Lin Carter: Enthusiast of the Fantastic by Brian Murphy “To read purely for entertainment, for just an echo of the Sirens’ Song, or the faint, wild, heart-stirring music of the Horns of Elfland, is mere juvenile escapism. Or so say the Professors— “But you and I know different. We do, that is, if you are fond of reading fantasy. If so, then take heart, for such wizardry as sings through the old, heroic legends has not quite been silenced yet.” — Lin Carter, “The Horns of Elfland” Born this month 92 years ago, the late Lin Carter (1930-1988) was, perhaps more than anything else, an enthusiast. He heard the Horns of Elfland, and they called to him like few fans of the sacred genre before or since. Author of Thongor. Creator of worlds. Self-mythologizer. Awards organizer of the Gandalf, for whose statuettes he paid out of his own modest pocket. Founder of the (mostly fictitious) Swordsmen and Sorcerer’s Guild of America, or S.A.G.A. Generous with his praise, both for the fantasy GOATS, and his peers and contemporaries. Editor of the esteemed Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series (BAFS), which breathed new life into old classics and helped codify the fantasy genre. Frequent contributor to Amra. Capable steward of multiple anthologies including Year’s Best Fantasy, Flashing Swords, Kingdoms of Wizardry, Realms of Wizardry, the Zebra Weird Tales paperback revival, and many others. Carter wrote lots of fiction. Most of it was of mediocre pastiche quality, with a few sparkles amidst the detritus. But what he never lacked was a boundless enthusiasm for it all. Carter’s summary of the year in fantasy fiction in Year’s Best Fantasy Stories (of which he edited the first six volumes, published from 1975-80) was a welcome bird’s eye view of the day’s happenings in fantasy. Carter covered major events like the death of J.R.R. Tolkien, Ballantine’s cancellation of the BAFS, the end of publisher Lancer, the appearance of small but important specialty publishers like Donald M. Grant, breathy anticipation of The Silmarillion, the landmark appearance of Watership Down, and coverage of the first World Fantasy Convention in Providence, RI. He mourned for what was lost, but was possessed of an irrepressible enthusiasm for the new, and what was coming next. I love Carter’s illuminating and occasionally gushing introductions to the volumes he edited. Introducing readers to William...