2023-12-23 20:34
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Karavansara | East Of Constantinople, West Of Shan Blog
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East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai
2023-11-01 11:33
The experiment of re-reading Roger Zelazny’s A Night in the Lonesome October and writing about it on my Patreon was fun and successful, so I decided to do another experiment.Ever since… Read More
2023-10-02 21:21
A new review of my novel Dreams of Fire was posted on Amazon.
I was initially confused by the mention of Darby – hawing one time been introduced as Daniele Menna instead of David… Read More
2023-10-02 16:30
I found out about A Night in the Lonesome October about twenty years ago, thanks to my friend Eckhard.Which is strange, because I love Zelazny, and yet his final novel had gone unnoticed for… Read More
2023-09-30 09:43
From December 1935 to April 1936, Weird Tales was the home of the only full-length Conan novel by Robert E. Howard, and it feels right to post about it as the last entry in this long Cimmeri… Read More
2023-09-27 15:08
You cannot but feel an almost physical, painful sense of surprise – you run headlong with the fantastical adventures of Conan, and all of a sudden it’s over.And not only that, be… Read More
2023-09-22 14:11
My novel Dreams of Fire will finally be available outside the US, and as a result I received a box with my author copies.So I thought, why not do what all popular writers do online, and post… Read More
2023-09-19 13:42
It’s been a busy week – and while I kept reading Conan, I had a hard time posting about it.So today I will bundle together a few items.
Let’s start with Devil in Iron… Read More
2023-09-14 16:29
It’s May 1934 and Weird Tales hits the stands with an issue featuring stories by E. Hoffman Price and C.L. Moore and one of the most important stories in the Conan canon – Queen… Read More
2023-09-10 12:18
This is another story I did a few months back for the Conan Re-Read, and you can find that post here.
The story was originally published in the April 1934 issue of Weird Tales, and onc… Read More
2023-09-09 10:50
The seventh Conan story, Rogues in the House, shares the pages of the January 1934 issue of Weir Tales with the usual suspects – Seabury Quinn, Clark Ashton Smith, Edmond Hamilton, Abr… Read More
2023-09-06 17:35
The October 1933 issue of Weird Tales has possibly one of the most iconic covers of all time, and features the usual selection of stories, spearheaded as usual by Seabury Quinn. Both H.P. Lo… Read More
2023-09-04 18:03
This is where I come in.The comic book adaptation of The Slithering Shadow marks the first time I became aware of Conan.The story was originally published in September 1933 issue of Weird Ta… Read More
2023-09-03 18:47
And finally, in June 1933, Robert E. Howard and Conan finally make the cover of Weird Tales.The story is Black Colossus, and after the cosmic wonders of Tower of the Elephant, Conan is back… Read More
2023-09-02 22:14
The Weird Tales issue for March 1933 hits the readers with yet another installment of Otis Adelbert Kline’s Buccaneers of Venus (that by now has got me curious enough that I’ll p… Read More
2023-09-01 22:33
January 1933 brings a new issue of Weird Tales, featuring the works of Murray Leinster, Edmond Hamilton, Seabury Quinn and a new installment of Otis Adelbert Kline’s Buccaneers of Venu… Read More
2023-08-31 22:27
And so it begins -it’s December 1932 and Weird Tales magazine offers quite a selection to those readers willing to spend 25 cents: there’s a Jules DeGrandin story by the ever-pop… Read More
2023-08-31 12:53
The Cimmerian September starts tomorrow – a month in which a number of Youtubers will read all the original Conan stories written by Robert E, Howard, and post videos about it.And I th… Read More
2023-08-26 09:01
Back in the day, when the blogsphere was alive and well, I used to do a thing on my Italian blog, called Fantasy Piano Bar. In those posts I took reader requests: book suggestion, author dee… Read More
2023-08-25 10:18
I had a brief chat with Paul Semel on his blog, about the ins and outs of my recent novel, Dreams of Fire.If you’re not yet tired of my chattering, here is the interview Read More
2023-08-23 11:56
The 15th of August is a big holiday here in Italy, and the country – that is already working at 1/3 power – shuts down completely. Nor even the one bar in the village is open… Read More
2023-08-07 11:52
I’ve been putting some order in my library.I was tired of book piling up on chair and on the floor, so I bought a new Billy bookshelf from IKEA, and started filling it up.
And as… Read More
2023-08-06 19:41
The series now well underway, by issue #6 a pattern has developed, or a rhythm, if you will: the series alternates between more or less science-fiction thrillers based on Earth technology, m… Read More
2023-08-04 11:31
… comes from Goodreads, is excellent, and brings me high hopes.Also, it’s always good to learn that your book does not actually suck.And they are asking for a sequel, that I&rsq&hell…Read More
2023-08-01 12:39
My second novel for the Descent: Legends of the Dark franchise, Dreams of Fire, is out today in paperback for the US market, and worldwide in ebook.
The paperback will be available in… Read More
2023-07-30 14:45
Soitaire, one-player RPGs have gained popularity in recent years – or maybe it’s just me, growing more sensitive to the subject. I have played a few games of Four Against Darknes… Read More
2023-07-22 19:27
It’s 1975,and the fifth Yoko Tsuno adventure hits the shelves: after the collection of shorts the previous year, it’s again a full 46 page story, called Message pour l’&eac&hell…Read More
2023-07-13 13:14
The fourth volume of Yoko Tsuno, Aventures Electroniques was never published in English, and is a different beast: a collection of six previous short stories, Hold-up in hi-fi, L’ange… Read More
2023-07-11 20:34
Two weeks ago, I went and had my glasses redone – with old age, my eyesight is shifting, and I needed a new pair (or a well-trained dog); the old glasses were also damaged, the lenses… Read More
2023-07-11 14:59
And here’s the last of the six stories we selected for our podcast about C.A. Smith and his works.As already mentioned, for some reason – probably because he always wrote about w… Read More
2023-07-10 22:53
I mentioned a few weeks back my involvement with The Expanse Expanded, a special issue of the magazine Red Futures edited by Jamie Woodcock – a collection of essays on various aspects… Read More
2023-07-09 19:39
This is where it gets personal.The third Yoko Tsuno adventure, La Forge de Vulcain was published in 1973, and it is also the first Yoko Tsuno story I ever read, when I was about 9 or 10 &nda&hell…Read More
2023-07-07 10:47
Red Sonja (with a J), sometimes known as She-Devil with a Sword, debuted in 1973, fore Marvel Comics – written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith.
The character was… Read More
2023-07-06 18:10
We are coming to the end of our very short overview of Clark Ashton Smith’s opus, and once again I selected a Zothique story, The Isle of the Torturers, from 1933.
This was in in… Read More
2023-07-04 15:42
And no kidding.Ah, OK… let’s have a laugh, shall we?
If you have been for a while on my blog, you know I like very much High Road to China, both the Tom Selleck/Bess Armstron… Read More
2023-07-03 19:56
Fourth of the six Clark Ashton Smith stories we decided to do in our podcast, and the third choice from my friend Germano, The Dark Eidolon is another Zothique tale – because as mentio… Read More
2023-06-30 19:22
With my first story selection, we move away from Averoigne and land in Zothique, the last continent of a dying Earth basking under the red sun and waiting for an imminent end. What science t… Read More
2023-06-29 19:43
Roger Leloup’s second Yoko Tsuno adventure, L’Orgue du Diable, was published in 1973, and marks a big step forward in the series.The first episode was a fine pilot, but as most p… Read More
2023-06-28 13:59
We are still in Averoigne for the second story in our brief exploration of Clark Ashton Smith’s stories. This is not a scientific or literate investigation – we just picked three… Read More
2023-06-27 15:21
Year in, year out, during the summer, I try and brush up on my other languages, the ones I have fewer opportunities to exercise. French, for instance. I read books, to bring back the little… Read More
2023-06-26 19:05
So, as I have explained in a previous introductory post, we went and did a special episode of our Italian-language fantasy cinema podcast, Chiodi Rossi, talking about stories instead of movi… Read More
2023-06-15 18:26
After some thirty-odd years, Gordon R. Dickson’s popular Dragon Knight series is making a comeback on the Italian market – in a big fat volume from Mondadori, Italy’s large… Read More
2023-06-12 16:12
Six months ago, on my Italian-language sword & sorcery cinema podcast, Chiodi Rossi, together with my co-host Germano, we did a special episode selecting our favorite Conan stories, and… Read More
2023-06-11 20:51
I was wasting time on Youtube after dinner, and I stumbled on this video by the esteemed Michael K. Vaughan (that you should really follow if you like good books)
… and I thought… Read More
2023-06-09 15:27
I discovered The Expanse during a book haul, back when Leviathan Wakes was all that existed of the series. After reading the books, I went on to be a fan of the TV show, and I like The Expan… Read More
2023-05-13 15:21
If you are so inclined, you can now get a copy of my latest novella through Mr Bezos’ general emporium.There can be a delay because Amazon has a queue thing – but no more tan a f… Read More
2023-05-03 15:08
I am pleased to announce that my new novella, The Island of the Screaming Statues, has just hit the shelves on Lulu.com.It goes for 4.99, but you can get a 15% discount, for a very limit… Read More
2023-05-01 13:34
Sherlock Holmes used to introduce himself as a “consulting detective” – one to which other detectives and police officers could go to for, yeah, a consultation, during thei… Read More
2023-04-30 14:48
This year too I’ll be taking part in StoryADay May,
A month-long short-story challenge in which writers write (finish) a short story every day In May.
Why, you ask.Beca… Read More
2023-03-28 18:49
ProSe Press’ latest anthology is out, and it can be acquired in both paperback and ebook via Amazon.It is called Princesses in Pulp, it features a killer cover by Antonino Lo Iacono, a… Read More
2023-02-28 17:08
I created Valerie Trelawney in 1985, give or take a few months, typing two of her stories on my mother’s old Olivetti Lettera. They were not particularly good stories – derived i… Read More
2023-02-20 10:44
Japanese animation hit Italy hard, starting on evening in April 1978, when Go Nagai’s Grandizer – in our country known as Goldrake – was first broadcast by our national tel… Read More
2023-01-13 15:53
Do you get emails from Amazon?I do.About once a week, I find in m y mailbox a mail that says, more or less…
Greetings, Consumer!based on your previous purchases, we think you might… Read More
2023-01-09 16:33
This morning I was told I am not “a real writer” because my last works published had been tie-ins, works that are part of other properties. The Raiders of Bloodwood is part of th… Read More
2023-01-04 15:25
Two days back I finished a big translation job I was eager to get out of the way to clear my desk for the upcoming novel writing job I will be doing these next two months (more details soon)… Read More
2022-12-30 23:47
Last post of the year, and somewhat unexpected – I am suffering from a bout of insomnia, and about one hour ago, while exchanging new years greetings, I suggested to my friend Marina D… Read More
2022-12-26 14:04
It’s the Christmas weekend, the countryside is silent and dreary under a blanket of cold mist, and there is very little to do but eat (in moderation), read (an old Warhammer Fantasy no… Read More
2022-12-22 15:11
It’s that time of the year again.I wish you guys a warm, happy Christmas time with your family.Or with your friends.Or alone.Whatever suits you best Read More
2022-12-18 20:10
I am definitely late at the party, but recently the Bundle of Holding did a quick deal offering the digital “Starter Collection” for The Tales from the Magician’s Skull, fo… Read More
2022-12-16 10:37
I am finally free to share the news that my new novel for the Descent, Legends of the Dark line will be available next summer through Aconythe Books.It’s called Dreams of Fire, and it… Read More
2022-12-10 18:06
It felt right to end our overview of Robert E. Howard’s Conan with the final Conan story, and the one that gave our podcast its name: Red Nails, published between July and October 1936… Read More
2022-12-09 19:43
My second story choice was a no-brainer from the beginning: The People of the Black Circle, from September-October 1934 Weird Tales, is the first Robert E. Howard story I ever read, forty ye… Read More
2022-12-08 14:00
This is a placeholder post to allow the verification of this blog on Mastodon.
Mastodon Read More
2022-12-08 13:31
I was somewhat surprised when my friend Germano chose Shadows in The Moonlight, published originally in Weird Tales in the April 1934 issue, as the first of his two Robert E. Howard re-read… Read More
2022-12-07 13:01
Robert E. Howard’s The Tower of the Elephant was published in the March 1933 issue of Weird Tale Magazine, and is the first of the two stories I selected for the forthcoming “Fou… Read More
2022-12-05 13:42
In 2022 I launched an Italian-language podcast called Chiodi Rossi (Red Nails), together with my friend Germano – who is a fine writer and an excellent editor, and a fellow Howard fan… Read More
2022-12-02 00:34
I guess we’ll have to go to a movie theater and decide for ourselves Read More
2022-11-25 11:29
It is not often that I have the opportunity to give a shout out for a colleague’s new book.
Multi-award winner Aliette de Bodard has a new book out, called The Red Scholar’s W… Read More
2022-09-23 10:20
I’ve been pushing uphill for weeks now, entangled in a number of projects.But last night I got a big surprise – the anthology Water: Selkies, Sirens & Sea Monsters, edited by… Read More
2022-09-01 17:17
All the way from Goodreads. And it seems I got it right: Read More
2022-08-27 12:15
This could be dismissed as a cut-rate King Kong rip-off – but it’s the last weekend of August, I am done writing for this week, and so, why not have some cheap fun with an old mo… Read More
2022-08-20 08:26
… and what a beautiful job did the people of Tantor Media!
You can listen to the audiobook HERE.
And yes, I know, enough of this talking about my novel.But it’s OK &ndash&hell…Read More
2022-08-18 15:27
Here’s a shout out to the Let’s Talk Assassins’ Creed Book Vlog, that just launched with a review of The Raiders of Bloodwood.I am very happy the reviewer liked my story an… Read More
2022-07-29 16:16
Just in time for the Halloween season Read More
2022-07-27 10:15
The central group of The Raiders of Bloodwood are a lovely bunch though, and the fact that they’re mostly just normal people makes their interactions and their journey the real highlig… Read More
2022-07-23 11:49
Here is the list of the winners of the award assigned by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers.And yes, I am not on the list – my story All my friends were monsters mad… Read More
2022-07-20 06:50
The paperback edition of my latest novel, The Raiders of Bloodwood, is out in paperback format in the US from Aconyte Books – and you can order it from Amazon, or from your local frien… Read More
2022-07-17 07:57
Early reviewer copies of Secrets in Scarlet, the new Arkham Horror anthology that includes my story City of Waking Dreams (set, just imagine, in Shanghai) are available via the NetGalley pla… Read More
2022-07-09 16:00
I admit I was worried.Bastard!! was one of the anime/manga series that I remembered from the ’90s – over the top, seriously silly, filled with bouncing breasts and juvenile humor… Read More
2022-07-02 13:15
The cover for the forthcoming Arkham Horror anthology, Secrets in Scarlet, was posted online yesterday.
I like the cover a lot, but OK, I am biased.
The volume will be out next autumn… Read More
2022-07-01 14:39
Humble Bundle teamed up with Aconyte Books (my publisher!) to offer a big bundle of gaming-related fiction – horror from the Arkham Horror universe, fantasy from both The Descent and L… Read More
2022-07-01 08:43
The Raiders of Bloodwood hits the digital shelves next week (the paperback will be out in September), and already the book received a rave review on Goodreads – five stars and all.This… Read More
2022-06-19 07:39
… and it looks like I’m one of them.
The Scribe Awards are assigned every year by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, in a number of categories includi… Read More
2022-06-17 09:27
Just a quick post to share the news that two stories of mine are out in two volumes edited by John Linwood Grant for Belanger Books.
The haunting of Fox Lanes is one of the 18 stories in… Read More
2022-06-09 07:02
(You will thank me later) Read More
2022-06-04 07:14
We have lost another great artist. Kelly’s covers for the Berkley editions of Robert E. Howard’s works were among the first depictions of Conan and the other heroes and villains… Read More
2022-05-18 16:51
Short public service announcement: because it’s the month of May, and because this is my birthday month, you can get The Devourer Below, the lovecraftian horror collection which includ… Read More
2022-05-08 19:04
When I flew out of New York City in 1951 for Karachi, Kabul, and Delhi, I planned to write abook about the famous mountains that stretch across northern India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The… Read More
2022-04-30 19:54
I’m currently editing a new short story that should come out by the end of the year in a new anthology. And I am waiting for an answer by a publisher about a pitch for a novel that I h… Read More
2022-04-29 16:07
My new novel, The Raiders of Bloodwood, will hit the shelves in July, but in the meantime, if you are subscribed to Netgalley (it’s free), you can read an advance copy of my book, free… Read More
2022-04-21 02:02
This is a sort of rabbit hole in which I am about to dive. And why not carry you along?
Science fiction was always considered cheap drivel in Italy – commercial fiction fit to enter… Read More
2022-04-16 17:55
Maybe not the ideal Easter movie, but The Spine of Night popped up on my radar (it is currently running on Shudder), and being in a dark fantasy/sword & sorcery mood (big news), I decide… Read More
2022-04-01 14:21
The fine people at Aconyte Books have just announced their next Arkham Horror anthology, Secrets in Scarlet…
A secret organization ruthlessly seeks power over supernatural terrors… Read More
2022-03-24 09:01
I had mentioned this already in the past, but today I got an update, and so you get an update too.The two volumes of the Unbreakable Ink anthology, edited by Shebat Legion, and featuring two… Read More
2022-03-16 19:56
I was browsing an online store today, just to see how I could spend a coupon I received, and I stumbled on my next novel, currently available for pre-order.It was both surprising and a bit d… Read More
2022-03-10 18:47
There’s a new anthology out today, and it’s called Unbreakable Ink 2, being the second volume in the series of anthologies edited by the always excellent Shebat Legion.And it fea… Read More
2022-03-02 19:23
What a weird start of this new year.I was working on two major projects (and a few minor ones) and then my PC died, had to get a new one, set it up, recover my stuff…I went through a… Read More
2022-02-06 17:33
I am back online, having scrapped one PC and set up a new one – with the usual corollary of backups, lost passwords and money I would have rather not spent.
And while I was offl… Read More
2022-01-24 14:36
I’ve just got my contributor copy of The Nefarious Villains of Sherlock Holmes, edited by David Marcum for Belanger Books. The volume includes my story “The Tiger and the Bear&rd&hell…Read More
2022-01-16 12:32
Queens walk in the duskThomas Burnett Swann, 1977
What an unusual book!
Thomas Burnett Swann was a critic, a poet and a writer of fantasy. He used classic mythology and history in his… Read More
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