eldritchhobbit

In my “Looking Back on Genre History” segment on the latest episode of StarShipSofa, I discuss resources and recommendations for reading Ukrainian speculative fiction in translation.

Here's the episode: StarShipSofa No 683 Paul Alex Gray | StarShipSofa.

31 Days of Dark Academia: Halloween 2021

October 24: House of Night series by P.C. & Kristin Cast (2007-2014)

Quote from Marked (2007):

"Remember, darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good."

NOTE: I contributed the essay “Reimagining ‘Magic City’: How the Casts Mythologize Tulsa” to a book about the House of Night Series, Nyx in the House of Night. You can read more of my posts about the series here.

31 Days of Dark Academia: Halloween 2021

October 11: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (2020)

Quote:

That memorial over at the Arboretum is the pretty acknowledgement, the polite one. But the blood? The blood’s buried here.

Now on Spotify, this music mix is inspired by The Magic Ring by Baron de la Motte-Fouqué (1813, translated into English in 1825). Roughly half of the songs are authentic to the era in which the story is set, and two were written by historical figures who actually appear in the novel.

If you listen, I hope you enjoy it!

I made this mix while editing this edition of the novel for Valancourt Books.

I’m delighted to say that my keynote address from the 2018 Generic Magic Festival (”Why We Need New Magic”) is now available here on the latest episode of the StarShipSofa podcast.

If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

I'm delighted to announce that I'll be the keynote speaker at the Generic Magic Festival (formerly Roanoke Potter Fest) in Roanoke, VA. I hope to see many of you there. We will have a fantastic time!

Based on the British Museum Exhibit: Harry Potter, A History of Magic with J.K. Rowling (2017 BBC documentary)

Watch on YouTube

Banned Books Week 2017 was last month, and during that event, Jeff Somers of Barnes and Noble shared a list of The 10 Most Frequently Challenged Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books. I was pleased to see I had read 9 of the 10. (In fact, some of these rank among my very favorite books.)

October is the perfect month to make it 10 out of 10. The book I hadn’t read? The Witches by Roald Dahl, a story of a brave young boy and his Norwegian grandmother as they battle England’s witches. Oh yes, I’m doing this!

She might even be your lovely school-teacher who is reading these words to you at this very moment. Look carefully at that teacher. Perhaps she is smiling at the absurdity of such a suggestion. Don’t let that put you off. It could be part of cleverness.

I am not, of course, telling you for one second that your teacher actually is a witch. All I am saying is that she might be one. It is most unlikely. But–here comes the big “but”–not impossible.

- Roald Dahl, The Witches

Listen here to an audio extract from Roald Dahl’s The Witches (Audiobook) read by Miranda Richardson.

Current Music: "Season of the Witch," Donovan

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!

I am delighted to share the book trailer for Elevator #1 from Hocus Pocus Comics!

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! )

Current Music: "Boy from Tupelo," Emmylou Harris

I'm delighted to announce that I've accepted an invitation to guest edit an issue of Apex Magazine (scheduled for August 2017). I will be soliciting new stories that showcase the rich depth and diversity of science fiction, fantasy, and horror penned by Native American/First Nations authors. Apex Magazine routinely provides 12,000 words of original fiction per issue, but my special issue will deliver 20,000.

My long relationship with Apex dates back to the fourth issue (Winter 2005) of its print-edition days, when it was Apex Digest. It is with the greatest excitement that I look forward to this important project.

If you have questions or recommendations, you are welcome to contact me via my website.

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.

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.

You can hear Part 1 of my two-part introduction to The Demon of Brockenheim here for free on Far Fetched Fables. Part 2 will be available next week, and I will post the link when it is.

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!

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.

Here are some Calls for Papers that may be of interest:
- Special Issue of the Journal of Popular Film and Television on Sherlock Holmes Onscreen
- Monstrous Moral Messengers: Supernatural Figures in Children’s Picture Books & Early Readings
- Monsters, Demons and the Jewish Fantastic
- Journal of Dracula Studies

Here is some of the oldest film of London still in existence, including amazing old footage plus modern shots of the same locations today. This also features maps carefully researched to show where the camera was during different takes.

Happy early birthday wishes to

angelinehawkes,

idwoman,

pseudoanorexic,

vyrdolak,

lyria_theringer,

bistokidsfan77,

catw,

dragonrose1125,

dduane,

lexie_marie,

jalara,

theladyrose,

elvenjoy,

jan_u_wine,

gondoriangirl,

vivien529, and

senket. May each of you enjoy many happy returns of the day!

* 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.

wollstonecraft

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.

* Huge congratulations to Glass Hammer's Stephen R. Babb on the publication of his gorgeous The Lay of Lirazel in paperback, ebook, and audiobook form. The Lay Of Lirazel is narrative poetry told in epic fashion, but it is poetry fully equipped with fangs and enough terror to keep a reader turning pages till the last curse falls and death and doom claim their prize! Inspired by the poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson, the paintings of John W. Waterhouse, and the writings of George MacDonald, William Morris, and Lord Dunsany, The Lay of Lirazel is the essence of the mythopoeic set to verse. I'm proud to have written the foreword for this remarkable work. Highly recommended!

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* I'll be offering a two-weekend-long intense lecture series called "The Dystopian Tradition: What Worlds Gone Wrong Can Teach Us" in Spring 2015 in Asheville, NC (minutes from where much of The Hunger Games was filmed). Accepted undergraduate/graduate students will have hotel and meals provided without cost. Interested students may apply here.

* Sean Pertwee's Halloween costume made me go all mushy inside. (Incidentally, he's my favorite thing about Gotham, and there's a lot to love about that show.)

* So Star Wars Episode VII will be The Force Awakens. I didn't realize that the Force had dozed off. That said, I hope the latest speculations have some truth to them. If so, it could be good, even great. (Anthony Daniels certainly seems pleased with it.)

What do u think? Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens #starwars #disney

* I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Elizabeth Peña. She starred in a film I dearly love, Lone Star, and several other great ones (Jacob's Ladder, anyone?). So sad.

* I'm looking forward to Billy Boyd's "The Last Goodbye" for The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. (We can hear a clip now here and via iTunes.)

Have a great day!

Current Music: "Do I Have To Do This All Over Again?" The Monkees

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.

Current Music: "Yes, Anastasia," Tori Amos

Good news! "Sherlock Returns for One-Off Special AND Series 4."

And here are a couple of other nifty things that may be of interest. (Thanks to Michael!)

- Living with Frankenstein, a web series: "Frankenstein’s Monster (aka Frank) is alive and living in Los Angeles with Mary Shelley, P.B. Shelley, and Lord Byron. In this dark comedy the Monster is not a fictional character. P.B. Shelley created Frank, and Mary Shelley wrote the novel Frankenstein to chronicle actual events." Check it out here and here.

- Finding Hogwarts: This is a documentary film about seven Harry Potter fans and their journey to find Hogwarts, as well as the stories and shared experiences they had as they followed Harry until the very end. More details are here.

Last but not least, happy birthday to

lynn_maudlin, and happy early birthday wishes to

morningapproach,

gods_lil_rocker,

splix,

divadiane1,

markbourne,

sunshinedew,

ithildyn,

melissagay,

faramirgirl,

agentxpndble,