Jeffrey L. Blehar's Blog, page 11

Influences: High Fantasy

While I was thinking about what influences my own writing, I knew high fantasy would be in there somewhere.  The funny thing is, I seem to remember it being more of a widespread love of mine than it actually appeared to be, upon reflection.  I remember starting a lot of fantasy series, but very few kept my attention for very long.  The perfect example would be Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time…I liked book one and two, but never made it through book three.  I had a lot of similar experiences with other book series.  There are a few which really stood out, though…

Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien: The granddaddy of them all.  So much has been written and said about the trilogy and the other books and stories set in Middle-Earth, that there is nothing for me to add, really.  The books set the template for every other mythical fantasy world to follow.  Much of it is retrospectively clichéd due to this.  I still find the books enjoyable, but much prefer Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.  These two have such a massive scope and depth, they have more in common with the classic sagas than modern fantasy fiction.[image error]
Dragonlance: Chronicles, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman: Admittedly, geared more for teens than adults, it was still everything an eleven year-old me wanted in a fantasy epic.  I have dug up my old copies of this trilogy (and about twenty other Dragonlance books), because I am kind of curious how an adult version of me thinks these books held up.  The 80’s cover art is still some of my favorite covers (more from a nostalgic standpoint than the quality of the art).

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3. The Riyria Revelations, Michael J. Sullivan:  For some reason, several years ago, I decided to give another fantasy series a whirl.  I went in a book store with no preconceived idea of which series I would choose.  I settled on two: the Malazan books by Steven Erikson and the Riyria series by Sullivan.  I liked the massive scope provided by the Malazan books, but I hated the writing style (I made it through the first book, but never opened the second book…).  I then tried the first Riyria book (which was actually the first two books in one volume).  I loved the style; I loved the characters; I loved the world.  I loved the small-scale adventure feel of the books taking place in a large world.  I never felt swallowed by the world-building aspect and comradeship of the two leads is written with flare and humor.  I have followed Sullivan ever since…having finished Age of Myth,; I have yet to start the second book of the Legends series.

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Saturday Spotlight: The Kansan

The Kansan

Author: Richard Brister

Cover Art: ?

Originally Published: 1954

Edition Reviewed: Avon 606 (1954)

Fairly common revenge-centric western story…but it is a well written one.  Richard Brister has a way of making stereotypical characters and situations come to more life than one should expect.  The breakneck pacing of the book makes it difficult to put down as set piece follows set piece with little room for the hero or reader to catch his breath.

Will Umberton rides in to the town of Piute and kicks up some dust by instantly rubbing Bob St. Jon the wrong way.  The people of Piute have put up with St. Jon and his gang of killers for long enough.  They just needed a little backbone and Umberton unwittingly provides it.  Instead of heeding advice and riding out of town, Umberton decides to stick around for a little while.  This decision stems from the presence of the beautiful and fiery Barbara Bixler.  Will Umberton is young, arrogant and obstinate which leads to more than his share of bruises and wounds before he matures enough to be able to handle the ruthless St. Jon.

Everything plays out exactly as you expect it to and every character acts exactly as you expect them to, but it is the literary style of Brister that keeps the whole thing interesting.

Nighthawks (PREVIEW)

There is a preview of the new book, Nighthawks — A Book of the Broken up over at Amazon, with a snippet of the first chapter and a few questions.

www.createspace.com/Preview/1231860

The Machines: Remington Portable

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Nothing makes me think of a pulp author slaving away at a new story than an antique typewriter and no typewriter accomplishes this feat more than the Remington Portable. The first truly portable four bank machine introduced in 1920, it was a resounding success with no competition until Royal and Underwood introduced similar models in 1926. The original model (often referred to as #1) was produced in vast quantities from 1920 right up to the beginning of 1925. The machine itself was a shiny black with a wood or metal case. The case was often covered in a black cloth or leather.

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Subtle improvements marked the Remington Portable #2 which was produced from 1925 until the end of 1928. The biggest difference was the addition of various colored machines. For eight years, the Remington Portable absolutely dominated the typewriter market. So much so, one can find these tough little machines all through flea markets, antique shops and online auctions. These machines were solidly built to withstand less-than-stellar travel arrangements for reporters, authors and other professionals. These were built to last and the price-tag reflected this. The price for on in 1924 was listed as $60, no small sum then.

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More improvements followed, leading to the production of the Portable #3 (1928-1938). The Portable #4 was a slightly more expensive version of the #3 with a true tab instead of a paragraph key. It was produced concurrently with the #3 (1931-1934). The true hero of the Remington Portable line was the #5 (1932-1939). It was sturdier and broader than the previous models and quickly became ‘the world’s best seller’. The traditional glass keys were replaced with plastic on the Remington Portable #7 (1931-1941) and this is where all the nostalgic charm wears off for me. A true typewriter really needs those beautiful glass keys…but that may just be me.

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Influences: Robert E. Howard

Where do you start when writing about Robert E. Howard?  Everyone who knows Howard’s writing knows of his life in Texas and the tragic end of his short life.  I’m not going to go into his life at all, instead I’m going to dive right in to his massive body of work.

Known as the creator of the Sword and Sorcery genre, he dabbled in pretty much every pulp genre one can think of…and did it all with a flare and style all his own.  I know of no other pulp writer who can compare to the sheer beauty of Howard’s prose.  Every word of every sentence is as close to perfect as one could hope.  For a genre filled with bloody battles, horrific scenes and a fierce brutality, Howard’s prose is pure elegance.

Creator of Conan, Kull, Solomon Kane, El Borak, Bran Mak Morn, among others…Howard is the giant of heroic fantasy.

Must Reads:

Conan:

The Phoenix on the Sword
The Tower of the Elephant
The Scarlet Citadel
The Hour of the Dragon
Beyond the Black River
Red Nails

Kull:

The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune
The Cat and the Skull
The Screaming Skull of Silence

Solomon Kane:

Skulls in the Stars
Red Shadows
Rattle of Bones

El Borak

Three-Bladed Doom
Sons of the Hawk

Bran Mak Morn

Worms of the Earth
Men of the Shadows

 

Influences: Richard Stark

Richard Stark was a pen-name of the prolific Donald E. Westlake.  I chose to title the article with the Stark name instead of Westlake’s because it is the Stark persona which was a greater influence on my own work.  Much of Westlake’s writing (great as it is) is humorous, whereas Stark’s is brutal.

Parker is one of the great running characters.  He is smart, creative, and brutal with a moral code unique to himself.  He calls to mind Dashiell Hammett’s Continental Op, but playing for the other side.  Master of the complex heist, smooth con and daring smash-and-grab, Parker could do it all.  All he needed was the right crew…which he never seemed to get.  Parker’s world is full of back-stabbing, screw-overs and ultimately, revenge.

Westlake’s writing as Stark created a complex criminal world, but wrote each book with a style lending to the break-neck pace required by the storylines, making for quick reads.  Parker was always in the heat of action…heist, screw-over, revenge.  The Parker books follow that basic pattern over the twenty-some adventures, but it never loses the reader’s interest.

Must Reads:

The Hunter
The Man with the Getaway Face
The Outfit
The Rare Coin Score
The Black Ice Score
Deadly Edge
Plunder Squad
Butcher’s Moon
Comeback

 

Saturday Spotlight: A Private Killing

The Saturday spotlight is a way to feature some nearly forgotten pulp stories.  This isn’t going to be the place for the giants of the pulp world.  With that in mind, I decided to start the series off with a pretty random selection.  Nothing about the plot, hero, villain or author stand out in a genre full of memorable plots, heroes, villains, and authors…perfect for my intentions.

A Private Killing

Author: James Benet

Cover Art: ?

Originally Published: 1949

Reviewed Edition: Bantam 825 (1950)

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Ben Spencer, a New York newspaper man is on assignment, during his vacation, to interview genius inventor Arnold Barrett.  The death of one of Barrett’s houseguests propels Spencer to investigate the strange circumstances.  His interest in the murder was really an excuse to spend more time with the beautiful Mercy.  His searching leads to missing plans for a new invention and a host of shady characters inhabiting the area.

The novel (one of only two mysteries penned by newspaper journalist, James Benet) is quick paced and mildly entertaining.  The science aspect of the novel is quaint and amusing given the advances since 1949.  It is actually Benet’s use of scientific discovery and invention that makes the novel stand out.  The use of remote controls, microwaves and other ‘new’ technologies make the book a lot of fun.  There really isn’t much more to get excited about in the book itself.  The characters are pretty run-of-the-mill and the plot is nothing to get excited about.  Every character acts exactly as one would expect for this genre.  Ben Spencer is a decent enough hero, but he is essentially a second-rate hero in the genre; not worthy of follow-up adventures.