Abstemious adj. 1. Sparing or moderate in eating and drinking; temperate in diet. 2. Characterized by abstinence. 3. Sparing. I was a honestly a bit surprised when I came across this little number while reading Burroughs. The guy could write, but I generally don’t associate him with words like […]
A Baumy Christmas In preparation for this year’s ChristmaSFF read, I did a little bit of sifting around for information about L. Frank Baum, the author of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. He’s much more widely known as the writer of the Oz books, which were my early childhood […]
Cavalcade n. 1. A line of people, walking, on horses, or in vehicles, who are moving slowly as part of a ceremony. 2. A number of important people, things, or events appearing or happening in a short space of time. “Cavalcade” originally referred to a horseback procession, and shares […]
The illustrious Poul Anderson is another one of those scifi/fantasy grandmasters who you’ve probably never heard of if you were born after 1980. Although he was writing until his death in 2001, he seems to have fallen into obscurity in the later decades of his career, which is a damn […]
As much as I talk about older scifi and fantasy, I like some contemporary fiction. I’m a fan of the Witcher stories. I like Harry Potter (is that contemporary anymore?). Hell, I was even on the Game of Thrones bandwagon back before HBO picked it up. But looking at a lot […]
Leonine adj. Of, relating to, suggestive of, or resembling a lion. “Leonine,” from the Latin leo and leoninus, isn’t a difficult word, per say. It did catch my eye in my recent reading of The Swordsman of Mars, however, because it’s so scarcely used compared to many other bestial descriptors. Bovine, ovine, aquiline, […]
When I was a kid, I loved the old Rankin and Bass holiday specials (I mean I gobbled up all their stuff, but). They produced a number of Santa-related animations, many still beloved today. The misers were great, memorable characters, but for my money the one that stood out was The […]
I’ve been catching up on some classic cinema, thanks to offerings by Amazon Prime Video. I haven’t been that impressed, honestly, but it’s all long-overdue required watching. Let me share a few thoughts and impressions as an expert SFF critic and navelgazer. 1. The Omega Man This one was actually […]
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 with Gita (or Orson Scott Card) that magic must have a price or else be rendered uninteresting. Of course magic should have limitations. […]
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