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sOkay, this one is very nearly non-stop action. It’s straight ahead no-frills military science fiction with alien invaders that are just different enough from the ones in the big movie franchises to keep you guessing. There are space marines. There are starships. There’s enough technobabble to make it all seem real and there’s not so […]
Swords of Steel, Volume 2: The Lost City of Tehm
Friday , 31, March 2017 Short Fiction, Uncategorized 8 CommentsMorgan reviewed the first volume of Swords of Steel back in February of this year. The second volume was released in 2016, and it provides an excellent chance to analyze each of the twelve stories as part of Castalia House’s on-going effort to review the wealth of short fiction being produced by small and independent […]
Short Reviews – Yesterday’s Doors, by Arthur J. Burks
Friday , 31, March 2017 Uncategorized 2 CommentsYesterday’s Doors by Arthur J. Burks appeared in the October 1948 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories. After reading Yesterday’s Doors, I think I finally begin to ‘get’ Thrilling Wonder Stories’ angle on science fiction. It’s Sense of Wonder, but not in the way that it’s typically meant when referring to Sci-Fi. In the case of […]
He likes it that way. The whole “lonely hero” thing. The other day, with my wife out of town and having set aside my work at the early hour of 8pm, I was looking for something to watch. I would up watching Hellboy for the first time in at least a few years. I was immediately […]
Okay, this one has one of the best opening hooks I remember reading: Master Sergeant Jacobs arose in his tomb, ready for duty. Wait… a tomb, what? What the heck?! Then just before the first section break you get this exquisite knife twist: Most likely, he, and everyone he knew, were already dead. That is […]
JUST RELEASED: The Scythe of Kronos by J. D. Brink
Thursday , 30, March 2017 Just Released 3 CommentsA naval scientist leads the expedition to explore a ghost ship in space. Only he can unlock its secrets. And once he does, the universe will never be the same. If a young sniper-in-training survives long enough, he’ll face his final exam. And finally know whether he’s predator or prey. A sarcastic bounty hunter and […]
This is the game that delivers on what no other tabletop space game has ever done in the history of space games: it’s gives you full featured fleet battles with almost no tedium. Set up is painless. The action is furious. A great deal seems to happen moment to moment. The game rewards planning but […]
JUST RELEASED: Rocky Mountain Retribution by Peter Grant
Wednesday , 29, March 2017 Just Released Leave a commentIn the post-Civil War West, the railroads are expanding, the big money men are moving in, and the politicians they are buying make it difficult for a man to stand alone on his own. So, Walt Ames moves his wife, his home and his business from Denver to Pueblo. The railroads are bringing new opportunities […]
Tabletop Officer Training Corps: One Weird Trick
Wednesday , 29, March 2017 Tabletop Games, Wargames 4 CommentsIf you’re looking for a relatively quick and easy trick to painting your miniatures, there’s really only one tool you need in your box – drybrushing. It is an easy technique will give you quick results that look great on the table. There are a host of painting methods that will add detail, depth, and […]
WRIGHT ON: Elf-Thirst for Waters Beyond the World
Wednesday , 29, March 2017 Uncategorized 40 CommentsIn time past, I have attempted to define of science fiction, sometimes in earnest (I call science fiction the mythology of a scientific age) and sometimes not. The eternal debate has sprung up again here at the Castalia House blog, and also touches on my own efforts to reread the lost works of science fantasy, […]
Man, I love the title on this one. The Dreaming Wounds. Get inside your Thrilling Wonder Astounding Weirdness place like you would for a late night D&D session and you could really go places with this! No really, it evokes a crazy mashup of Lovecraft’s dreamlands and Moorcock’s Elric. See, there’s this ancient relic. Your […]
There is no SF – only Zuul
Thursday , 30, March 2017 Kevyn Winkless Comment 34 CommentsI’m not particularly interested in joining the recent brouhaha over genre, but it seems to me that there’s an elephant in the room that I need to point out. This may seem like a strange thing for a science fiction fan to say, but if we’re honest there’s no such thing as science fiction. OK, now […]