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sSensor Sweep: REH Guide, The High Crusade, Pulp Revolution, D&D, King Kong
Monday , 23, July 2018 Sensor Sweep 8 CommentsWriters (Legends of Men): As you know by now I’m a huge fan of the Conan stories, but I’m also a huge fan of Howard’s other creations, even his poetry. Last June I attended Robert E. Howard Days, a gathering of Howard scholars and fans to celebrate the life and works of Robert E. Howard. While […]
Gordon R. Dickson (1923-2001) was a mainstay of mass market science fiction paperbacks in the 1970s and 80s. The “Dorsai” series was one of the first in the military science fiction series going back to 1959. Dickson and Poul Anderson could always be counted on supplying adventurous science fiction. Dickson was a pillar for Analog […]
A latent psychic swears a vendetta against the aliens who invaded his home, a team of lawyers must prevent the ruin of two galaxies, and mecha mercenaries The Four Horsemen and Wardogs, Inc. both return to action in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in science fiction. Battle Harem #1 – Isaac Hooke Jason […]
John del Arroz introduces you to the Special Forces of Steampunk! Airships, Guns, and Gadgets! The Knights of the Crystal Spire are more than ordinary fantasy knights. Life as an apprentice knight hasn’t been easy on James Gentry. As a commoner and an outsider, he’s been ridiculed, picked on, and shunned by the other boys. […]
Short Reviews – Gulf (Part 1 of 2), by Robert Heinlein
Friday , 20, July 2018 Uncategorized 11 CommentsThe first installment of Gulf, by Robert Heinlein, appeared in the November 1949 issue of Astounding. It can be found here at Archive.org. Gulf is a slow-burn sci-fi spy thriller. It’s very dark and atmospheric, and while the hook, some of the window dressing, and the MacGuffin are science-fiction, Gulf stands up as a fairly […]
New Print Editions: July 2018
Thursday , 19, July 2018 Just Released, News, Promotions Leave a commentIn case you’re interested, we’ve got THREE new print editions out this week in the Castalia Books Direct store that may be of interest. First is CHUCK DIXON’S AVALON #1: THE STREET RULES, which is available in a gold logo edition for $2.99. We very nearly got it out as fast as the digital version thanks to […]
In the late 1970s, the surging popularity of both J. R. R. Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons fueled an increased appetite in fantasy novels. Publishers scrambled to meet this demand, buying up a number of derivative stories that congealed into Tolkien and D&D pastiche. This increasingly self-referencing sub-genre of fantasy was derided as “extruded fantasy […]
All war is murder for profit. Some people are just more open about it. WARDOGS INCORPORATED is one of the largest and most professional mercenary corporations operating in the Kantillon subsector. If you need a bodyguard, an assassination team, or an armored cavalry regiment complete with air support, Wardogs Inc. can provide it for you… […]
Bounding Into Comics reviews Chuck Dixon’s Avalon #1: The Street Rules: Chuck Dixon is responsible for some of the most memorable comic book stories and characters of the past few decades. Most notably, he’s revered as the creator of one of Batman’s most formidable villains, Bane. Dixon’s newest comic series, Avalon, comes courtesy of Arkhaven Comics and […]
Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four: a Cinema Legend for the Ages!
Monday , 16, July 2018 Movies 7 CommentsHere’s the story of a little movie that could, a really-real urban legend made by a legitimate cinematic legend, a movie never released in movie theaters, a movie whose reels were supposedly burned to ash by the Hollywood producer who bought the rights to it, a movie that somehow leaked to the public and (like […]
Sensor Sweep: Keys to Other Doors, Xenophile, Skylark of Space, Roger Zelazny
Monday , 16, July 2018 Sensor Sweep 2 CommentsPulps (The Pulp Net): When I was first involved in the pulp fandom world in the late ’90s, I saw ads for Keys to Other Doors. Subtitled “some lists for a pulp collector’s notebook,” it was put together by John DeWalt. There were at least two versions, a first version in 1995 with a revised […]
Arkhaven New Release: CHUCK DIXON’S AVALON: THE STREET RULES
Sunday , 15, July 2018 Comics, Just Released Leave a commentFrom the mean streets of Moseley to the luxurious beach houses of Diamond Beach, crime affects everyone in Avalon. And the presence of the superhumans known around the city as “specials” hasn’t necessarily made life for the average citizen any better, since the local vigilantes are as apt to demand payment for their protection as […]