tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-282218392024-03-13T07:11:19.983-05:00RAZORED ZENA Writer's JournalCharles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comBlogger1627125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-64551867085021013602023-10-23T16:51:00.004-05:002023-10-23T16:51:57.760-05:00Old Moon Quarterly and Krieg<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Old Moon Quarterly, Volume 5, 2023. 137 pages. Edited and
arranged by Julian Barona. Cover by Derek Moore.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNOFR9OqL0sO5XtpZR9asgZ8CASQUpvsQ8m4unVKRpmb1rGwFfJcuB3_IHx41fN4Hg2kGmd5ys0y5FuEPmvKt2fCSqZRR5o75hf5cQEPlV3rknaxzNN5HhPMdsJtNJF40uwyPm0-RtBATQnlva-bXc9wwd7_WNVFsa3fLVeKA-To8Ll5aHVGnvQ/s949/CAGOLDMOONVOL5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="636" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNOFR9OqL0sO5XtpZR9asgZ8CASQUpvsQ8m4unVKRpmb1rGwFfJcuB3_IHx41fN4Hg2kGmd5ys0y5FuEPmvKt2fCSqZRR5o75hf5cQEPlV3rknaxzNN5HhPMdsJtNJF40uwyPm0-RtBATQnlva-bXc9wwd7_WNVFsa3fLVeKA-To8Ll5aHVGnvQ/s320/CAGOLDMOONVOL5.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is a collection of
heroic fantasy short stories. Most of these tales would fall into the general
Sword & Sorcery subgenre, but several of them stretch those boundaries to
the breaking point. The Table of Contents consists of:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Introduction, by the
editors of Old Moon. An interesting comparison between “Kull” type heroic
fantasy and “Conan” type.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Together Under the Wing
by Jonathan Olfert. One of the most unique heroic fantasy stories I’ve ever
read. The hero is not a human or even human like. I don’t want to say more
because I don’t want to give it away. But this was a powerfully memorable
story.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Champions Against the
Maggot King by K. H. Vaughn. A relatively traditional Sword & Sorcery tale
but with tremendous world building behind it. Told in first person and present
tense, but I didn’t find that either got in the way of the story. The ending
haunts.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The King's Two Bodies
by Joe Koch. A long poem. Very fine language.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Origin of Boghounds
by Amelia Gorman. A story of a woman and her boghound. Very nontraditional
tale. Beautifully written.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well Met at the Gates
of Hell by David K. Henrickson. Elements of this are traditional but it’s
certainly presented in a unique way. A warrior dies and must face three old
enemies at the gates of hell. As the battle progresses, we learn more and more
about the warrior. I believe this is my favorite, although if you ask me
tomorrow I might decide on another.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Warning Agaynste
Woldes by Zachary Bos. Another poem, and a most challenging one. Not written in
standard English. This one bears rereading before you’ll begin to understand
it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Skulls of Ghosts by
Charles Gramlich. This is my story and is probably the most traditional Sword
& Sorcery tale in the collection. It involves my series character, Krieg, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">but that’s all I’ll say.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Headsman's
Melancholy by Joseph Andre Thomas. This is an out and out horror story set
against a heroic fantasy backdrop. Ever since Robert E. Howard invented the
Sword & Sorcery genre, there’s always been a strong element of horror in
the best stories and this one doubles that quotient. I felt strongly for the
main character.</span></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-77839958174157034212023-10-06T20:20:00.002-05:002023-10-06T20:20:10.971-05:00<p>A Book of Blades, Copyright 2022 by Rouges in the House
Podcast: 226 pages.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVd4P8dcTMn7oDJ8k1_tnaI_ptDtpT1n7n8VPTLVWXgzrj0qrBJmjz6J_a8XdAhHAsHnw0E_dD6SzGmfllCFkr3m9aLMVNq5jE_JjnFpnHip7qF-zF2rt31zucmj7TrKgdYMb9Z3R029ozyWwdHiqxKH8yQ8m6Ubb6-FQbpbPnTqS_QUu21VCbA/s649/ROUGEHOUSEBOOKOFBLADES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="437" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizVd4P8dcTMn7oDJ8k1_tnaI_ptDtpT1n7n8VPTLVWXgzrj0qrBJmjz6J_a8XdAhHAsHnw0E_dD6SzGmfllCFkr3m9aLMVNq5jE_JjnFpnHip7qF-zF2rt31zucmj7TrKgdYMb9Z3R029ozyWwdHiqxKH8yQ8m6Ubb6-FQbpbPnTqS_QUu21VCbA/s320/ROUGEHOUSEBOOKOFBLADES.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br /><p>A Book of Blades is subtitled “A Sword & Sorcery
Anthology.” It contains 15 stories as well as a very brief introduction by
Matthew John, and an Artist’s Portfolio. This is one of the most entertaining
collections of S&S stories I’ve read in a long time. The quality is
consistently high in every instance and I definitely give it 5 stars. Below is
a listing of the stories with my brief comments about each.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“By the Sword,” by John C. Hocking: I only knew of Hocking
from his Conan pastiche, Conan and the Emerald Lotus, but I’ve never read it.
After reading this tale I’ll have to pick up more of Hocking’s work. A story
full of blood and thunder, and with a poignant ending that strongly engaged me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Ghost Song,” Chuck Clark: Turkael is a young hunter of his
tribe but it is he who must face a sorcerer shapeshifter. Something in this
tale reminded me of the character Imaro as created by the late Charles
Saunders, and that’s a fine compliment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Last of the Swamp Tribe,” by L.D. Whitney: There’s a bit of
“Beastmaster” in this. Man and wolf face their enemies together. Greywind is
the wolf and made an excellent character.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Wanna Bet?,” by T.A. Markitan: A mage hires two warriors to
help him rob a ruin, but there’s a hidden agenda. And secrets within secrets.
The denouement turns on an interesting character reveal. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The Serpent’s Heart,” by Howard Andrew Jones: A ship is
wrecked by a sea monster and its crew set adrift. They are rescued by another
ship, which is pursuing the monster. But of course there are secrets. The
scenes aboard the “rescuing” ship are beautifully rendered and very creepy.
Jones has recently had a couple of S&S books released and after this I’ll
certainly pick them up.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“How They Fall,” by Angeline B. Adams and Remco van Straten:
This is really a character study rather than a story, but it works because it’s
very well written and also quite short. It creates a melancholy mood that grows
stronger throughout.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The Breath of Death,” by Jason M. Waltz: Starting this
story was a little jarring stylistically compared to the previous tales, and
that’s because it was written in present tense. Present tense can bring
immediacy to a story, and it does so here. It can also be risky at longer
lengths, but Waltz judged the length just right. I was engaged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Embracing Ember,” by S.E. Lindberg: Lindberg is an
excellent prose stylist, and maybe my favorite one working in the fantasy field
today. This is a story from his Dyscrasia universe, a fully realized but quite
bizarre world. The world building is incredible but Lindberg doesn’t stint on
character development either. Fully realized, but most unusual. Very much of a
treat. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The Curse of Wine,” by J.M. Clarke: Kyembe wakes up from a
drunk to find that he’s been robbed. Bad idea. A short tale but very engaging. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The Gift of Gallah,” by Matthew John: I enjoy tales of
aging warriors. When they’re well done. And this one is well done. Another
poignant ending. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Crawl,” by Scott Oden: Oden is well known for the bloody
action of his stories, but in this one he stretches his wings a little more.
There is action, but the tale turns primarily on character and on historical
resonance. It’s a kind of retelling of European history against the backdrop of
Christianity’s spread. One really feels for the underdogs here. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The Spine of Virens Imber,” by Nathaniel Webb: Shar the
Spearmen is an indomitable warrior, which is not unusual in sword and sorcery.
But the character is very well done and the writing strong. A fine piece.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The City of the Screaming Pillars,” by Cora Buhlert: We
have an ensemble cast here, and they’re after treasure in an abandoned city of
the desert. A cursed city. Robert E. Howard strengthened his fantasy worlds by
bringing in horror elements, and Buhlert mines a similar ground here to very
good effect. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Two Silvers for a Song of Blood,” by Jason Ray Carney:
Carney is a fellow academic and I’ve worked with him before on The Dark Man
Journal. That’s nonfiction and I haven’t previously read his fiction. Not all
academics can write blood and thunder but Carney masters it and gives his
“Barbarian-like” character some intriguing extra layers. Best title goes to
this one as well. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“The Blood of Old Shard,” by John R. Fultz: I’ll definitely
want to read more by Fultz. This was a great story to end the anthology on
because it’s certainly one of the strongest tales among a grouping of strong
pieces. Gnori is a great hero and, again, we have a most poignant ending that
left me wanting more. A good way to end a book.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, to finish, I truly liked every story in this book, which
is not a common experience for me actually. Nothing weak here, and I recommend
them all. But, the three that hit me the hardest personally were the pieces by
Lindberg, Carney, and Fultz. <o:p></o:p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-1560060971305869512023-10-04T06:54:00.002-05:002023-10-04T07:02:23.068-05:00Sword & Planet Fiction<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Since Blogging doesn't seem as popular as it used to be, I've started posting a series of pieces on Sword & Planet fiction over on Facebook, in what is called The Swords & Planet League. S&P fiction is the kind of story that Edgar Rice Burroughs created when he wrote "A Princess of Mars" back in 1912. His stories of Earthman John Carter's adventures on Mars, called "Barsoom" by its inhabitants, have thrilled millions and influenced countless authors, including me. I wrote the five part Taleran saga because of that influence, and quite a few short stories as well. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrJVKK0sw2L_qisuX4dGMIgr9ROuMyxPJMOuQp97I8rrq4UXL6I85YVfflHLhB2dQkiRCJD5UTCcL0GBCbCnn4zFU-y_vNCTPNPcIgsoRm6Ka3RrJkF7WF13OApLycyKbZZ9IB3lBnNTidZ-a65MbwTG8lIDtYh02txczfSws5AL-QXNV93mPrQ/s1013/Princess_of_Mars_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfrJVKK0sw2L_qisuX4dGMIgr9ROuMyxPJMOuQp97I8rrq4UXL6I85YVfflHLhB2dQkiRCJD5UTCcL0GBCbCnn4zFU-y_vNCTPNPcIgsoRm6Ka3RrJkF7WF13OApLycyKbZZ9IB3lBnNTidZ-a65MbwTG8lIDtYh02txczfSws5AL-QXNV93mPrQ/s320/Princess_of_Mars_large.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">If you are on facebook, please check out my S&P page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CharlesGramlich/" target="_blank">The Swords & Planet League</a>. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-3027450139034991482023-08-26T17:04:00.003-05:002023-08-26T17:04:31.522-05:00Arthur Machen's White Powder<p>Despite the title, this is a short story, and actually on the shorter side of short. It was originally published in 1895 along with two other interwoven stories in a work called "The Three Imposters." I have not read the collection but this piece stands on its own as a short tale. The story is simple. An Englishman from the upper class is studying for the law and begins suffering from what might be called "nervous exhaustion." He is prescribed a white powder by his doctor and at first he seems full of renewed energy and vigor. However, the powder begins to take an awful toll and the man becomes more and more reclusive until...well, you'll need to read to find out. The story is told by his concerned brother, and in the course of the tale we find that the medicine prescribed by the doctor is not what the pharmacist supplied. As the basis of the drug, the pharmacist used a container of powder that had been on his shelves for many years and had been chemically altered by that long exposure into another substance called Vinum Sabbati--a witch's brew.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRI9W2E-uSDuRbN7vOratIO6QobLHRnSWLRr5skKr5xS6_2gM9WMMqRw9TuTUyemJHdYx-62o1rMh5S-81ant0sv7Hv2FWZdvPJ6BuFvZE8UmxV6YROVoo141shDIZl1DheVSa54uT-b45XO_x5Mowo7zS-f1GxzJ_jlLTSO8TXGEvtzSBzddp5g/s772/AMACHENWHITEPOWDER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="501" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRI9W2E-uSDuRbN7vOratIO6QobLHRnSWLRr5skKr5xS6_2gM9WMMqRw9TuTUyemJHdYx-62o1rMh5S-81ant0sv7Hv2FWZdvPJ6BuFvZE8UmxV6YROVoo141shDIZl1DheVSa54uT-b45XO_x5Mowo7zS-f1GxzJ_jlLTSO8TXGEvtzSBzddp5g/s320/AMACHENWHITEPOWDER.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><p>The story is pretty simple but effective. Since it's told by the brother, we don't "see" or experience the man's transformations except second hand. This was a common storytelling technique in those days and is still used today, although not as commonly. However, the writing is very fine and we get a good sense of mounting dread from the story. One can see how this tale was likely a strong influence on H. P. Lovecraft and his nameless horrors. </p><p>I suspect that Machen's influence here came at least partially from the writings of Sigmund Freud on Cocaine, which mostly appeared between the years 1884 and 1887. The drug was well known by the time Machen wrote this story, and quite a few doctors and researchers had extolled its virtues, although it's less desirable effects were also becoming known. </p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-33704238246704112202023-08-14T23:01:00.000-05:002023-08-14T23:01:23.890-05:00Coach Charles Tadlock<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-83QRmyJjV6tb8Ki9ijeclzrLCJzmMbif26mLfJirjuWh4HPi0DdXUUQNG9JpexT_-mooh0DJN8us1n2TsLO8wLhvCqkpUY1_XCAssAwun2pH_3px-8afNxwwryWKYLzxKUaD1foDjhMhzvneEnjv3vKnDnJMWDJBq18nR-y5TGyvsOaZBNRKRQ/s960/coachtadlock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-83QRmyJjV6tb8Ki9ijeclzrLCJzmMbif26mLfJirjuWh4HPi0DdXUUQNG9JpexT_-mooh0DJN8us1n2TsLO8wLhvCqkpUY1_XCAssAwun2pH_3px-8afNxwwryWKYLzxKUaD1foDjhMhzvneEnjv3vKnDnJMWDJBq18nR-y5TGyvsOaZBNRKRQ/s320/coachtadlock.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Very sad to see that Coach Charles Tadlock has died. He was my first football coach, in seventh grade at Charleston, Arkansas Junior High. I remember that he was quite a large man, and as a kid who barely weighed 100 pounds in 7th grade he was intimidating. But over the next few years I came to admire him and…I liked him. (Picture above borrowed from a facebook page. All rights to the photographer.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Coach Tadlock could be tough but I always found him fair. The thing I remember most is that he wanted you to do your best, but if you tried your best and it wasn’t good enough, he recognized it and didn’t hold you accountable for not being able to do the miraculous. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I remember one particular game. I was playing safety on defense and the opposing team had a wide receiver who was something like six feet, nine, a good foot taller than me, with arms to match. This guy caught three touchdown passes right over me that night. I was so upset, so angry. I remember coming off the field nearly in tears and sitting on the bench with my head in my hands. No one would talk to me, not out of meanness but because they were all just as young as I was and didn’t know what to say.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Coach Tadlock approached. He patted me on the shoulder pads and said, “just keep doing your best. That’s all you can do.” There was no anger or recrimination in his voice. I’ve remembered that moment for fifty years. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I remember, too, a much funnier moment. We were playing a team from Oklahoma. Pacola, I think. They were driving toward a touchdown. I was playing safety. I intercepted a ball just before the endzone and gave us back the ball. This time, my teammates knew just what to do. They all cheered and pounded me on the back. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">After the celebration was over and I was sitting on the bench, Coach Tadlock came over to me. He was smiling and slapped me on the shoulder pads. Then he leaned in, and in a very quiet voice that no one else could hear, he said: “you know you were out of position, don’t you?”</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Indeed, I had been. The receiver had beat me and their quarterback underthrew him and hit me right in the chest. It was a colossal piece of luck on my part. But the kindness of coach there, knowing what I’d done wrong and wanting to teach me, but not to correct me in front of all my peers and take away that moment of joy. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m sorry for the loss of this good man, and for his family who will now have to bear his absence. He will be remembered by many. </span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div><br /></div>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-19868153396928329872023-08-04T09:21:00.004-05:002023-08-04T09:24:47.707-05:00A Halloween Duology from K. A. Opperman<p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm a fan of Halloween, but not as big of a fan as K. A. Opperman. I'm not sure there is a bigger fan of All Hallows Eve than Opperman. His introduction to “Past the Glad and Sunlit Season,” his first collection of Halloween themed poems, illustrates it. I enjoyed the brief story of his Halloween journey. It's quite different from mine, and he is far more passionate in his love for the holiday.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Opperman has also produced a second collection of Halloween related poetry in “October Ghosts and Autumn Dreams.” I’ve reviewed them independently on Goodreads but decided to blog them together. The covers on the two books are the first thing you notice. Both are striking, and the interiors are fully illustrated. These are my photos here of the covers. The covers reflect—in my opinion—the contents of the books. The book 2 poems are generally darker, although not horrific. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkc6bH_LURVYRAEPaJBR6la1q1gfSsmAlaiELtJj8bjQGu77h6mcbXEuE0MxoTjdcAKmVujN2ZKCo8OOS-P-FMtp5ZsaEu7eaue0I1E-uBDaveIsYXAIwq5NOq-BBK1hmXItPFfg0RRYykBwGcTu_ot-VC8d0jLLlkEDasFqFdm9OTeeyITvi_Q/s802/KAOPPERMANPASTGLADSUNLITSEASON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkc6bH_LURVYRAEPaJBR6la1q1gfSsmAlaiELtJj8bjQGu77h6mcbXEuE0MxoTjdcAKmVujN2ZKCo8OOS-P-FMtp5ZsaEu7eaue0I1E-uBDaveIsYXAIwq5NOq-BBK1hmXItPFfg0RRYykBwGcTu_ot-VC8d0jLLlkEDasFqFdm9OTeeyITvi_Q/s320/KAOPPERMANPASTGLADSUNLITSEASON.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhid4SWonhG9umdVX1r49bZT-jVDEggyZrp-wZ1KS2mMvjCWJI8E4MAEIq3OJYryyGzok-ba-g7BhaescIPQB6BWc_UTTRNlfj4Bk5xdle9ggy8r6pq9Z3tfVDjZ7cUb8jua9j3XKehrjOQPpGuJSlTsXXI0IS6g_6cAyEl6sLXacl9BxdaaQHQKw/s857/KAOPPERMANOCTOBERGHOSTSAUTUMNDREAMS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="558" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhid4SWonhG9umdVX1r49bZT-jVDEggyZrp-wZ1KS2mMvjCWJI8E4MAEIq3OJYryyGzok-ba-g7BhaescIPQB6BWc_UTTRNlfj4Bk5xdle9ggy8r6pq9Z3tfVDjZ7cUb8jua9j3XKehrjOQPpGuJSlTsXXI0IS6g_6cAyEl6sLXacl9BxdaaQHQKw/s320/KAOPPERMANOCTOBERGHOSTSAUTUMNDREAMS.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the poems? The first volume contains 54 of them. Most are short. All are rhyming. They are charming enough to be read to children but have enough ghoulish imagery to tantalize the adult. I read some to my wife, who is also a Celtiphile, and she found them delightful.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The second collection contains 46 poems, but several of them are longer so it’s about the same total length. These are also rhyming poems, although he varies the rhyming scheme a little more here. I personally find writing good rhyming poems difficult, but in these two books Opperman has done a wonderful job in making the rhymes work to his—and the reader’s—advantage. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A very nice touch in both books was a section at the end about the poems, wherein Opperman discusses the origins and some of the meanings of the pieces. I keep this kind of information for my own stories and poems so it’s nice to see it from someone else. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The second book also ends with a too brief essay on “Trick-or-Treat As Initiatory Rite and Attendant Symbolism.” Opperman laid out some very interesting concepts in this piece and I’d love to see an expansion of it. He clearly has thought a great deal about Halloween and that time of the year. Perhaps he is indeed the Pumpkin King and his human face only a summer disguise.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Overall, there's a touch here and there that remind me of Ray Bradbury's work, who was also a lover of Halloween. The titles, particularly, put me in mind of Ray. I will mention one specific poem that reminds me of Bradbury’s work, from book 2. It really connected with me. “Where Yet October Dwells.” To quote:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Against the bleak advances of November,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There is a hollow lost in hidden dells,</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Where yet a pumpkin keeps October’s ember—</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A place of dreams and spells. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I was born in October, as was my wife. We are one day apart, although not in years. So this poem resonated with me for that reason in addition to others. When I finished reading it, I was expecting it to be the last one in the collection. Turns out there was one more but I think the position of these two might have been reversed to good effect. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">To sum up, these two volumes make a nice addition to my shelves. Perhaps I’ll have to put them up with a Halloween display this year. And I doubt we’ve heard the last about Halloween from the Pumpkin King. Not the “King in Yellow” but the King in Orange. With a carved smile. </span></p><p><br /></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-71757651999386733872023-07-09T15:40:00.000-05:002023-07-09T15:40:04.334-05:00Spectros #1: Silverado, by Logan Winters<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Spectros #1: Silverado, by Logan Winters. Tower Books,
1981. 159 pages.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFgrUjYcvyScuyIU-UEm6ClnbmYIYkYTCd4RbmwTfl2S8La47CddrhwJ9V11cBpG-ra7_9UCbFqw8LJ7vYZImH5dEhMW9jbn0__YTP7P7uypIA-p8ZcTvTZAC6y6s4hhUXoIPBY6hg_23BAIPTs4zofK-7s0W6nG-8iXLzmSQhj5BRwbre7QTBQ/s633/LWINTERSSPECTROS1MASTERMAGICIAN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="389" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFgrUjYcvyScuyIU-UEm6ClnbmYIYkYTCd4RbmwTfl2S8La47CddrhwJ9V11cBpG-ra7_9UCbFqw8LJ7vYZImH5dEhMW9jbn0__YTP7P7uypIA-p8ZcTvTZAC6y6s4hhUXoIPBY6hg_23BAIPTs4zofK-7s0W6nG-8iXLzmSQhj5BRwbre7QTBQ/s320/LWINTERSSPECTROS1MASTERMAGICIAN.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Logan Winters was one of several pseudonyms used by
writer Paul Joseph Lederer (July 2, 1944 – January 30, 2016). Some others were
Owen G. Irons, C. J. Sommers, Warren T. Longtree, and Paul Ledd. He also wrote
books under his own name, particularly a series called the “Indian Heritage”
series. I haven’t read anything other than Spectros #1 so far but I will likely
pick up some of his other works.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, to the review. The book was billed as a kind of
weird western. I agree it fits that mold, although the primary influence here
would be the pulps such as Doc Savage. Doctor Spectros, a master magician of
unknown age, has a crew that work with him in the same vein as Doc Savage.
These include gunslinger Ray Featherskill, brute/mute Montak, and an
inscrutable foreign fighter named Inkada. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The gist of the story is that another sorcerer,
Blackschuster, has kidnapped Spectros’ love, Kirstina, and has been keeping her
alive through magical means. Alive but unconscious. Spectros is after him with
his crew. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What I liked: The prose here is very good. Crisp,
vivid, clean. There’s quite a lot of poetry in it, which always sets my little
heart a flutter. This is the main reason why I’d read more by this writer. In
addition, the characters are broadly drawn but interesting, and I liked the
crew much better than Doc Savage’s crew. They weren’t played for laughs—for the
most part—and given serious roles to fulfill. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What I didn’t like: Though this is the “first” in a
series of four books, it seems clear the reader is expected to know a lot of
backstory already. The characters aren’t really introduced. They are sprinkled
in like a cook adding ingredients to a stew. Now, I’m a fan of action up front,
but I also expect that characters with a long and complicated history get
introduced fairly early in a book so the reader has some orientation to their
story and why it is meaningful. There was almost none here. I got more
orientation from the back cover blurb than the book itself. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">In addition, the story jumps around between the
characters somewhat willy-nilly, without much of a common thread to connect
them. As I was reading about Lederer’s work, he made a comment in an interview
that made me think this was his general approach to writing. I’m a pantser
mostly myself but I work very hard to make the multiple characters and
plotlines connect.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Another issue, which may not be Lederer’s fault, is
that characters and scenes sometimes changed in the middle of a page without
any break or asterisks, or anything to indicate said break. That makes for some
difficult reading. And add to that quite a few typos and you’ve got some
confusion. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Overall, I can only give this book two stars. The
prose deserves four or five but all the other things dragged the work down to
the point that I was glad to finish so I could move on to a better story. The
story is the thing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">As for Lederer, he was born in California and died in
his early seventies from a brain aneurysm. He served a term in the Air Force,
in the Intelligence Arm, and was widely travelled in Europe, the Middle East,
and Asia. He wrote over 100 novels, most of them westerns or with western
connections. Sounds like he would have been an interesting fellow to meet. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-36393215556370863572023-07-02T19:41:00.000-05:002023-07-02T19:41:10.200-05:00Alvin Burstein (1931 – 2023)<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxG1QOq4yTzdclDRsORp47KDX0mOORg84uyw9eCXIkg5qwFnR3VCxBJhYiw4dt_zRipnilfLRxOxZF-8CK9OcUDW_vYNbG0wn5DbeFqhdYLied6IdtNbaKo4SbszFFqfmuNGy4RpHWnzD6-Hw_r-xOT5MYgJZTwCzzGq-jAY-_o3YpYKsALG1rtA/s960/alburstein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxG1QOq4yTzdclDRsORp47KDX0mOORg84uyw9eCXIkg5qwFnR3VCxBJhYiw4dt_zRipnilfLRxOxZF-8CK9OcUDW_vYNbG0wn5DbeFqhdYLied6IdtNbaKo4SbszFFqfmuNGy4RpHWnzD6-Hw_r-xOT5MYgJZTwCzzGq-jAY-_o3YpYKsALG1rtA/s320/alburstein.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">A few days ago (on Tuesday, June 27<sup>th</sup>), I lost a
friend—Alvin Burstein, who most people called “Al.” <span style="background-color: #e4e6eb; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span>By the time I met Al, he was
already retired from a long career as a clinical psychologist and educator. I
met him in a different capacity when I joined a small, newly begun writing
group on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, across the lake from New
Orleans. Al and his wife Sandra were early members of that group, which
underwent quite a few changes before a hardcore cadre of stalwarts
coalesced. Al, who was very much a man of literature, suggested we call our
group Louisiana Inklings, after a much more famous group of writers, most
notably including C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Inklings met for many years, initially at a local library or
occasionally a restaurant, and finally at Al and Sandra’s elegant home on the
Northshore. (It continued in somewhat truncated form even after Covid hit.)</p><p class="MsoNormal">Al was a fan of sushi as well as literature, and he and I and Sandra met
sometimes outside the group for raw fish, rice, and conversation. Al had
written many academic and scholarly articles in his career (here is a link to
his <a href="https://alvinburstein.utk.edu/curriculum-vitae/" target="_blank">vita</a>), but at this time in his life he’d stoked his fire for fiction. And
he was a talented and precise wordsmith, but often a playful one, as witnessed
by a story of his that I republished in an <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Louisiana-Inklings-Charles-Allen-Gramlich/dp/149214794X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=XWACQ4I4Q87F&keywords=inklings%2C+gramlich&qid=1688313893&s=books&sprefix=inklings%2C+gramlich%2Cstripbooks%2C154&sr=1-1" target="_blank">anthology</a> I edited of the Inkling
crew’s work—“The Crawfish Boil.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Al was also astute at the critique work of the group.
Although his often-blunt commentary occasionally left some hard feelings early
on, his intent was never to cut but to clarify. His deeply analytical and
probing mind, having been honed by years working as a clinical psychologist, sliced
through the BS and centered on the heart of the matter—what was the story
trying to say and was it successful at it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Although Al and my writing styles could scarcely have been
more different, we both appreciated and respected the other’s work. Al
understood what I was trying to accomplish and why my characters were described
as they were, and he often made inciteful comments that helped me clarify my
thoughts. (He was also great at catching typos.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Al had quite a long life. His energy seldom faltered; his commitment
to quality in his own work and in that of others <i>never</i> did. Al was also a Francophile and the picture above, taken by Sandra, shows him at the Academie Francaise in Paris. Perhaps the best sample of his literary style can be found in "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Owl-Alvin-Burstein/dp/1105434362/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UF1UDK0SJODJ&keywords=alvin+burstein%2C+the+owl&qid=1688313639&s=books&sprefix=alvin+burstein%2C+the+owl%2Cstripbooks%2C171&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Owl</a>," which was published in 2012. A delightful novella. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Al Burstein was a
fine man, a fine writer, and a wonderful friend. I’ll miss him. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: #e4e6eb; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-86251245718431090982023-06-27T16:26:00.002-05:002023-06-27T16:26:14.902-05:00Splatter Punks II Review<p>Splatter Punks II Over the Edge: softcover, 416 pages. TOR 1995, edited by Paul M. Sammon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJabz-CldN8DKBayYPguibXQteKuc25juz53Vy0XIz7FDluB9te8c_w0ZjJ8Y2D8Ap2lPo6ejD6p9kh6lw84_I9DcBy5CaFkS0JBE25KHWaGjpC5cm1uC_sWjOWSeCI8YmP-fNcfIKcWnEMd5u1h69erwW_gR_gLFi1Oott8NhRik5NXjhWykk8g/s703/SPLATTERPUNKSIIANTHO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJabz-CldN8DKBayYPguibXQteKuc25juz53Vy0XIz7FDluB9te8c_w0ZjJ8Y2D8Ap2lPo6ejD6p9kh6lw84_I9DcBy5CaFkS0JBE25KHWaGjpC5cm1uC_sWjOWSeCI8YmP-fNcfIKcWnEMd5u1h69erwW_gR_gLFi1Oott8NhRik5NXjhWykk8g/s320/SPLATTERPUNKSIIANTHO.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><p>This book came out in 1995, toward the end of the first generation of Splatterpunk. I wrote a few stories in that movement back in the day, Razor White (which appeared in Dark Voices 4 The Pan Book of Horror), Splatter of Black (which appeared in Dark Terrors), and Wall of Love (which appeared in Agony in Black). I haven’t done anything like those stories since, and I haven’t read a lot of this kind of material since then either. Even at age sixty-four, though, in 2023, I found myself wincing emotionally and viscerally at a few of these tales. There’s still power in these older stories. Below is the TOC, with a little description. My primary comments follow. </p><p>Personal Acknowledgments, by Paul M. Sammon</p><p>Introduction, Essay by Paul M. Sammon</p><p>Accident d'Amour, story by Wildy Petoud, Translated from French</p><p>Impermanent Mercies, story by Kathe Koja</p><p>One Flesh: A Cautionary Tale, story by Robert Devereaux</p><p>Rant, story by Nancy A Collins</p><p>Lacunae, story by Karl Edward Wagner</p><p>Heels, story by Lucy Taylor</p><p>Brian De Palma: The Movie Brute, essay by Martin Amis</p><p>I Walk Alone, story by Roberta Lannes</p><p>Scape-Goats, story by Clive Barker</p><p>Cannibal Cats Come Out Tonight, story by Nancy Holder</p><p>All Flesh is Clay, story by John J Ordover</p><p>Imprint, story by Nina Kiriki Hoffman</p><p>Twenty-two and Absolutely Free, story by John Piwarski</p><p>Hooked on Buzzer, story by Elizabeth Massie</p><p>Pig, story by Gorman Bechard</p><p>Rockin' the Midnight Hour, essay by Anya Martin </p><p>Embers, story by Brian Hodge</p><p>Headturner, story by Kevin Andrew Murphy and Thomas S. Roche</p><p>Nothing But Enemies, story by Debbie Goad</p><p>Boxer, story by Steve Rasnic Tem</p><p>Xenophobia, story by Poppy Z. Brite</p><p>Dripping Crackers, story by Michael Ryan Zimmerman</p><p>Intimates, story by Melanie Tem</p><p>For You, the Living, long story by Wayne Allen Sallee</p><p>Calling Dr Satan, interview with Anton Szandor Lavey by Jim Goad</p><p>Red Shift, story by Shira Daemon</p><p>Within You, Without You, story by Paul M. Sammon</p><p>Epiphany, story by Christa Faust</p><p>Note on the Splat II Soundtrack, essay by Paul M. Sammon</p><p>This is a big book with a lot of material. I didn’t read it quickly but typically read a story or two each day, depending on length. Some of these tales are long enough to be called Novellettes. None of them are weak tales. All are professional, although some resonated with me more than others for various personal reasons. </p><p>I bought the collection primarily for the works of certain authors whose careers I’ve followed. These would be Karl Edward Wagner, Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite (here), and Wayne Allen Sallee. I’ve actually met all four of these authors at various cons, though could only consider Sallee to be a friend. Wagner, of course, is gone now, a great tragedy. </p><p>I love the Kane stories by Karl Edward Wagner, most of which are set in a primitive Sword & Sorcery/Dark Gothic type of universe (ancient Earth). This is a rarity in that it’s set in the modern world. Not one of my favorite Kane stories but it still has that touch and I enjoyed it. </p><p>Clive Barker wrote some of the best horror stories in history in his Books of Blood. This one, “Scape-Goats,” fits right into that legacy. Very compelling and one of the strongest stories in the collection.</p><p>Poppy Z. Brite’s entry here is Xenophobia. Brite definitely had a finger on the pulse of a generation with the excellent novel, “Lost Souls.” This tale has many of those same kinds of touches. </p><p>Wayne Allen Sallee is in my top five favorite horror authors. He’s really created a unique and oftentimes grotesque body of work. I’d read this tale, “For You, The Living,” in another setting so it was no surprise for me. It still had the power to make me both viscerally and emotionally uncomfortable, and embodies (For me) a lot of what the Splatterpunk movement was about. Do yourself a favor if you like horror and give Sallee's work a read.</p><p>Like I said, I’m enjoyed all these tales. I’m only going to mention a couple more that hit me particularly hard. “Boxer,” by Steve Rasnic Tem was absolutely brutal. Nancy Holder’s “Cannibal Cats Come Out Tonight” was very well written. </p><p>My favorite story in the collection was the last one, by Christa Faust, “Epiphany.” Beautiful prose and a distinctly discomfiting subject matter for me. This one inspired some ideas for tales of my own. </p><p>As for the nonfiction, interesting material. I rather enjoyed the interview with Anton Lavey. I’ve not paid much attention to his philosophical thoughts previously but he had some interesting things to say, and not what one might typically expect. </p><p>All in all, I’m happy to add this anthology to my burgeoning collection. </p><p><br /></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-55161944659626395322023-06-17T09:18:00.004-05:002023-06-17T09:18:59.375-05:00The Woods are Dark<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkRn3fNowPhWPIgJmmKumSEZvGQlGWekMOUSTGzU8_j-aRHe2sf4-qEZkgY-yLwUiwbtRCMgtJJ2m-UZFBr2FPbbgTAdR9hPuELo5bQmAGziiHApEWtET5AE3j-PbBjetcQA4EumQcIR_-Q3eR-HOa2wrqwL9Tj1jCxcSRZ3asudDY8U4lVU/s634/RLAYMONWOODSAREDARK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="420" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkRn3fNowPhWPIgJmmKumSEZvGQlGWekMOUSTGzU8_j-aRHe2sf4-qEZkgY-yLwUiwbtRCMgtJJ2m-UZFBr2FPbbgTAdR9hPuELo5bQmAGziiHApEWtET5AE3j-PbBjetcQA4EumQcIR_-Q3eR-HOa2wrqwL9Tj1jCxcSRZ3asudDY8U4lVU/s320/RLAYMONWOODSAREDARK.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Not my favorite Laymon. His works are always readable, although I can generally find what seem like flaws to me. This is a quick paced novel in which some tourists make a "wrong turn" into a small community with a big secret. There's something in the woods. I might describe the work as The Last of the Mohicans means Heart of Darkness as channeled through Apocalypse Now.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It is a "restoration" version of a novel that was published originally in 1981. Apparently, from the opening notes by Richard Laymon's daughter, Kelly, this was the original submitted version of the novel, which had many changes forced upon it by the publisher before it was printed. As a result it certainly has some historical interest to folks interested in Laymon's career and development. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This is not a flaw, but I didn't personally find it scary. I don't find most things that are described as horror to be frightening. I certainly found it gory and brutal. There is also, as is a signature with Laymon, a lot of sex and sexual descriptions of body parts. I'd say it reaches the level of pornography in that regard, although the sex is so mixed with gore that it is certainly not a turn-on. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I also see where several reviewers refer to this as a "comic" horror novel. Some of the descriptions are so over the top as to evoke an eye-roll, but I don't really think of that as humor. Any humor you found here would be very dark indeed. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My main critique of the book would be that the characters don't seem quite real to me in their reactions to the events, although never having (thank goodness) experienced anything like this I don't really know how I'd react either. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, as is my want, I've nitpicked some things here, which I typically do in reviews because I enjoy it. But I can certainly say I was entertained. As always, every reader has to decide for themselves how the story works or does not work for them. </span></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-21827815101369589942023-06-08T22:09:00.002-05:002023-06-08T22:09:52.246-05:00Wyoming Thunder: A Larry & Streak Western<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNZakmBDttHtNkFUppKrZdFMhcSWO8Fu01_TJ4cJM4dKNyf668zEHcnRNIUrTXEpsGMP6AXLlYc4kIrtLxRi7LHrF-LoUb7HAJtLYix-QTrOVYU_KopKlhe3L1MDwlNGBshIOy8pe7C7U4XS10v_Qgvd3EmfgrqrmxpR1eMHYIZkgFcrt6HI/s673/MCCOYWYOMINGTHUNDERLSSERIES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="424" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNZakmBDttHtNkFUppKrZdFMhcSWO8Fu01_TJ4cJM4dKNyf668zEHcnRNIUrTXEpsGMP6AXLlYc4kIrtLxRi7LHrF-LoUb7HAJtLYix-QTrOVYU_KopKlhe3L1MDwlNGBshIOy8pe7C7U4XS10v_Qgvd3EmfgrqrmxpR1eMHYIZkgFcrt6HI/s320/MCCOYWYOMINGTHUNDERLSSERIES.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Wyoming Thunder: A Larry & Streak Western, by Marshall
McCoy, Bantam, 86 pages, 1968.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, Marshall McCoy is Marshall Grover is Leonard Meares. Leonard
Meares (1921-1993) was an Australian writer who is listed as the author of 700
+ novels, although—to be clear—most of these are generally of novella length.
As you can see, Wyoming Thunder clocked in at 86 pages. In addition to McCoy
and Grover, Meares also used the names Ward Brennan and Glenn Murrell, and occasionally
Brett Waring and Shad Denver, as well as writing works under his own name. He apparently
wrote over 400 in the Larry & Stretch series. It looks like many were
written for a western magazine, thus explaining the shorter length. He also
wrote about 60 in another series called Big Jim, although there could be more.
He also did standalones. To add to the confusion, his books have been reprinted
in other countries and languages, and sometimes with different author names and
even character names.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So why is the title of this particular book called “Larry
& Streak” instead of Larry and Stretch? Therein lies a short tale. In
Australia, the original characters were Larry Valentine and Stretch Emerson. When
some of these books were reprinted by Bantam in the United States, the names
were changed to Larry Vance and Streak Everett. I don’t know why, although it
might possibly have to do with different copyright laws and publishing house
rules in the two countries. (In Sweden, the character names were Bill and Ben.)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Under any names, Larry and Stretch are a couple of charming
rogues. They are variously referred to as the Texas Hellions and the Tornado
Twins. They stumble into trouble despite their best intentions, which they then
generally handle with aplomb. They make a good team. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How did I like the book? Well, I’m giving it 3 stars, which is
not a bad rating. I enjoyed the book. It was leisurely paced by today’s
standards, without a whole lot of action except at the beginning and end. Larry
and Streak take on the job of finding a doctor for a woman about to have a
baby, and they end up having to break said doctor out of jail where he’s being
held on a murder charge. Definitely an interesting plot. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’d previously read another book by Meares, one of his Big
Jim books. I liked the Larry and Streak characters better and the overall
package was more fun for me. I’ve also discovered that there are some very
dedicated fans out there for Meares work and there’s a facebook page dedicated
to his Larry and Stretch series. His books are not easy to find, and the copies
of the ones I have are beaten up pretty badly from time and reading. I’m
hearing that there aren’t any digital copies available. I’m sure someone will
correct me if I’m wrong. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Overall, I can see the charm in this series and am glad I
gave one a try. <o:p></o:p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-81798129758984274562023-06-01T07:57:00.005-05:002023-06-01T07:57:43.356-05:00Swords & Heroes<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPs4C49k51vis4ABSXQS2UxHlDov6ouultqXPXAOAQEBB8N3RgBHiX7W_XShKCKGj4hSVUgDhmee9AbnFWQMALQ7Mz5cJSMvRCxS3CtRBHdVjCd-c9tByDtEOfj46i-mwVVKzoG8lz0CsfQOY6p-ROU8Sf_XiGQ7vcvOhAJVz5Og27qvOFSc/s788/LYNPERRYEDSWORDS&HEROES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPs4C49k51vis4ABSXQS2UxHlDov6ouultqXPXAOAQEBB8N3RgBHiX7W_XShKCKGj4hSVUgDhmee9AbnFWQMALQ7Mz5cJSMvRCxS3CtRBHdVjCd-c9tByDtEOfj46i-mwVVKzoG8lz0CsfQOY6p-ROU8Sf_XiGQ7vcvOhAJVz5Og27qvOFSc/s320/LYNPERRYEDSWORDS&HEROES.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Swords
& Heroes. Edited by Lyndon Perry. Tule Fog Press, 2023. 201 pages.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tule
Fog Press is a relative newcomer in the publishing field. A small press that is
primarily the work of author and editor Lyndon Perry. Perry is a fan of heroic
fantasy and has written a fair amount of it himself, most notably his </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Sword of Otrim</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Perry is positioned nicely for what currently seems to be a
small renaissance in heroic fantasy/sword & sorcery publishing. This
anthology brings together twelve short heroic fantasy stories and a couple of
interesting nonfiction pieces. One of the stories is mine, but I’ll only
briefly mention it and focus mainly on the other pieces in the book.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
foreword is by Jason M. Waltz, a publisher in his own right. He focuses
primarily on </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“sword and sorcery,” which
is a subfield in the greater field of heroic fantasy. He offers a couple of
surprising insights, including an evaluation of Batman as a sword & sorcery
character.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next
up is a preface by Lyndon Perry, which I found interesting because it discussed
the origins of the anthology. If you’re in it for the stories alone you can
leap over this directly to the first tale. I like this sort of thing, though.</span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next up is “Keeper of Souls” by me. As Perry
points out, it’s a sort of a buddy tale, but with a twist that I thought was
pretty unusual. I won’t say more about it here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Story
two is “The Path One Doesn’t Choose” by Gustavo Bondoni. Bondoni has been
tearing it up recently. I’ve seen numerous short story publications by him in
all kinds of genres. His character is Yella, who has to deal with a tribe of
villains called the “Wanderers,” with some interesting traits. Enjoyable tale.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Story
three is “Lord of the Blood” by Michael T. Burk. Ahanu is the hero here, and
his opponent is a demon. But there’s a neat twist to this and it has a strong
ending. I don’t believe I’ve read anything by Burk before but this was
engrossingly written.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Story four is by Teel James Glenn, a name
quite a few will likely recognize. I’m familiar with his work and I believe
we’ve shared a TOC before. He is also a fellow member of the Horror Writers
Association. Glenn’s story is “The Price of Rescue.” It’s a buddy story with
Ada (warrior) and Donal (Bard). After helping to defend a traveling coach
against attackers, they are the only survivors and are tasked with taking a
young girl to a local government official. Things are not what they seem,
however. The characters have some nice interactions here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Story
five is “The Vault of Bezalel” by Tom Doolan. I’m also familiar with Doolan’s
work and we’ve shared a TOC before as well. I’ve reviewed several of his
stories and always find them enjoyable. Here, a young but deposed king named
Liam must now make his way in the world. He runs into a childhood friend who
offers him a quick quest with a potentially large reward at the end. Doolan is
an action writer and there’s quite a bit of action in this interesting story.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Story
six is “On Neutral Ground” by Nancy Hansen.” Serilda is the hero here, a
chieftain of her people who are at war with the “Ivari,” a race that strikes me
as similar to the concept of Frost Giants. The human war with the Ivari is a
battle to the death, with extinction the fate of the loser. There are elements
here of the mythic human war in ancient times against the “fey,” which was
mined so beautifully by Poul Anderson in his “Broken Sword.” Very well written.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Story
seven is by Tim Hanlon, another name I recognize, although I don’t believe he’s
been writing very long. The title here is “The Swordsman and the Sea Witch.”
Harkan the Swordsman takes passage aboard a ship, which is soon attacked by
pirates. The pirates win the battle but their ship is sunk, and now the wind
dies way, leaving the survivors becalmed,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">including Harkan. Death soon comes slithering from the waves. The Sea
Witch of the story is not the monster, however, but the pirate captain, and she
and Harkan must work together to find a way to survive. A very fine tale.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Frank
Sawielijew is the author of story eight, which has the longish title of “The
Necromancer and the Long-Dead King.” This is certainly a candidate for my
favorite story in the collection. It features an unusual main character and
pairs her with a combination hero/villain against a true evil. Well written and
intriguing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Story
nine is “Lady in Stone” by Cliff Hamrick. I’ve known Cliff a while but this is
the first story I’ve read by him. I’m sure it won’t be the last. Jarek is
another unusual hero, and the story has touches of mystery to season the action
and sorcerous horror. A well done piece.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Story
ten is by J. Thomas Howard and is called “O Sapphire, O Kambria.” The setting
here is pretty unique and I’m curious to learn more about this world, which
seems to be a kind of future earth in which dinosaurs have been brought back
and taken over. Shades of Jurassic World, perhaps. Great setting for plenty of
interesting tales, I should think. Enjoyed this one.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Story
eleven is by David A. Riley and is called “Welgar the Cursed.” Riley is a
professional editor and publisher who has done much to revitalize heroic
fantasy with his “Sword & Sorceries” series of anthologies. He has also
produced plenty of good tales himself. Welgar is “god-ridden,” a trope that has
been used to great effect by several writers, including Janet Morris with her
Tempus tales. I’ll definitely be seeking out more Welgar tales.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Adrian
Cole closes the anthology with his “Ride the Fire Steed.” I remember reading
Cole’s awesome Dream Lord trilogy published in the 1970s so to share a TOC with
him is a pleasure and an honor. (It’s the second time it’s happened.) And Cole
is still knocking stories out of the park. This is an exciting and action
filled piece to end the anthology on.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
wait, there’s more: There are some brief bios of the authors, and a really
interesting round table discussion about Sword & Sorcery, moderated by
Lyndon Perry and involving Adrian Cole, Cora Buhlert, Curtis Ellet, D. M.
Ritzlin, an old pal from REHupa named Morgan Holmes, P. Alexander, Richard
Fisher, and William Miller. Some fun discussion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
closing, I much enjoyed this anthology and believe it makes an important
contribution to the revival of the heroic fantasy genre that we’ve been experiencing
of late. See if you don’t feel the same.</span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-54453298637666285272023-05-26T17:55:00.003-05:002023-05-26T17:55:25.894-05:00Horseshoes & Hand Grenades: John Corabi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPrz54AnH-Tr0zUMKUYj82nLZcpQeC-qRzyaOh65haADypKvFmvtgcDzI4al7SdWRBwEtzvif2C11DRVh-oXqlkppTDazAXVBNfN-Gr-Fgdu__BYT3LImqu3HSAOXHRCW2QHOuCYp5aE0wd6P-bQUNrqNrV9n670bmqo52jDnV2DU3hYCNFg/s808/JCORABIPMILESHORESHOESHANDGRENADES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPrz54AnH-Tr0zUMKUYj82nLZcpQeC-qRzyaOh65haADypKvFmvtgcDzI4al7SdWRBwEtzvif2C11DRVh-oXqlkppTDazAXVBNfN-Gr-Fgdu__BYT3LImqu3HSAOXHRCW2QHOuCYp5aE0wd6P-bQUNrqNrV9n670bmqo52jDnV2DU3hYCNFg/s320/JCORABIPMILESHORESHOESHANDGRENADES.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><br /><p>Written by John Corabi, with Paul Miles. I imagine Miles did the heavy lifting with the prose and based it on Corabi's stories. Not completely sure. I really liked it. One of the better rock biographies I've read. Corabi comes across as a down to earth sort of fellow, a decent sort who is not afraid to tell the stories that make him look like a flawed human.</p><p>I'll admit I bought it primarily for the connection with Motley Crue, but I enjoyed the whole thing. Corabi was in Crue for five years and they did their self-titled album with him as the singer. That's a really good album, although not my favorite by the Crue. Corabi has also been in many, many other bands. I had no idea how many until I read this. He's mostly been a singer but also a guitar player.</p><p>One thing I particularly liked is there's a real focus on the music and his experiences on the road without dwelling on groupies and drugs. In fact, he says he never did hard drugs, although he apparently drank quite a lot. And he wasn't the kind of person to try to sleep with as many groupies as possible. Overall, a good book.</p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-11154484857202422652023-05-16T21:11:00.002-05:002023-05-16T21:11:32.016-05:00#1: Donovan’s Devils<p class="MsoNormal">#1: Donovan’s Devils: The Assassination is Set for July 4…”,
by Lee Parker. 1974. Award Books.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCKjoDgOqTSYSMkLEVfeX0CXGE2uKoFFGNQHMhjXaimRIF9lzsRAFKXQzitmodrgeEfZeCv1_Px7_q4w2Qc9n1HKrxCgiZfE9LvxtfFEl-fGmywfnjDP9RhSSTXQPpcKFpxdL-CiVo9X9yc4KY1acX5X3RaQejxS4ZOOPW0imdB0LYF_s2F0/s781/LPARKERDONVANSDEVILS1ASSASSINATIONI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCKjoDgOqTSYSMkLEVfeX0CXGE2uKoFFGNQHMhjXaimRIF9lzsRAFKXQzitmodrgeEfZeCv1_Px7_q4w2Qc9n1HKrxCgiZfE9LvxtfFEl-fGmywfnjDP9RhSSTXQPpcKFpxdL-CiVo9X9yc4KY1acX5X3RaQejxS4ZOOPW0imdB0LYF_s2F0/s320/LPARKERDONVANSDEVILS1ASSASSINATIONI.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">This is the first in a series that only went to three books.
Book #2 is <i>Blueprint for Execution</i>, and #3 is <i>The Guns of Mazatlan</i>.
The author is Lee Parker for all three books, although “<a href="http://glorioustrash.blogspot.com/2018/10/donovans-devils-1-assassination-is-set.html" target="_blank">Glorious Trash</a>”
suggests that the author is either Larry Powell or Robert H. Turner. It’s a “Dirty
Dozen” kind of book in which a group of hardcases and misfits are put together
for a mission that no one else wants—to rescue some hostages from a local
strongman/rebel in Paraguay.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I actually liked the writing here. The book read smoothly.
My main issue was that over three-quarters of the book is just putting the team
together. We get to meet James Donovan first, an Army captain getting ready to
leave the military, who is recruited by his former commander—Brigadier General Lucas
Blaine—to take a very special assignment for the POTUS. Rescue an ambassador, a
famous doctor, and the ambassador’s daughter from a Guatemalan strongman called
El Tigre. The team he puts together, and with whom he has worked before in
Vietnam, contains Oliver Bogan (tough black guy), Nathan Carey (sociopath who
learns the meaning of friendship), Arthur "Houdini" Gibbs (good natured
conman), Francis Quinn (deadly warrior), Irvin "The Bear" Randolph
(muscle and dumb jock), and Joseph Teal (Mechanic and chick magnet). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Gibbs, Bogan, and Quinn get a full introduction of their
back story and skill sets. I’m guessing book 2 might do the same for the other
three. And by the time we get to Paraguay and the actual rescue, there’s only a
little over 30 pages of this 154 page book to describe it. It really got the
short shrift, and the death of El Tigre was pretty anticlimactic. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I liked the writing well enough that I might try book #2 if
I can find it cheap, but I hope we get a little more story and action in that
book and a little less background. <o:p></o:p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-55006213177308435242023-05-03T20:11:00.002-05:002023-05-03T20:11:16.709-05:00Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByJC643fLAgcur9ySoZ-GUPASISJP58lBGZM-K2fvosx58wTUEPpPfUwJEPaBXl4QNjH4K_93NkGdXA74JQ-kpVe86-f8KT5z_4aao6SmPiPLakabkyKKP35aqccsvvXoF4PbUzykTbRnKTyn2HMJe7fv-NifztCnfEt4c7l_I-sDPQPnU64/s716/HHARRISONSARSMASHERSGALAXYRANGERS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByJC643fLAgcur9ySoZ-GUPASISJP58lBGZM-K2fvosx58wTUEPpPfUwJEPaBXl4QNjH4K_93NkGdXA74JQ-kpVe86-f8KT5z_4aao6SmPiPLakabkyKKP35aqccsvvXoF4PbUzykTbRnKTyn2HMJe7fv-NifztCnfEt4c7l_I-sDPQPnU64/s320/HHARRISONSARSMASHERSGALAXYRANGERS.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">With a title like </span><i style="font-size: large;">Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers</i><span style="font-size: large;">
(SSGR), you might assume this book is space opera. It’s not. It’s a parody of
space opera, which is horse of a different color. Specifically, it seemed to
parody most the work of E.E. Doc Smith in his “Lensman” series, which,
admittedly, is not the best space opera ever written.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">To me, Space Opera and Sword & Planet fiction (like John
Carter of Mars) are the purest forms of sheer entertainment out there. They do,
however, contain certain tropes that invite some writers to lampoon them. That
doesn’t mean the lampooning works. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Harry Harrison (born Henry Maxwell Dempsey, 1925-2012), who
wrote SSGR, was a talented writer. He’s best known for his “Stainless Steel
Rat” stories but I’ve generally preferred other works of his, including “Make
Room, Make Room,” which became the basis for the movie <i>Soylent Green</i>,
and the <i>Deathworld</i> stories. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, humor is difficult to write for even the most talented
author. In my opinion it’s the <i>most</i> difficult emotion to create in
writing. And I, personally, am pretty difficult to please on the humor front. I
like humor in my fiction. Just not all humor all the time. I prefer dark humor,
and humor when it comes out of the circumstances and the characters. I don’t
generally like it when it’s layered on with a spatula and drowns every line. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">While I chuckled here and there through SSGR, I didn’t get
any belly laughs and I pretty quickly became bored. I mostly sped-read the last
100 pages. Too often, humor turns characters into caricatures. It defuses
tension in order to get in a zinger. It becomes predictable because you know
the writer is going to choose the most ridiculous option in any situation. It
also makes it difficult to maintain any suspension of disbelief in the actual
story. And primarily, it is the “story” that I want when I read. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story in SSGR was weighed down by so many
stabs at humor that I just couldn’t get into it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">SSGR is a well written parody. If you like such pieces
you’ll probably like this one. I didn’t care much for it and was rather happy
when I was done so I could move on to a different book. Of course, please
remember that these are my opinions and your own might differ.</span><o:p></o:p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-50523493727883964092023-04-21T16:50:00.004-05:002023-04-21T16:50:43.378-05:00Violet Rising<p>Violet Rising is the first in a new comic book series from
the pen of Tony Petry. I’ve known Tony for a while on Facebook and we’ve
carried on a voluminous correspondence. He’s been sending me an image here and
there of the comic but now I’ve got the whole first issue. And I read it.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most comics seem to make the “action packed” claim, but this
one lives up to that. It’s crammed full of information and some backstory but
doesn’t sacrifice the action to accomplish those goals. The story flows
naturally and there are revelations about the character on every page. The end
packs a wallop and sets up a big mystery for issue #2. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I believe that Jean-Etienne Nnabuchi and Ekes Momodu handle
the drawing work here but the story is Tony’s. (He’s been telling me about it
for quite a while.) I’m glad to see it come to fruition. If you’d like to pick
up a copy, you can email Tony at: petry_tony (at) yahoo (dot) com<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I heartily recommend it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsHj8fyQmpNvISzgQkOOBJJH3aYgNm5pyITapBuURxdFWsU3yfO69Jx0rSDlHUVQnkg_csQCEJFJ0UXiz5PQlKznUc0YAPdR8u9RfFDiPBq4C4Ui3uvj61lqMVxz8mzZ-N6OwHyuSHEvNp2B2iANJbVLk04rjr7gD6po-yLqyrX3iBMG7aSk/s920/TPETRYVIOLETRISING.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpsHj8fyQmpNvISzgQkOOBJJH3aYgNm5pyITapBuURxdFWsU3yfO69Jx0rSDlHUVQnkg_csQCEJFJ0UXiz5PQlKznUc0YAPdR8u9RfFDiPBq4C4Ui3uvj61lqMVxz8mzZ-N6OwHyuSHEvNp2B2iANJbVLk04rjr7gD6po-yLqyrX3iBMG7aSk/s320/TPETRYVIOLETRISING.jpg" width="209" /></a></p><br />Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-49225490997711213172023-02-10T16:56:00.008-06:002023-02-10T17:10:31.545-06:00Alan E. Nourse<p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Alan E. Nourse
was barely on my radar as a writer until fairly recently. I'd read one book by
him, Raiders from the Rings, and liked it quite a lot. It was young adult SF,
and so I picked up another YA SF book by him called Trouble on Titan. This one
was even better. An exciting story and really well written. There's a fair
amount of poetry in Nourse's work. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">After this book,
I checked Nourse out. He was a medical doctor in addition to writing. He wrote
fiction and nonfiction and had a medical column in Good Housekeeping
apparently. He was born in the USA in 1928 and died in 1992. The two books I've
read have a space operish feel to them and that's a good thing from my
standpoint. Excitement and adventure. They are also YA mainly because his
protagonists are on the youngish side, essentially teenagers. But the concepts
are big. His science is a little dated--Trouble on Titan was published in
1954--but that scarcely detracts from the fun. </span></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">If I'd known who
Nourse was as a teenager he might have become one of my favorite SF writers,
right up there with Anderson, Heinlein, Norton, and Silverberg (at that time).
Now I'm going to check online for some more of his books. Maybe you should too.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjbNMHWLBsprpiDXEDwgnwmDyzhUjDs3NBLpH3-PYEBLd8YZWG8i83GxBzRLk2jrvqRTzUWgDT4liY_-pK7ZZ4-pt3Mp5uuBUKxyxAJ7hmsLF2DJtJ_hnY6-L_7O9UqUo8X00lkuB157dg0YtsRay-xzDyWjzvTT9tAGVBrTMMZSRbymBdME/s475/troubleontitan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjbNMHWLBsprpiDXEDwgnwmDyzhUjDs3NBLpH3-PYEBLd8YZWG8i83GxBzRLk2jrvqRTzUWgDT4liY_-pK7ZZ4-pt3Mp5uuBUKxyxAJ7hmsLF2DJtJ_hnY6-L_7O9UqUo8X00lkuB157dg0YtsRay-xzDyWjzvTT9tAGVBrTMMZSRbymBdME/s320/troubleontitan.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-58525124473749753322023-01-23T19:26:00.003-06:002023-01-23T19:29:39.015-06:00New Edge Sword & Sorcery<p>New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine, Volume 1, #0. Edited
by Oliver Brackenbury, Cover by Gilead.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">This is issue 0
of a new sword & sorcery magazine, distributed in eformat and PDF for free,
or sold for a little over 3 dollars in print format on Amazon. I picked up the
print version. As a magazine rather than an anthology, it contains nonfiction
articles as well as short stories. The stories are clustered up front, with the
nonfiction more toward the back, and I found myself liking that format.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">New Edge Sword
& Sorcery is a term still undergoing a “shakedown.” In other words, it’s
still finding its ultimate definition. According to Brackenbury, who has an
essay on the concept at the end of the magazine, New Edge continues the older
traditions of the “outsider protagonist,” “thrilling energy,” and “weirdness”
while adding “inclusivity” and a strong support for “new works” in the field.
This includes a greater inclusion of women authors and authors of color, as
well as those who do not fit neatly into standard gender and lifestyle
dichotomies. What I’m most concerned with here, however, are the stories and
the information. Did I enjoy them as stories and essays? Below are my thoughts.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">First up is a
story by Dariel R. A. Quiogue, a Philippines based writer. “The Curse of the
Horsetail Banner” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was an excellent
choice to start the anthology because this is a very strong tale—both well
written and exciting. As the name of the protagonist suggests—Orhan Timur—this
tale is set in a pseudo Mongolian/Tibetan milieu. The writing really puts you
into the cold, snowy climate as Timur flees from pursuers who want him dead,
and finds a potential way to regain his lost position as Khagan, khan of khans.
I’ve bought a book by Quiogue featuring this character, which I hope to get to
soon.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Story 2 is “The
Ember Inside” by Remco van Straten and Angeline B. Adams. Very interesting
story in that it features a “storyteller” as the primary hero. There’s a twist
as to how the stories get told, however, and I won’t reveal the surprise. The
main character, Ymke, is not, to my mind, a completely sympathetic character,
although her life has certainly given her some tough choices. She is certainly
a complex character. There are elements of Ymke that remind me of Robert E.
Howard’s Dark Agnes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“Old Moon over
Irukad” is next and is a real treat. The tale features Edrion and Virissa,
sword companions who are hired for a questionable job that pays good gold, but are
then betrayed. Not a good idea to betray this pair. The story is by David C.
Smith, an old hand at sword & sorcery who became known in the late 1970s
and early 1980s for his tales of Oron. I’ve been a fan of his since those days.
This is a fun story written by a master.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“The Beast of
the Shadow Gum Trees” by T. K. Rex, is definitely the weirdest story here. It’s
certainly fantasy but only on the fringes of sword & sorcery. But it’s an
enjoyable tale and the prose is extraordinary. I would have enjoyed reading
this just for the prose, but the tale itself is quite good. An old being named
“Moth,” who is not human but some type of minor nature god it seems, mourns the
loss of his love and plans to let himself die. Turns out, he has one more task
to perform, in a land far away. There’s a lot of feeling in this one and I was
touched by the ending.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“Vapors of
Zinai” is by J. M. Clarke. I’m not all that familiar with the “sword &
soul” subgenre of S&S but I believe this one might fit there. It features a
warrior/sorcerer as the protagonist, a man named Kyembe. Despite the setting in
a sort of Alternate Egypt, this is—in many ways—one of the most traditional
stories in the magazine. Kyembe is warrior in the Conan, Kane, Imaro tradition.
I really enjoyed the character and have picked up another anthology with a
Kyembe tale in it. I got a big kick out of the ending to this one. That last
line is pure entertainment.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">“The Grief-Note
of Vultures” is next, by Bryn Hammond. Excellent title, but I have to admit I
didn’t quite understand this story. It’s written in a very unusual style, a
unique style certainly, and one that might take some familiarity with to become
fully comfortable in the tale. (I had the same issue with Glen Cook’s Black
Company books at first and came to love those.) I think it was probably the
style that kept me from becoming fully immersed in this story.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">After
“Grief-Note,” there’s a short essay by Howard Andrew Jones on the “Origin of
the New Edge.” This was interesting to me since I had very little knowledge of
how it came about. (I’ve mostly been writing westerns and modern westerns for
the last 3 years.)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Immediately
after comes “C. L. Moore and Jirel of Joiry: The First lady of Sword &
Sorcery” by Cora Buhlert. I’m a huge fan of Moore’s work, especially the Jirel
and Northwest Smith tales, which have all the adventure you could want but also
seem to have a little something more written into their characterizations. I’ve
also written an essay talking about Moore’s work, so I didn’t learn a lot of
new information from this essay, but it was fun to revisit some of this
information. I did learn more about Moore’s post-Jirel work and appreciated
that. A good essay.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We have an
interview with Milton Davis up next, conducted by Brackenbury. I learned a lot
of new information here. Davis’s name pops up frequently in recent
conversations about new fantasy. He is firmly associated with the sword &
soul moniker and was influenced to some extent by the 1970s and 1980s work of
Charles Saunders, one of the first African Americans to put his unique stamp on
sword & sorcery. I learned some things about Saunders, who I much admire.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Another
article, “The Outsider in Sword & Sorcery,” is up next, by Brian Murphy. A
short treatise on the role of the outsider in S&S. Interesting and
enjoyable.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Nicole
Emmelhainz produces the next essay, which is “Gender Performativity in Howard’s
‘Sword Woman.’” This piece examines Howard’s Dark Agnes stories at some length,
focusing on gender issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emmelhainz is
a professor and this work certainly has an academic feel to it. As an academic
myself, I quite appreciated it. This is something we might have run in <i>The
Dark Man</i>, which I’ve been occasionally an assistant editor for. I thought
the ending here, which talks about how modern authors can still learn some
things from writers such as Robert E. Howard, was even handed, open minded, and
powerful. It was also appreciated.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Magazines often
have reviews and toward the end here we have a review of “The Obanaax and Other
Tales of Heroes and Horrors” by Kirk Johnson. The review is written by Robin
Marx. Not having read this book, there’s not much I can say. Marx seemed to
enjoy it.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Finally, we
have Brackenbury’s essay on “What is New Edge Sword & Sorcery,” which I’ve
already mentioned earlier. I thought this was a really entertaining first issue
for this new magazine. I was happy to see it since I would really love to see a
sword & sorcery revival, given that I’ve written quite a bit of the stuff
myself. I recommend it. For more information, check out their Facebook page under
the same name, and I also understand there’s a Kickstarter launching on
February 2, with a surprise on February 1. <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oliverbrackenbury/new-edge-sword-and-sorcery-magazine" target="_blank">Here’s the link</a>. First day backers
will get an exclusive gift. A lot of effort is going into making the first
issues dynamite, and there are some big ideas coming down the pipe. I’ll support
the Kickstarter, and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope the quality
of the work shown in this opening issue continues.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-66927302904178594642022-12-23T14:35:00.005-06:002022-12-23T14:35:29.004-06:00Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy, Volume 5.<p><i>Swords &
Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy, Volume 5. </i>Edited by David A. Riley. 328
pages. Published by Parallel Universe Publications. Cover and interior art by
Jim Pitts.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjehcTnwyyB3IUOBi0M5XIo4Tk96_-zOohXovSJLmNivLfOZjzXoLsr3C-tH9GKMIpDywo94ruNu215teofIW3sdAdJgO7Dw1bv88sFgWYVYP5uuJe0gTpOYKusSzm8sF0PdBXisxskjrYhnkADdXCSibK1xlvubocpm1eBUNK3_6X4s3ACJU/s593/SWORDS&SORCERIESVOL5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="388" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjehcTnwyyB3IUOBi0M5XIo4Tk96_-zOohXovSJLmNivLfOZjzXoLsr3C-tH9GKMIpDywo94ruNu215teofIW3sdAdJgO7Dw1bv88sFgWYVYP5uuJe0gTpOYKusSzm8sF0PdBXisxskjrYhnkADdXCSibK1xlvubocpm1eBUNK3_6X4s3ACJU/s320/SWORDS&SORCERIESVOL5.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br /><p>This is the fifth
volume in the acclaimed Swords & Sorceries series from Parallel Universe
Publications. It’s the largest of the series so far and contains eleven stories,
several of which are fairly long. The TOC consists of:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Introduction by
David A. Riley<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">THE ROTTED LAND
by<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charles Gramlich<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">SKULLS FOR
SILVER by Harry Elliott<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">FOR THE LIGHT
by Gustavo Bondoni<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">PEOPLE OF THE
LAKE by Lorenzo D. Lopez<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">FREE DIVING FOR
LEVIATHAN EGGS by Tais Teng<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">THE BLACK WELL
by Darin Hlavaz<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">DEGG AND THE
UNDEAD by Susan Murrie Macdonald<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">THE MISTRESS OF
THE MARSH by David Dubrow<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">SILVER AND GOLD
by Earl W. Parrish<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">BRIDGE OF
SORROWS by Dev Agarwal<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">PRISONERS OF
DEVIL DOG CITY by Adrian Cole<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here are my thoughts.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Rotted Land: The first story is mine and is third in a
series about a character named Krieg, who combines certain elements of REH’s
Kull and Karl Wagner’s Kane. It’s a traditional story doing something along the
lines of the “Northern Thing.” Another Krieg story is written and submitted and
I’m working on a fifth. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Skulls for
Silver is a great title. I don’t believe I’ve read anything by Harry Elliott
previously. He’s a British author. This is a fairly long story, also doing the
northern thing. Hel and Gul and Mann are the characters. Hel is a female fighter
and Gul a big, brawny warrior, while Mann is a swordsman. Interesting. You don’t
often see three characters in Sword & Sorcery settings. One or two seems to
be the rule.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">For the Light is
also the first story I’ve read by Gustavo Bondoni, although I’ve been facebook
friends with him a long time and he is a very prolific author. Bondoni is from
Argentina and is the only SF/Fantasy author I know from that area of the world.
This story leaps into action. We have a chariot race to save the world and the
main character is Semni. This was an early favorite for me in the collection
and has one of those great endings that is surprising, although it seems
inevitable in hindsight.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">People of the
Lake starts in a swamp, sort of like “The Rotted Land.” Lorenzo D. Lopez was another new writer to me,
until I found in the Introduction that it’s a pseudonym for someone I have
heard of before. Quite a lot of action in this one and some gory battles.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Free Diving for
Leviathan Eggs. This tale has a bit of a high fantasy feel to it, and also
reminds me of the work of Clark Ashton Smith. It quickly became another
favorite for me, just because it is so beautifully written. I really loved the
language and the whole tone of the tale. Great ending, too. Tais Teng is Dutch,
which really makes this collection an international one. I’ll be seeking out
more of Teng’s work.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The Black Well
sounds like a Robert E. Howard title and Darin Hlavaz is certainly familiar
with Howard, as well as Lovecraft, Leiber and Moorcock. This tale features a
vast cyclopean city buried in a pit in the earth, very Lovecraftian in feel.
This is one of the longer stories, very descriptive.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Degg and the
Undead. Susan Murrie Macdonald is another facebook friend. She’s a relatively
new writer but this tale shows plenty of polish. Degg is a relatively simple fellow
who finds a cave and appropriates a fine sword that he discovers there.
Unfortunately for Degg, the dead sorcerer who owned the sword does not take
kindly to being stolen from. I really liked the ending, which surprised me.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The Mistress of
the Marsh. Another marshy, swampy tale. A Roman legion marches into the wetlands
to take it from the savage owners, and they get more than the bargained for.
The locals, called Thucers, evoke images of Howard’s Picts, and indeed the tale
has elements of Howard’s Conan tale of “Beyond the Black River.” David Dubrow
is a Florida writer, also new to me.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Silver and Gold
is by Earl W. Parrish, which is also a pseudonym. A post Roman tale about a
hero named Pierre, a religious warrior who finds himself in love with a witch.
How can he reconcile his spiritual duties and his love? Pierre and Jeannette,
the witch, are particularly well-done characters.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Bridge of Sorrows
is another great title. Dev Agarwal is also a British author, I believe, as
well as editor for Focus Magazine. I remember reading a tale of the same
characters, Simeon and Irene, from an early volume of this series. There’s a
Howardian and Lovecraftian feel to this tale as well, with the enemy being a
race known as the “Dagonists.” They’re not human, in case you couldn’t guess.
This is a fairly long story as well, with quite a lot of action.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Prisoners of
Devil Dog City is by Adrian Cole, who is certainly the best known writer in the
collection. He is also British, and I’ve been a fan of his work since his Dream
Lords trilogy in the 1970s. Here we have humans caught up in a battle of the
gods, which is a theme that Cole frequently revisits. The gods and monsters are
beautifully described here and this was definitely a fun story to end the
collection with.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">All in all, I
can recommend this collection to everyone. Enjoyment to be had.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-69872793430405335622022-12-17T09:38:00.001-06:002022-12-17T09:42:04.106-06:00Two Poetry collections: <p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've been remiss in blogging a few recent reviews I've done of poetry collections. Thought I'd put two of them together here for this blog: </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOkUcWQ9piFVukvBX87ak9KcZmMnbakP11TRz0o0AlxzykxDuF3oWswEtSyqClezxMYUPjybbrFJ1QQoV7KkIoz2WoGgJJUqEdp5XxVJyh_jyUtHWNkZEiUxQ4yT59LMufvQbbum59Gi8TnrUiPTl29g-5qowibiL_9qQFc5O8p96HGhqLCU/s630/EVANESSALIFELIMBS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="444" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOkUcWQ9piFVukvBX87ak9KcZmMnbakP11TRz0o0AlxzykxDuF3oWswEtSyqClezxMYUPjybbrFJ1QQoV7KkIoz2WoGgJJUqEdp5XxVJyh_jyUtHWNkZEiUxQ4yT59LMufvQbbum59Gi8TnrUiPTl29g-5qowibiL_9qQFc5O8p96HGhqLCU/s320/EVANESSALIFELIMBS.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">First up, we have Life-Limbs from Eliana Vanessa. An excellent first poetry collection from this New Orleans area author. It's not easy to categorize this collection. Most of the poems are dark, skirting the edge of horror and sometimes crossing over, but I wouldn't classify them as horror. They are primarily about relationships and longings--universal issues. Here's a couple of small tastes to give you the flavor:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">"blood from the neck of a delicate crow sutures tomorrow's wings back together again," (from earth angel), and "to light up my smoke with a black candle skull," (from red hot death).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A nice element in many of the poems is a very delicate internal resonance. I hesitate to say "rhyming" because it's extremely subtle, but it slips wonderfully off the tongue. Many of these pieces should be read aloud.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Although this is the author's first collection, I'm aware that she's been widely published in magazines and anthologies and her poetical skills are well developed. Highly recommended. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">***</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f1111; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7i8xES7UU3om7gxnGxmVcqK-uc1ATZMbwMKfEWNsKwtjizN3MJey_aQk_BRlQp_vFPFatLiaFQpzL5GF_4VNxbN_-U1LZdIlI7KQSBp-hbF1L49iZkp_CyWaG85YIkVhewM7X2iP-3cajcBQb4VHCgXDhxbheoGUZY09agksqML2jQqtKeo/s612/BOSTONSIMONNIGHTSMOKE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="409" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis7i8xES7UU3om7gxnGxmVcqK-uc1ATZMbwMKfEWNsKwtjizN3MJey_aQk_BRlQp_vFPFatLiaFQpzL5GF_4VNxbN_-U1LZdIlI7KQSBp-hbF1L49iZkp_CyWaG85YIkVhewM7X2iP-3cajcBQb4VHCgXDhxbheoGUZY09agksqML2jQqtKeo/s320/BOSTONSIMONNIGHTSMOKE.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><span style="line-height: 107%; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Next we have a very neat little item. Published in a limited edition of 300. My copy is #12, signed by both authors, Marge Simon and Bruce Boston, who happen also to be husband and wife. Boston is a widely known poet/author with numerous awards behind his name. Simon is both an excellent poet and editor, and is also an illustrator of note. This collection of their collaborative poetry also contains numerous neat illustrations by Simon. They two are talented poets full of strange and lovely words which they have spilled onto the pages of Night Smoke. I much enjoyed this read. I'm not sure if this collection is easily available commercially but you might be able to get a copy from either Bruce or Marge, who are present on Facebook, which is where I heard of this collection. I recommend it for all.</span></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-184223662736322792022-09-01T15:21:00.006-05:002022-09-01T15:22:48.467-05:00Milking the Beast Within, By Ben Douglass<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58Lpz9YjCTKqyFiLRo1fCbfEZhjqY4OnGsko1qD3Vj7VE5O20hhVnxU_DylSBdRpvCYpyF2eFQlGsKty1kJ1bEAPDNsb6BRm6AMJtjL3-TuwU9Eki5AQVwWRmR1NaJS1q54h4Bmdy9YMxfEsreytWcPjJDKiAPIAwLsDg10_vd6OYsrlCmMc/s609/BDOUGLASMILKINGBEASTWITHIN.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="419" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58Lpz9YjCTKqyFiLRo1fCbfEZhjqY4OnGsko1qD3Vj7VE5O20hhVnxU_DylSBdRpvCYpyF2eFQlGsKty1kJ1bEAPDNsb6BRm6AMJtjL3-TuwU9Eki5AQVwWRmR1NaJS1q54h4Bmdy9YMxfEsreytWcPjJDKiAPIAwLsDg10_vd6OYsrlCmMc/s320/BDOUGLASMILKINGBEASTWITHIN.jpg" width="220" /></a><br /><br /></p><p>Milking the Beast Within, Selected Poems By Ben Douglass.
Atomic Mountain Press, LLC, Edited by Rowena White. 63 pages, 2021. Cover by
Albert Birkle.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Milking the Beast Within contains thirty-seven poems
spanning from 1971 to 2012. This is apparently only a small subset of the poems
written by Douglass, who is a poet I’ve not previously read. While each poem
seems intensely personal, all are also universal in theme, with the author
addressing primarily the issues of relationships and love. The poems are free
verse and written in everyday language. As a result, they come off as
exceedingly honest. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m not widely read in poetry and have mostly read speculative
poetry, which normally has SF, Fantasy, or horror elements. I did immediately
recognize a certain kinship between Douglass’s work and that of Charles
Bukowski. The plain language is similar, as are many of the themes. It was no
surprise then to find that one poem in the collection is called, “On Reading Bukowski
for the First Time.” However, the collection contains a number of poems written
before Douglass discovered Bukowski and the same kind of language and content
is found there as well. So, it seems less of a direct influence by Bukowski and
more of a certain, common viewpoint on life. Still, I believe I found more hopefulness
and peacefulness in Douglass’s work than I have previously in Bukowski. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The cover, called “The Acrobat,” was…intriguing. It’s quite
an ugly image of a man, almost a caricature, but it does catch the viewer’s
attention. I was surprised to find that it had been done in 1921. It certainly
seemed contemporary to me on first look.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All in all, this is a very nice package and the poems are
insightful and make one think. I enjoyed them and will likely reread them over
time, as well as seeking out more of Douglass’s work. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-6782549852382757032022-08-13T08:34:00.001-05:002022-08-13T08:34:39.237-05:00Drowning are the Dead<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">Drowning are the
Dead, Brent Towns. Rough Edges Press, 2022. 285 pages.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3fR9fv-AhPJ3sqR1su3X-wgmodk1USzoQ_G4rbAY_S8Fzmvz4PI2qRGhm2vuG5yA-tEhmO4x7-SURacep5wAjuaL-d0v0M4bZyV774GPguFgt4WY8I17OZ_KS5fdPuCoGyskuqlvkx1cWFSJAmteOQXS27-YNdb703cB79-8UUE3tWqATJ0/s666/BTOWNSDROWNINGARETHEDEAD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="418" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3fR9fv-AhPJ3sqR1su3X-wgmodk1USzoQ_G4rbAY_S8Fzmvz4PI2qRGhm2vuG5yA-tEhmO4x7-SURacep5wAjuaL-d0v0M4bZyV774GPguFgt4WY8I17OZ_KS5fdPuCoGyskuqlvkx1cWFSJAmteOQXS27-YNdb703cB79-8UUE3tWqATJ0/s320/BTOWNSDROWNINGARETHEDEAD.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">This is an
excellent mystery story wrapped in a very attractive package from Rough Edges
Press. The title is catchy; the cover is a knockout. A perk for American
readers is that it’s set in Australia, offering a slice of exotica to many of
us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">Mark Hayes is a
private detective, an ex-cop as many of them actually are. He’s hired to track
down another PI who went missing while in the small town of Friar’s Lake deep
in Australia’s Outback. The missing man was investigating a dead girl who may
or may not have been the victim of a notorious serial killer named Ten Cent. Only,
Ten Cent has been inactive for a long time and is presumed by the authorities to
be either dead or incarcerated.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">That’s the set-up
and I’m not going to give away any spoilers. As you might expect, Mark gets
more than he bargained for as he finds a small town full of big secrets. This
is the first adventure for the character Mark Hayes. It shouldn’t be the last.
He’s an engaging character with streaks of both stubbornness and compassion in
his makeup. His ex-wife is still a cop and they have a complex relationship
that provides (for story purposes) a way for Mark to occasionally get
information a typical PI wouldn’t have access to.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">As for the
writing, this may be the character’s first outing but Brent Towns has written a
lot of books and it shows here. The prose is smooth, transitions are handled
quickly and professionally, description is enough but not too much. The style
has just enough quirks to make it interesting but not enough to make you aware
that you’re reading a story.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.3in;">I had a good time
with this tale, staying up later than normal over several nights to finish it. I’d
read a few pages and slip fully into the story, and then the page turns would
come fast and furiously. Highly recommended.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-6903116970619887722022-05-27T23:18:00.003-05:002022-05-27T23:18:31.337-05:00Spacers Snarled in the hair of Comets<p><i>SPACERS SNARLED IN THE HAIR OF COMETS</i>:
By Bruce Boston. Mind’s Eye Publications, 2022, 39 pages. (Introduction by
Andrew Darlington).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhvzevpBu6x7VAr53WaMgElcSZ2JJtRXA6HyyUf89JdtVwq4w5JVMzGz2OS16_F4YRoR8mdt6FpBwxhQ71WPSxWnokR1_hoFQxL3p-DCCKsBNZWOV7O6Qu_THVLUPuSwGtw_p6LbHpizbX-E7CHQL2eo60emxkjQ-cLiIVOhqooIqw99vXZA/s580/BBOSTONSPACERSSNARLEDCOMETS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="396" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhvzevpBu6x7VAr53WaMgElcSZ2JJtRXA6HyyUf89JdtVwq4w5JVMzGz2OS16_F4YRoR8mdt6FpBwxhQ71WPSxWnokR1_hoFQxL3p-DCCKsBNZWOV7O6Qu_THVLUPuSwGtw_p6LbHpizbX-E7CHQL2eo60emxkjQ-cLiIVOhqooIqw99vXZA/s320/BBOSTONSPACERSSNARLEDCOMETS.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><p>This latest
collection from Bruce Boston contains twenty-two poems, all of which—I believe—have
been previously published separately in magazines. Who is Bruce Boston, you
ask? Well, he’s my favorite living poet, but perhaps that doesn’t mean much to
you. He is also a Bram Stoker Award Winner, a multiple-time Rhysling Award
Winner (the highest award given for speculative poetry in the US), and a
helluva nice guy. But maybe none of those things mean anything to you.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">But do you love
language? Specifically, the English language? Do you enjoy science fiction? If you do, then you owe it to yourself to
sample Bruce Boston’s work, and this book is a good place to start. Let me give
you a little taste:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Burning green
to metagreen,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">a rush of
colors in between.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Mandalic moons,
sidereal seas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">A spacer’s life
is ice and fire,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">graced by
iridescent dreams. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Besides the
beauty of the language, Boston’s poems also tell stories. In fact, he’s
basically a storyteller and has also written many poetic short stories, as well
as a wonderfully complex dystopian novel called <i>The Guardener's Tale</i>. It’s
both the language and the storytelling aspects that draw me to Boston’s work.
As a writer myself, I find inspiration in his language and the germs of many
ideas in his stories and imagery. I jotted down half a dozen ideas for tales
just from this collection. I recommend him for writers and readers alike. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">You
can find out more about the book at Mind’s Eye Publications <a href="https://mindseye.us.com/PUBLICATIONS/" target="_blank">here:</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Or you
can order the book from Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spacers-Snarled-Comets-Bruce-Boston-ebook/dp/B09XXTXMRN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BCDFSPVXWKCJ&keywords=bruce+boston&qid=1653709211&sprefix=bruce+boston%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-1" target="_blank">here:</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Or
from Lulu <a href="https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/bruce-boston-and-andrew-darlington/spacers-snarled-in-the-hair-of-comets/paperback/product-vey5m2.html?page=1&pageSize=4" target="_blank">here:</a></span> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For
more information about Bruce Boston and his work, you can also check out his
<a href="http://www.bruceboston.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. </span></o:p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-20817293578067634262022-04-14T08:45:00.006-05:002022-04-14T08:58:20.106-05:00Dad 2022<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwY8vzDY4gSuyRNgnhwHABnR7AefIIsPAUYxoBAh1kgTMw1YRJ0ykV_dzubUhEle87QhOoOouHUxDwL7OHLpTjRKVPTZvQW6vd0ca5e_QbO5QbIgtf1OjDWribW1_53oPb9kc0GioQEuJgnhsVaXchWnWVB_LbjsnwLztMhTWMlk_znx0Aqgc/s691/JV&Annabelle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="691" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwY8vzDY4gSuyRNgnhwHABnR7AefIIsPAUYxoBAh1kgTMw1YRJ0ykV_dzubUhEle87QhOoOouHUxDwL7OHLpTjRKVPTZvQW6vd0ca5e_QbO5QbIgtf1OjDWribW1_53oPb9kc0GioQEuJgnhsVaXchWnWVB_LbjsnwLztMhTWMlk_znx0Aqgc/s320/JV&Annabelle.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #050505; font-family: "inherit", serif; line-height: 107%;"><p style="background-color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 107%;">In 1972, my father—J. V. Gramlich—died on this date. Of a
heart attack. I was 13. He was 58. He seemed old to me at the time but so much
younger now. I had my own heart attack at 59 but survived. For nearly 30 years
my thoughts turned automatically to him on this </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="4ptmv-1-0"><span data-text="true">date</span></span></span><span data-offset-key="4ptmv-2-0" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-text="true">. In many of those years I wrote a poem for him.</span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;">I realized this morning that I’d almost forgotten dad on this
day. Only seeing a post on facebook about some celebrity who died on this date
sparked my memory. And I realized that, for the last ten years, I <i>have</i>
forgotten in many Aprils and have allowed the day to pass unremarked.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For a moment, a flash of pain swept through me. How could I
ever forget? But I know how. I have so many more things to think about today.
Work, of course. The semester is always busy at this time. But that’s the least
of it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have my own son to think of. He works too hard and rests
too little, and I see myself at his age in that. And I have a daughter-in-law
who is a great mother to my two wonderful grandsons, Silas and Sully. And those
boys! What wonderful, amazing, beautiful children. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And there’s Lana, who keeps our yard beautiful with flowers, and
who is so smart that we can talk about anything in the world, and who makes the
best spaghetti and meat sauce I’ve ever eaten, and who is just simply cute in
every way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoPlainText">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 107%;">I don’t forget my father. I still have his photo (with mom)
up in my living room. But the day of his death no longer has the same power and
same pull on me that it used to. There’s too much life going on around me to
think very much of death. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p></span></span>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28221839.post-85748099732488856522022-03-02T18:18:00.001-06:002022-03-02T18:18:14.664-06:00The Talisman, by Stephen King and Peter Straub<p><i>T<span style="font-size: medium;">he Talisman</span></i><span style="font-size: medium;">, by Stephen King and Peter Straub. 646
pages. Viking.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">You know how when you’ve been constipated for three days and
you finally slay the dragon? How good it feels? And yet, there are still residual
cramps that torture you? Well, that’s exactly how I felt when I finally
finished reading <i>The Talisman</i>. I worked on it for over two months, occasionally
speed reading a section or two while at other times getting caught up in the
prose and absorbing it. I started it December 24 of one year and finished March
2 of another. Not since <i>Moby Dick</i> have I labored so hard on a single
book. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are the positives: 1). The prose is generally
delightful. I like Straub’s prose a lot and generally find King’s prose to be perfectly
adequate to the story by rather “meh” aesthetically, but King seems to have
risen to the challenge of Straub here and the book is finely written. 2). The
fantasy setting of the “territories,” which is contiguous with the world we
know, was excellent. I particularly liked how everything was experienced so
intensely in the territories. 3). The climactic scenes were powerful, both the
final battle with the evil and the denouement with the character’s mother. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, there are a number of things I didn’t care much for
and I think they all revolve around one particular issue. The book is way, way
too long. I’d say at least 200 pages too long. Every scene is embellished and
packed with verbiage. There is nothing here that can be considered lean or stripped
down. Instead of a juggernaut, it moves like one of those giant armored buses often
depicted in zombie movies. The story rolls slowly along through the horrors and
mysteries, powerful but ponderous. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Because of the length of the book, the middle sags like a
mattress supported by broken springs, the characters repeat themselves and
repeat themselves in thought and dialogue, points get hammered (the book often uses
an apropos metaphor of a nail being pounded) flush to the board and then the
board gets hammered into mush. I frequently uttered the words, “Get on with it”
as I worked my way through. It also struck me as apropos that the main villain
is often called “bloat.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Please note, this is a fantasy novel, not in any way a
horror novel. There are a few horrific images in it but the monsters and
characters are fantasy based, including the werewolves and the radiation twisted
monsters. I like both fantasy and horror, but they do different things to my moods
and mindsets. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Also note, the book makes no secret of being—in part—a fantasy
retelling of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Even the main character’s name is Jack
Sawyer, although the journey across the US smacks a bit of Huck Finn’s journey
down the Mississippi. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I didn’t dislike the book. Some things I quite enjoyed. But
the sheer length and padding of it made it a tough row to plow. You might find your
experience very different, as I might have if I’d read it when I was much
younger. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also want to make clear, I do not dislike Stephen King or
Peter Straub’s work. <i>Ghost Story</i> by Straub is in my top 3 favorite
horror novels. Some of his short stories in <i>Houses Without Windows</i> still
scald me years after reading them. King’s <i>Misery</i> and <i>The Mist</i>
were absolutely riveting page turners, and <i>Pet Semetary</i> made me weep
with emotion. These are very fine writers but—to me—<i>The Talisman</i> is far
from their best work. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>Charles Gramlichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com2