Black Gate – Page 550 – Adventures in Fantasy Literature

Vintage Treasures: Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

Monday, April 10, 2017 John ONeill Comments 7 comments

Dark Harvest Norman Partridge-back-small

We got, I dunno, a month or two (or six) before Halloween? But that doesn’t mean you can’t start your spooky Halloween reading a little early this year. My recommendation? Dark Harvest, by Norman Partridge.

Norman Partridge is the author of five collections of horror stories, including The Man with the Barbed-Wire Fists (2001) and Lesser Demons (2010). His short novel Dark Harvest is the tale of Sawtooth Jack, who rises from the cornfields every Halloween and relentlessly makes his way towards town, where gangs of teenage boys await their chance to face off against a creature of nightmare. It was nominated for a World Fantasy Award, and won both the International Horror Guild Award and the Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction. It was also selected as one of Publishers Weekly‘s 100 Best Books of 2006.

Dark Harvest was published in hardcover by Cemetery Dance in October 2006, and reprinted by Tor Books on September 4, 2007. It is 171 pages, priced at $16.99 in trade paperback and $7.99 for the digital edition. The fabulous cover is by Jon Foster. It is still in print.

Modular: Castles & Crusades 7th Printing

Monday, April 10, 2017 Managing Editor Howard Andrew Jones Comments 2 comments

Troll Lord Games has just hit its funding goal for the 7th edition of Castles & Crusades Player’s Handbook, to be released in June of 2017. What’s Castles & Crusades and why should you want it when you have so many other fantasy games to choose from? Take it away, Troll Lords:

You’ll find with C&C that the game is easy to play, but more importantly is its versatility. You can take your house rules and drop them right on top of the C&C mechanic (the Siege Engine) and keep on playing. You are in control. Take the advantage/disadvantage system from 5E and use it with C&C. There’s nothing stopping you.

What’s even better, because the whole game is driven by attribute checks that have only loose guidelines, the game master chooses what attribute check the player rolls. If they want the wizard to swim better, make the character roll an intelligence check to swim the river. It’s your game. Take it.

How does the Siege Engine Work?

You are already familiar with Castles & Crusades.

You’ll find the same classes, races, attributes and many of the same monsters as in most other games.

To succeed at any action, you need to make an attribute check (unless the CK deems it doesn’t need one)

There are two types of attributes: Primary & Secondary

Primary attributes have a base chance to succeed of 12 on a d20. Secondary have a base chance to succeed of 18. The CK adds a challenge level based on hit dice and other circumstance. The character adds their attribute bonus and level to their roll.

You are playing C&C.

It’s fast, versatile and open. Allowing you to make it as complex or as simple as you desire.

I happen to agree with the advertising copy; Castles & Crusades is one of my very favorite role-playing systems because everything discussed above is quite true.

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Modular: Chaosium Announces New Version of RuneQuest

Monday, April 10, 2017 John ONeill Comments 8 comments

Chaosium announced last week that a new version of its classic RPG will be released by Christmas 2017.

The new edition of the iconic roleplaying game RuneQuest will be formally known as RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, or ‘RQG‘ for short, Chaosium announced today… RQG is built off the chassis of the acclaimed RuneQuest 2nd Edition (1980). This enables RQG to be compatible with RuneQuest Classic, the updated reprints of the RQ2 line which Chaosium recently kickstarted to great success.

“Fans had been referring to the new rules variously as ‘RQ4‘ and ‘RQ7‘”, said Chaosium creative director Jeff Richard, “But our new game is simply not a layer atop the Avalon Hill edition (RQ3) or the Mongoose variants that came after that. Nor is it built from the version Design Mechanism produced under license (RQ6). So, rather than try to give the new edition a number, calling it ‘RQG‘ neatly avoids any confusion…”

The products scheduled for 2017 release are the RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha core rules, a Gloranthan Bestiary, and a scenarios book featuring adventures by game design legends Steve Perrin (RQ1 & 2), Ken Rolston (RQ3‘s ‘rune czar’, Morrowwind, Elder Scrolls), Chris Klug (DragonQuest II, James Bond 007 RPG) and the ‘grand shaman of gaming’ himself Greg Stafford… The first new RQG product is the RuneQuest Quickstart, which will be available in June for Free RPG Day and at the Chaosium website from July 1, 2017.

The products will not be kickstarted. The Art for the RuneQuest Quickstart is by Andrey Fetisov; old-school gamers will recognize it as an homage to Luise Perrine’s much-loved cover for the classic 2nd edition.

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Future Treasures: Dogs of War, a New Joe Ledger Novel by Jonathan Maberry

Sunday, April 9, 2017 John ONeill Comments 0 Comment

Joe Ledger is a Baltimore detective recruited to lead a secret rapid-response group called the Department of Military Sciences. His first case, Patient Zero (2009), involved stopping a group of terrorists from releasing a bio-weapon that could trigger a zombie apocalypse, and things have gone downhill for the poor guy ever since. In the seventh volume, Predator One (2015), Joe and the DMS battled killer drones and a computer virus that turns Air Force One into a flying death trap; in Kill Switch (2016), they went up against terrorists who’d crashed the power grid and could turn ordinary citizens into deadly assassins. The Joe Ledger novels are New York Times bestsellers with some pretty imaginative villains; more than a few of the novels are tinged with horror elements, and even elements of the Cthulhu mythos. Kill Switch made Brandon Crilly’s list of the Ten Best Books he read last year; here’s his take:

Eight books into the Joe Ledger series and, much like Jim Butcher, Maberry hasn’t lost his stride. As a fan of 24 and Fringe, I’m crazy about these books, which have so far have tackled zombies, vampires, aliens, and other basic premises but twisted into a military science setting. Kill Switch applies Maberry’s unique storytelling to Cthulhu, taking something I think has long been overdone and using it in a really interesting way.

The newest novel, Dogs of War, introduces robot dogs that have been re-programmed to deliver weapons of mass destruction to cities across the country. It goes on sale in trade paperback from St. Martin’s Griffin on April 25th.

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My Favorite Game: Mount and Blade/Warband – Part One

Sunday, April 9, 2017 Bob Byrne Comments 3 comments

I have spent a lot of hours on a lot of different PC/video games over the years – mostly of the fantasy/RPG variety (though Out of the Park Baseball is my favorite simulation game). And from Temple of Apshai to Dungeon Master to Baldur’s Gate to Age of Conan, I’ve quite enjoyed them. But Mount and Blade (and the stand alone expansion, Mount and Blade: Warband) holds a unique spot for me and several years after last playing it, I’m in up to my elbows again.

I spent my first round playing the original, Mount and Blade (M&B). Now, I’m playing Warband. There are some gameplay differences, the most prominent being that the latter includes multiplayer. However, I have never tried that option and don’t plan on doing so. Mount and Blade and Warband are overall, quite similar and I’ll be using the phrases interchangeably, distinguishing between versions when relevant.

The Game

M&B is a combination first person combat and strategy wargame, with some role playing elements. It is a sandbox, without a storyline. The latter is both a strength and a weakness. You create a character, form a band of troops and roam around the land, solving unrelated quests, fighting enemies and either serving a liege or carving out your own kingdom (creating your own Faction was a Warband addition). You won’t survive long if you don’t build a strong war band, and recruiting, commanding and building up your troops is really the heart of the game.

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New Treasures: Bite by K.S. Merbeth

Sunday, April 9, 2017 John ONeill Comments 0 Comment

Bite is K.S.Merbeth’s debut novel. I like debut novels… that sense of discovery, of something new happening? It reminds me of my days reading submissions for Black Gate, discovering unpublished writers like James Enge, Todd McAulty, and Harry Connolly. And that’s a great feeling. Also, I flipped through the first few pages of Bite, and was impressed with the writing. So all in all, Bite has a lot going for it. But what really sold me was that quote on the back cover: “A full throttle, sand-in-your-eyes, no holds barred ride through a Mad Max-style wasteland.” That’s a killer hook, right there.

Bite is a thriller with a cast of quirky and deranged characters set in a world nearly destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. Booklist says it’s “Filled with dark humor, wit, and a realistic dystopian setting… Think Carl Hiaasen thriller set in a Mad Max world.” The Eloquent Page keeps the comparisons a little more topical for gamers like me: “If you enjoy movies like Mad Max: Fury Road, or games like Fallout 4 and Borderlands, then Bite is the book for you.”

Bite was published by Orbit on July 26, 2016. It is 409 pages, priced at $9.99 in mass market paperback and $6.99 for the digital version. The cover was designed by Lauren Panepinto.

A New Magazine of Fantasy, Science Fiction, Lovecraftian Horror, and Sword & Sorcery: Gathering Storm

Saturday, April 8, 2017 John ONeill Comments 2 comments

Gathering Storm is a brand new magazine with an interesting twist: every issue contains fiction themed according to popular idioms. The editor, Michael McHenry, explained his unique approach in an interview with the Northwest Arkansas Community College paper Eagle View.

Gathering Storm Magazine is a brand new Fayetteville based publication focused on short stories under 2,000 words. GSM will publish stories in a wide variety of genres, including fantasy, horror, science fiction, steampunk, weird, lovecraftian, sword & sorcery. The magazine will also include art, poetry, comics, and more… McHenry said the inspiration for Gathering Storm Magazine came one day when he kept hearing different idioms people used. “For some reason, I heard quite a few that day and kept thinking, Hmmm, that would make a good story,” McHenry said. “The idea caught on like wildfire and I thought that a dedicated magazine to showcasing these types of stories sounded amazing.” Michael McHenry started the magazine with his mother, Cinda McHenry…

GSM is different from other magazines because every time a submission is sent to the magazine, it is categorized according to a certain theme… Issue #1 will contain four stories. First, “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” second, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” third, “Knock on wood,” and finally, “Break a leg.”… “The themes change throughout the year for every new issue but all relate to a particular old saying, proverb, or adage that people know so well,” McHenry said… GSM will be published every two months.

The first issue was published in February 2017; issue #2 arrived right on time earlier this month. Issues are available in digital formats for $4.99, and in print for $11.99. The editors sent us a PDF copy of the first two issues, and I must say I was immediately impressed with the professional layout and design, and the interior artwork. Here’s a few samples.

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Julius Schwartz on A. Merritt, Amazing Stories, and the First Worldcon

Saturday, April 8, 2017 Doug Ellis Comments 2 comments

The first Worldcon, July 1939. Left to right: Jack Darrow, Jack Williamson,
Julius Schwartz, unknown, and Conrad Rupert. Photo by Bill Dellenback

While letters from and to Otto Binder made up the majority of the correspondence I acquired from the estate of Clifford Kornoelje (aka in science fiction circles as Jack Darrow), Binder wasn’t the only science fiction notable that Darrow corresponded with. One of his other correspondents was Julius Schwartz, remembered today for his roles in both the science fiction and comics fields. I thought I’d post two of those letters from Schwartz — along with some related material — today.

The first letter from Schwartz to Darrow is dated December 12, 1932. The Mort that he refers to in several places is their mutual friend, Mort Weisinger. It has a mention of Astounding, a mention of a dinner that Schwartz (and presumably Weisinger as well) will be having with pulp author David H. Keller. And most particularly, it has an interesting bit resulting from an interview that Schwartz had conducted with A. Merritt two weeks earlier. I don’t know if Merritt actually sued Amazing, as Schwartz claims, or whether he just threatened them, but Amazing did run an apology in their June 1933 issue.

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An Adventuring Band of Cats in Old Delhi: Nilanjana Roy’s Wildings Novels

Saturday, April 8, 2017 John ONeill Comments 1 comment

The Hundred Names of Darkness Nilanjana Roy-small

Nilanjana Roy’s Wildings novels have become international bestsellers. Not bad for a pair of books about a tribe of feral cats in an old neighborhood in Delhi, India, who communicate by whisker mind-link and battle a series of sinister threats. The Sunday Guardian called The Hundred Names of Darkness “An astounding achievement — that rare book which marries high art with what is already becoming a feverish, cult-like following… Roy has crafted a world that is as believable and every bit as lovingly rendered as Gaiman’s Sandman.” There are only two books in the series:

The Wildings (323 pages, $18.95 in trade paperback/$9.99 in digital formats, January 12, 2016)
The Hundred Names of Darkness (401 pages, $18.95 in trade paperback/$14.99 in digital formats, July 12, 2016)

Both are published by Random House Canada, with covers designed by Kelly Hill.

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Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Pellucidar Saga: Tarzan at the Earth’s Core

Saturday, April 8, 2017 Ryan Harvey Comments 5 comments

You’ll believe a Stegosaurus can fly!

In the time I’ve written about Edgar Rice Burroughs for Black Gate, only once have I examined one of his Tarzan books. That was eight years ago. This lack of Tarzan representation isn’t because I dislike the character. A number of the early Tarzan adventures rate among my favorite Burroughs novels, and I’ll defend Tarzan of the Apes as one of the twentieth century’s Great Books. But since there’s more information available about Tarzan than any other Burroughs series, my literary adventuring was more interesting when it stayed in hinterlands of ERBiana.

However, it’s a thrill to have the ape-man swing in through the side door during one of my series retrospectives. Let’s welcome Tarzan onto the stage of Pellucidar. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Sagoths of all ages … it’s crossover time!

Our Saga: Beneath our feet lies a realm beyond the most vivid daydreams of the fantastic … Pellucidar. A subterranean world formed along the concave curve inside the earth’s crust, surrounding an eternally stationary sun that eliminates the concept of time. A land of savage humanoids, fierce beasts, and reptilian overlords, Pellucidar is the weird stage for adventurers from the topside layer — including a certain Lord Greystoke. The series consists of six novels, one which crosses over with the Tarzan series, plus a volume of linked novellas, published between 1914 and 1963.

Today’s Installment: Tarzan at the Earth’s Core (1929–30)

Previous Installments: At the Earth’s Core (1914), Pellucidar (1915), Tanar of Pellucidar (1929)

The Backstory

Although most of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s novels occur in the same universe, linked through the author’s fictional surrogate version of himself, Tarzan at the Earth’s Core is the only point where a character from one series leaps to another as the protagonist. It’s the fourth Pellucidar novel and the thirteenth Tarzan novel — full crossover achieved for the first and last time in the ERB canon.

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