The Joy of Erudition’s Reviews > Fantastic Sword & Sorcery and Fantasy Stories, November 1976 > Status Update
The Joy of Erudition
is 68% done
L. Sprague de Camp's essay "White Wizard in Tweeds" is a somewhat dry but interesting mini-biography of J. R. R. Tolkien (whose name he says is pronounced "tol-keen", not "tol-kin") focused on his writing and publishing of The Hobbit and LotR, as well as the critical reception of the time, with lots of citations. In addition to written correspondence, de Camp says he also spent a day talking with him in person once.
— May 27, 2025 05:44PM
1 like · Like flag
The Joy of Erudition’s Previous Updates
The Joy of Erudition
is finished
The letters columns and classified ads are always interesting, giving a glimpse of what was on everyone's mind at this time in history, and sometimes giving their opinions of historical events as they were happening.
— Jun 18, 2025 07:34AM
The Joy of Erudition
is 90% done
"The Forest of Andred" was the worst story in the issue, and was so badly written that I looked up the author to see if he'd done anything else, and was shocked to find that this is sort of a "cult classic" author writing under a pseudonym! Granted, this is one of his very earliest works (only his 3rd published story, years before his novels), so it's entirely possible he improved greatly since then.
— Jun 11, 2025 05:02PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 50% done
"Black Moonlight" is a Thongor story, and here he's a pirate with a crew of merry men, sailing to some island ruins to seek a treasure of pearls. When his crewmate Kanthar Kan (suspiciously similar to Kantos Kan of Barsoom) is found dead, Thongor goes alone into the jungle to find what killed him. This is better-written than anything I've read by Lin Carter before.
— May 13, 2025 01:39PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 37% done
"Tharquest and the Lamia Orbiquita" was my first Brian Lumley story. This is the first actual sword & sorcery story in this magazine, and it feels like a bit of a spoof. The character is a massive rake, and he thinks this will let him survive a night with a lamia with a taste for men. The prose is over-the-top mythical style, and follows the rule of 3. It seems to be set up as a series with this character. Psyche!
— Mar 28, 2025 11:22PM
The Joy of Erudition
is 29% done
"Parker Frightened on a Tightrope" was a weird story in a near-future SF setting involving full-immersion VR/cyberspace experiences with full sensory feedback, including pain. Parker's ex-GF seeks revenge on him by hacking his system and putting him through tests with the threat of pain. Mostly dialogue and it's all about their stormy relationship and breakup. Parker doesn't have much personality.
— Mar 28, 2025 02:12AM
