Where Grimdark fiction revels in gory details and emphasizes bloodshed and suffering, stories like Men of Iron draw the lens back, gray out the spouting red, and dim the unbearable screams of the wounded. But … they convey just enough detail to let us know what these times entailed, which were certainly not all romantic.
Read MoreWith the success of the previous volume, Parallel Universe returns with a follow up S&S anthology, this time expanding the table of contents to ten stories. Vol.2 features more beautiful art by the esteemed Jim Pitts.
Read MoreSir Walter Scott turned two hundred and fifty yesterday. Descended from bloody Border Reivers, he created the market for historical fiction novels. In the process, Walter inspired everyone from Leonid Tolstoy to George R.R. Martin. Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock as well.
Read MoreThis week: Clark Ashton Smith’s Hyperborea, Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Lovecraftian films and music, PulpFest, The Witcher, and more.
Read MoreClark Ashton Smith died sixty years ago today. He helped lay the foundations of sword-and-sorcery. A master of prose and poetry, Clark’s influence continues decades after his death.
Read MoreGene Day—artist, author, publisher and cool dude in general—would’ve turned seventy today. He barely made it past thirty. While his talents and achievements were far-ranging, I’ll concentrate on his work for The Savage Sword of Conan tonight.
Read MoreIf you ask sword-and-sorcery fans what their favorite anthology series is, the answer you’re most likely to get is Swords Against Darkness. The contents hold up well today, which is no surprise, considering talents like Poul Anderson, Tanith Lee, Manly Wade Wellman, and Ramsey Campbell contributed original fiction to Swords A.D. The question remains, why didn’t the series go on longer?
Read MorePulpFest is only a week and a half away! DMR author Schuyler Hernstrom will be stopping by our table on Saturday, August 21.
Read MoreThis week: Michael Moorcock, the current Lord Dunsany, historical swashbuckler films, Jack Vance, HPL, Dracula, and more.
Read MoreThe Sturgis Motorcycle Rally began today. Bikers have been compared to ‘barbarians’ again and again. Frank Frazetta’s lone ‘biker novel’ cover is a good one.
Read More