Robert E. Howard (REH World): The recent discovery of an unpublished Robert E. Howard letter, announced by scholar Will Oliver, has sparked excitement among Howard enthusiasts. Found in the Forrest J. Ackerman Papers at Syracuse University, the letter is addressed to E. Hoffmann Price and offers fresh insights into Howard’s correspondence, literary interests, and personal […]
November 2023 is the centennial anniversary for publication of A. Merritt’s The Ship of Ishtar. This classic novel was first published as a six part serial in the pulp magazine Argosy All-Story Weekly from November 8, 1924 to December 13, 1924. Merritt first wrote the story as a novelette. Editor Bob Davis at Argosy All-Story […]
Every week, the Castalia House Blog spotlights some of the many new releases in independent, pulp, and web novel-influenced science fiction and fantasy. Beware of Chicken #4 – Casualfarmer A laugh-out-loud, slice-of-life martial-arts fantasy about . . . farming???? Jin Rou wanted to be a cultivator. A man powerful enough to defy the heavens. A […]
This is a guest post by Deuce: Yesterday marked the centennial of Christopher Tolkien‘s birth. Such an event is not a minor occasion. In his own way, Christopher was a titanic figure within the sphere of twentieth-century fantasy. In addition to that, he was a good man and an exemplary son. I intend to demonstrate […]
Fiction (Vintage Pop Fictions): Cornell Woolrich’s Black Alibi was first published in 1942. Cornell Woolrich (1903-1968) was an American writer in the crime and suspense genres and a major figure in the evolution of noir fiction. In the 1920s he had tried to establish himself as a writer in the F. Scott Fitzgerald mould, with […]
Every week, the Castalia House Blog spotlights some of the many new releases in independent, pulp, and web novel-influenced science fiction and fantasy. Forged in War (Gustav’s Greatswords #1) – Michael G. Thomas and Nick S. Thomas A mercenary captain and his legendary swordsmen battle an unstoppable enemy! Gustav von Altenburg and his elite mercenaries, […]
Fiction (Dark Worlds Quarterly): Science Fiction and Fantasy has always been on a seesaw. At one time it is considered to be worthy of the word “literature” and then suddenly it is not. The seesaw falls and it is called “trash”, “sub-literary” or worst of all “Pulp”. A good example of this is Guy Endore’s […]
Kenneth Bulmer (1921-2005) was a prolific English writer who mainly wrote more action oriented fantastic fiction. He may be best remembered for the 37 volumes in the Dray Prescot/Kregen/Antares/Scorpio sword & planet series. He wrote some historical series with Vikings, Saxons vs. Normans, a couple Roman, sailing ship era, and a WW2 series (Sea Wolf). […]
Every week, the Castalia House Blog spotlights some of the many new releases in independent, pulp, and web novel-influenced science fiction and fantasy. Men of Bretton (A Dream of Home #1) – Richard Fox The soldiers of the 11th Bretton Infantry knew they were being dropped into a combat zone on Dharien. But they didn’t […]
Publishing (Don Herron): Ready to order, the book on the Classic Era of Arkham House Ephemera I’ve been promising for years awaits you. 150 Items covered (with 3 playfully hidden away for the readers who like to have a little fun with their ephemera). The back cover blurbage sums it up, I think — you’ll […]
Leisure Books became the prime publisher of sword & sorcery paperbacks in the mid-1970s as Paperback Library was bought out by Warner and Lancer Books went bankrupt. Some of the players at Lancer went on to found Zebra Books that also became a major publisher of sword & sorcery. Leisure reprinted two of Gardner Fox’s […]