Category Archives: Literature

The Origins of Adventure

Posted on September 23, 2022 by JC

Over the last few years I’ve been discovering a lot of early fantasy and adventure that I previously had little or no knowledge of. This includes authors such as Lord Dunsany, George MacDonald, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard. … Continue reading →

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A Review of The Penguin Book of Australian Short Stories

Posted on September 16, 2022 by JC

The Penguin Book of Australian Short Stories edited by Harry Heseltine, Penguin Books, August 30th, 1976 Earlier this year I wrote a review of Modern Japanese Short Stories which was a collection by a selection of Japanese authors from the … Continue reading →

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Infernal Ruination

Posted on August 28, 2022 by JC

Stalin’s War: A New History of World War II by Sean McMeekin Basic Books, April 20th, 2021 World War II is still largely considered a great moral crusade by Western peoples and portrayed this way in most historical works I’ve … Continue reading →

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Dune 2021: Half-Way There

Posted on August 20, 2022 by JC

My first knowledge of Frank Herbert’s Dune came from the video game Dune II: Battle for Arrakis which to this date, I have never played. I had only heard of it and that was usually mentioned in conjunction with Westwood … Continue reading →

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E. Michael Jones on Tolkien

Posted on August 15, 2022 by JC

I seldom read (or write) anything critical of author’s like J.R.R. Tolkien. This is partly because people that write about his works tend to be enthusiasts and are more interested in writing about what they love than what they don’t. … Continue reading →

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Sword and Interplanetary

Posted on July 10, 2022 by JC

I am still making a slow progression through Robert E. Howard’s oeuvre having already discussed Conan (which I am slowly re-reading and will be returning to), Solomon Kane, Kull, his excellent historical fiction and most recently, the mostly unimpressive film … Continue reading →

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Celebrating the Wicked

Posted on July 6, 2022 by JC

Ned Kelly: A Lawless Life by Doug Morrissey Connor Court Publishing, January 15th, 2015 One of the proofs of our fallen world is the way wicked people are so often celebrated. Whether reframed as misunderstood or acclaimed while ignorantly (and … Continue reading →

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Shattering Idols

Posted on May 28, 2022 by JC

I have shattered many idols out along the dusty track, Burnt a lot of fancy verses — and I’m glad that I am back. Henry Lawson, Up the Country I have had a number of posts over the years discussing … Continue reading →

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Robert E. Howard in Film

Posted on May 7, 2022 by JC

Robert E. Howard’s writing has been a source of inspiration for countless works across all forms of media. Though he wrote extensively in his short life, there have been relatively few direct film adaptations of his work. What makes this … Continue reading →

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The Importance of the Scouring

Posted on March 13, 2022 by JC

Homeward Bound by Alan Lee I have recently re-read the The Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time in a decade — this time to my son who had really enjoyed The Hobbit. When getting to the end … Continue reading →

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