Hero of Dreams by Brian Lumley
S.E. rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sword and Mythos fiction- too Entertaining to be Horrific
Brian Lumley’s Hero of Dreams is an overt mashup of Lovecraft’s Dreamcycle and Leiber’s Fafred and Gray Mouser series. The premise is great and reinforces Lumley’s Khash series written in a similar vein (i.e. fun Sword & Sorcery adventure in a Weird-Fiction, Cthulhu-esque world). The stories are too fun for a reader to feel horror or tension, but the milieu is enjoying to explore. Like Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories The Swords of Lankhmar, the Scooby-Doo vibe emanates from the story: there are horrors show, but the story is too fun to be scared.
One could argue that horrific landscapes need to be fun or they can’t be enjoyed at length (i.e. H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath comes to mind, a rare novel length adventure that is really difficult to read…even by die-hard weird fiction readers desperate to learn more of Pickman!). Hero of Dreams is reminiscent of Michael Shea’s Nifft the Lean stories; Hero of Dreams somehow makes reading about the First Ones and Eldritch Gods really easy.
Your tour guides are the waking-world dreamers David Hero and Eldin (and their woman side kick, and Dreamland native Aminza). Ostensibly, by waking day, David Hero is “really” an artist and Eldin (Leonard Dingle) a professor; these characteristics are shed in Dreamland. They have superior strength and dexterity versus the native dream things, but are not as powerful as the god-like First Ones or skilled in magic like the sorcerers they stumble upon. There are plenty of call-outs to Cthulhu and Lumley’s own Titus Crow (Lumley’s weird fiction character, i.e., from The Transition of Titus Crow). They come into direct contact with the elders and anthropoid termites as they quest for the three magic wands (with ties to Cthulhu no less).
My edition is a 1986 one from W. Paul Ganley. He printed was a conduit for Lumley into the US Market, printing mush of his work first before large publishers reprinted his works. He also had them illustrated. Jean Corbin illustrated this one and the dozen illustration do add to the adventure, with compelling renditions of night-gaunts and Ter-men.
Lumley’s Dreamland Series:
1-Hero of Dreams
2-Ship of Dreams
3-Mad Moon of Dreams
4-Iced on Aran
Lumley's Khash series, Tales of the Primal Land:
The Compleat Khash: Volume One: Never a Backward Glance
The Compleat Khash: Volume Two: Sorcery In Shad
(reprinted later in a series starting with Tarra Khash: Hrossak!: Tales of the Primal Land)
View all my reviews
This focuses on Beauty in Weird Fiction, with interviews. S E Lindberg is the creator of Dyscrasia Fiction, a Managing Editor at Black Gate, an intern for Tales From the Mag.’s Skull, and moderator of the Goodreads Sword and Sorcery Group
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Jan-Feb: Staveley's Unhewn Throne and Anthologies - Groupreads
(Link to ) Anthologies Folder : Yes this is our annual tradition of delving into new and old short stories that are at the heart of the genre.
(Link to) Staveley's Unhewn Throne Folder : And its time for novel reading too!
Masthead Banner Credits
Representing “Anthologies”: Raphael Lacoste’s cover for the Beneath Ceaseless Skies’s Issue #209, Eighth Anniversary Double-Issue — September 29, 2016. Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #209 by editor Scott H. Andrews
Representing “Unhewn Throne”: Richard Anderson’s cover for Brian Staveley’s The Providence of Fire (second in the Unhewn Throne Series).
Monday, December 12, 2016
Holiday Card 2016 - Promise and Peace
May every sunrise
hold more Promise,
and every sunset
hold more Peace
Team Lindberg 2016 |
To moderate embarrassment, we show Erin and Connor sans hats |
2016 has been interesting, with Erin getting her driver's license and Connor growing fast enough to make his father feel small. Seth continues with his writing hobby, this year appearing and moderating on author panels for the first time (at the World Fantasy Convention); he has a few works in progress that should appear next year. Seth and Connor continue to enjoy Aikido under Domaschko Sensei (it's a great martial art for disarming folk without inflicting harm, and tossing family members). Heidi has been continuing to build her photography portfolio, and this year's card features one of her snapshots from an angel in Spring Grove Cemetery (Cincinnati OH). Some runner-up options are below:
West Chester Cemetery |
West Chester Cemetery |
Spring Grove Cemetery |
The angel theme echoes of past angel cards from 2007 and 2011 (below); the sunset/sunrise key in 2012 and 2013 (MMXII and MMXIII). See all cards since 1998 (link).
Printing / Proofs / Traditional Font Disputes
Heidi always wins the font discussion. She cut my Roman Numerals (shown in the above Photoschop screen, and used previously on many cards) and then offered her keen eye on the faux sunlight. In addition to tackling the RGB to CMYK conversion, it's always best to get a proof in one's hand. We print from PSprint.com which has a proofing option. It takes ~1-2 weeks to print/receive/review a proof, so much of November involved the Lindberg's bickering over subtle colors. Turns out, Heidi steered this too.
Cheers to all, and may everyone embarrass their friends and family!
Lindberg kids loving their hats! |
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Guest Post - the Promise in Cover Art
Just weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Brenda Carre at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, Ohio as we shared seats on the “Writers – Artist Panel.” She invited me to continue our writer-artist discussion focusing on cover design on her blog.
Thanks Brenda!
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Wagner's Conan Pastiche - The Road of Kings
Conan: Road of Kings by Karl Edward Wagner
S.E. rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wagner's pastiches are highly recommended. A groupread from the Sword & Sorcery group in Goodreads led me to this. In short, the milieu was true to Hyborbian Age. Also, it followed Conan's development from buccaneer to potential king well; this would serve as a great prequel to REH"s only novel length Conan story The Hour of the Dragon.
Karl Edward Wagner was a dark fantasy hero, taking editing and writing very seriously. His expertise in adventure horror led him to develop the Sword & Sorcery amoral hero Kane (Gods in Darkness: The Complete Novels of Kane), which is legendary stuff. He also paid homage to Robert E. Howard by writing two pastiches: one for REH's hero Bran Mak Morn called Bran Mak Morn: Legion From The Shadows (a sequel to the Worms of the Earth short) and one for Conan called Conan: The Road of Kings. In both cases, Wagner took care to represent REH's Hyborian Age/milieu well while extending the canon slightly.
KEW ensured that Hyborian Age's historic cataclysms affected current life. The same events that sank Atlantis also covered the city of Kordova, the central local of this this book. The still inhabitable, underground city called the Pit and the drowned Kalenius's Tomb are not passive backdrops of history ... but affect the future of the land. The Pit was a great idea, only partially realized. Imagine manor houses and streets at the base of a grand canyon. There were many instances of fiery riots, but the consequences (like excess smoke/oxygen deprivation... and a lack of visibility were not demonstrated). "The Road of Kings" was written in 1979, before the popular Arnold movie that began with the oft quoted below (paraphrased from REH’s opening to Phoenix in the Sword).
Illustrations by Tim Kirk start out nicely grim (i.e., execution charms and souvenirs , i.e., hands and heads that amplify the story) but then quickly turn into a sparse picture book glossary for armor and weapons (halberds, swords, etc. that don't add much to the story). Keeping this from a 5-star is the Climax and Ending. The story arc was well designed but the delivery fell a little flat; the last chapter felt rushed and would have been better served drawn out. That said, Conan: The Road of Kings was a great fast read that will satisfy cravings for more Conan...but will only leave you wanting even another helping!
View all my reviews
S.E. rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wagner's pastiches are highly recommended. A groupread from the Sword & Sorcery group in Goodreads led me to this. In short, the milieu was true to Hyborbian Age. Also, it followed Conan's development from buccaneer to potential king well; this would serve as a great prequel to REH"s only novel length Conan story The Hour of the Dragon.
Karl Edward Wagner was a dark fantasy hero, taking editing and writing very seriously. His expertise in adventure horror led him to develop the Sword & Sorcery amoral hero Kane (Gods in Darkness: The Complete Novels of Kane), which is legendary stuff. He also paid homage to Robert E. Howard by writing two pastiches: one for REH's hero Bran Mak Morn called Bran Mak Morn: Legion From The Shadows (a sequel to the Worms of the Earth short) and one for Conan called Conan: The Road of Kings. In both cases, Wagner took care to represent REH's Hyborian Age/milieu well while extending the canon slightly.
KEW ensured that Hyborian Age's historic cataclysms affected current life. The same events that sank Atlantis also covered the city of Kordova, the central local of this this book. The still inhabitable, underground city called the Pit and the drowned Kalenius's Tomb are not passive backdrops of history ... but affect the future of the land. The Pit was a great idea, only partially realized. Imagine manor houses and streets at the base of a grand canyon. There were many instances of fiery riots, but the consequences (like excess smoke/oxygen deprivation... and a lack of visibility were not demonstrated). "The Road of Kings" was written in 1979, before the popular Arnold movie that began with the oft quoted below (paraphrased from REH’s opening to Phoenix in the Sword).
“Know, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars—Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen- eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."—The Nemedian Chronicles -Phoenix in the sword 1932 REHConan: The Road of Kings delivers everything one would want in a pastiche-- even REH's voice. REH wrote in short story form for Conan, this novel somehow still reads similarly. It's pace was uber-fast and the fight scene's grim. The milieu was true to Hyborbian Age as discussed above. Also, it followed Conan's development from buccaneer to potential king well; this would serve as a great prequel to REH"s only novel length Conan story The Hour of the Dragon. It was also true to the Sword and Sorcery genre that spawned from REH: Callidos's Stygian Necromancy and controlling of the golem-esque Final Guard worked well for the "sorcery", and plenty of melee satisfied the "sword" aspect.
“Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure! - Wizard from Conan the Barbarian Movie 1982”
Illustrations by Tim Kirk start out nicely grim (i.e., execution charms and souvenirs , i.e., hands and heads that amplify the story) but then quickly turn into a sparse picture book glossary for armor and weapons (halberds, swords, etc. that don't add much to the story). Keeping this from a 5-star is the Climax and Ending. The story arc was well designed but the delivery fell a little flat; the last chapter felt rushed and would have been better served drawn out. That said, Conan: The Road of Kings was a great fast read that will satisfy cravings for more Conan...but will only leave you wanting even another helping!
View all my reviews
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Jan-Feb Poll for Sword-n-Sorcery Groupread
Goodreads Sword & Sorcery Group
Vote now for Jan-Feb Theme(s). Recall, this period we always have an Anthology focus for one theme. This vote would be for a possible second discussion. Click to vote!
Friday, November 11, 2016
Pax Masculina - Scamehorn's dark short film spurns misogyny with steampunk madness!
As mentioned in a previous post, I recently attending another annual meeting of IASR. It's a great group of folks interested in soap technology, but many of us are artists too! Professor John Scamehorn has been writing and producing his own dark sci-fi short film called Pax Masculina. The best way to advertise this is to share the abstracts from IMDB and Facebook...oh those and the trailer! Keep an eye out for this as it grows from an independent endeavor into a full feature film (one day hopefully).
IMDB: In the United States in 2010, a misogynistic, totalitarian regime has created a century of peace and prosperity - the Pax Masculina. The Womans Resistance movement violently opposed the government as they fight for equality...
FB: "A religious leader known as the Prophet claims to speak directly to God and becomes dictator of the United States in 1910. The prophet defines a society where women have few rights and are expected to be dutiful wives and mothers. Uninhibited by the interference of women, the resultant government leads to a hundred years of peace and prosperity, known as the Pax Masculina. The movie takes place in 2010 when the Womans Resistance Movement has become very violent in its opposition to the misogynistic regime in their fight for equality. They use assassinations and bombings to create terror and kill without mercy. These women wear steampunk themed uniforms. Seduction and murder of policemen and government officials is a common tactic. The government induces its own terror with televised executions of captured soldiers. This film raises questions about how high a price is freedom worth when the alternative is a stable, comfortable society and illustrates the eternal tension between the sexes.'
Talking soap and ... movie production with Professor Scamehorn! |
FB: "A religious leader known as the Prophet claims to speak directly to God and becomes dictator of the United States in 1910. The prophet defines a society where women have few rights and are expected to be dutiful wives and mothers. Uninhibited by the interference of women, the resultant government leads to a hundred years of peace and prosperity, known as the Pax Masculina. The movie takes place in 2010 when the Womans Resistance Movement has become very violent in its opposition to the misogynistic regime in their fight for equality. They use assassinations and bombings to create terror and kill without mercy. These women wear steampunk themed uniforms. Seduction and murder of policemen and government officials is a common tactic. The government induces its own terror with televised executions of captured soldiers. This film raises questions about how high a price is freedom worth when the alternative is a stable, comfortable society and illustrates the eternal tension between the sexes.'
Genre
Science Fiction, Steam Punk, Live Action Short, Short Film, Independen t Film
About
In the US in 2010, a misogynist ic, totalitari an regime has created a century of peace and prosperity but are opposed by the Womans Resistance Movement.
Plot Outline
The prophet and his descendant s have created a social system along the lines of the Old Testament or Victorian England in that women are treated like property. They are told by their fathers who to marry, influenced in large part by the dowry provided. The society is economical ly successful and no wars have been fought for a century. This utopian paradise is disrupted by a violent opposition group known as the Womans Resistance Movement whose soldiers wear sexy steampunk themed uniforms, designed for combat and seduction. Both sides are ruthless as the women kill police without hesitation or mercy. The regime televise public hangings of captured soldiers, viewed as entertainm ent by all citizens.T he fundamenta l conflict between men and women is illustrate d by this film.
Starring
Rebecca Bartlett
Will Gardner
Kharissa Edmond
Stephen Goodman
Alex Harris
Will Gardner
Kharissa Edmond
Stephen Goodman
Alex Harris
Written By
John Scamehorn
Screenplay By
John Scamehorn
Produced By
John Scamehorn via Scamehorn Production s LLC
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