Monthly Archives:
sIt’s been a great first year for Castalia House. And 2015 is going to be even better, as we’ll be publishing new authors, new languages, introducing new anthology series, and finally getting the second book in the Arts of Dark and Light out. Here is the list of our 10 bestsellers in 2014; keep in […]
Defending Ambiguity Against the Cannons of the Brave New World
Tuesday , 30, December 2014 Uncategorized 14 CommentsA cartoon that I know absolutely nothing about has come under fire from its fanbase for tacking on a Pink SF message to the series finale. Of course, the usual media advocates of the Brave New World don’t even bother with a fig leaf of objectivity in their reportage: So let’s continue to celebrate both […]
REVIEW: Dwimmermount by James Maliszewki, Alexander Macris, and Tavis Allison
Monday , 29, December 2014 Tabletop Games 11 CommentsThis book is a monster. Clocking in at over four hundred pages, it has everything you’d need for a long-running campaign: background, history, game-mastering advice, a stocked wilderness area, a fully described “Keep on the Borderlands” type of base for the players to use, new spells, new monsters, new magic items, and one of the biggest […]
The Mid-1980s Paperback Sword and Sorcery Extinction Event
Sunday , 28, December 2014 Fiction, Uncategorized 14 CommentsIn the early 1980s, if you were new to the sword and sorcery genre, you could go to your local chain bookstore, generally B. Dalton or Walden Books and get the core library in short order. Robert E. Howard’s Conan, Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Michael Moorcock’s Elric were all there. There was […]
A top ten list that contains more than one book published by Castalia House this year. An impressive showing by Baen’s Larry Correia as well. Go to the site to see the reviewer’s top three for 2014: 10. Fallen King (Cirian War Saga Book 1) by Eric Lorenzen 9. Warbound (The Grimnoir Chronicles Book 3) […]
SNAPSHOT REVIEW: The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies by Peter Jackson
Friday , 26, December 2014 Uncategorized 6 CommentsMuch of the criticism directed towards The Hobbit trilogy revolves around the films’ faithfulness to the source material; the irony of the concluding chapter is that Jackson and company aren’t even faithful to their own narrative inventions; the film might more properly be called “Battle of the Unresolved Plot Threads”. The various set-ups, given so […]
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines […]
It is very easy to miss that the single most culturally dominant work of fiction during the Advent season just happens to be Blue SF. It’s ghosts are simply horrific, its scenes cruel and unyielding, and its sense of time travel is only bound by relativity. Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it. The best liberal […]
I was really curious how things would go when my reviews of Space Empires: 4X and its Close Encounters expansion went up on Board Game Geek. It’s been a while since I was over there much and while it’s cool that the game’s designer hangs out over there, I admit I kind of dreaded seeing all […]
REVIEW: Riding the Red Horse, Edited by Tom Kratman and Vox Day
Saturday , 20, December 2014 Book Review 4 CommentsWhen He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. -Revelation 6:3-4 As […]
A Very Brief History of Military Science Fiction
Wednesday , 17, December 2014 Uncategorized 6 CommentsThe air is full of rumours of War. The European nations stand fully armed and prepared for instant mobilisation. Authorities are agreed that a GREAT WAR must break out in the immediate future , and this war will be fought under novel and surprising conditions. All the facts seem to indicate that the coming conflict […]
This is an expansion to what is one of the best space games on the market. It is positively loaded with new ships and technologies and the counter sheets are gorgeous. Given that everything in this set is designed to tune and develop aspects of the original game, the new rules and additions can be viewed as […]