Joseph’s Comments (group member since Oct 24, 2012)

Joseph’s comments from the Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" group.

Richard wrote: "Last I read about the Instrumentalities, Cook said his publisher didn't want to pursue the series because of low sales. ..."

Sigh. I have the strangest sense of deja vu. Although he was eventually able to go back & wrap up Dread Empire.

Yep, I'll be needing to get that one as well.

Hope he's also still working on a final(?) Instrumentalities book?

And I continued on to Skavenslayer. Great stuff, but not sure if I'll continue past this, at least immediately -- I also have some Expanse books burning a hole in my Kindle ...

S.E. wrote: "Joseph... you are a reading machine! Somehow you crank out meaningful reviews too. You read rock"

Thank you! Conveniently, I've been able to work a little more reading time into my current schedule; also, they weren't very long books. Which is a nice change of pace from, e.g., the Tad Williams books I was reading earlier in the year (and which, to be sure, I also enjoyed).

OK, yep, it's Gotrek & Felix time with William King's Trollslayer.

Technically, I don't think it's Kyrik 6 -- it's Kyrik 1, but they made a master series called "Sword & Sorcery", of which this is book 6 (the first five are Kothar).

And I would've known that they were all going to be free at various points, I might've held off on buying them. But eh, $3 each I'm happy to pay.

As I think about it, of all of Moorcock's work, Silver Warriors/Phoenix in Obsidian would probably be the best choice for a film adaptation -- it's a relatively self-contained work (you could gloss over most of the Eternal Champion connections) in a vivid setting with a reasonably straightforward plot.

And it even comes with a pre-made film poster!

S.E. wrote: "Actually,Joseph, your recent reviews of the Dragonlance chronicles—Twin Series had me stoked too. I always wanted to learn Raistlin’s evolution/past. You are killing my to-read pile"

My fiendish plan is working ...

S.E. wrote: "I've had the first Erkose book on my shelf for many years; your reviews are encouraging me to relook at that one and the only Elric book I have not completed: The Revenge of the Rose ..."

Thank you! Both worth your time, although I'd say Eternal Champion is the better of those two. And I'd also encourage you to track down a copy of Phoenix in Obsidian/The Silver Warriors if you get a chance.

Phoenix in Obsidian

Am now starting The Dragon in the Sword: Book 3 of Erekosë Trilogy, the third & final Eternal Champion/Erekosë novel. After this, something by a William will probably be in order.

And another movie:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416316/?...

This one is a Russian production from 2006 -- I'd say it kind of splits the difference between Conan and Beastmaster. Not amazing, but not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

I especially like the costumes & the buildings &c. -- they seem to have an authenticity you don't find in a lot of US-made fantasy/medieval movies (maybe because in Russia you can still find those old buildings standing around).

Michael time: Decided to revisit Michael Moorcock's The Eternal Champion and its sequels.

Yeah, they're very different movies; I was just amused that they both starred Rutger Hauer and that they both came out at about the same time.

David wrote: "Joseph wrote: "Anyone else seen this?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089153/?...

Not actually sword & sorcery, but definitely of interest. Kind of grimdark medieval -- Rutger Hauer is the ..."

Maybe the sequel was Ladyhawke?

Or, considering that he was using a big-ass zweihander in Ladyhawke, and he starts this movie with a big-ass zweihander which he promptly loses, maybe this was a sequel to Ladyhawke?

Anyone else seen this?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089153/?...

Not actually sword & sorcery, but definitely of interest. Kind of grimdark medieval -- Rutger Hauer is the leader of a group of mercenaries in 16th C. Europe who get betrayed by their employer and end up kidnapping said employer's son's fiancée (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh). Directed by Paul Verhoeven (Robocop), with a soundtrack by Basil Poledouris.

Interestingly, it came out at about the same time Ladyhawke did, so Rutger Hauer must've spent a lot of time in 1984 or so swinging swords around ...

I'll probably end up biting the bullet at some point -- I've had a hankering to revisit Gotrek and Felix, and I've also had my eye on the Thanquol books -- but at those prices I'll probably just pick them up on an as-needed basis.

Good news and bad news. The good news: It looks like the Warhammer and Warhammer 40K books are starting to show up in the US Kindle store. The bad news: For $11.99 each.

It's not precisely S&S, but it's a D&D novel and D&D came from the sword & sorcery tradition, so I'm going to count it anyway ... Currently reading Time of the Twins, the first novel in Dragonlance Legends, the second trilogy. First time I've read it in, oh, 25 years, give or take.

And it's interesting -- surprisingly dark, especially coming after the first Dragonlance trilogy, which was kind of a by-the-numbers Quest to Defeat the Dark Lord (not to say I didn't enjoy it).

But oh, man, the prose is really not good.

David wrote: "Joseph wrote: "Periklis wrote: "Also, pretty much anything from the Warhammer universe would make a great show... ..."

Gotrek & Felix!"

Brunner the Bounty Hunter"

Or Mathias Ullman, Witch Hunter!

Periklis wrote: "Also, pretty much anything from the Warhammer universe would make a great show... ..."

Gotrek & Felix!