Yearly Archives:
sGuest Post by Misha Burnett: Green Eyes by Lucius Shepard
Monday , 5, September 2016 Appendix X 4 CommentsDead Man Walking: Lucius Shepard’s Green Eyes Green Eyes was published in 1984, originally by Ace. It is currently available as a Kindle e-book published by ElectricStory.com, which seems to specialize in reprints of classic genre fiction. The e-book copy of Green Eyes that I purchased is well formatted and free of errors. This book […]
Cirsova Magazine, Spring 2016- Review
Sunday , 4, September 2016 Book Review, Publications, Short Fiction Leave a commentWe might be in the middle of a spontaneous movement of small press fantastic adventure fiction. Return of the Sword, Griots, Swords of Steel, Skelos, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Swords and Sorcery Magazine have a D.I.Y. attitude. I think there has been a reaction against the blandness and “whoosification” of fantasy fiction from the big book […]
Short Reviews – Queen of the Martian Catacombs, by Leigh Brackett
Friday , 2, September 2016 Book Review 9 CommentsQueen of the Martian Catacombs by Leigh Brackett appeared in the Summer 1949 issue of Planet Stories. It can be found here on Internet Archive. Queen of the Martian Catacombs introduced the world to Eric John Stark, one of the last great pulp heroes, in a messy and chaotic romp across the wilds of a […]
Ray Bradbury called him the most influential writer in the entire history of the world. What are people saying on his birthday today…? Bob Leeper at Nerdvana emphasizes the epic scope of the man’s influence: “If the artists, authors and filmmakers who created every single one of those pop culture mainstays, and the professionals who […]
Dawn of the Skeksis: Science Fiction’s Most Damaging Split
Thursday , 1, September 2016 Appendix N 28 CommentsWe’ve spent a lot of time here delving into the ups and downs of several movements within science fiction and fantasy– the Campbellian Revolution, the New Wave, the tremendous changes that occurred in publishing in the late seventies, etc. We’ve broken stories here uncovering how both fandom and publishing are pretty well divorced from the […]
SENSOR SWEEP: Clean Limbs, Leaden Eras, Bland Old Dinosaurs, and Insinuating a Background
Wednesday , 31, August 2016 Sensor Sweep 12 CommentsAppendix N (Hooc Ott) Tarzan the Cimmerian And Conan of the Apes — “Conan and Tarzan are both clean-(cut)-limbed, black haired, blue/grey eyed, black Irish, super agile, big kitty killing, noble savages made of steal and Iron. Howard and Burroughs use some similar words phrases descriptions, scenarios and reference Plato’s Atlantis. Convincing evidence in my […]
WARGAME WEDNESDAY: Pursuit of Perfection: Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game
Wednesday , 31, August 2016 Wargames 2 CommentsA new series! I’m taking a break from overarching principles of wargaming to look at specific Wargames and what they do well. This examination stems from a belief that a perfect Wargame has not been made and the best is yet to come. I’m something of a game designer, which means I spend way too […]
RETROSPECTIVE: “Song in a Minor Key” by C. L. Moore
Tuesday , 30, August 2016 Appendix N 15 CommentsIf the pulp ethos can be summed into just one thing, it’s this: There is always a woman. It’s in everything, really. No matter how outrageous the setting, how dangerous the threat, or how weird the the situation is in the opening hook, honestly… it’s all just prelude for the entrance of a dame. Whether […]
SUPERVERSIVE: Even “Rick and Morty” has a heart under its hideous, Cronenberged exterior
Tuesday , 30, August 2016 Superversive 18 CommentsApologies for the long title; it seemed appropriate for what, as tends to be my wont, is a long post. Also, by the way, prepare yourself for spoilers. It’s unavoidable, so I’ll just get the warning out of the way now. Nothing from here on out is going to be marked, so if you don’t […]
RETROSPECTIVE: A Spaceship for the King by Jerry Pournelle
Monday , 29, August 2016 Appendix N 17 CommentsThe literary inspirations of Traveller are significantly harder to pin down in comparison to D&D. In the first place, there is no counterpart to the “Appendix N” list in the pages of its core rules. The idea that the game could have drawn from a diverse range of short fiction is thus something that most […]
Guest Post by Brian Renninger: Running First Edition Oriental Adventures, Session 3 Part 2
Monday , 29, August 2016 Tabletop Games 3 CommentsPlay report 3b: 1st Edition AD&D, and 1st Edition Oriental Adventures. Anchors aweigh! Part 2 When we last saw our intrepid barbarians they had hit the town like a storm: punched out the town guard; kidnapped the headman and sold him into slavery to a southern pirate queen; signed on as crew to a large […]
Military fantasy has antecedents that go back more than 80 years. Robert E. Howard had an interest in medieval warfare that showed in some of his fiction. “Kings in the Night,” “The Scarlet Citadel,” “Black Colossus,” and Hour of the Dragon all have set piece battles described in detail. One could add Howard’s crusader […]