A Pilgrimmage to DreamHaven Books

A Pilgrimmage to DreamHaven Books

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Greg Ketter in front of DreamHaven Books and Comics in
downtown Minneapolis. Photo taken Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Science fiction collector Denny Lien died in Minneapolis a few weeks ago, and word started going out that the folks handling his estate were looking for help. Rich Horton let me know that they were searching for a home for his legendary collection of vintage science fiction magazines. I didn’t need to be told twice, and on Wednesday I rented a minivan, folded down the back seats, and drove 379 miles from Chicago to Minneapolis.

Greg Ketter had the key to Denny’s place so I swung by Greg’s store, DreamHaven Books and Comics, just a few blocks from George Floyd Square. Greg is a friend of mine, and I’ve known him since I started buying books from the DreamHaven booth at conventions in the mid-90s. But I’d never made the trip to DreamHaven Books before… and I wasn’t prepared for the wonders that awaited inside.

DreamHaven is the most glorious and well-stocked specialty bookstore I’ve ever seen, and if you’re a science fiction collector (or even a casual fan), it is a place you absolutely must visit at least once in your life. I don’t know why I never did it sooner, but it’s clear to me now that I’ve lived a lot of wasted years.

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Goth Chick News: Good and Bad News About World War Z

Goth Chick News: Good and Bad News About World War Z

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World War Z by Max Brooks (Three Rivers Press, October 16, 2007)

It’s a bit difficult to get my brain around, but it’s been ten years since the release of the movie version of World War Z. The film is based on the novel by Max Brooks, whom I had the pleasure of meeting back in 2015. In the midst of having a full-on fangirl moment I accomplished two things; first, Brooks signed my copy of WWZ, and second, I managed to irk him a bit by asking about a sequel. At the time I wasn’t sure why Brooks didn’t seem keen to talk about it. However, a few months later Paramount pictures announced they had green-lighted a second film, with Brooks signed on as a writer. It then seemed logical that, having just penned the agreement for a film, Brooks could not discuss it and therefore shut down my line of questioning.

And here we are in 2023. The good news is that WWZ fans are getting a special treat from Scream Factory, while the bad news is that a movie sequel seems all but finally and totally dead.

Let’s start with the good news.

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Ellsworth’s Cinema of Swords: Banditti!

Ellsworth’s Cinema of Swords: Banditti!

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The Bandits of Corsica (USA, 1953)

After the turkeys we covered in the previous Cinema of Swords article, it’s good to get back to something fun, in this case three films about bandits and brigands. We watch these, of course, because bandits are basically land pirates, and everybody loves a good pirate movie! Sword-swinging, wise-cracking outlaw heroes are always welcome, especially when played by Richard Greene, the 1950s Robin Hood, learning the outlaw ropes here in two films that preceded his role in that classic TV series.

When I was rounding out this article by adding Ali Baba and the Seven Saracens, I realized to my shock that its review had somehow gotten overlooked and left out of the Cinema of Swords compilation coming your way from Applause Books next month. So, if you’re some kind of completist collector (like Black Gate’s esteemed editor, John O’Neill), bookmark this post and save it, as otherwise, your Cinema of Swords collection will be… incomplete!

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Beauty and Nightmares on Aliens Worlds: Interviewing C. S. Friedman

Beauty and Nightmares on Aliens Worlds: Interviewing C. S. Friedman

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We have an ongoing series at Black Gate on the topic of “Beauty in Weird Fiction” where we corner an author and query them about their muses and methods to make ‘repulsive’ things ‘attractive to readers.’ Previous subjects have included Darrell Schweitzer, Anna Smith Spark, Carol Berg, Stephen Leigh, Jason Ray Carney, and John C. Hocking (see the full list at the end of this post).

Inspired by the release of Nightborn: Coldfire Rising (July 2023, see Black Gate’s review for more information), we are delighted to interview C.S. Freidman!  Since the late 1990’s she has established herself as a master of dark fantasy and science fiction, being a John W. Campbell award finalist and author of the highly acclaimed Coldfire trilogy and This Alien Shore (New York Times Notable Book of the Year 1998).

Let’s learn about C. S. Friedman’s muses & fears, her experience with art, and tease a future TV series!

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Bob’s Books – Shelfie #6: (Cook, LeGuin, Gygax, Hardy, Hendee, Flint, Smith, McKillip)

Bob’s Books – Shelfie #6: (Cook, LeGuin, Gygax, Hardy, Hendee, Flint, Smith, McKillip)

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It’s installment number six in Bob’s Books’ Shelfie series. Combining a couple fantasy shelfies from my Reddit series, and I kick it off with the terrific GLEN COOK.

When I see a fantasy shelfie here in this bookshelf subreddit, there always seems to be the same few authors popping up – Martin, Sanderson, and Rowling. I’m a little surprised I haven’t seen much Tolkien beyond The Hobbit and the Trilogy – not many Silmarillions appear. I’ve got a SERIOUS Tolkien shelfie coming.

When there’s something a little darker, it’s usually Joe Abercrombie, or Stephen Erikson’s Malazan series. The latter is fantastic, and the books that co-creator Ian Esslemont has added, are pretty good too.

I don’t think I’ve seen any Glen Cook yet.

I’ve not read his Dread Empire series, which seems to be rather heavy. And I’ve read a little of his science fiction, though not much.

He has written a couple of other fantasy series’ I haven’t checked out. But Cook has written two SUPERB series’ that I put up with any modern fantasy in the past several decades. Including the ‘big-name’ stuff that gets most of the attention.

His Chronicles of the Black Company tracks a mercenary company across a deep fantasy world. Abercrombie, Lawrence, and the other leading dark fantasy writers are following in Glen Cook’s footsteps (and of course, Michael Moorcock’s).

It’s a tremendous series that I hear is popular with current and former members of the military, for its depiction of the military lifestyle.

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Future Treasures: Witch King by Martha Wells

Future Treasures: Witch King by Martha Wells

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Witch King by Martha Wells (Tor.com, May 30, 2023). Cover art by Cynthia Sheppard

Martha Wells was one of the most popular authors we published in Black Gate. Her terrific Ile-Rien tales (“Reflections,” Black Gate #10, “Holy Places,” BG #11, and “Houses of the Dead,” BG #12) were set in the same world as her nebula-nominated novel The Death of the Necromancer, and her popular Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy (The Wizard Hunters, The Ships of Air, and The Gate of Gods).

Of course, her career really took off with the appearance of Muderbot. The first two books in the series, All Systems Red and Artificial Condition, won back-to-back Hugo and Locus Awards; after that Martha graciously declined further nominations to give other nominees a chance. That didn’t stop the Hugo electorate from voting The Murderbot Diaries the 2021 Hugo Award for Best Series (the same year that Network Effect, the 5th volume, won the Hugo for Best Novel).

Martha’s upcoming Witch King, her first new fantasy novel in over a decade, arrives from Tor.com at the end of the month and, as you can imagine, it’s one of the most highly anticipated books of the year. Martha has promised us a guest post on the book in a few weeks, so stay tuned.

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Joseph Wrzos, September 9, 1929 — April 7, 2023

Joseph Wrzos, September 9, 1929 — April 7, 2023

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A few of the magazines edited by Joseph Wrzos: Amazing Stories
(complete year, 1967) and Fantastic Stories (complete years, 1966 & 1967)

I wanted to mention the passing on April 7, at the age of 93, of the former editor of Amazing and Fantastic, Joseph Wrzos, who used the name Joseph Ross professionally.

He was Cele Goldsmith Lalli’s immediate successor, and took over the magazines at a difficult time, when Ziff-Davis sold them to Ultimate Publishing. Lalli stayed with Ziff-Davis (and had a very successful career editing Modern Bride.) Ross worked under publisher Sol Cohen, who mandated severe budget cuts, including reprinting stories Amazing had first published decades before (and, until SFWA objected, not paying for them.)

Ross did his best in those circumstances, as far as I can tell, and was well liked by those who knew him. (I never met him myself.) In addition to his editing work (which included consulting for Arkham House, and for some later iterations of Amazing) he was a High School English teacher.

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The Queen of Quiet Horror: NOW IT’S DARK by Lynda E. Rucker

The Queen of Quiet Horror: NOW IT’S DARK by Lynda E. Rucker

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Now It’s Dark by Lynda E Rucker (Swan River Press, 2023)

There was a time, years ago, when the term “quiet horror” (as opposed to splatter or graphic horror) was used to describe a type of dark fiction where monsters are not lurking behind the street corner, inside an empty house or in a deserted wood, but deep inside our soul.

It’s a pity that the expression “quiet horror” sounds a bit out of fashion, because it applies perfectly to the present collection (her third) Now It’s Dark, by the talented and insightful Lynda E. Rucker.

Rucker is a wonderful writer that I’ve occasionally met and enjoyed before, e.g. in the outstanding anthology Aickman’s Heirs, to which she contributed with the very atmospheric “The Dying Season” (included also in this book), describing the crisis of a couple staying at a resort off season, when everything is empty, slightly depressing and a bit weird.

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Goth Chick News Reviews: Hanging with Vampires: A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural by Insha Fitzpatrick

Goth Chick News Reviews: Hanging with Vampires: A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural by Insha Fitzpatrick

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As you likely already know, I’m a superfan of Quirk Books. If you put this publisher’s name in the Black Gate search bar, you’re going to come up with a whole list of articles about previous works they’re responsible for; all of which live up to their name. One of their newest tomes fits perfectly into my recent run on vampire news, so please indulge me while I cover a couple of different topics along this this line.

First, in a previous blood-sucking discussion, I was getting excited about Nicolas Cage’s recent outing as Dracula, in the comedy/horror movie Renfield. Cage was pitching it as one of his dream roles, and the premise of a modern-day Renfield, tortured by an awful boss and in therapy over it, seemed like a perfect match up of talent with story. Yes, Cage is weird and over the top, but a vampire film with a sense of humor put me in the mind of What We Do in the Shadows, so I was looking forward to seeing it.

So, how was it?

Meh.

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New Treasures: The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

New Treasures: The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

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The Scourge Between Stars (Tor Nightfire, April 4, 2023). Cover by Chris McGrath

Tor’s new Nightfire horror imprint has really hit the ground running. Launched in April 2019, its first project was the audio-only horror anthology Come Join Us By the Fire in October 2019, and it hasn’t slowed down since — with books from T. Kingfisher, Brian Lumley, Lucy A. Snyder, Catriona Ward, Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Cassandra Khaw, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and lots more.

Its latest title, The Scourge Between Stars, is a delicious-looking debut novel from Ness Brown, a deep-space horror tale that Ally Wilkes (All the White Spaces) calls “a stellar, perfectly-formed piece of space horror: a smart blend of Alien-esque monsters with generation-ship existential despair,” and Publishers Weekly praises as “Tense, gory, and genuinely creepy… sci-fi horror that holds its own with the classics of the genre.”

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