John D. Rateliff's Blog, page 7

My Favorite Story from GaryCon

 So, my favorite story from those I heard at GaryCon, and also the shortest, came from David S. LaForce, a.k.a. DIESEL. Diesel was one of the original three artists who defined TSR's style back in the late seventies and early eighties through their work  on the PLAYER'S HANDBOOK, MONSTER MANUAL, and DUNGEON MASTER'S GUIDE, the other two being David C. Sutherland (DCS)* and Dave Trampier (TRAMP).

Anyway, the story  went like this. 

We were at his booth in the Dealers' room talking about people (designers and artists and editors) from the early days. Most of these I know only as names among the credits but whom he actually knew, and in many cases worked with. One such person, he told me, only worked at TSR for one day. His name was Dave Dorman, who was hired as a staff artist but then had second thoughts. He showed up for his first day of work, a Monday, and told them he'd changed his mind. Then he turned around and drove back to Florida.

I mentioned this story to other ex-TSR folk there at the con, several of whom knew the name, though they'd didn't know of his TSR connection. I did a little checking, and found he went on to a successful carrier in graphic novels So TSR's loss was comic books' gain I guess.

--John R.

*who I think was TSR employee number six

GaryCon Begins

So, we're in Lake Geneva and all settled in. Yesterday from 5 to 8 was check in and, while in line, we ran into the first of what shd be many encounters with familiar faces from Lake Geneva days; Ed Stark, Jeff Grubb, Skip Williams, and Michele Carter, plus brief hellos to a half dozen or so. 

I picked up what looks to be an interesting documentary on dvd: THE DREAMS IN GARY'S BASEMENT. And speaking of basements, through a contact of Janice's we got some pictures of what the old TSR building on Sheridan Springs Road looks like inside now.

Today it's a late start, in hopes that starting the con well-rested will make for a better con experience. My first scheduled event, TOWER OF DARK SORCERY, is for the Middle-earth rpg, so it'll be unfamiliar rules along with what shd be v. familiar setting. It's at five o'clock to eleven tonight, so there's plenty of time to see folks and see what the Dealer's Room might be like.

But first, a late breakfast to start things off. 

--John R.

--current reading: M. R. James' THE FIVE JARS (re-reading) and light fare on the Kindle.

Here in Lake Geneva

So, now we're back in Lake Geneva, in time to settle in before the GaryCon* festivities begin. There will be much rolling of polyhedral dice in the days to come. I'm signed in for two events. First, a long session for THE ONE RING, the Tolkien-based rpg, which I've never actually played before, though I have seen it played. Second is a return to Hommlet sequel. Other events I was too late signing up for or cdn't make fit in the schedule, like the Castle Amber** and a Call of Cthulhu adventure that sounded like it had a good set-up.*** 

And in addition to the games is the looking forward to catching up with fellow co-Workers back in TSR days.

Looking forward to it.

--John R.

*One of the few places I can think of where "Then I rolled a two and a five and took Irkust" is a meaningful statement.

  **I actually worked on one of these, back in the day (MARK OF AMBER, circa 1995).

***It's set in a lighthouse, which sounds promising.

Farewell to Jim Ward

 Just heard the sad news that Jim Ward, who was my boss most of the time I was at TSR, has died.

I hadn't seen him in a number of years but had hoped I'd run into him at this weekend's GaryCon, where he was one of the guests. 

Rest in Peace.

The Delicate Art

 So, thanks to Doug A.  for sending me a piece that recently (Febr 28th) appeared in the NEW YORKER, about the increasing role constructed languages play in today's movies and series: "Dune and the Delicate Art of Making Fictional Languages"  by Manvir Singh. Singh not only provides a good survey of the rise of conlang and its current ubiquity but in the process shows the way Tolkien's use of invented languages set the standard for today's fantasy and science fiction. And in doing so shows yet another way in which Tolkien was ahead of his time. 

 

To show just how far we've come in sixty years, compare Tolkien's statement that THE LORD OF THE RINGS was essentially "an essay in 'linguistic esthetic' " (Reilly.136) with the abrupt dismissal of any such thought by early Inklings scholar R. J. Reilly, for whom the mere suggestion was absurd.* Reilly refuses to even take Tolkien's words seriously:

 

 

"No one ever exposed the nerves 

and fibers of his being 

in order to make up a language;

it is not only insane but unnecessary" 

(Reilly.137)

 

 

Despite Reilly's confidence, with the benefit of decades of seeing Tolkien's ideas at work in theory and in practice, there seems nothing any more odd in creating languages than composing music or working crossword puzzles. 

 

People like to say 'Tolkien wd have loved this' or, more often, 'Tolkien is rolling in his grave' --a habit we shd resist when we can. But I have to admit to a bit of envy at seeing there's a biopic coming out this summer that creates a fictional encounter between C. S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud.  I'd love to hear and see what an encounter (say a one-act play) between Tolkien and some of his fellow language-creators wd have been like. Maybe somewhere down the track someone will be inspired to put together a JRRT-meets-RIchard Plotz play or film. I'd love to see it --though I have to admit my philological skills are miniscule and I suspect like most of the other attendees I probably wdn't be able to follow their discussion. But it's nice to think .  . . 

 

--John R. 

 

 

*Notes

"Tolkien and the Fairy Story (1963), collected in Isaacs & Zimbardo, TOLKIEN & THE CRITICS (1968).

 

Two Weeks Out

 So,  plans are coming together. We're now two weeks out from GaryCon.  And the trickiest bit is finally behind me. It took a lot of back-and-forthing trying to work out what I wanted to play vs. what was available and at what specific time slot. I got caught off-guard when some of the really interesting - sounding ones filled up more quickly than I expected, but then it cd be argued that's a good problem to have. 

--John R.

current reading: THE TOMB OF AMEMNES by Steve Winter (2011)

I'm Going to GaryCon

So, I'm going to GaryCon. For the first time ever. Less than a month from now.

It'll be great to see some of my old TSR colleagues from my time there. Also to put a face on folks I know online but haven't met in person.

If you'd like to touch bases, drop me a note in the comments. 

--John R.

   --current reading: THE MOON CHILD by Aleister Crowley (1917) 

Aleister Crowley on Dunsany

 So, I knew that one of Lord Dunsany's books was reviewed by Aleister Crowley. What I did not know until a few days ago is that Crowley critiques Dunsany in passing, in what might have made for an interesting blurb.

The passage in question comes three-quarters of the way through Crowley's occult novel THE MOON CHILD (1917).  Crowley writes 

Lord Dunsany's stories are 

the perfect prose jewels 

of a master cutter and polisher,

 lit by the rays of an imagination 

that is the godlike son 

of the Father of All Truth and Light;

 [page 209 chapter 18: 

The Dark Side of the Moon]

---John R.

--current reading: THE JOURNAL OF JULIUS RODMAN by Edgar Poe (best described as 'Poe does Lewis & Clark').

KIlby's Nauglamir

 Dear Valmer

Here's what I suggest.

Send me a comment connected to this post. If you'll include yr email address in the unpublished comment, I'll delete said comment and respond to you directly.

--John R.

Three Books

So, I hadn't had a chance to get into a bookstore for a while, and held off ordering from Amazon, that great big bookstore in the sky (or perhaps the ether), since we were away for a brief visit to Rockford / Lake Geneva / & Milwaukee and having books come while we're having mail held is inviting trouble. Once we were back I did a little catching up:

THE ALABASTER HAND by A. N. L. Munby 

--Read twice before, finding it enjoyable but derivative; this time I thought better of it. After all, if you're going to imitate somebody it might as well be the best (in this case, the ghost stories of M. R. James). Plus the book was written under difficult circumstances (in a prisoner-of-war camp). Jared Lobdell was interested in this book but never articulated why.

BLOOD & THUNDER: THE LIFE AND ART ODF ROBERT E. HOWARD by Mark Finn

--a well-researched new (-ish) biography of R.E.H., creator of Conan. Meant to be a corrective of the de Camp biography and its many shortcomings.

THE MAJOR AND THE MISSIONARY: THE LETTERS OF WARREN HAMILTON LEWIS AND BLANCH BIGGS ed. Diana Pavlac Glyer

--the back-and-forth correspondence between C. S. Lewis's brother and said a missionary living and working in New Guinea: pen friends who never met. I heard this one read out as a play-for-voices at a Mythcon years ago and enjoyed it then; I expect to enjoy it again now that it's available in book form.

There's a fourth book, by Barfield, but that has not yet arrived.

--John R.

--current reading: Finn's Howard.