Everyone who loves imaginative fiction should raise their voice, frequently, in praise of NESFA, the venerable fan group whose press has been doing great work, putting out archival collections of classic sf in hardcovers. I was reminded of this earlier this week when reading Frederik Pohl’s pleasant reminiscence of his onetime collaborator Cyril Kornbluth (the fierce and witty genius who, too young, died a horrible suburban death right out of a Mad Men episode). I instantly went into graying-fan mode,…
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When Tolkien created the Orcs, he unleashed upon the world a blighted race that embodied the worst aspects of ourselves; a race whose name became synonymous with cruelty and hate, with savage violence and genocidal fury. Slaves, they were. Foul servants of fallen gods and dark lords and wizards who had strayed from the light. But, an odd thing occurred: Orcs evolved beyond the scope of their creator. They grew and multiplied. Their origins and aspects changed; they infested dungeons…
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by John O’Neill I don’t know about you, but I only have limited reading time and a lot to choose from. No matter what your taste however, you’re bound to find something intriguing offered this month — from exciting series work to stand-alone fantasy, from new novels to genre classics gathered for the first time. This month we see new titles from David and Leigh Eddings, Jack Vance, Robert Jordan, R. A. Salvatore, and more. The Redemption of Althalus by…
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by John O’Neill It’s all about the books. This week we kick off Black Gate‘s regular books column with a look at the most interesting new releases for the first week of September — including a new Shannara novel from Terry Brooks and new work from Andre Norton, Gene Wolfe, L. E. Modesitt, and plenty more. Grab the mouse with both hands and hold on. Ilse Witch The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara, Book 1 by Terry Brooks Del Rey,…
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A Review by Ryan Harvey Copyright 2007 by New Epoch Press. All rights reserved. City of the Beast by Michael Moorcock Planet Stories (160 pages, September 2007, $12.99) “I enjoyed it enormously. It was kind of a holiday for me,” Michael Moorcock once remarked about writing the “Kane of Old Mars” series. Reading the first of these novels, City of the Beast, is exactly like taking that holiday with Mr. Moorcock. Imagine chucking all your possession so you can buy…
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