Chasing a Living in California by Anon. appeared in the June 1944 issue of The Wide World. The June issue continues with an anecdotal warning from an anonymous Brit that there’s no work to be found in the United States, only hardship. By 1944, the US had ramped up its wartime economy, and Anon’s account […]
The summer’s wealth of fantasy’s riches continues into August. Here is a short collection sampling many of the new titles offered this month. * * * * * Adventure Constant – Jon Mollison Jack Dashing thought being a rocket test pilot was the most exciting career his […]
Wherever you look these days, editors’ submission guidelines are firm: no stories based on your D&D campaign. This is wise for a number of reasons, I suppose, but you do come across interesting variants on the idea of gamers getting stuck in their game, and occasionally they actually are quite good – good enough to […]
The summer’s wealth of science fiction riches continues into August. Here is a short sample of the many new titles offered this month. * * * * * All These Worlds (We Are Bob #3) – Dennis Taylor Being a sentient spaceship really should be more fun. […]
Another solid episode of Geek Gab is here! Meet David J. West! Find out why his Brutal is neither Epic nor Grimdark! Learn how to use Amazon key words to find your audience! Hear his take on why “Indie” publishing is a recapitulation of the pulp era! SPECIAL BONUS DADDY WARPIG RANT ABOUT THE SPACE […]
“Bull Dog” Smith by James McCormick appeared in the June 1944 issue of The Wide World. Okay, so I swear I’ve seen this story before. Maybe it played out in some mystery drama or cartoon or something, and I’m tearing my hair out because I can’t place it, but this seems so familiar! James McCormick […]
D.A.W. Books was the bastion of sword and planet fiction in the 1970s. Donald Wollheim published Kenneth Bulmer as Alan Burt Akers, Lin Carter, John Norman etc. He also was willing to use new artists. One of those was Richard Hescox (born 1949) started out as a D.A.W Books cover artist but went on for […]
The Haunted Level by Cassiter Wright appeared in the June 1944 issue of The Wide World. I seriously looked for this but I couldn’t even find a shot of the cover, but it has a guy with a mustache in a beater and a hat standing in a jungle pointing out across a lagoon. Taking a […]
You know The Shadow. You may know The Spider. You definitely know Conan. And after this year’s cinematic offering you also know Valerian, even if you’re not familiar with the original comics. But are these really the most beloved SFF heroes in print? Really? Yes, they are definitely at the top – and a convincing […]
At a used bookstore, you might come across a 1970s U.K. paperback with distinctive art. You might have Melvyn Grant or Bruce Pennington art on the cover. There is a good chance it will be Chris Achilleos. From his website: “Christos Achilleos grew up in a rural village near the town of Famagusta in Cyprus; […]
You can read people’s blog posts compulsively, but there are some things you just can’t pick up about them until you hear them talk. And in this latest Geek Gab episode, Castalia House Blog columnist Vlad James comes alive! It’s a great show, though. And I have to say, I never really got why all the […]
Been awhile since I’ve done one of these, but now’s as good a time as any. I’m done with the March 1939 issue of Weird Tales, so it’s time to take a look at the fan letters to try to answer the time-old question: who was reading the pulps? Turns out, Ladies, Ladies, Ladies!