eldritchhobbit

As guest editor, I am beyond thrilled to share this issue with readers. The amazing works assembled here represent Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, Mushkegowuk Cree, Karuk, and Ojibwe Nakawē perspectives. Please check out issue 99 and its related podcast here.

ALL OF THIS ISSUE’S CONTENT IS NOW UNLOCKED AND FREE TO READERS!

It's time for my annual navel-gazing post, in which I take stock of the year beyond my university teaching for my own information/edification.

So here's my reading, podcasting, and published work this year.





( Below the cut: lists! )

Recently Gary Dowell, editor of the wonderful Far Fetched Fables: The Audio Fantasy Fiction Magazine (sibling to StarShipSofa), invited me to contribute a fantasy-related "Looking Back on Genre History" to his podcast. It occurred to me that this was the perfect opportunity to share with everyone an almost-but-not-quite-lost work of epic Gothic fantasy: 1877's The Demon of Brockenheim; or The Enchanted Ring.

Today the second part of my two two-part introduction to The Demon of Brockenheim was posted on Far Fetched Fables. You can listen to both parts for free below.
* My Introduction to The Demon of Brockenheim, Part 1
* My Introduction to The Demon of Brockenheim, Part 2

And here for your reading pleasure is a free PDF of the novel from its publication in serial form in The Australian Journal: download The Demon of Brockenheim.

Happy listening and happy reading!



If you'd like to get your genre geek on a bit more, here are some suggestions.

Bibliography/Recommended Further Reading Related to My Demon of Brockenheim "Looking Back" Segments
- Anonymous. The Saga of the Volsungs. Jesse Byock, ed. Penguin Classics, 2000.
- Doig, James, ed. Australian Gothic : An Anthology of Australian Supernatural Fiction, 1867-1939. Equilibrium Books, 2007.
- Ellis, Markman. The History of Gothic Fiction. Edinburgh University Press, 2001.
- Fouqué, Baron de la Motte. The Magic Ring. Amy H. Sturgis, ed. Valancourt Books, 2006.
- Gelder, Kenneth and Rachael Weaver, eds. The Anthology of Colonial Australian Gothic Fiction. Melbourne University Press, 2007.
- Johnson-Woods, Toni. Beyond Ephemera: The Australian Journal (1865-1962) as Fiction Publisher. Diss. University of Queensland, 2000.
- Punter. David. The Literature of Terror: A History of Gothic Fictions from 1765 to the Present Day. Volume I: The Gothic Tradition. Longmans, 1980.
- Punter, David and Glennis Byron. The Gothic. Blackwell, 2004.
- Thomsett, Michael T. The Inquisition: A History. McFarland, 2010.
- Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Allen & Unwin. 1954, 1955.
- Yates, Frances A. The Rosicrucian Enlightenment. Routledge, 2001.

I first met artist Jef Murray over a decade ago when we were both guests at the Tolkien event The Gathering of the Fellowship in Toronto. I most recently spent some wonderful time chatting with Jef and his lovely wife Lorraine last year when we were guests at A Long-Expected Party 3 in Kentucky. In between conventions and conferences, we kept in touch. His artwork delighted me, and I was thrilled when he offered to illustrate the deluxe hardback version of my edited edition of The Magic Ring by Baron de la Motte Fouqué. He shared his breathtaking art-in-progress with me as he worked (the book contains more than forty of his gorgeous illustrations), I shared my annotated music mix for the project with him, and the experience was a true joy.



If you're unfamiliar with Jef's remarkable art, do check out the website of Jef Murray Studios.

I was looking forward to seeing Jef again next year in Kentucky. The news of his sudden passing saddens me greatly. He was a rare soul and a truly gifted artist, and he brought beauty to everyone who knew him. Namárië, Jef.

* If 1) while reading C.S. Lewis you've ever been troubled by the problem of Susan Pevensie, and/or 2) you love Doctor Who, by all means read "The Solution of Susan." In less than half a page, it packs more of a punch than some novels I've read. Thank you, The Hero of Three Faces.

* In other news, my most recent "Looking Back into Genre History" segment is up on the latest episode of StarShipSofa, and in it I discuss the great Ada Lovelace. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

* My inspiration for this episode is a new book for middle readers that I highly recommend to young and old alike.



In The Case of the Missing Moonstone (Wollstonecraft Detective Agency #1), Jordan Stratford brings together the mother of modern science fiction, Mary Shelley, and the world's first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace, as girls (14 and 11, respectively). In honor of the feminist writings of Mary's late mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, the two create the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency. They use science to solve the mystery of the missing moonstone. There is so much to love here: clever dialogue, evocative description, action, and intelligent young women using their reason.

For young readers, the novel serves as an introduction of sorts to the intellectual history of the Victorian era; for those who are already in the know, the inside jokes and loving homages are a treat. The mystery is a retelling of The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, the first great detective novel in English. Percy B. Shelley and Charles Dickens play key roles in the tale, as do mesmerism and Newgate Prison.

The book ends with a discussion of the real history behind Ada, Mary, Wollstonecraft, The Moonstone, and the other ingredients of the story, and Stratford makes it clear when and why he's taken liberties with the past (for example, in narrowing the real gap between the ages of his protagonists so they have the chance to be young heroines together).

This is a perfect storm of inspiration, entertainment, and education. I'm already making plans to put a copy of this book into the hands of the young readers I know.

This week's StarShipSofa includes the second installment of my three-part "History of the Genre" special about reading Harry Potter in a Native American context. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!
Part 1 is here on Episode 340
Part 2 is here on Episode 345
A complete list of links for my podcasting work to date is available here.

In other news, I have a newsprint manicure and a book, and I took a photo of them. So there.

Just a quick fly-by post...

This is worth reading: "J.R.R. Tolkien Has A Touching Message For His Former Teachers In Newly Discovered Letter."

This also deserves a look: from NPR, "Harry Potter And The Forbidden Books."

Things that are cool:

* Scholar Michael Drout has written a most enlightening blog post clarifying his work with Tolkien's Beowulf papers, etc.: "Tolkien's Beowulf: The Real Story."

* From US Weekly: "J.K. Rowling to Pen Fantastic Beasts Trilogy as Harry Potter Spin-Off."

* From The Guardian: "Black death was not spread by rat fleas, say researchers."

* The Heinlein Society is pleased to announce its third annual scholarship essay contest for the 2014-2015 academic year. The scholarships will be awarded to undergraduate students of accredited 4-year colleges and universities majoring in engineering, math, or physical sciences (e.g. physics, chemistry), or in science fiction as literature. Here are more details.

* From Muskrat Magazine: "Indigenizing Sci Fi" by Zainab Amadahy. This is a three-part study of how science fiction/fantasy con organizers everywhere might grow and diversify their events. I'm honored to be mentioned in this piece.

* My dear friend Tony C. Smith has opened a new shop, SeaDriftSoaps. If you're after soap that is natural, unscented, cruelty-free, and handmade, check it out!

* I'll be offering my two-semester history of science fiction with Mythgard Institute again this Fall (2014) and Spring (2015). Consider yourself invited to a free online Q&A session on June 5 for more information! (Note: I'll post a reminder closer to time. Another session timed for UK convenience will take place later this summer, and I'll post about that, as well.)

Last but definitely not least, happy early birthday wishes to sarah531, vg_ford, tunes84, captnofmyheart, wildviolet4, savagedoc45, lalam, silveraspen, denorios, prettybirdy979, sakuraember, cherylmmorgan, muuranker, izhilzha, and justicemuffins. May you enjoy many happy returns of the day, my friends!

As you know, the devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma earlier this year hit very close to home for me, as in fact they hit the counties (turned "national disaster areas") where my parents and my sister and her family live. Efforts continue to rebuild and recover.

I am thrilled to be a part of the new Writers for Relief: An Anthology Written by Fantasy's Finest to Benefit Those Who Suffered in Oklahoma, edited by Davey Beauchamp and Stuart Jaffe. All proceeds benefit the ongoing recovery efforts related to the Oklahoma tornado disasters. This collection includes cover art from the legendary Bob Eggleton and fiction from some of the finest in the genre, including Kevin J. Anderson, Mike Resnick, Ben Bova, Todd McCaffrey, Stephen Euin Cobb, Jason Sandford, Bobby Nash, John Hartness, Edmund Schubert, Danny Birt, Jaym Gates, Gray Rinehart, Janine Spendlove, and Eugie Foster. Oh, and I'm in there, too! :)



Hey, this would make a great gift, wouldn't it? And it's almost time for the holidays! I'd be grateful if you'd help us spread the word. Thanks so much!