Jared Shurin's Blog, page 24
February 6, 2017
The Wizards and the Warriors & The Kings of the Wyld
Hugh Cook's The Wizards and the Warriors (1987) has one of those timelessly awful late-1980s covers, and a generic cover quote - saying it'd be perfect for fans of David Eddings. In hindsight, someone in marketing really dropped the ball on this one. Maybe in the heady days of the 1980s, when Eddings was Martin, all you needed was a quest and a sword to earn that comparison. But for fantasy readers - or, hell, Eddings fans - buying the book on the strength of this platitude, Cook's debut must...
Weird and wacky worlds: The Wizards and the Warriors & The Kings of the Wyld
Hugh Cook's The Wizards and the Warriors (1987) has one of those timelessly awful late-1980s covers, and a generic cover quote - saying it'd be perfect for fans of David Eddings. In hindsight, someone in marketing really dropped the ball on this one. Maybe in the heady days of the 1980s, when Eddings was Martin, all you needed was a quest and a sword to earn that comparison. But for fantasy readers - or, hell, Eddings fans - buying the book on the strength of this platitude, Cook's debut must...
February 2, 2017
Erin Lindsey's Bloodbound is back, still great
Erin Lindsey's Bloodbound was first published in 2014. The trilogy, continued with Bloodforged and concluded last year with Bloodsworn. The series is now - finally - out in the UK, which gives me an excuse to rave about it again.
Here's how Bloodbound starts: a cavalry charge.
Alix Black, one of the scouts for the Kingdom of Alden, is watching a battle unfold. Her king is being overwhelmed by the invading forces of the Oridian empire, and, much to her horror, she can see that the King's bro...
February 1, 2017
Small Press Shakedown: Christopher Teague of Pendragon Press
The UK has a fantastic small press scene. To celebrate the people behind the imprints, and help out the writers that are looking to them for publication, we've asked a number of editors to share what they're working on - and what they're looking for. This week, our guest is Christopher Teague from Pendragon Press.
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Pendragon are one of the classics of the UK scene, and you've given 'first breaks' to everyone from Gareth Powell to Mark Charan Newton. Could you tell us a bit about who you a...
January 30, 2017
It���s called Rupert Orange, I mean come on.
"Rupert Orange" first aired on Beyond Midnight on January 9, 1970
[You can hear "Rupert Orange" on The Horror - listen or download here.]
Thoughts Before Listening
It���s called Rupert Orange, I mean come on. Btw hallo dears.
Thoughts While Listening
Ooooooh it���s South African THIS MEANS IT IS GOING TO BE WERY AMAZING
Why do I feel like I have said this kindasorta racist thing about a radio drama before.
Probably because I have said this kindasorta racist thing about a radio drama before....
The State of the Kitsch
Hey, here's a slightly rejigged site! Which also gives us an excuse to roll out our annual summary of what's the what around here.
Here's last year's, which was brief and to the point.
There are a lot of reasons we do a thing like this - a blog, a website, a thingazine, whatever you call it. The best of those reasons is that we enjoy doing it. So, as always, when we sit back and reflect upon the previous 365 days, the first question is, "did we have fun?".
...and we did.
For what it is wort...
January 25, 2017
Small Press Shakedown: Martin Appleby of Paper and Ink
The UK has a fantastic small press scene. To celebrate the people behind the imprints, and help out the writers that are looking to them for publication, we've asked& a number of editors to share what they're working on - and what they're looking for. This week, our guest is Martin Appleby from the literary zine PAPER AND INK.
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Could you tell us a bit about who you are and what you're doing?
My name is Martin and I edit, design and distribute PAPER AND INK, which is a submission based lit...
PK Interview: Martin Appleby of Paper and Ink
The UK has a fantastic small press scene. To celebrate the people behind the imprints, and help out the writers that are looking to them for publication, we've asked& a number of editors to share what they're working on - and what they're looking for. This week, our guest is Martin Appleby from the literary zine PAPER AND INK.
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Could you tell us a bit about who you are and what you're doing?
My name is Martin and I edit, design and distribute PAPER AND INK, which is a submission based lit...
January 20, 2017
The Face in the Frost and The Obsessed
Quic
The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs (1969) is an oft-overlooked fantasy classic. Two elderly wizards - Prospero and Roger Bacon - meander across the North and South Kingdoms in search of a cure for some ill-defined metaphysical curse that's plaguing the land. The evil is deliberately vague, and all the more horrifying for it: an ancient tome is being read by a dark-hearted wizard, andbadness is spilling forth. From damp moths to off-putting miststo an ominous sense of malaise, Bellair...
January 18, 2017
PK Interview: Dominic Stevenson of Listen Softly London
The UK has a fantastic small press scene. To celebrate the people behind the imprints, and help out the writers that are looking to them for publication, we've askeda number of editors to share what they're working on - and what they'relooking for. This week, our guest is Dominic Stevensonfrom Listen Softly London.
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Could you tell us a bit about who you are and what you're doing?
Listen Softly London started out as a creative arts night. We'd have poets, storytellers, comedians, and so on...
