Links of Steel, 1/28/2024
This week: Conan, Celtic fantasy, Karl Edward Wagner Day, Robert Holdstock, Ramsey Campbell, Greg Staples, Lovecraft, and more.
Read MoreArtistic Aurae in H. P. Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model” and the “Pickman’s Model” Segment of Night Gallery; a Short Review
Distrust of technological and scientific progress, of Modernism, of Realism, et cetera: that sort of pessimism inhabits H. P. Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model,” the storyline of which expresses the wickedness engineered in the nightmare that it envisions, a world haunted by atrocities and fanaticism.
Read MoreRusty Burke: Joking and Swearing
Sarcasm and swear-words have returned to Rusty Burke’s repertoire, indicating more cognitive progress after his near-fatal fall in December.
Read MoreMister Bad Thing and the Horror From the Mound
“The Horror From the Mound”, is a favorite weird western of mine written by Robert E. Howard. It’s possible that Cabeza de Vaca’s early accounts of exploring Texas inspired Howard to write his classic yarn.
Read MoreConan, Tannhauser & the State
As free-agents of the hard-boiled school, Conan and Mattias Tannhauser share a deep skepticism of the State. Kingship, the demands and prerogatives of the State, all that is meaningless in comparison to a man’s honor and loyalty to his dearest friends.
Read MoreLinks of Steel, 1/21/2024
This week: Edgar Allan Poe, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Tim Powers, C.L. Moore, Beowulf, Lord Dunsany, and more.
Read MoreThoughts on the Occasion of Merritt’s Birthday
For me personally, A. Merritt’s greatest achievement was in opening my eyes to a wider conception of fantasy.
Read MoreEdgar Allan Poe’s “The Premature Burial”
There are few terrors more gripping than the prospect of being buried alive. Edgar Allan Poe, the master of the horror tale, wrote a number of stories about that horrific yet fascinating topic.
Read MoreREVIEW: The City of Marble and Blood by Howard Andrew Jones
Baen is billing this as a S&S series. I have to disagree. It is something else entirely. Something different. Something more.
Read MoreScarce Our Mirages Now Are Seen
Whatever his flaws as a writer, Carter’s enthusiasm comes through clearly in Lost Worlds, and in reading it, some of it was imparted to me.
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