How many of you avoid reading anything written after the '70s?

[Richard]

There is a discussion on the Pulp Sword and Sorcery page on FB. Go ahead and join in. Are you guilty of only reading S&S books written before 1970?

[Clint]

I’m more apt to read something from an earlier decade, but I don’t snub everything

[Stewart]

I am guilty of this! And not really sure that I'm missing out on anything??

[W E]

Huge problem for me. I try to keep current, but I have such a backlog of older books it's just easier most of the time to pull from the archive. Point in fact, I've just started reading Dune for the first time. Sacrilegious, I know.

[W E]

Stewart wrote: "I am guilty of this! And not really sure that I'm missing out on anything??"I wonder that myself sometimes. But I do think it's worth keeping up with the current crop. Never know when one will really end up blowing you away.

[S.E., Gray Mouser (Emeritus)]

For the next Groupread poll, I can provide options to read certain eras (ie before 1950, 1950-1970, etc)

[Richard]

I don't limit what I read by this standard. When the question was posted on FB I thought it ridiculous. But evidently, and sadly, this is the case. All too often the very same persons citing this arbitrary limitation are what I call 'purists'. 'Purists' are those who deify Howard and find everything else to be excrement, or at the very least sub-standard. It's as tiresome as sitting in a southern Baptist church on Sunday listening to the old men chime in with 'Amen' every few minutes. Howard left some big shoes to fill, but c'mon guys don't pigeonhole yourselves like this. There is some really good stuff being written and published today. It's not published by the big publishers anymore, but it's still alive and breathing. It didn't die in the 70's. Check out Rogue Blades Entertainment or DMR books if you are skeptical.

[Jason]

nope, I don't avoid eras. And W. E., since you're confessing I will too - haven't read and have no desire to read Dune.

Good idea, Seth! And much thanks for the shout-out, Richard!

[Matt]

I'm actually more interested in reading more modern works. I'm fairly well read as far as the old stuff goes, but I'm more interested to see where the genre is going and where it can be taken. I prefer more modern voicing these days, (3rd-person limited and close povs) and love when nuggets of sword and sorcery make their way in or when convention is turned on its head.

All respect to the trail blazers--Howard, Lieber, Wagner etc. I've read and reread their works. But this genre will die if the readers don't seek out and support new voices of this or adjacent genres.

Don't mistake me. I'm not accusing anyone. I'm mostly just voicing my own internal thoughts on the matter. We discuss this and many other issues on the Rogues in the House Podcast, should anyone be interested in checking us out. We have much love for s&s and heroic fantasy ;)

[W E]

Jason M wrote: "nope, I don't avoid eras. And W. E., since you're confessing I will too - haven't read and have no desire to read Dune.

LOL! I played the Dune board game recently and it lit a fire under me to finally break the book out. The game is amazing, the book is pretty good too so far.