Cthulhu

UFO Files

This is just what they want you to believe. A fluff piece on Livescience.com has reported that the sounds, the music, the members of Apollo 10 heard while wandering around on the surface of the moon, was nothing more than static between the command vehicle and the ground vehicle. The VHF radios were acting up.

Well I was in communications in the Army and I don't know anything about VHF radios, so that might be true.

But it seems might convenient.

Actually the fluff piece is a fairly written piece, but not all believe the sounds were from the VHF radios. Al Worden, from Apollo 15, doesn't believe. Something else it as play...or so he says.

Imaginarium ~ Forward into the Wilds

Daily Dose of Literature: Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) may not have single-handedly invented the detective story (Indeed, Edgar Allen Poe had more than a small hand in that honor as well), but he certainly created the single most famous, often-imitated, parodied and continually explored literary figure in the entire genre. We're talking, of course, of one Mr. Sherlock Holmes of 221B Baker Street (a fictional address, incidentally).

Doyle is another seminal figure of the early pulps (or more appropriately, pre-pulps). His Holmes stories directly influenced every generation of mystery and crime writers that has followed since. Writers such as Dashell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie and even James Patterson owe a huge debt to Doyle's work.

Like many writers of his day, Doyle led an adventurous life. He was a working doctor and ship's surgeon, an enthusiastic occult investigator and believer in spiritualism (his acquaintance, the noted illusionist and skeptic Harry Houdini would go around in circles with Doyle regarding this issue), a professional football (soccer) player and cricketeer, and even a politician.

Besides Holmes, Doyle must be remembered as a pioneer of the very genre of fiction that is named after his own novel: The Lost World. Doyle wrote a series of fantastic novels about a character who in many ways could be considered a forerunner of the Steampunk genre: Professor Challenger. The Lost World is one of these tales.

Do yourself a favor and check out some of Doyle's works. They're outstanding.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes stories on Feedbooks (ePUB, PDF and Kindle formats)
The Complete Professor Challenger stories on Feedbooks (ePUB, PDF and Kindle)
Full Arthur Conan Doyle story set on Feedbooks (ePUB, PDF, Kindle)

And, as always, when you've got the itch to run some epic Victorian pulp adventures, check out the Amazing Adventures Role Playing Game!

Female Barbarian

I love this piece. Axes just make me feel good. Axes and round shields. I don't know why.

Daily Dose of Literature: Robert E. Howard

Robert E. Howard

Time to address the elephant in the room! We've covered Lovecraft and Burroughs, but what about the man who was once called "The greatest pulp writer in the whole wide world?" We're talking about none other than the creator of such luminary characters as Conan the Barbarian, Sailor Steve Costigan, Solomon Kane, Kull the Conqueror, Bran Mak Morn, El Borak and more: Robert E. Howard. Between the mid-1920s and up until decades after his untimely death in 1936, Robert E. Howard was leaving an indelible mark on not only the pulps, but on genre fiction in general. He is thought of as the father (or grandfather) of heroic fantasy. While not as well known or spoken of as Prof. Tolkien, Howard's tales of Kull and Conan were some of the earliest forms of sword and sorcery literature to see print, and have had just as much influence. Indeed, in some way Howard's work has influenced directly or indirectly almost every fantasy writer to come along since.

Howard was a huge history buff and though self-educated, was well-informed on the various popular, accepted and fringe theories of history of the day. He adopted several of these (particularly fringe ideas) in his crafting of lost ages of humankind and his ideas of racial memories that influenced later characters in his fiction. He was especially concerned with the idea of civilization vs. barbarism, often coming down heavily on the side of the latter and believing that civilization was by and large a series of interruptions between periods of barbarism.

He is perhaps most famous for his friendship and correspondence of H.P. Lovecraft, who thought very highly of Howard and his writing, and indeed wrote a famed obituary of Howard when Howard passed.

It takes volumes to get into the details of Howard's life; suffice it to say it was as interesting as the stories he wrote. His fiction alone is worth exploring if you have not; much of it is in the public domain and there's a reason why he has had such an effect on writers and genre fiction to this day.

Some of the best books about Howard:

Price-Ellis, Novalyne. One Who Walked Alone: Robert E. Howard, The Final Years. Donald M. Grant, 1986. Amazon Link

Finn, Mark. Blood & Thunder: The Life and Art of Robert E. Howard. The Robert E Howard Foundation Press, 2006, 2011, 2013. Amazon Link

Robert E. Howard's Fiction on Feedbooks (available in PDF, Kindle or EPUB formats, for free!)

After you've read up on Howard, if you've got the itch for some gritty, high action fantasy, historical or general pulp gaming, check out Amazing Adventures! 

Daily Dose of Literature: Edgar Rice Burroughs - The Father of Star Wars

Image Source: http://comicvine.gamespot.com/edgar-rice-burroughs/4040-58037/

"The Father of Star Wars?" you say. "That was George Lucas! What are you smoking?"

Yes, Lucas invented our favorite science fantasy world, but in a very real way, Burroughs was the start of it all. Certainly there were science fiction writers before him--Shelley, Wells, Verne--but the realm of science fantasy known as space opera or planetary romance was very much established by the Barsoom Chronicles concerning the hero John Carter of Mars, and an argument could be made that without Burroughs, we might not have Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers or Star Wars. 

Burroughs also served as a progenitor for later muscle-bound swords-and-sorcery heroes like Conan with his tales of Tarzan of the Apes, a precursor to the same themes of barbarism vs. civilization that authors like Robert E. Howard would later claim as their own.

While you're at it, don't forget his lesser-known romps like the early hollow earth saga of Pellucidar or the adventures of Carson of Venus! You might be surprised at just how many areas of pulp literature Burroughs spearheaded.

But ignore all that: Burroughs was just a rip-roaring great science fantasy and adventure writer who spun memorable characters and exciting stories. If you haven't read his stuff, you're missing out.

Fortunately, a lot of it is in the public domain and you can read it! Check out this listing of his works on feedbooks.com, available in a variety of formats including epub, kindle and PDF. 

Stay tuned for more blurbs about classic writers that every gamer should read, and as always if you're feeling inspired, don't forget to check out the Amazing Adventures RPG!

Daily Dose of Literature: The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft

Lovecraft...at the Library!

 
One of the most important and seminal writers in the history of genre literature, H.P. Lovecraft, drawing upon precursors like Poe, Chambers and Ambrose Bierce, defined the Weird fiction story as it came to be known in the golden age of the pulps--the 1920s and 30s. His so-called "Cthulhu Mythos" (which he actually referred to as "Yog-Sothothery") has gone on to influence almost every single horror author that's come along since.

If you've never read Lovecraft, you're really cheating yourself. But fear not! All of his works are in the public domain, and the fine folks at Dagonbytes are here to help out. Check out The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft, all online and 100% free! Beware, though: you might find out that Cthulhu isn't the nuclear-blast-immune ultimate horror that many modern works and RPGs make him out to be. In his initial appearance, they...well, I don't want to give it away. Read it for yourself and see!

Many of his works are also available in ebook format over at Feedbooks (in ePub, PDF and Kindle format)

When you're done scaring the bejeezus out of yourself...why not grab up a copy of Amazing Adventures and try to run some Lovecraft-inspired games to scare your friends just as bad?

Daily Cosplay

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