Short-form vs. long-form fantasy

For the last month, I’ve been doing a lot of research into the fantasy genre, rereading all of the original Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard and a bunch of the other ones too, by authors like L. Sprague De Camp, Lin Carter, Bjorn Nyberg, Robert Jordan, etc. I’ve also been reading a… Continue reading Short-form vs. long-form fantasy

Trope Tuesday: Chaotic Neutral

If you’ve ever read a space adventure with smugglers and pirates, or a sword & sorcery with rogue thieves and master-less swordsmen, or a western with gritty outlaws and mountain men, you know this character alignment.  If you’re a fan of any of these genres, chances are you love him, too. The Chaotic Neutral‘s one consistent… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Chaotic Neutral

The Jerusalem Man by David Gemmell

The old world is dead, destroyed by nuclear fire.  The old ways are long forgotten–except by one man in search of the Holy City.  He wanders the Earth with two guns and a Bible, leaving a trail of death and ancient prophecy in his wake.  Brigands fear him, honest men pity him, and the Hellborn… Continue reading The Jerusalem Man by David Gemmell

Merchanter’s Luck by C. J. Cherryh

He was a down and out merchanter, the captain, crew, and sole proprietor of a run-down bucket of bolts spacecraft.  She was a daughter of one of the finest starfaring clans, with seven hundred cousins standing between her and the one thing she wanted more than anything else: command of a starship. They met at… Continue reading Merchanter’s Luck by C. J. Cherryh