and Ian Fleming…and he’s still at it.
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