Links of Steel, 1/22/2023
This week: Robert E. Howard, A. Merritt, C.L. Moore, Michael Kaluta, George Barr, Clark Ashton Smith, and more.
Read MoreA. Merritt: Forgotten Father of Space Opera
A. Merritt’s influence on the first generation of Space Opera authors was as profound as it was on the First Dynasty of Sword-and-Sorcery authors—if not moreso.
Read MoreWar-Dogs, Picts and Bran Mak Morn
Did the Picts employ war-dogs? According to Robert E. Howard…maybe.
Read MoreJohn Boorman: Taking Chances, Making Magic
The acclaimed director, John Boorman, turned ninety today. I feel compelled to pay my respects and convey my gratitude for all the enjoyment he has given me over the decades. The creator of Excalibur deserves no less.
Read MoreIndependent Author Spotlight: Tais Teng
“I am completely original, even when I am not original.”
Read MoreA Feast of Ambrosia by Glenn Rahman Coming in February
A Feast of Ambrosia: The Adventures of Bingor and Donalbain will be available in February. Bingor, a sly scoundrel hailing from Sicilia, and Donalbain, a Scottish bard, are not your typical sword-and-sorcery heroes. Thieving is their main trade, but they have no scruples against burglary, bounty-hunting, treasure-seeking, swindling, and selling information.
Read MoreLinks of Steel, 1/15/2023
This week: Conan, Clark Ashton Smith, The Witcher, A. Merritt, Edgar Allan Poe, Excalibur, No Artpunk II, and more.
Read MoreOne Land, One King: The Mythopoeic Power of John Boorman’s Excalibur
In Excalibur’s sound and fury we are witness to heroism, sacrifice, towering human achievement, codes of chivalric honor, hopeless battles against the encroaching dark, lust, betrayal, collapse… and the hope that order and goodness may one day come again.
Read MoreWait, P. Craig Russell Illustrated Jack London?
Jack London, Robert E. Howard’s literary idol, wrote about a thousand pages worth of SF and fantasy fiction. Let’s take a look at a few collections of Jack’s SFF tales.
Read MoreSword and Sorcery, Power-Fantasy, and Barbarian-Fantasy
From my perspective, sword and sorcery is not power-fantasy; it is barbarian-fantasy: the longing to return to the primitive, the past, the preindustrial, the raw of terrestrial nature, the simple.
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