Short Sorcery: Poul Anderson’s “The Tale of Hauk”
Nov24

Short Sorcery: Poul Anderson’s “The Tale of Hauk”

Short Sorcery: Poul Anderson’s “The Tale of Hauk”by Bill WardPoul Anderson, Grand Master of Science Fiction and author of over 100 books, always seems to bring a little something extra to the table when writing a tale invoking Norse mythology. Whether it be in the myth-inspired sword-and-sorcery classic The Broken Sword, or his novelized retellings of the sagas of figures like Hrolf-Kraki and Harald Hardrada, Anderson’s love for the...

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A Trip Into “The Willows”
Oct28

A Trip Into “The Willows”

This October, Take a Trip Into “The Willows”by Brian MurphyWriting something original about “The Willows” is about as fraught a proposition as having something original to say about The Lord of the Rings. First published in 1907, Algernon Blackwood’s tale is widely recognized as, if not the finest horror/suspense story in the English language, certainly in the conversation. Many have extolled its virtues, and none other...

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Short Sorcery: Fritz’s Leiber’s “Bazaar of the Bizarre”
Sep16

Short Sorcery: Fritz’s Leiber’s “Bazaar of the Bizarre”

The Monsters and Magic of Lankhmar Indiegogo campaign is currently live over on Indiegogo, and what better way to help celebrate it than to take a look at the world from which they originate? Enjoy!Short Sorcery: Fritz Leiber’s “Bazaar of the Bizarre”by Bill WardIf I had to describe Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories in one word, that word would be ‘fun.’ Not the dismissive ‘fun’...

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Short Sorcery: Poul Anderson’s “Witch of the Demon Seas”
Nov30

Short Sorcery: Poul Anderson’s “Witch of the Demon Seas”

Short Sorcery: Poul Anderson’s “Witch of the Demon Seas”by Bill Ward“Let us not use words meant to impress the ignorant among ourselves,” said Chryseis scornfully. “Every sorcerer knows there is nothing of heaven or hell about magic. It is but the imposition of a pattern on other minds. It creates, by control of the senses, illusions of lycanthropy or whatever else is desired, or it binds the subject by the...

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Short Sorcery: C.L. Moore’s “Shambleau”
Oct15

Short Sorcery: C.L. Moore’s “Shambleau”

Short Sorcery: C.L. Moore’s “Shambleau”by Bill Ward“And this conflict and knowledge, this mingling of rapture and revulsion all took place in the flashing of a moment while the scarlet worms coiled and crawled upon him, sending deep, obscene tremors of that infinite pleasure into every atom . . . And he could not stir in that slimy, ecstatic embrace—and a weakness was flooding that grew deeper after each succeeding wave of intense...

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Short Sorcery: Fritz Leiber’s “Thieves’ House”
Sep28

Short Sorcery: Fritz Leiber’s “Thieves’ House”

Short Sorcery: Fritz Leiber’s “Thieves’ House”by Bill WardMore than any other classic sword-and-sorcery series, Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are associated with thievery. It isn’t just that the twain, the dynamic duo of tall Northerner Fafhrd and shifty little Mouser, are themselves consummate rogues of wild daring and tremendous fame, but that the world they usually inhabit, the crazy mazey...

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