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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2020 7:12:03 GMT -6
Dude, the Elric Saga is among my favorite from Appendix N so far, losing out slightly to Dying Earth compilation by Jack Vance. It's really more of a tie when it comes to quality but I personally enjoyed Cugel's antics. I need to go back and read more of Moorcock's stuff specifically after I finish my general Appendix N project, though. I hear the Hawkmoon stuff is good, too.
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Post by stevemitchell on Jun 12, 2020 11:35:19 GMT -6
The Hawkmoon and Corum series are both well worth reading. Also the novel The Eternal Champion.
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Post by stevemitchell on Jun 21, 2020 14:58:58 GMT -6
The Book of Hyperborea by Clark Ashton Smith. From the mephitic vaults of Necronomicon Press, this is a collection of all of Smith’s stories set on the prehistoric continent of Hyperborea—assembled in the order in which they were written, rather than in presumed chronological sequence. The Hyperborean tales are perhaps not quite as good as the Zothique stories overall, but they are still well worth reading.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway. I’m not sure how a work of serious literature infiltrated this list, but I enjoyed it anyway. Includes “The Killers,” which was made into two movies, one in the 1940s, the other in the 1960s.
Tales from the Saragossa Manuscript by Jan Potocki. This is a very interesting series of interlocking Gothic narratives, set in rural Spain in the 18th Century, involving soldiers, thieves, revenants, kabbalists, temptresses, and sundry other individuals.
Cthulhusattva: Tales of the Black Gnosis ed. by Scott R. Jones. A collection of new Cthulhu Mythos tales. Some pretty dark stuff here.
The Elemental: Tales of the Supernormal and the Inexplicable by Ulric Daubeny. From Ash-Tree Press, another collection of good old-fashioned ghost stories.
Cthulhu’s Cousins and Other Weirdnesses by W. Paul Ganley. Ganley was the publisher of the semi-prozine Weirdbook and the author of many essays on fantastic literature. This collection includes several Lovecraftian tales along with a few heroic fantasy pieces.
Rudolf Steiner by Gary Lachman. Steiner, an Austrian writer and teacher from about a century ago, created a mystical and philosophical movement called Anthroposophy. This is a good introduction to his life and thought.
An Imp of Aether by W. H. Pugmire. Pugmire, who passed away in 2019, was a long-time contributor to Lovecraftian and horror fanzines, and the author of several volumes of short stories. This is a very nice “overview” collection of his fiction, and includes several tales set in the ill-famed Sesqua Valley region.
The Cock and Anchor by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. Le Fanu’s first book, not a mystery as were most of his later titles, but rather a historical novel set in and around Dublin during the reign of Queen Anne. A mix of political and personal intrigue, though more of the later. Downer ending.
Ash-Tree Press Macabre Volume Two edited by Jack Adrian. A compilation of stories from the earlier Ash-Tree “Annual Macabre” volumes, ranging from late Victorian to early modern. An excellent collection of weird tales.
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Post by Malchor on Jun 23, 2020 16:08:57 GMT -6
Finished Three Hearts and Three Lions
Now on the Witcher book Season of storms.
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Post by Otto Harkaman on Jun 24, 2020 18:41:02 GMT -6
Bought myself some new Sony bluetooth headphones, listening to Elric of Melnibone. Glad I got them, makes listening to audiobooks a real treat.
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Post by Punkrabbitt on Jun 24, 2020 21:03:49 GMT -6
I just started pn Stephen King's "Night Shift" anthology.
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Post by Otto Harkaman on Jun 28, 2020 20:46:50 GMT -6
When I read Elric of Melnibone when I was young, I thought he was so cool. Now that I am older I see how tragic he is.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2020 14:19:02 GMT -6
I've read through the Elric books more than once and can see myself re-reading them many times throughout the years to come. They're up there with LOTR in my book. Ironic because I'm pretty sure Moorcock is on record as conscientiously subverting all of Tolkien's tropes, but so many of us seem to enjoy both universes. It's likely the common hobby of being gamers that brings these disparate tastes together. Since I discovered D&D as an impressionable elementary school student, I view every movie, every book, every piece of art, every idea in how gameable they are and where they'd fit into my D&D universe.
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Post by Otto Harkaman on Jul 2, 2020 15:05:30 GMT -6
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Post by doublejig2 on Jul 7, 2020 18:40:47 GMT -6
Just finished The Voyage of Discovery by William Lawhead. Thoughtful introduction to the history of philosophy. Good stuff; a start at filling in various holes, which I had in the tapestry...
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Post by Malchor on Jul 17, 2020 13:41:31 GMT -6
Finished Season of Storms, another Witcher book.
Now reading Poul Anderson's The High Crusade, which I do not like.
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Post by geoffrey on Jul 17, 2020 14:10:26 GMT -6
I recently finished reading Conan the Avenger. While there are a few unbelievably bad passages, I enjoyed the novel for the most part.
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Post by Falconer on Jul 17, 2020 17:33:16 GMT -6
Now reading Poul Anderson's The High Crusade, which I do not like. Wow, really? That’s one of my favorites!
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Post by tetramorph on Jul 17, 2020 20:02:23 GMT -6
Now reading Poul Anderson's The High Crusade, which I do not like. Wow, really? That’s one of my favorites! Yeah, me too. One of my favorites.
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Post by sirclarence on Jul 18, 2020 3:22:16 GMT -6
Poul Anderson - Hrolf Krakis Saga
Excellent read so far.
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Post by Piper on Jul 18, 2020 7:16:40 GMT -6
El faro del fin del mundo by Jules Verne. I've never read the English version (The Lighthouse at the End of the World) but I'm really enjoying it. It's just a YA novella but I've always enjoyed Verne.
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Post by Otto Harkaman on Jul 19, 2020 11:47:03 GMT -6
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Post by derv on Jul 19, 2020 13:04:04 GMT -6
Mike Ashley's "The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines" This looks extremely interesting. I hope you will share a brief review when you're done. I'm curious if it touches on the parallel and cross developments of comic books as well.
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Post by Otto Harkaman on Jul 19, 2020 18:40:05 GMT -6
Mike Ashley's "The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines" This looks extremely interesting. I hope you will share a brief review when you're done. I'm curious if it touches on the parallel and cross developments of comic books as well. Yes it talks about this in the first book, Time Machines From index: Pg 62 Pg 81 etc. They are pretty heavy read books, jammed with facts, almost overwhelming so, gives a fascinating glimpse into the production of these magazines and the personalities behind them.
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Post by stevemitchell on Jul 20, 2020 14:59:02 GMT -6
Visions of Carcosa by Steve Lines and John B. Ford. A mix of stories, poems, and art pieces, all attesting to the strange allure of Lost Carcosa.
Forget About Flying Saucers (You Can’t Stop Us and It Will Only Cause Panic and Disaster) by Gray Barker. Well, really, you can’t forget, but sometimes you wish you could. . . .
Horrors & Heresies by Robert M. Price. This is the second major collection of stories from the unpleasantly erudite Dr. Price, following his earlier Blasphemies & Revelations. He probes into the arcana of both history and theology to bring to light (or perhaps to darkness?) some of the more obscure aspects of the Cthulhu Mythos. I’m sure many of you will recognize Dr. Price as the long-time editor of the Crypt of Cthulhu fanzine, as well as several of the “Call of Cthulhu” fiction collections from Chaosium.
Heroes of Atlantis & Lemuria ed. by D. M. Ritzlin. DMR Books is a relatively new publisher that is bringing out some really enjoyable works of heroic fantasy, both reprints of hard-to-find material and new stories. This volume centers on the obvious theme of lost continents, with five stories by Manly Wade Wellman featuring his hero, Kardios, the last survivor of Atlantis; three tales by Frederick Arnold Kummer taking the wandering Khor to Lemuria; and a Leigh Brackett adventure set in Mu.
The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok translated by Ben Waggoner. A compilation of the various tales of Ragnar Lodbrok from the saga literature. Basic source material for the Vikings television program.
The Wanderer’s Necklace by H. Rider Haggard. Even more Viking fun—a Danish warrior drifts down to Constantinople, joins the famed Varangian Guard, and gets caught up in the schemes of the Empress Irene, circa 800 A.D.
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H. P. Lovecraft. The annotated version from the University of Tampa Press. Lovecraft’s longest work, a short novel of malign necromancy and blasphemous conjurations. One of my favorites from HPL.
The Treasure of Atlantis by J. Allen Dunn. Stalwart American explorers find a remnant of ancient Atlantis (actually ancient Crete) deep in the Amazonian jungles. Fully stocked with the clichés of the lost race genre: the evil temptress queen, the scheming high priest, and of course, the exploding volcano.
Aliens in Ancient Egypt by Xavient Haze. Well, obviously it must have been aliens who built the pyramids, and those elongated heads from the Amarna period positively scream “Hybrid!”
The Undead Die by E. Everett Evans. Horror and fantasy stories from the pulp era, including a collaboration with Ray Bradbury (the title story). Includes several interesting variations on the vampire theme.
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Post by doublejig2 on Jul 20, 2020 19:23:18 GMT -6
Currently reading Medieval Callings ed. Jacque Le Goff. It discusses 10 medieval 'archetypes': the Monk, the Warrior and Knight, the Peasant, the City-dweller, The Intellectual, the Artist, the Merchant, Women and family, the Saint, and the Marginal Man. The book is no easy read but is full of insight and frankly delightful.
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Post by Otto Harkaman on Jul 21, 2020 7:41:11 GMT -6
I am finding this book much easier to read than the three I posted above about the history of Science Fiction magazines. Those could almost be viewed as a three volume encyclopedia. "Astounding" gives more biographical sketches of the major personalities behind the magazine.
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Post by stevemitchell on Jul 21, 2020 18:54:09 GMT -6
Seems to me that the ASTOUNDING book should also give some prominence to A. E. Van Vogt--he's not so well remembered today, but he was a great idea-man and influence at the time. I can't remember the last time I read, or re-read, Asimov or Heinlein, but I still dip into Van Vogt with some frequency.
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Post by Otto Harkaman on Jul 21, 2020 22:32:46 GMT -6
Seems to me that the ASTOUNDING book should also give some prominence to A. E. Van Vogt--he's not so well remembered today, but he was a great idea-man and influence at the time. I can't remember the last time I read, or re-read, Asimov or Heinlein, but I still dip into Van Vogt with some frequency. Good point, I am just a chapter or two into the book. Those other books mention him a lot with Astounding. Great covers on Van Vogt's books, going to have read more of him. I hadn't known Heinlein had served on the USS Lexington at one time. I had been reading about the Battle of the Coral Sea a couple months ago, what a ship in its day.
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Post by Otto Harkaman on Jul 23, 2020 7:50:48 GMT -6
Seems to me that the ASTOUNDING book should also give some prominence to A. E. Van Vogt--he's not so well remembered today, but he was a great idea-man and influence at the time. I can't remember the last time I read, or re-read, Asimov or Heinlein, but I still dip into Van Vogt with some frequency. Now close to midway in the book, it is pretty long, I think A. E. Van Vogt, though a very contributing writer to Astounding, wasn't as personal a connection to Campbell as were Hubbard, Heinlein and Asimov. Heinlein comes across as a prig and a bully I am really enjoying this book.
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Post by geoffrey on Jul 23, 2020 16:09:55 GMT -6
I recently read my first non-REH book, Conan the Avenger by Bjorn Nyberg. While clearly not as good as REH, I still enjoyed it.
I just finished reading Conan of Aquilonia by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, and I found it much inferior to Nyberg's book. I am not sure now if I will move on to Conan of the Isles.
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Post by stevemitchell on Jul 23, 2020 20:23:56 GMT -6
Conan of the Isles is pretty bad--about on a par with Conan of Aquilonia. And ditto Conan the Buccaneer, also by de Camp and Carter. Perhaps the best of the non-REH Conan pastiches is Conan: The Road of Kings by Karl Edward Wagner. Wagner's Bran Mak Morn pastiche Legion from the Shadows is also quite good.
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Post by Vile Traveller on Jul 24, 2020 4:15:42 GMT -6
Finally getting to grips with my roots and cracking open the Mabinogion.
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Post by tkdco2 on Jul 24, 2020 15:42:17 GMT -6
Finally getting to grips with my roots and cracking open the Mabinogion. Good choice! I read the stories when I took a Celtic Mythology class in college and enjoyed the cycle.
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Post by Otto Harkaman on Aug 1, 2020 13:07:56 GMT -6
Listening to The Galactic Patrol and The Legion of Space
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