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The Cost of Magic
I’ve been thinking lately about magic. In fiction, its treatment varies widely, but I feel like there are a few generalizations I can make. First, I don’t agree…
John Bellairs and the Face of Magic
I’ve been thinking about magic lately, and I’ve got a post brewing…but it’s not quite ready yet. It did bring me back around to thinking about John Bellairs,…
The Word-Hoard: Barbican
Barbican n. The outer defense of a castle or walled city; especially a double tower above a gate or drawbridge. This feels to me like another Jack…
Blessed
Another year, and life is pretty good. I’ve got neither wealth nor fame, but I’ve got food and drink, books and a few video games. I’ve got a…
The Maid and Butler and Swordsman of Mars
Sometimes characters explain things to one another that they should already know. “My lord, your brilliant plan – to poison the ambassador’s wine and then blame it on…
The Word-Hoard: Verdigris
Verdigris n. A green or bluish patina formed on copper, brass, or bronze surfaces exposed to the atmosphere for long periods of time , consisting principally of basic…
Koshchei and the strange, black, turbaned lady
I just finished reading James Branch Cabell’s Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice, and it’s absolutely overflowing with references to lore and myth and legend, and plenty of couched philosophical…
Exotic weapons: the pata
The other day I discovered a show on the History Channel. It’s called Forged in Fire, and it’s basically Chopped but with blacksmiths making weapons. In the first…
Not-Quite-Solomon Kane: The Movie
I’ve written before about Solomon Kane, the original Caped Crusader. Though Conan the Barbarian, with his own merits, is Robert E. Howard’s most famous creation, Kane is my personal…
Andre Norton’s Gray Scifi
“All Cats Are Gray,” by “Andrew North,” is another story I was turned onto by Audio SFF’s Reading, Short and Deep podcast. I’ve written about Andre Norton before,…