Books I Read in August 2022

 Five books this month.

Death Angel’s Shadow (1973) by Karl Edward Wagner 

This is a collection of three stories about the immortal swordsman Kane. All three were outstanding. I’ve been reading this series on Kindle, but this is the one edition I have in paperback. 

The Book of Kane (1985) by Karl Edward Wagner 

Five stories about the immortal swordsman Kane. Only two stories were new to me as three of them are from previous collections. The two new stories were excellent though. I’ve read all the Kane books now except Darkness Weaves. I’m kind of sad that I only have one Kane book left to read. 

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader (1998) by Anne Fadiman 

I learned about this book from The Mookse and the Gripes book podcast. Not long after I found a copy in a used bookstore and snapped it up. 

This is a collection of essays about the author’s love of books and language. Topics I found the most interesting include what she calls her "odd shelf," a shelf of polar exploration books, how some people treat books, things people write in books, fountain pens, growing up in a family of readers, how to organize a collection of books, and her love of used bookstores. It was an enjoyable read.

One of the things the author writes about is how she tried to keep her books in perfect condition in her younger days, but now that she’s older it’s no longer a concern. I went through the same transition. I don’t like damage like split spines, but I no longer mind if a book is not in perfect condition. For example, the used copy of this book has scribbling on the cover, but it didn’t stop me from getting it. 

Heroes of Atlantis and Lemuria (2019) by Manly Wade Wellman, Leigh Brackett, Frederick Arnold Kummer Jr.

This is a collection of sword and sorcery stories and an adventure story about legendary Atlantis and Lemuria. Kummer Jr. is an author new to me, but Wellman and Brackett are two of my favorite authors, so I was really looking forward to this. Sure enough it was a fun read. My favorite stories are the Wellman stories, about Kardios the last survivor of Atlantis. My full review can be found here:

We Learn by Writing: Heroes of Atlantis & Lemuria by Manly Wade Wellman, Leigh Brackett, and Arnold Kummer Jr.

Dickinson: Poems (1993) by Emily Dickinson 

This is a collection of Emily Dickinson poems published by Everyman’s Library. A number of the poems went right over my head, but I really like her word usage. 

Heroes of Atlantis & Lemuria by Manly Wade Wellman, Leigh Brackett, and Arnold Kummer Jr.

This is a collection of sword and sorcery stories and an adventure story about legendary Atlantis and Lemuria. It includes five stories by Manly Wade Wellman, three stories by Frederick Arnold Kummer Jr., and one story by Leigh Bracket. It's edited by D. M. Ritzlin of DMR Books. 

Kummer Jr. is an author new to me, but Wellman and Brackett are two of my favorite authors, so I was really looking forward to this. Sure enough it was a fun read.

The Wellman stories are about Kardios, the last survivor of Atlantis as he wanders the world defeating strange creatures, helping those he meets, and singing with a harp he carries on his back. He’s like a sword and sorcery version of Wellman’s John the Balladeer character. Kardios is likable, he encounters interesting villains, and the stories are creative. I enjoyed these stories a lot.

The Kardios stories first appeared in the Swords Against Darkness anthologies edited by Andrew J. Offut in the 1970s.

The three Kummer Jr. stories are about a hero who has adventures in ancient Mu carrying an axe he calls Heklos and a shield with the image of a lion’s head. In the first story he’s Khor, a warrior from Crete. For the two other stories the character was changed into an American anthropologist named Kirk who travels back in time to Mu somehow.

The stories are exciting and fast paced but I found the changes made to the character a distraction, especially in the second story where it’s set up. Editor D. M. Ritzlin provides an explanation in his introduction with this quote from Ray Palmer, the original editor of the stories:

“We made Khor an American because he is more believable when he is a man we can actually picture in our minds as “real.” Khor was a legendary figure, and rather vague. Also, he “didn’t talk the language.” Now we can give him a modern punch…”

The change was made even though the first story was voted the second most popular story by the readers. As I mentioned, I found it distracting but I wonder what the original readers thought. 

The Khor/Kirk stories first appeared in issues of Fantastic Adventures in 1939 and 1940. 

In the Leigh Brackett story, two adventurers searching the ocean floor for the sunken continent of Mu find themselves and their submarine transported back in time twelve thousand years. Fast paced, pulpy fun, with great writing and characterization.

Brackett’s story first appeared in the June 1941 issue of Science Fiction. 

My story ratings:

Manly Wade Wellman stories: 

“The Straggler from Atlantis” (4/5)

“The Dweller in the Temple” (4/5)

“The Guest of Dzinganji” (4/5)

“The Seeker in the Fortress” (4/5)

“The Edge of the World” (5/5) 

Frederick Arnold Kummer Jr. stories: 

“Adventure in Lemuria” (3.5/5)

“Intrigue in Lemuria” (3/5)

“Volcano Slaves of Mu” (3.5/5)

Leigh Brackett story:

“Lord of the Earthquake” (4/5)

I enjoyed reading all the stories, but the Kardios stories were my favorite. Kardios appeared in one more story, “The Slaughter of the Gods.” It's included in a collection titled Renegade Swords, also from DMR Books. 

Books I Read in April 2022

 “My interest in writing has been with me for as long as I can remember. My first work dates from when I was nine years old. A poem about my dog, if memory serves me. I grew up loving words and what they could do. I liked film too, and it has obviously influenced my work, but it was always the words that counted, and as I grow older, they count even more.” 

— Joe R. Lansdale from his introduction to Bestsellers Guaranteed. 

I read six books this month. 

A Study in Scarlet (1887) by Arthur Conan Doyle

Great introduction to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, 221B Baker Street, and an interesting mystery. I’d give this four stars but the long flashback to Utah towards the end really dragged and felt like a different book. 

I read this and some of the other volumes years ago so I know it gets better after this. 

The Sign of the Four (1890) by Arthur Conan Doyle

As in A Study in Scarlet, I enjoyed the interaction between Holmes and Dr. Watson as well as their investigation of the mystery. I also liked the introduction of Mary Morstan, the love interest for Dr. Watson. 

But just as in A Study in Scarlet, I enjoyed the first part much more than the last. The last chapter in which everything is explained dragged on. 

Storywise it’s an improvement over A Study in Scarlet, but I don’t think it reaches the greatness of the short stories that Arthur Conan Doyle would write after writing the first two novels. 

Piranesi (2000) by Susana Clarke

Piranesi lives in a labyrinth-like world composed of infinite halls and statues. The upper levels are filled with mists and birds. In the lower levels is an ocean which rises depending on the tide. 

We follow Piranesi as he keeps busy by investigating the halls and statues. He calls himself a scientist and takes meticulous notes in his journals. Then Piranesi starts discovering that not everything is as it seems. 

The story has a slow meditative pace but we learn something new in each chapter. 

In the beginning the world building drew me, afterwards the unfolding of the  mystery kept me reading. I also liked how Piranesi keeps a journal and how it turns out to be important to the story. 

Piranesi is a story of loneliness and solitude, but it’s also a hauntingly beautiful story of kindness and gratitude. 

The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories (1961) by Ernest Hemingway 

This is my second time reading this collection. Hemingway is one of my favorite writers. I like his prose. It’s smooth and clear. I also like the themes he covers like travel, wilderness, war, love, and loss. 

I liked every story in this collection but especially “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and “The Short Happy Life of Francis MaComber.”

The Starmen of Lyrdis (1952) by Leigh Brackett

Michael Treehearne discovers that he is actually a member of the Vardda, the only race that can withstand the rigors of intergalactic flight.

Leigh Brackett is one of my favorite authors but this was slow going. Even though the chapters are short and Brackett’s prose shines in some places, the story is dry, lackluster, and has some jarring plot contrivances. It has a few interesting ideas but it’s missing the wonder and excitement of much of her other work.

Bestsellers Guaranteed (1993) by Joe R. Lansdale

I’ve been wanting to read something by Joe R. Lansdale for a while. I figured I’d start with this collection of early short stories and a novella. While most of the stories are horror stories the last two are more crime noir. One story was too surreal for me (“Bob the Dinosaur Goes to Disneyland”) and one story was just too dark for me (“The Job”) but I enjoyed the heck out of all the others. The stories range from quiet horror to humorous to just plain dark. 

Favorite stories: 

“The Dump” 

“God of the Razor”

“Not From Detroit”

“The Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance.” 

My favorite story in the collection is the novella, “The Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance.”  A man down on his luck, his daughter, and the owner of a used bookstore investigate a possible murder. This East Texas gothic was a real page turner with great characters.

I liked the variety of stories, the author’s introduction, and the story introductions. In them he gives lots of interesting details about his influences and how the stories came about, without giving away any plot details.

I’ll finish with a passage from his introduction that really spoke to me. It’s about his reading interests and how they influenced his writing.

  “I read everything from fairy tales to books on lost civilizations to adventure to the classics to comics, especially “Batman” and “Detective Comics.” I had no idea that one type of fiction or non-fiction was supposedly better for me than another. I think this is one of the most fortuitous things about my career. Ignorance.

I read what appealed to me, not what was supposed to be good for me. That being the case, it was only natural that I would gradually mix genres, and eventually run them through the mental strainer of my East Texas experience to arrive at the sort of stories that appeared in By Bizarre Hands, and the sort of stories I write now. These are among the best of the stories I wrote on the way to that destination. I like to think it was a pretty good trip, and that I’ll be starting a new trip soon, branching out from what I do now, going yet another mile and finding new passions, new stories.”

I’m looking forward to reading more by Joe Lansdale.