Adrian Collins's Blog, page 39

REVIEW: Conan the Barbarian #15

At the conclusion of Conan the Barbarian #14, Conan was embroiled in a brutal skirmish between Aesir and Vanir Northmen. His Aesir comrades-in-arms wiped out in the conflict, it falls to Conan to dispatch the final Vanir champion. He catches a savage sword blow to the helmet, however, leaving him dazed and reeling. At long last, the red-haired beauty that has spent weeks stalking Conan from just out of sight takes the opportunity to reveal herself. The icy nymph goads the barbarian—who is concussed to the point he is unsure “whether to fight or frolic”—into pursuing her across the glittering snow. Wary of deception, Conan nevertheless shunts his misgivings to the side and surrenders to his lust and confusion.

Part III of the Frozen Faith storyline, this episode is entitled “Gods in the North.” This is, of course, the alternate title of a Robert E. Howard Conan story better known as “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter.” This single issue presents the entire narrative of the Howard short story, making the two previous issues an original prologue for the adaptation and leaving the forthcoming issue #16 as a coda.

When interviewed about Howard adaptations within the Titan Comics Conan the Barbarian series, Jim Zub repeatedly stated that he didn’t want to be a “cover band” rehashing the hits, but that stance appears to have evolved over time, with Zub later stating “I didn’t want to explore Frost-Giant’s Daughter material unless there was something fresh and exciting we could bring to the mix…” in a newsletter post. Whether or not this augmented adaptation experiment has been a success will be ultimately determined by the final issue in the Frozen Faith arc, but I find myself ambivalent.

Excellent as always, the included essay by Jeffrey Shanks provides valuable context regarding the history of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” both the original prose story and its comic adaptations. As Shanks points out, there have been three previous comic adaptations of the story, most recently in the 2004 Dark Horse Comics Conan. Are the original scenes and new characters presented here enough to justify yet another adaptation of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter”? I’m torn. As a Howard fan first and foremost, I generally approve of efforts to promote the original stories to Conan the Barbarian comic readers who may not be familiar with the classics. On the other hand, I applauded Zub’s previously stated reluctance to revisit well-traveled ground and have been excited to see his
new, original Conan tales.

Necessity aside, the adaptation of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” presented here is largely an effective one. Zub’s prose is as propulsive as always, and the red-haired temptress Atali’s imperious internal monologue is written with relish. Doug Braithwaite’s battle scenes remain strong and dynamic, but alluring women seem like an artistic weakness for him. Braithwaite’s Atali is pretty, but not quite on the level that a supernatural siren should be, especially since the plot depends on Conan desperately chasing her into dangerous territory despite exhaustion and injuries. In this reader’s opinion, his scrawny depiction of Atali compares unfavorably to the 2004 Dark Horse
rendition by Cary Nord or even the ones delivered by the other cover artists for the current story
arc.

Bolstered by the strong foundation of “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” Conan the Barbarian #15 is the strongest issue in the Frozen Faith arc thus far. With one post-climactic issue remaining, however, it’s difficult to predict where Zub will take the story from here. It’s also not yet clear whether the “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” retelling is a one-off, with the title returning to original stories, or if other Howard adaptations will appear in the future. Only time will tell, but the Frozen Faith storyline and this particular issue may come to represent a significant transition in the Titan Comics incarnation of Conan the Barbarian.

Read Conan the Barbarian #15 by Jim Zub (W) and Doug Braithwaite (A)

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REVIEW: Warlords of Wyrdwood by RJ Barker

British Fantasy Society Award winning author RJ Barker returns to The Forsaken Trilogy with its second instalment, Warlords of Wyrdwood. The first in the trilogy, Gods of the Wyrdwood, is an essential pre-reading requirement and a novel I immensely enjoyed reading last year. Barker’s latest immersive epic fantasy is a complex and detailed read, and fans of his writing will not be disappointed by Warlords of Wyrdwood. Fair warning though, in this review I refer back to a significant plot point from the first novel which will be spoiled if you aren’t up to date with the series. If you have yet to read Gods of the Wyrdwood, look away now.

In Warlords of Wyrdwood, we reunite with Cahan, a Forrester and reluctant wielder of a magical power called a cowl. A solitary figure, through his own choice, for much of his life, Cahan now finds himself leading the people of Harn into the Wyrdwood for their own protection. Although they were victorious in their rebellion against the forces of the Rai, their village was destroyed in the battle, and they have no home left to defend. Cahan knows the Wyrdwood as well as anyone can, and without him, they would surely be helpless against the dangers lurking in the forest. But there is a corrupt magic in the Wyrdwood, a dangerous decay that Cahan is unnaturally drawn to. Can he keep the people of Harn safe from this new threat, the Rai who are pursuing them, and the omnipresent dangers of the Wyrdwood?

There is a brief synopsis of the first novel at the start of Warlords of Wyrdwood and this is extremely helpful in reminding the reader of the events of the first novel. Like Gods of the Wyrdwood, this is a long and complicated novel, and the reader enters a fully formed world. It took me a while to get fully acquainted with this world the first time around, and I felt similarly off kilter for the early chapters here. Barker’s world is richly detailed, but I had to work my brain to slip back into it and remember all the different connections between characters and the pantheon and magics of this world. That is not a criticism of Barker’s writing; this dark tale is not meant to feel cozy, comfortable, or familiar the way returning to some worlds can feel. It is after all, mostly set in a very weird wood.

In some way though, the Wyrdwood is slightly less weird than it seemed before because this is the second novel in the trilogy. The reader is more aware of its potential risks, even if the people of Harn are unaware of them, because they know what Cahan and Udinny went through in Gods of the Wyrdwood. But that is only one area in which the action of Warlords of Wyrdwood takes place, and the new settings are great unfamiliar realms to sink our teeth into.

I enjoyed returning to some of the characters from The Gods of the Wyrdwood and meeting new ones here. My standout favourite character from the first novel was Udinny, so I was a little concerned about how I would find this next instalment without her. I need not have worried, because (among other reasons) Barker’s characters continue to drive his writing. All of them are nuanced and interesting to the reader. Even those I did not like as much; I was still engaged with the chapters from their perspective and enjoyed reading their parts of the novel. Ont’s chapters and his growth in Warlords of Wyrdwood were a perspective I particularly liked reading.

From about the halfway point of Warlords of Wyrdwood, it took off for me, so this does begin as a slow-burn novel in terms of action. Again, this felt necessary due to the world’s complexity, as well as getting acquainted with the different POVs to set the reader up and ensure they are fully embedded into the story. But that did mean that I found the first half of the novel a bit of a slog to read. Sticking with it paid off, and the second act of Warlords of Wyrdwood was fantastic.

Barker has many twists and turns in the plot of this novel, and it was, overall, a good read and a solid second novel in the trilogy. Barker is a favourite author of many, and Warlords of Wyrdwood is a fine example of his talents – he is one of the few authors who always make me feel like their world is completely and entirely original. Thank you both to RJ Barker and the team at Orbit for sending over a review copy of Warlords of Wyrdwood.

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REVIEW: Warp Speed Warriors by Dragonforce

Warp Speed Warriors is an album by Dragonforce that fully embraces the somewhat zany image the British power metal band has cultivated over the years. There’s songs dedicated to The Legend of Zelda, Warhammer 40K, Bayonetta, video gaming in general, and Starship Troopers.

There’s some slightly more serious songs amongst the work but these are not going to be what compels fans to purchase this album. Instead, it is probably the kitsch and homages to popular media products that its fans are already fond of. As many of these properties are squarely within Grimdark Magazine’s purview, I think Warp Speed Warriors is something that will appeal to a lot of the metal heads among our fanbase.

“Astro Warrior Anthem” opens up the album and is one of the Warhammer 40K homages. It starts off with a slow synthesizer beat and then moves into the band’s usual guitar riffs. It’s a perfectly serviceable war song but not my favorite song on the album. By contrast, I think “Power of the Triforce” is a much better song from both a storytelling as well as musical view. It’s bouncy and peppy as befitting a metal homage to The Legend of Zelda. It doesn’t reference any specific game but more elements from the entire series.

“Kingdom of Steel” is a song that has no clear homages but is a song dedicated to the warriors of fantasy (and possibly real life). It is the slowest song and focuses more on the vocals over guitars, which isn’t a bad thing and gives the song a distinct identity lacking from some of the other works. Warp Speed Warriors definitely benefits from it. “Burning Heart” isn’t a cover from Rocky IV and I actually kind of regret that it’s not. It’s a return to the ultra fast guitar riffs but suffers from a serious problem, it’s basically “Through the Fires and the Flame (We Carry On)” with only slight modifications.

By contrast, I think “Space Marine Corp” will probably be the standout song of Warp Speed Warriors. It is a heavy metal parody of Warhammer 40K that’s a lot sillier than the “Astro Warrior Anthem” and a lot more fun. It uses a military march and Marine shouting to great effect. Warp Speed Warriors is never better when it embraces the silly. “Prelude to Darkness” is, by contrast, really good but as an instrumental work, it lacks a lot of the lyrical humor of other titles.

I mentioned the “Killer Queen” song was inspired by Bayonetta but is a lot less direct an homage than “Power of the Triforce.” Still, it’s a strong story behind a kickass woman doing kickass things. The album has two versions of “Doomsday Party”, which is a cyberpunk story about a party at the end of the world. The first is okay but is utterly blown away by the female guest star, Elize Ryd (lead of Amaranthe), version. Finally, I give props to “Pixel Prison” and “Wildest Dreams” (cover of the Taylor Swift song) that are just enjoyable.

In conclusion, it’s a very solid album that occassionally sounds a little too much like previous Dragonforce works. Still, I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of any of the properties represented here.

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Mental Health in Fantasy and Science Fiction: A Changing Landscape

Mental health has become more important in public discourse and creative arts in recent years. It has been explored in speculative fiction to varying degrees throughout history. Fantasy and sci-fi bring us stories full of galactic warfare, epic battles, magical quests, and worlds brimming with imagination. However, it is often the smaller stories that capture our hearts and force us to form connections with the characters toiling in these difficult lands. They allow the time and space to explore deep and dark themes and get to the crux of what makes humans tick. With this can come an exploration of mental health, something that is handled differently by writers across generations.

Fantasy, with its roots in myth and folktales, has been a powerful way of telling stories that deal with various psychological conditions. Grimdark is capable of putting characters through trauma. At times, characters struggling with their mental health have been used in villain roles. Stigma around mental health led to villains having a mental health disorder as a shortcut to explain some atrocity they were committing. Portraying such issues in a cliched and discriminatory way creates myths around mental health issues and have a negative impact on people searching for representation and understanding. Films and books have, at times, been thoughtless with the way they handle such issues as schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder to the point where many in public started to believe that they were one and the same. Often mental health disorders are written as the reason for violence in stories. Thankfully, there have been writers who have treated mental health with respect.

We’ll start with a story almost all fans of fantasy will know: Lord of the Rings. Both in the books by Tolkien and Peter Jackson’s masterpiece of a film trilogy, mental health is treated with respect as the characters behave in ways similar to how one would act if affected by grief and trauma. With the story written following the horrors of two world wars, Frodo’s inability to return to normality following the effects of his journey to Mordor is similar to veterans returning home from war and being unable to get back into normal roles and routines. Some would see this as a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder and it ends on a bittersweet note as Frodo helps saved Middle-earth but is unable to enjoy the fruits of his labour.

Masculine characters in the story are strong and brave but they also weep when struck with grief and they need the support of their friends to get through difficult times, as seen following Gandalf’s battle with the Balrog in Moria. Tolkien writing is laced with warnings of the pressures of power and rule, with many characters in such positioning showing the signs of stress and being unable to win the battle against it. Denethor, Isildur, and many other rulers, including the Dwarven Lords, are shown to crack under the pressure of power whilst King Theodon is able to break through his magic-induced depression with the help of his friends, family, and allies. It is subtle, but the message is clear.

On the other hand, George RR Martin’s land of Westeros in Game of Thrones is littered with a lack of understanding of mental health which suits the medieval setting, with characters acting in ways that others just call ‘mad’ as they are unable to comprehend what is actually happening. Again, it is often those in power who suffer with the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen one such example.

With a clearer understanding and research around mental health, writers and production companies are becoming more confident with displaying mental health in a respectful way. A great example of this is the Hellblade series by Microsoft and available on Xbox. Ninja Theory, the production company, went to great lengths to ensure they were able to depict the Pict warrior Senua accurately as she suffered from psychosis throughout the game. Senua feels her psychosis is a curse, as people would back in such times, and she hears voices that both help and hinder her as she travels to Helheim, defeating a plethora of monsters along the way whilst battling with her own demons. To properly represent psychosis, the developers spent time with neuroscientists, mental health specialists, and people living with the condition to create an experience for the gamer that was both entertaining but respectful of the condition. Psychosis is not shown as some villainous or heroic trait. Instead, it is part of Senua that she has to battle to deal with to keep moving forward and it allows the game to stand out and feel unique to those lucky enough to have played it. This dedication and understanding of mental health is something that allows writers and developers to create characters that can reach out to a section of their audience who have perhaps felt marginalised and at times upset in the way they are represented and it is a positive move in the right direction for the industry. With the destigmatisation of mental health and the way we are embracing support and understanding, we are opening up more opportunities for people to empathise with characters in ways they never before have.

Over the years, it has been interesting to see the change in mental health attitudes through the lens of Batman’s rogues gallery. Some of the legendary detectives villains have felt one-note at times with a mental disorder attached to them as the explanation for their villainy. The Joker is mad, Two-Face has schizophrenia, The Riddler sometimes portrayed with ASD. But with good writers, there has been more depth to the characters and mental health has been treated with more respect which is important in stories where the protagonist is a grown man (and billionaire) still dealing with the grief of his parents’ murder by dressing up as a bat and beating people up. In The Dark Knight, Harvey’s Dent’s Two Face villain is shown to snap and start killing people when he is pushed to an extreme by the devious Joker. Batman even stops Harvey from killing a vulnerable man taken from an asylum who has been manipulating into following the Joker. This focus on vulnerability is important and is treated with more depth in Todd Phillips’ Oscar winning Joker movie. This is as it shows what happens in a society where vulnerable people are not offered the support need. Whilst it takes this to the extreme, it is used as a message to the audience that we are all human and it is only by helping the one another that we can improve the world around us. Whilst The Dark Knight, Joker, and Hellblade exaggerate issues and events through a fantasy lens, they all draw our attention to important issues and allow for teaching moments for the audience in a world where we hope that the stigma around mental health no longer exists.

The powerful platforms offered by fantasy and sci-fi can be important for the destigmatisation of mental health and can improve representation. It is important to recognise traits of yourself in the world around you and in all forms of media, and that could be someone playing Hellbalde who recognises the signs of psychosis. It could be that person struggling to connect and questioning things about themself as they watch Blade Runner can see the doubt in Harrison Ford’s eyes. It could just be an understanding that people around you may not be the same after going through a traumatic experience. If reading Lord of the Rings helped you with that, then it is an incredible thing. Stories are important for all people and it’s great to see that matters in worlds of androids, dragons, wizards, and interstellar travel.

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REVIEW: The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman

Last Updated on October 17, 2024

Christopher Buehlman takes readers back a few decades from his first novel The Blacktongue Thief in this thrilling and dark prequel, The Daughters’ War. We follow Galva, known affectionately by her brothers as Galvicha, a soldier in an all-female warrior unit called the Knight Ravens. Accompanied by their corvids, large war-birds, created and magicked to fight against goblins, Galva treads through war-torn cities to protect other Kynd (humans) against their common enemy, often referred to as ‘Our Foe’. This is not a story on why and how a war has come about, nor is it about how to win this particular war. Instead, we follow the chronicle of one soldier’s experience, and how she managed to survive such a long and bloody campaign against an alien species that has whittled down civilisation immensely, to the point of her having to take up arms.

Whilst I have yet to pick up The Blacktongue Thief (which I most certainly will, after reading this), I have been told that it follows a quest; some type of adventure. Galva’s memoir is far from this. There is no clear plot line holding the story together, which some readers may find jarring, but I found completely refreshing. We are taken through Galva’s memories, narrated to us as if we were a close friend or family. Told from a first-person perspective, Galva’s recollection of the war is graphic and gruesome. When she is unable to find the words to narrate such visceral memories, or simply does not remember them, she presents us with extracts from her younger bothers journal, and sometimes letters from others. I loved this narrative switch,  it allowed us to read from multiple voices in the war, who are experiencing it in vastly different positions. While on the theme of narration, Galva’s is simply exceptional. She has an incredibly distinct voice, which makes her all the more endearing to read from the perspective of.

Galva is merely 20 years old, one of the youngest amongst her siblings, of which we meet three of. Each hold a title at court, or are present within the capacity of war. Coming from a noble family, Galva finds herself encountering her brothers multiple times throughout the war period, due to their positions within society. Galva, however, is the only soldier amongst the bunch and the only one who actively participates in the battles. Due to their status as nobility, Galva’s decision to join the Knight Ravens was a precarious one, and you can often see the underlying consequences of her decision to participate in the war effort in her interactions with her brothers, as well as others’ perceptions of her.  She describes embracing them all upon seeing them, with the knowledge that it could be the last time she ever will:

“… and the four of us embraced. I would have rather this had been done in private, but whether I like it or not, dom Braga is a political house, so the sight of three sons and one odd daughter, serving the king under arms is a powerful thing.”

Anyone with siblings can testify that the raw emotion Buehlman is able to emit in the way he writes the family dynamics between Galva and her brothers is astonishing. He fleshes out every emotion; joy, pride, protectiveness, anger, betrayal and just sheer annoyance so perfectly well that I almost felt a part of the family myself. This was undoubtedly one of my favourite storylines within the book.

I couldn’t write this review of The Daughters’ War without mentioning the war corvids, who are sensational characters; giant eagle-like birds, with enough comprehension to understand who, when, why and what to attack, paired with pure animalistic instinct and the kind of empathy that is often beaten out of a solider at war. They made incredible partners, as well as weapons, and Galva and her two corvids, Bellu and Dalgatha, held a bond so special that it rivals any other animal companionship I’ve read in fantasy.

The story is simple: goblins are evil, and they lack the nuance that many antagonists in fantasy do; which in turn makes them the worst type of villains. They kill for the sake of it, with no desire for anything beyond violence. Many of the scenes were harrowing, and the details of their actions are enough to make any seasoned grimdark reader prickle.  The goblins are not the only villains in this story however, which was a slow turning point in the story that I was utterly entranced by. In a war against goblins, Beuhlman suggests that sometimes, the worst villains can be found closer to home.

At its heart, The Daughters’ War is about grief, loss, and the mercy of companionship. Buehlman is a master of character voice and I very much look forward to picking up his previous work, and anything else he decides to create in the future.

Read The Daughters’ War by Christopher Buehlman

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REVIEW: The Daughter’s War by Christopher Buehlman

Christopher Buehlman takes readers back a few decades from his first novel The Blacktongue Thief in this thrilling and dark prequel, The Daughter’s War. We follow Galva, known affectionately by her brothers as Galvicha, a soldier in an all-female warrior unit called the Knight Ravens. Accompanied by their corvids, large war-birds, created and magicked to fight against goblins, Galva treads through war-torn cities to protect other Kynd (humans) against their common enemy, often referred to as ‘Our Foe’. This is not a story on why and how a war has come about, nor is it about how to win this particular war. Instead, we follow the chronicle of one soldier’s experience, and how she managed to survive such a long and bloody campaign against an alien species that has whittled down civilisation immensely, to the point of her having to take up arms.

Whilst I have yet to pick up The Blacktongue Thief (which I most certainly will, after reading this), I have been told that it follows a quest; some type of adventure. Galva’s memoir is far from this. There is no clear plot line holding the story together, which some readers may find jarring, but I found completely refreshing. We are taken through Galva’s memories, narrated to us as if we were a close friend or family. Told from a first-person perspective, Galva’s recollection of the war is graphic and gruesome. When she is unable to find the words to narrate such visceral memories, or simply does not remember them, she presents us with extracts from her younger bothers journal, and sometimes letters from others. I loved this narrative switch,  it allowed us to read from multiple voices in the war, who are experiencing it in vastly different positions. While on the theme of narration, Galva’s is simply exceptional. She has an incredibly distinct voice, which makes her all the more endearing to read from the perspective of.

Galva is merely 20 years old, one of the youngest amongst her siblings, of which we meet three of. Each hold a title at court, or are present within the capacity of war. Coming from a noble family, Galva finds herself encountering her brothers multiple times throughout the war period, due to their positions within society. Galva, however, is the only soldier amongst the bunch and the only one who actively participates in the battles. Due to their status as nobility, Galva’s decision to join the Knight Ravens was a precarious one, and you can often see the underlying consequences of her decision to participate in the war effort in her interactions with her brothers, as well as others’ perceptions of her.  She describes embracing them all upon seeing them, with the knowledge that it could be the last time she ever will:

“… and the four of us embraced. I would have rather this had been done in private, but whether I like it or not, dom Braga is a political house, so the sight of three sons and one odd daughter, serving the king under arms is a powerful thing.”

Anyone with siblings can testify that the raw emotion Buehlman is able to emit in the way he writes the family dynamics between Galva and her brothers is astonishing. He fleshes out every emotion; joy, pride, protectiveness, anger, betrayal and just sheer annoyance so perfectly well that I almost felt a part of the family myself. This was undoubtedly one of my favourite storylines within the book.

I couldn’t write this review of The Daughter’s War without mentioning the war corvids, who are sensational characters; giant eagle-like birds, with enough comprehension to understand who, when, why and what to attack, paired with pure animalistic instinct and the kind of empathy that is often beaten out of a solider at war. They made incredible partners, as well as weapons, and Galva and her two corvids, Bellu and Dalgatha, held a bond so special that it rivals any other animal companionship I’ve read in fantasy.

The story is simple: goblins are evil, and they lack the nuance that many antagonists in fantasy do; which in turn makes them the worst type of villains. They kill for the sake of it, with no desire for anything beyond violence. Many of the scenes were harrowing, and the details of their actions are enough to make any seasoned grimdark reader prickle.  The goblins are not the only villains in this story however, which was a slow turning point in the story that I was utterly entranced by. In a war against goblins, Beuhlman suggests that sometimes, the worst villains can be found closer to home.

At its heart, The Daughter’s War is about grief, loss, and the mercy of companionship. Buehlman is a master of character voice and I very much look forward to picking up his previous work, and anything else he decides to create in the future.

Read The Daughter’s War by Christopher Buehlman

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INTERVIEW: J. Michael Straczynski

Last Updated on October 14, 2024

Harlan Ellison’s influence on today’s storytelling is profound and far-reaching. Ellison, a figure known for his sometimes controversial and combative but always interesting nature, was a staunch advocate of the idea that stories have the potential to be transformative or ‘dangerous.’ His self-perception, as described in King’s 1981 Danse Macabre, is revealing: ‘My work is foursquare for chaos. I spend my life personally and my work professionally, keeping the soup boiling. Gadfly is what they call you when you are no longer dangerous; I much prefer troublemaker, malcontent, desperado. I see myself as a combination of Zorro and Jiminy Cricket. My stories go out from here and raise hell. From time to time some denigrator or critic with umbrage will say of my work, ‘He only wrote that to shock.’ I smile and nod. Precisely.’

However, Ellison’s influence on today’s literature, specifically grimdark, is significant but often overlooked. Grimdark, in its purest form, is not about violence; it is about characters pushing the boundaries of the situations they are in; it is saying ‘fuck you ‘ to authority and burning bridges behind them because they want to feel warm. Characters have the autonomy to step outside the “hero’s journey” and live in the gray area of humanity. Because honestly, the world is not black and white; it is shades of dangerous gray. As Ellison defined it, this ‘dangerous’ essence reflects his belief in the power of stories. It is a testament to his enduring influence, and this connection made me so excited to interview J. Michael Straczynski.

Straczynski is a great writer, producer, and the creator of the beloved science fiction television series Babylon 5, Jeremiah, and Sense8. All of these shows pushed the boundaries of the human condition. He is also the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison and took on the monumental task of bringing forth The Last Dangerous Visions, an anthology that has been 50 years in the making. It is the capstone of what some would say is the most influential science fiction anthology collection ever written starting with Dangerous Visions (1967), Again, Dangerous Visions (1972), and now, finally, The Last Dangerous Visions (2024), a long-awaited and highly anticipated culmination of Ellison’s influence on speculative literature. I am honored that he took some time in his busy schedule to chat with me about this monumental task, Ellison’s Legacy, and the future.

[GdM] In the intro to “The Last Dangerous Visions,” you share a compelling story of discovering Ellison’s work and braving dangerous streets and busses to reach used bookstores to find more of it. Could you elaborate on that journey? I know that when finding a new author that speaks to me, I also become obsessed with their work and reading everything they have written.

[JMS] Like every other genre fan, I went through phases with different writers. At a very early age I went through an Edgar Allan Poe stage, where I would read everything he wrote and memorize as much of it as I could, ditto Bradbury, Lovecraft and Asimov. In time each of those obsessions burned themselves out to be replaced by something else. But that never happened with Harlan’s work, I kept coming back to it over and over, and it never felt old, with new aspects presenting themselves that I hadn’t noticed before. This was how I realized that reading Harlan Ellison wasn’t a phase, it was a paradigm shift.

[GdM] Can you explain your perspective, and, by extension, Ellison’s, on what makes a story “dangerous” in speculative fiction?

[JMS] The distinction you draw is correct, in terms of how this relates to speculative or science fiction. There has been a lot of hard-edged, socially challenging writing in other forms and genres. Alan Ginsberg’s Howl, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, the raw emotionalism of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s A Coney Island of the Mind, JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye…all of them pushed the frontiers of writing, and many of them got banned or ended up in court on obscenity charges. But they kept on writing, because it was necessary to take a stand for literary freedom.

The SF genre was (and to a degree still is) fairly conservative and, seeing what happened to the writers noted above, tended to steer clear of controversy. This persisted up until the time of Harlan’s first Dangerous Visions anthology and the slow birth of New Wave Science Fiction (with writers like Michael Moorcock, Ursula K. Leguin, Samuel R. Delany and others poking at the walls of conservatism) which DV codified from individual efforts into a movement.

What makes a story dangerous in speculative fiction? Anyone who is willing to risk controversy, to speak to the flaws of society, to sexual and political issues even though they might get in trouble as a result. Harlan once wrote that “the chief commodity a writer has to sell is their courage,” and for me, that’s what a dangerous vision is all about: a story that requires a modicum of courage to tell it.

[GdM] What does science fiction mean to you as an author and reader, and what part do you think it plays in society and cultural zeitgeist?

[JMS] At its best, science fiction points to a spot on the horizon that illuminates the human condition and where we may be going, and asks, “Are you really sure you want to continue going in this direction?” It illuminates what Faulkner called “the human heart in conflict with itself.” SF, by definition, is rooted in the effect of change and technology on human beings. (By this logic, Singing in the Rain is a science fiction movie.) We are in a time of rapid technological and social change, and science fiction can be one of the ways we can interrogate and better grasp the changes going on around us. But institutionalized SF, which retreated from the New Wave a while back, is still dragging its feet, leaving the work to be done by upcoming writers willing to talk about racism, misogyny, brutality…but also the great potential of the human heart to overcome adversity and effect positive change.

[GdM] In what ways do you think “Dangerous Visions” influenced and shaped contemporary speculative fiction? Are genres like Grimdark a byproduct of this?

[JMS] Dangerous Visions helped get the ball rolling, but very few of the upcoming writers tackling Grimdark, or Afro-Futurism, or writers in the LGBTQIA community telling their own stories, were/are aware of the first DV anthology. Which is understandable because the book has been out of the public eye for many years, in some cases before they were even born. When I co-created/wrote/produced Sense8 for Netflix, I heard from so many in the queer community who were moved and happy to have a story that dealt respectfully with their lives, interests and concerns. For some creators who emerged from that fandom, Sense8 may have had a more current influence, but now that the DV books are returning to the outside world, that may change.

[GdM] Do you believe we are in a cultural spot where authors can “let it all hang out,” or are we at a place where it is safer for authors to keep their heads down?

[JMS] I don’t think we will ever reach the point where nobody objects to anything. There will always be the outraged, the inflamed, the censorious. If anything, given the massive emphasis on banning books of alleged controversy, especially those that deal in any way with the simple existence of people in the queer community, the stakes and risks have gotten higher. But that makes it even more essential to keep pushing for freedom of speech.

In a strange way, we’ve come full circle to where the first Dangerous Visions was published. In the 50s and 60s books were routinely banned, burned, and censored, and its authors pilloried and persecute. Now, in many ways, after a honeymoon period where this subsided for a bit, we have come full circle, and the banners and burners are flexing their muscles once again. Playing and self-censoring cedes the battlefield to the forces of oppression.

It’s worth noting that when people say “keep your head down” that’s pretty much the exact position you have to assume when you’re about to be guillotined. I’d rather go down fighting.

[GdM] Do short-form science fiction act upon readers differently versus long-form novels? Can novels have the same form of dangerous impact?

 [JMS] The difference in length and duration of short stories, in or out of science fiction, means they will invariably have less of an impact on society. They are more the sprint than the marathon, more the rabbit-punch than the boxing match. A short story sets out to make its point, or express a perspective or character moment, then gets the hell off the stage as quickly as possible. Which is why short stories tend to be either all first-acts, or all-third acts. (With each having a bit of the middle in there somewhere.) They begin at the beginning, and end leaving the reader to wonder what will happen next/where will this go, or they begin after the inciting incident has already taken place, and we see the consequences of that event. Consequently, they lack the arc of a novel that can go at length from beginning to end. In a short story, it’s easy to fall into (or be perceived as falling into) the trap of accepted cliché because things have to be shorthanded, but in a novel there’s room to not only explore the character-based implications of the story, but also to insert nuance into social issues or plot developments that allow the author to better avoid the threat of cliché. Novels also get more press, more reviews, and are more readily incorporated into university curricula, which is where they gain traction in society.

[GdM] Bringing “The Last Dangerous Visions” to fruition has been a labor of love and I would assume work and occasional frustration for you. Can you briefly talk about getting “The Last Dangerous Visions” to life with all its moving pieces?

[JMS] It was a significant undertaking to be sure. Knowing that Harlan would’ve wanted this to be finished, so it would not be an albatross hung around his neck by detractors all the way into the afterlife, I felt honor bound to get it done. The process began by reading all of the remaining stories that were still part of the project, parsing out those that had aged out or were too closely tied to their period to the point where they were quaint rather than dangerous, and finding the stories that were still as timely, relevant and important now as when first written. Then all the contracts had to be reissued, tracking down estates and surviving authors to get fresh money into their hands, making a deal with Tim Kirk for his amazing artwork, and then soliciting a small handful of stories from current writers to fill out the bill.

What I found of greatest interest is just how much we are still wrestling today with the same issues that were present when the first batch of LDV stories were written: racism, sexism, fear of technology, fear of the outsider, and the heavy hand of political repression. We’re still having the same arguments. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could finally resolve those things once and for all, and move on to new arguments about new subjects?

[GdM] Collating and publishing a historical juggernaut like “The Last Dangerous Visions” is monumental. What were your first thoughts when starting this project journey?

[JMS] The sure and certain knowledge that I wasn’t going to get much sleep for the next three years.

[GdM] In what ways do you hope the new crop of stories will challenge and engage today’s readers?

[JMS] That may be a little beyond my remit. It’s nearly impossible to predict what will or won’t land in the social zeitgeist. My first hope is that they entertain, because if they fail in that part, the rest doesn’t matter. There are certainly some stories in here, like the piece by Dan Simmons, and the final story by James SA Corey, that will generate a lot of conversation, and I think that’s always a good thing. Change starts by talking about things that weren’t considered polite to discuss previously.

[GdM] Can you share your thoughts on the original artistic contributions to “Dangerous Visions,” particularly the illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon and their use of woodblock print style and the new contributions of illustrator Tim Kirk to “The Last Dangerous Visions?”

[JMS] Harlan was as much a good art director as he was an editor and writer. One look at his house confirms that. Words go into our brains by one pathway, requiring some degree of analytic thinking; art goes straight in through the emotions and is more immediately reactive. Putting them together increases the impact of the story. The work of the Dillons created a consistent vibe that unified the stories in tone. Tim Kirk’s illustrations do the same, but in much greater detail, and more depth in terms of the expressions of the characters and the worlds in which the stories take place. But both are exemplary.

[GdM] Do you have a favorite story within the “The Last Dangerous Visions” collection, and why?

[JMS] I love all the children equally.

[GdM] You use the term Shibboleth repeatedly in your essay, “Ellison Exogenisis.” Can you expound a bit on what that means to you in the context of Harlan Ellison?

[JMS] A shibboleth is a word, term or sentence used to identify one person or a subgroup from another, like a password or call sign. Harlan identified himself as a writer more than any other part of his personality. It wasn’t just what he did, it’s who he was, on an almost cellular level. And for his fans, myself among them, to know Harlan was to be cool. It put you in a different crowd or subgroup. Shibboleth.

[GdM] Now that the collection is coming out, what exciting projects are coming up for you?

[JMS] We’re in the process of negotiating a follow-up to Harlan Ellisons Greatest Hits, as well as taking steps toward a deluxe edition of that book for down the road, Next up the Harlan and Susan Ellison Foundation will be looking to open Harlan’s house and his papers to academics and fans of his work through personal visits, and to secure Historical and Cultural Landmark status for the house.

As for me…after setting so much of my own work aside to get these four books either republished (the first and second DV volumes) or debuted for the first time (Greatest Hits and TLDV) so that they all come out within a six-month period…an insane amount of work…I’m circling back to my own work for the first time in a very, very long while, and working on my third novel, which I hope to finish by the Spring.

Somewhere in there, I intend to take a nap, and I’m willing to fight anyone who tries to interfere with that goal.

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REVIEW: City in the Dragon’s Eye by Jordan Loyal Short

I rarely read traditionally published fantasy anymore. Bluntly, too much of it is just the same two or three stories retold with different names. Perhaps I’m being unfair and generalizing. I almost certainly am. However, I do think that indie fantasy is the place where I most commonly find “new” stories that surprise me. Unfortunately, quality is a crapshoot, and only rarely do you find something that is up there with gems like First Law Trilogy or A Song of Ice and Fire. Jordan Loyal Short, like Richard Nell and Rob J. Hayes, is one of those rare indie authors that I put up there.

City in the Dragon’s Eye by Jordan Loyal Short is a steampunk fantasy adventure that takes place in a stylized Enlightenment-Era society loosely based on Germany during the 1700s with elements of the later Weimar Republic. A massive war has just been fought between the Continent’s great powers and Viktor barely survives a final battle with his nation’s enemies when he channels dragon power to save everyone. Unfortunately, the price of this is a tumor-like scale that will gradually consume him before turning him into a dragon. It is a fate he views as worse than death.

The second protagonist is Izola, who is a poor put-upon associate professor at the University of Dannbridge, where she is unfairly denied tenure due to the fact her ex-husband has managed to find her way onto the review board. Determined to find a way to prove her thesis about dragons correct, she ends up working with a man who has apparently lived over a hundred and seventy years. Finally, the main cast is rounded out by Devil, a snobbish nobleman who has coasted on his family name right up until the point he finds himself in debt to a crime lord while disowned by his father.

City in the Dragon’s Eye is an excellent story of intrigue, politics, and the aftermath of war. It is a definite treat for grimdark fans as the protagonists are neither hero or villains. None of them want to be involved in the larger struggles of the world but just find themselves caught up in it. It is also a place where the “good” thing is extremely questionable. I really enjoyed Jordan Loyal Short’s Skald’s Black Verse and while this is considerably lighter, City in the Dragon’s Eye is far more relatable too.

Jordan Loyal Short has a fantastic gift for prose and characterization. With his writing, you are transported to the Germanic fantasy setting he’s created and are immediately able to smell and taste your surroundings. It is a dark and unpleasant sort of place but not so much that it’s unbelievable. Even though death knights and magic exist, the true evil is the small-minded and bigoted people who live around our antiheroes. City in the Dragon’s Eye feels grounded and all the better for it. It’s steampunk in that there’s guns and machinery starting to take root in civilization but not so much that it dominates society or even warfare.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for an indie author who has a fantastic mastery of writing real literature then you could do worse than giving this book a try. There’s a lot being said in City in the Dragon’s Eye but it is done subtly rather than overtly. The characters are well-written, their actions believable, and the oppressive sense of doom is because readers know where this is all probably headed.

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INTERVIEW: Shauna Lawless

Shauna Lawless is an Irish author, whose debut fantasy series the Gael Song has had us here at Grimdark Magazine hooked from the very beginning. The series is a perfect blend of Irish history, mythology, and magic. Now, with the release of the third instalment The Land of the Living and the Dead, we have had the chance to sit and chat with Shauna about the series and what is up next for her.

[GdM] Shauna thank you so much for interviewing with us to celebrate the release of The Land of the Living and the Dead. I am a huge fan of the Gael Song series, and this latest novel is a top contender for my favourite read of the year.

[SL] Oh, thank you so much!! That is very kind of you to say so.

[GdM] Just in case people reading this are new to the series, how would you pitch the Gael Song to new readers?

[SL] It is a historical fantasy set in 10th and 11th century Ireland. The fantastical elements are derived from Irish mythology and based on two tribes—the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians. In our mythologies they had a variety of magical gifts, from witches, warriors, harpists, cupbearers and fire magic.

The Gael Song weaves these characters’ stories with the historical figures who were alive in this period. Expect lots of battles and political scheming.

[GdM] And for those who have waited with bated breath for The Land of the Living and the Dead what should they expect from this book?

[SL] A major battle that happens in the 11th century is the Battle of Clontarf. So, in the historical context, the novel builds up to this. However, the mythological tribes both still have their struggles and as they become more and more involved in the mortal realm, things become very chaotic. I don’t really want to stay too much, because delving into these struggles will give spoilers for the earlier books.

[GdM] One of the things that I really love about this series is that it is told mostly through the female lens. Fódla and Gormflaith are very different women on opposing sides of a long-standing conflict, but (to my mind) both ultimately have the same goal of keeping their families safe. How did you craft their characters and why did you choose them as the main voices in the series?

[SL] For me Fódla and Gormflaith represent the two sides of being a parent. Do you want a better world for all children, or are you more focused on finding a way for your own child to thrive? Fódla wants Ireland to be a safe place for everyone, not just her family members. Gormflaith believes the world is corrupt and seeks to manipulate events to her own advantage. I feel that everyone has these conflicts at times. The world is dangerous, how are you supposed to move forward when everything seems so difficult? That was definitely a theme I wanted to explore.

[GdM] In The Land of the Living and the Dead there are more narrative perspectives than in the earlier novels. What led you to make this change?

[SL] I think the world just opened up as I continued to write. Fódla and Gormflaith still have the most chapters, but I found it interesting to sprinkle in a few chapters from other perspectives. Sometimes to showcase another viewpoint on an event that was about to happen. Sometimes to give a secondary character greater emotional depth. I always loved writing these chapters and finding my way into writing a new voice.

[GdM] I describe the Gael Song series as a historical fantasy, and the world feels so solid and real that as a reader I become lost in it. What was your approach to researching the series from a historical perspective?

[SL] I did a lot of research! From reading non-fiction to reading the historical texts that still survive today. I think the days of writing in a historical setting and making it up or doing only a little bit of research is over. Readers expect more these days. And I did everything I could to make 10th/11th century Ireland feel real. From researching indigenous trees and animals to what the houses were made of, to clothing and the legal system. I’m also lucky in that I live in Ireland—so I was able to visit historical sites too. That always helps a lot.

[GdM] Are there any details from your research that you wish you had been able to include?

[SL] To be fair, I do think I found ways to include most of it, even if it was only vaguely referenced. One thing that I might be able to use in a later novel is my research on indigenous Irish plants and which ones are poisonous!

[GdM] What was it about this era of Irish history that appealed to you?

[SL] I’ve always been fascinated by this era. Firstly, it was because I didn’t think we were taught about it correctly in school. Brian Boru is often depicted as a saintly character—a man who prayed and drove the Vikings out of Ireland. On doing more reading, I discovered this wasn’t true at all. He was a warrior, not a saint. And he didn’t drive the Vikings out of Ireland at all, in fact the port of Dublin continued to thrive. The war between the Irish and the Viking settlers wasn’t religious either as the settlers had converted to Christianity by this point. And so, I guess, when you realise something is wrong, you want to correct it and discover the truth of what really happened and what I found was just incredible.

[GdM] Would you recommend any further reading (fiction or non-fiction) to those of us interested in learning more about it?

[SL] Yes—here are four books that might be of interest.

Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf by Seán Duffy Viking Pirates and Christian Princes by Benjamin Hudson Irish Kings and High-Kings by Francis John Byrne Wars of the Irish Kings by David Willis McCullough

[GdM] There are two novellas in the Gael Song series, Dreams of Fire and Dreams of Sorrow, how does your creative approach differ when you are writing shorter fiction?

[SL] I think writing a novella is very freeing. As it’s shorter, you don’t need to have huge arcs. You can just focus on one single story/character. I usually know what story I want to write/the character I want to focus on, but I don’t really outline. I let the story pour out on the page and then see what works or doesn’t work when I reach the editing phase.

[GdM] I have been lucky enough to visit Dublin before but would love to explore more of Ireland. Is there a place that you think we could visit today and feel like we had jumped through the pages into one of your stories?

[SL] Oh, that’s interesting!! One of my favourite places is Newgrange. It’s a 5,200-year-old passage tomb that was built in the stone age and is older than both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. It is full of pagan symbolism, and you can go inside it if you take part in a tour. It’s honestly amazing and a different experience to visiting castles.

[GdM] I read that one of your childhood writing inspirations was The Animals of Farthing Wood—which I also loved as child, but having now watched the series again with my own children it is actually a pretty bleak world! What are other surprising sources of inspiration for you?

[SL] Yes, The Animals of Farthing Wood is so bleak. There is a book in that series called The Fox Cub Bold and it really made me cry!

I remember when I was very young The Little Mermaid was released by Disney, and I loved it. A few months later, my mother saw a cartoon VHS in a store and bought it for me, but she did not realise that it wasn’t the Disney movie, but rather an animated version of the real story. It was so sad and tragic that I cried and cried when I watched it. However, the next day, I watched it again. I think I was secretly fascinated by tragedy. Of course, The Little Mermaid is about being and outsider and not fitting in—and I think both Fódla and Gormflaith feel that at times.

[GdM] I love learning more about how writer’s approach their work. What does a typical writing day look like for you?

[SL] I drop the kids off to school at 9am. I come home, eat breakfast, answer emails… and then I start to write. I always find putting on my playlists (usually made up of soundtrack music) really helps me to focus and I aim to reach 2,000 words a day if I’m drafting. If I’m editing, I try to read through a certain number of chapters per week (however this varies depending on the length of those chapters). Once we get to midday, I stop for a bit of lunch, then get going again. School is over at 2.30—so once I get the kids home, that’s really it for the day.

When I first started writing, I was only able to grab an hour every other evening, so I feel very lucky to be writing full time now. I certainly get a lot more done in a day.

The decision to write full-time was a big one. I realized that I couldn’t finish my contract if I was still working. I did get an advance for this series, and I decided to save it and live off it for as long as I could—and tentatively took a two-year career break. Those two years are nearly over and I’m now hoping to keep writing full-time beyond this period.

[GdM] After finishing The Land of the Living and the Dead I personally am really hoping for more in the Gael Song world. What is next for you professionally, more in this world or are you dipping your toe into other fantastical adventures?

[SL] There is a third novella to come out in March 25. I’m very excited about this one. The first novella, Dreams of Fire focused on the mythology of the Gael Song. This third novella focuses on the historical fiction side of the story.

The series is also continuing with an ‘era 2’ trilogy. I think this series has a fantastic ending, but there is one thread still left hanging that a new generation of characters will have to deal with. So yes—the short answer is—there is lots more to come.

[GdM] Shauna, thank you so much for sitting down and chatting with me. I have tried to avoid questions which might spoil part of The Land of the Living and the Dead but I just wanted to say that the novel had a perfect ending. It left me bereft in the best sort of way! I can’t wait for whatever you have next.

[SL] Oh, thanks for saying this. I was so worried about the ending and it landing with readers!!

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REVIEW: The Rings of Power Season 2

The Rings of Power S1 had a bit of a mixed reception. Yes, that probably is quite the understatement. With over a billion dollars spent acquiring the rights to material based on Tolkien’s incredible world and the first since Peter Jackson’s universally loved Lord of the Rings trilogy, there were high expectations and for some, the first season didn’t quite live up to those lofty expectations. The Rings of Power S2 had the daunting task of continuing the tale of Sauron’s mission to create the titular rings and the efforts of Galadriel and Elrond to stop him with many fans unsure if the Amazon series could live up to their expectations.

Firstly, I have to say that I love being in Tolkien’s fantasy world and whilst the first season of The Rings of Power didn’t blow me away, I was able to appreciate just being able to watch a TV show based on Middle-earth in the time before Lord of the Rings. The Rings of Power S2 feels like an upgrade on the first season but those negative voices will still have issues to pick with both the writing and the difference between characters in the show and those in Peter Jackson’s excellent trilogy.

A highlight of this season was seeing Sauron acting as the Great Deceiver, tricking Celebrimbor to make rings for Elves, Dwarves, and Men. The show gives life to a villain that was pretty much just an eye for the three of Jackson’s films and this season really delves into the character and gives him motivation and purpose for behaving the way he does, just a should be done for any great villain. Elrond, Galadriel, Durin, Gil-Glad, and even Adar spend the season doing what they can to fight against the mighty Sauron and it is great to see the different ways they attempt to do this and give a bit more depth to Tolkien’s earlier work (regarding the timeline of the world). There will be some who argue Elrond and Galadriel are very different to those seen in the movies but it shows character progression and you can see that they are on the path to becoming to the characters many know and love.

Meanwhile, The Stranger meets Tom Bombadil and this is a strength of The Rings of Power S2. For those unsure of how to portray the legendary Tom Bombadil on screen, this is it. It is pure perfection and an absolute joy in the way the unique character is brought to life in all his musical glory. The revelation of The Stranger’s identity may not be a shock but it fits in with story and I was pleased with the way it played out as Bombadil became a mentor, helping the wizard on his path to discovering his identity.

Pacing can be a bit of an issue in The Rings of Power S2. Similar to the first season, it feels as though a lot of time is spent slowly building up to the final episodes but whilst other series may end in a bit of a whimper (I’m looking at you Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon S2) The Rings of Power S2 finished strongly with two of the best episode yet. The battle of Eregion has some great call backs to Jackson’s trilogy and the final episode is just filled with greatness (The first scene is the best in the series so far). The series feels as though it really hit its stride towards the end with some powerful deaths and whole groups of characters that the audience will now care for. Even the orcs were sympathetic in their plight towards the end and the writing for characters such as Adar, Durin, and Sauron were the strongest so far. Some will argue that there are many changes to the source material but that confuses me. We are talking about a world created by a master storyteller – and Tolkien was always keen on making changes. Read an original version of The Hobbit and you will see vast differences to the familiar story that links with Lord of the Rings (Riddles in the Dark is the chapter to really read again). Tolkien knew that changes can be necessary to make the right story and the showrunners for this Amazon series have the same attitude and I’m all for it.

It may not please everyone, but The Rings of Power S2 is a high-budget fantasy series that should be appreciated by fans of the genre. Whilst it doesn’t reach the heights of Lord of the Rings, it is a still a quality fantasy series on TV full of interesting characters, sympathetic villains, heroes worth rooting for, and some of the best music in a TV series right now. And if you don’t care about any of that – just watch it for the Balrog…

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