Category Archives: Literature

Robert E. Howard and the Great Game

Posted on October 30, 2023 by JC

This is a continuation of my journey through the literary oeuvre of Robert E. Howard which began with Conan the Cimmerian and has covered Solomon Kane, Kull of Atlantis and his historical fiction including the Sword Woman, Agnès de Chastillon. … Continue reading →

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Down the Pedo Hole

Posted on August 28, 2023 by JC

Late last year I picked up a book that collects Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, poetry and a biography of the author Lewis Carroll written by his nephew. I vaguely remember my mother reading the original Alice story … Continue reading →

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More Hyborian Thoughts

Posted on August 16, 2023 by JC

This is a return to a post I wrote three years ago this month after first reading the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard. I have since re-read all of them and want to write in more depth than … Continue reading →

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New Light on a Delicate Subject

Posted on July 9, 2023 by JC

The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan by Ivan Morris Vintage (Reprint), May 21st, 2013 (Originally published in 1964) This began as a post related to a previous post on The Tale of Genji by Murasaki … Continue reading →

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Dashing Sky Pirates: A Short Anthology

Posted on June 30, 2023 by JC

Crimson Skies by Eric S. Nylund, Mike Lee, Nancy Berman & Eric S. Trautmann Del Rey, October 1st, 2002  Of late, I’ve been reading a number of swashbucklers and related media and I’ve become particularly interested in fictional sky pirates. … Continue reading →

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A Tale of Two Conans

Posted on May 7, 2023 by JC

Conan – Blood of the Serpent by S. M. Stirling, Titan Books, December 6th, 2022 Last month I reviewed The Siege of the Black Citadel by “The Legend” Chuck Dixon. I mentioned in the review that it was the first … Continue reading →

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The Siege of the Black Citadel Review

Posted on April 15, 2023 by JC

The Siege of the Black Citadel by Chuck Dixon, Castalia House, February 23rd, 2023 Although I’ve been supporting Castalia House since it began, it has been a long time since I reviewed a book from the publisher. Almost seven years … Continue reading →

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Further thoughts on Brideshead Revisted

Posted on March 12, 2023 by JC

This is a follow-up to my previous post as I felt it was different enough to warrant its own. This will focus on the characters of Rex Mottram and Celia Ryder. I didn’t mention either at all by name in … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Brideshead Revisited

Posted on March 8, 2023 by JC

I mentioned a few years ago in a post that I had been intending to re-read Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited along with Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. After finishing the former late last week, I decided I needed to write something about … Continue reading →

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A Most Interesting Man

Posted on February 19, 2023 by JC

Simon Leys: Navigator between Worlds by Philippe Paquet (translated by Julie Rose), La Trobe University Press, September 18th, 2017 The name of Simon Leys has appeared a couple of times on this blog. The first quoting portions of his fascinating … Continue reading →

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