Methods & Madness: Fiction

Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Black Amazon of Mars by Leigh Brackett (short review)

Grimly Eric John Stark slogged toward that ancient Martian city-with every step he cursed the talisman of Ban Cruach that flamed in his blood-stained belt. Behind him screamed the hordes of Ciaran, hungering for that magic jewel-ahead lay the dread abode of the Ice Creatures-at his side stalked the whispering spectre of Ban Cruach, urging him on to a battle Stark knew he must lose!

- (From the blurb on Amazon)

This was another read in my Appendix N quest. It is a short story and will get a short review.

The book is strongly reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, and also Robert E. Howard’s Conan. The Mars setting feels more like Hyboria than Barsoom—not just because of the Celtic/Gaelic-sounding names, but also because there’s little that feels distinctly alien (not many spaceships or ray guns here). Even the most sinister creatures resemble ghosts more than extraterrestrials.

The story isn’t nearly as imaginative as Burroughs’ Barsoom, nor as gritty as Conan, or as weird as The Shadow People. In that sense, the book was a bit of a disappointment.

However, it’s still a fun read. Brackett’s prose is leaner and faster than Burroughs or Howard, maintaining a pace of nonstop action that never lets you get bored. The alien villains have compelling motives and backstories, and while the setting is somewhat sparse, it still has its cool moments (and can provide some inspiration for your D&D games, especially if you like Dark Sun). The main character is a bit underdeveloped, but the supporting cast shows more personality than most pulp coadjutants.

To me, Burroughs + Howard + Lovecraft/Merrit monsters sounds like a winning formula, and Brackett’s action-driven style could have made this a standout. But in the end, it felt a bit derivative and predictable. Then again, it’s a short book—which explains both its strengths (tight pacing) and its weaknesses (underdeveloped elements).

Overall, it’s worth the read—especially if you enjoy pulp, sword and planet, Burroughs or Howard. Maybe I'll look further into her work in the future.

Thursday, December 05, 2024

The Shadow People (book review)

Thoughts draw them. They are sensitive, they pick up something from us, they can track us by our thoughts as dogs can track by scent. Angry or disturbed or painful thoughts attract them most. That is why, in the old stories, somebody who had been "ill-sained" was particularly liable to capture by Otherworld denizens. And yet, for all their sensitivity, there could scarcely exist beings more primitive, rude, nearer to the archaic clay. They are not all alike.

There are three kinds of them, the gray, the black and the green. Green is the worst, but I have seen some white ones, too. I think that was underneath Merced. I wandered for a long time before I came out.

They dwell in a strange world, one of roaring waters, bitter cold, ice-coated rocks and fox fires glowing in the dark. They call our world the Bright World, the Clear World, or Middle-Earth. Their material culture is of the rudest. They have almost no artifacts except the ones they steal from us. Yet their place is home to them: I suppose that is what Kirk meant, in his Secret Commonwealth, when he spoke of their "happy polity". Their atter-corn is their one great luxury—that, and human flesh.

- "The Shadow People" by Margaret St. Clair

This is a weird book.

And while it is indeed very much in the weird tradition of mixing horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, what I mean is that it is also a STRANGE book because of a sudden genre twist.

There will be some spoilers below.

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The plot is about a man living in California, during the 1960s, that has to go to find and brave a surreal underworld after his girlfriend gets kidnapped.

This "Underearth" is populated by evil elves - somewhat between fairy tales and cryptofauna - that want to rule surface eventually.

When the action shifts to the surface world, we suddenly see the world is living in a weird dystopia, probably caused by the elves machinations - in just three years! This is where dark fantasy gives way to sci-fi conspiracy, and the story seems to change focus completely, without much connection to the first part.

But the surreal tone is kept even in the surface. The world has gone dystopian and crazy. The protagonists find the villain eventually, but things don't really get resolved. Well, at least the protagonist can be protected from this social order... by magic?

Maybe the whole makes sense in the weird mix of Californian culture in the 60s: fantasy, hallucinogenics, conspiracy theories, anti-authoritarianism, computers, social unrest, etc. It feels a bit disjointed, but I have to say it is interesting.

It is somewhat reminiscent of The Futurological Congress in its hallucinatory tone.

It's inclusion in the Appendix N makes sense because the underworld is very reminiscent of the Underdark: dangerous, surreal, magical, endless, populated by evil elves and hallucinogenic mushrooms.

I find the first few paragraphs, reproduced above, incredibly inspiring.

This has probably been a big influence in D&D's "mythic underworld", and even the drow probably took inspiration from this novel.

In short, this is a curious read. Definitely idiosyncratic. Probably not as D&Dish as other Appendix N books (except for the Underdark part), and not particularly well written, but reasonably short, and certainly worth checking out if these themes interest you.

Read more about the Appendix N and other fantasy books HERE.

Thursday, June 20, 2024

The Tombs of Atuan

The Tombs of Atuan is the second book in the Earthsea cycle. If you liked the first one, this is a decent sequel, if a bit slow and underwhelming. I've read it maybe a decade ago and revisited it last month.

The book is about Tenar, who gets taken from their parents as a child to become the new high priestess of the "Nameless Ones" - supposedly for being the reincarnation of the former priestess - in the Tombs of Atuan, a religious complex of a few buildings over a big, mysterious dungeon.

The first few chapters show a child trying to navigate the duties of a high-priestess, dealing with isolation, insecurity, friendship and jealously from other priestesses. Halfway through the book, a peculiar prisoner gets caught in the dungeon, and it is up to Tenar to decide what to do.

Like the first book, this is a coming-of-age story, adequate to young adults, although a bit simpler than the first. Tenar is taken against her own will, and while her decisions might be difficult for the character, they look a bit predictable for the reader.

This book very deliberately avoid having any action. There is no swordplay, flashy magic and even the "monsters" are mere shadows. Unlike the first book, there is not much travelling either. Instead, the focus is on the characters, their dilemmas and feelings.

For D&D players, the book might be worth the read for the portrayal of the labyrinthine dungeon and the process of navigating it in the dark.

The book feels very true to the first book in the sense that the themes follow naturally. Ged was looking for a name in the first one, and here he has to face the Nameless (hinted in the first book). Like Tenar, he was taken as child, but they had different mentors. Ultimately, both have to learn responsibility in order to grow.

It is another short, easy-to-read book, that I'd recommend if you like the first one - even if I liked the first one much better. In any case, I enjoyed it and proceeded to (re)read the third book in the series - which I'll review soon.

Read more about the Appendix N and other fantasy books HERE.

Tuesday, April 09, 2024

A wizard of Earthsea

A wizard of Earthsea is an old favorite of mine. I've read it in more than two decades ago. Seeing a new edition illustrated by Charles Vess and in hardcover, I thought it was a good idea to revisit it, especially in the context of the Appendix N (the book is not on Gygax's list, but in Moldvay's).

Well, the illustrations were a bit sparse and not particularly awesome, but the story is still worth reading again.

The book was written for "young adults", but it does not feel juvenile. It is a good "coming-of-age story" that portrays the upbringing of a wizard, from childhood to maturity - and what that entails. Still, a good book for young teenagers - easy, short, no sex and little violence, but carrying a deep message.

The main character is Sparrowhawk, a child who discovers magical powers and then starts an apprenticeship before going to "wizard school". While trying to prove his worth to his peers (and, maybe, trying to impress a girl - but that's subtle), he foolish unleashes a being that will haunt him for years. While re-reading the book, this was my favorite part, because it subtly shows the character's immaturity and insecurity against offenses that might be small or partly imaginary.

The Earthsea books are famous in D&D fandom for its magic system, which focus on learning the true names of things and maintaining balance. There are a few suggestions of spell mishaps that are very interesting - for example, the book mentions that many dolphins are wizards that forgot they had to shape-shift back to human form!

The archipelago setting looks decent for adventuring. There are dragons of varying size and power and a shadow monsters, both of which might have been used as inspiration in D&D. Other than that, the book does not have many monsters or magic items, but still feels like decent inspiration for D&D games - including an interesting mysterious castle...

While I am usually a fan of dark fantasy, this is "light fantasy" at its best. It is not pulp action in the vein of Burroughs and Howard, nor Lovecraftian horror (although it contains nameless things and being older than humanity) or the dark fairy tales of Dunsany. It is somewhat reminiscent of "The Hobbit" but for older readers, or Piranesi for younger ones - but not quite. The author deliberately tried to subvert some fantasy tropes, avoiding war almost entirely. It contains little parody or humor, and the horror is almost entirely metaphysical. It is reminiscent of fairy tales, in a way, but also more "serious".

It is, in some ways, a melancholic, sensitive book (and setting).

There are no epic battles (except one brief encounter with dragons) and few great heroes. The people of the archipelago are mostly peasants and fishermen, some having little knowledge of anything except their own island (in the saddest part of the book, this is a very small island, and almost no knowledge at all). Beyond the archipelago, there seems to be a vast expanse of sea and nothingness. The protagonist also spends a lot of time wounded, sleeping, or escaping, which reinforces this feeling. But it is not a sad book, necessarily - on the contrary, it has a hopeful bend, a light tone, and a mythic/archetypal truth to it that mimics the hero's journey without being clichéd.

In any case, it is a classic and a short read. Definitely recommended to anyone with interest in fantasy and D&D.

[BTW, after finishing this one I immediately started re-reading The Tombs of Atuan, who centers around a labyrinthine dungeon and the cult of the "Nameless Ones"... I don't remember the details of ths one, but should be fun!]

Read more about the Appendix N and other fantasy books HERE.

Saturday, February 24, 2024

The Fallible Fiend (book review)

(Part of the appendix N project).

The Fallible Fiend is a novel by L. Sprague de Camp recommended in the Appendix N, which is why I bought it in the first place.

I had never read anything from the author (who wrote over 100 books, wrote and edited Conan stories, invented the term "E.T.", among other things), and I was pleasantly surprised.

The Fallible Fiend tells the story of the demon Zdim, bound to work for one year in the (earth-like) "Prime Plane". During that time, he gets constantly confused trying to understand human customs, subtleties, and contradictions. Amusingly enough, the demon is often more moral and reasonable than most humans he meets. After being summoned by a wizard, he is eventually sold to other masters, gets to see the wider fantasy world, and embarks on an epic (if still funny) quest to save a big city from being destroyed.

The first few chapters are very funny, and I thought the book would follow a series of vignettes as Zdim gets handed from master to master, but by the middle of the book the demon gets embroiled in much larger matters. This second part is equally good if maybe not as funny - it could be the basis of an heroic D&D adventure by its own right.

The setting described in this book is very D&Dish, and you can see how Gygax might have been influenced - maybe this was one of the sources of DMG shamans. We've got underground cities, kangaroo riders, giant reptiles, mazes, and various wizards.

Each country visited by Zdim has its own customs, religions and forms of government. The author uses this an opportunity to mock some idiosyncrasies of human societies, somewhat like Gulliver's Travels.

It is also comparable to authors such as Vance, Lieber and Clark Ashton Smith, both in theme and style.

The book is reasonably short and the pacing is great, never making me tired or bored.

Overall, a great read, and I will definitely look for other books by the same author - probably starting with THE CARNELIAN CUBE.

Recommended!

Read more about the Appendix N and other fantasy books HERE.

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Darkness Weaves (book review) - The darkest fantasy you'll find

Darkness Weaves is the first Kane book written by Karl Edward Wagner. It is also one of the darkest S&S books I've ever read.

Here is the Wikipedia summary: "The mad sorceress Efrel seeks war and revenge upon her erstwhile husband, king Netisten Maril, and enlists Kane as her general in command of an army of mercenaries and monsters."

* The book was written published in abridged version in 1970, but the a restored version was published in 1978 (which is the one I read, AFAICT). It is not the first book by internal chronology but I find it a great introduction to the series, and it is very self-contained.

If you're into Dark Fantasy and S&S, this book is a must read.

According to Wikipedia, "as an editor, [Wagner] created a three-volume set of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian fiction restored to its original form as written". The REH influence is obvious in this book - but his Kane is no mere Conan pastiche. If Elric is an "inverted Conan" of sorts (a sorcerer king from a decadent civilization), Kane is Conan on (even more) steroids. Or even Conan plus Elric, but even more callous, flawed and ambitious - not a tragic or brute hero, but a straight anti-hero.

He is a fighter and a sorcerer, with the power of youth and the wisdom of the ancient; an "eternal champion" of sorts; a criminal and a commander, a loner and a peerless leader. In short, the kind of character that deserves to be drawn by Frank Frazzeta.

Kane's invincibility may sounds cringey, but Wagner somehow dodges this feeling most of the time, which is remarkable. In one of the coolest moments of the book (near the half), you'll find the origin of his might (and name)... since I didn't read much about Kane before, I really enjoyed this (I recommend you do the same).

In a previous review, I mentioned The Blade Itself fails at dark fantasy. Darkness Weaves not only succeeds - it overdelivers. This is dark to the point of "grimdark" - like Berserk or Warhammer (without much of the humor). Everyone is evil and duplicitous (except maybe for one character - and you get the feeling she will pay dearly for being nice). Everyone suffers to no end, and most of the cast is dead eventually. There is torture, murder, treason, sexual assault, gore, etc. Sometimes, this feels gratuitous, but most often it feels discreet and appropriate to the story.

If you're reading fantasy for D&D ideas (monsters, spells, places, plots, etc.), this book has a decent amount - usually of the Lovecraftian type. The setting is decent if somewhat generic (except for the sorceress and her minions), at least in this book.

The book is well written, action-packed, and certainly a page turner (I couldn't stop reading) - even more than some of the previous books I reviewed. Still, the pacing never feels too rushed. Some characters could benefit from more depth, but then again they might soon be dead anyway.

I'm certainly glad I picked this one, but I'm unsure if I'll read other books in the series. I find endless darkness and invincible protagonists can become somewhat tiresome if taken to the extremes, and the plot of the other books seem too similar to this one. I'll probably give it a try anyway - maybe read some of his short stories.

Overall, this is above average for Appendix N and fantasy. I might place it somewhere between the decent Black Company and the awesome The Broken Sword.

I definitely recommend giving it a try.

Monday, May 29, 2023

Knights of Dark Renown (book review)

I've read Knights of Dark Renown by David Gemmell because of a recommendation from my friend Jens, after reading The Blade Itself - which we both disliked.

This is the Amazon summary:

Once the legendary knights of the Gabala defended the nine duchies. [...] But they were gone, disappeared through a demon-haunted gateway between worlds. Only one held back [..]. Now he was the coward knight, and in torment.
Murder and black magic beset the land. Rumors circulated that the king was enchanted, changed, that his soul was dead . . . and that a reign of terror was about to begin. Now Manannan realized he would have to face his darkest fears: he had no choice but to ride through that dreaded gate and seek out his vanished companions.

There is a lot more to the book than this, however - I won't get into it to avoid spoilers. I'll just say that this book is well worth the read.

It succeeds in basically every criteria we usually mention here: it is good fantasy (has plenty of monsters, spells and ideas for your games), it is good dark fantasy (with tragedy, mature themes, dark humor, bloody twists, hard choices, loss, downfall, flawed heroes, cool villain monologues and shades of gray) and also good epic fantasy (with well-constructed heroism and hope).

To mention a few ideas I particularly liked:

- How the idea of "colors of magic" are treated. This is an evocative, coherent magic system. I could see it influencing Magic: The Gathering (and certainly my games). Also, it has a very interesting take on magic items, which require not only special efforts but also special materials.
- One of the best portrayals of a bard that I've read in fantasy, mostly because he has an important role to play instead of being a comic relief.
- How the "gateways to hell" are treated, somewhat reminiscent of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The whole "hell dimension" part is really interesting.
- Monsters that appear out of their natural habitat, creating a contrast between fantasy and realism.

- In addition to bards, the book has cool rangers/outlaws, awesome knights, paladins... and anti-paladins.

Other than that, the book is enjoyable for all the usual reasons: the characters are interesting, the plot is engaging, the setting is good. The action scenes are short and sweet, not particularly gritty or awesome. The characters are probably my favorite thing here: while there is no one as mighty and cool as Conan or Elric, everyone feels like real people, with flaws, different qualities and interests, and so on.

The pacing starts great but it gets a bit rushed by the end, similarly to The Broken Sword. In any case, the book never fails to keep you engaged. It has a cinematic quality that would do well in a TV series.

In fact, this book reminds me of The Broken Sword in several ways, although it is a bit less tragic and more heroic. And its quality is just a bit below the savage awesomeness of Poul Anderson's... which, as I've said, is one of the best appendix N I have read.

This book was published in 1989, so it couldn't make it to the Appendix N. Curiously, "Gemmell’s first U.S. editions were handled by New Infinities", owned by Gary Gygax" (source). Gygax once said "I've read one book by David Gemmell and enjoyed it." (source).

In any case, this is certainly above-average for Appendix N books and fantasy books in general. It is also the start of a big saga, which I might be curious to read next... Let's see!

Monday, May 08, 2023

The Blade Itself (book review)

Part of a book review effort with my friend Jens. This time, we are reviewing The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercombie. Read his take here.

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"Why do I do this? Inquisitor Glokta asked himself for the thousandth time".

The question in the first sentence of the book haunts the entire book. The characters do not have clear motivations, and it's often difficult to understand what they're after.

The plot is... hard to summarize. The book is basically about the characters, some who will join to create a "group of heroes" (a la Fellowship of The Ring) that will have to face some (still unclear) threat. All heroes are either living or traveling to the "central kingdom" ("Midderland", with "Angland" as the northernmost province... sigh), which has a weak king, corrupt priests and merchants, and the constant menace of war in the North (the barbarians from the cold) and South (the barbarians from the desert). There are also some orc creatures of unknown origin (later we will find they were created by some ancient dark lord) and lots of intrigue to gain power within the kingdom. But as the book goes, we see no war, the conspiracy is not fully explained, nor any mastermind revealed. There is a (sport) fighting contest but it has no importance in the grand scheme of things.

So, the focus in on the characters and their personal issues. In addition to the inquisitor*, we have a Norseman barbarian who seems content with just surviving, and a soldier from the central kingdom who is not very motivated to win a fencing championship, but who, eventually, can be convinced by a little reverse psychology. There is also the magician who is thousands of years old and has his own mysterious motives. Much later, we meet Ferro, a brave southern warrior who acts as a wild animal at all times and has many remarkable abilities. For example, she is colorblind and still manages to be annoyingly racist.

(* Here, the Inquisition is a Soviet-style police. Unlike the medieval inquisition, there are no lawyers, process, prosecution, witnesses, publicity, etc., but a lot more victims per year, apparently. “Show me the man and I'll show you the crime”, as Beria said.)

However, there is something artificial about all of them. They fulfill their roles in the plot, but do not feel like real people. Rather than invoking archetypes, they look more like caricatures: the pompous nobleman, the Norse warrior, the wise and powerful mage, the very smart cripple with questionable morals, the wild Southerner. Their characteristics are exaggerated: the nobleman is extremely arrogant, the southerner is too aggressive, and the Norseman is completely stoic – until we find that he is also (surprise, surprise!) some kind of berserker. They do not seem to change in the book except in the most obvious ways.

The exception is perhaps Major West, a minor character who has a sister with an important role in the plot and even some nuance, almost (almost!) doing a 180-degree turn at one point. The main characters have almost no meaningful relationships with their families and friends – if they even have families and friends. The villains are not much better: we have scheming priests, greedy merchants, and very orc-like creatures making random attacks, in addition to one mighty villain that stabs his own arm to show how strong he is. There is a band of rogue Norseman that manage to be somewhat more interesting than the protagonists, and even face real danger and change.

The setting, in this first book, also has little to offer: ice and warriors to the north, sand and warriors to the south, ancient empires, old secretive wizards, "orcs", and so on. The monstrous "eaters" are a little more interesting, but so far, they just seem like evil creatures with no purpose - "ghouls" renamed to sound more obvious (they are eaters, because they eat people).

The story does not hold any big surprises either. This is the first book in a trilogy, and it becomes increasingly apparent that he is preparing, not telling, a saga. Little happens in this first book, probably to justify the grandiose events planned for the future. If you told me that the next books are more interesting, I would probably believe you. I briefly read a few summaries and the story seems to get better with time. Unfortunately, I am unlikely to look for these books - perhaps I should give a chance to some other work by the author.

I was interested in this book because I thought I saw it mentioned as an example of "dark fantasy". There has certainly been some mistake. The first book is not the greatest example of the fantasy genre, but it is not exactly "dark" either. There is no sense of tragedy, or downfall of the main characters. On the contrary, the characters undergo a slight rise: the arrogant becomes less arrogant, the defeated and unarmed warrior gains strength and a magic sword, the torturer comes to value human contact. There is plenty of dark humor and nihilism, but the tone is more epic than "dark".

On the other hand, the book has a collection of what has come to be called "adult themes": profanity, torture, severed limbs, a certain pessimism about institutions, and frequent comparisons of things to "shit". Sexual content, on the other hand, is very limited. Again, the later books seem to add twists, moral dilemmas and shades of grey, but there are few here.

However, there is also a bright side to this not-so-dark-fantasy. The book is certainly a page-turner, for one. I was often anxious to know what would happen next (unfortunately, not much happens in this book) and, at times, I could not stop reading. The characters, although stereotyped, have some flaws and color. In addition, the society presents some complexity with its guilds, orders, and banks (although having a store where you can buy theater costumes readily available was a bit too modern for me).

The story is told from several points of view – mostly form the “heroes”. Characters' thoughts are often described in detail. Landscapes also receive elaborate descriptions. Combat and action scenes are frequent, but not especially interesting or realistic. The heroes are all badasses (former badass, badass in training, badass until five minutes ago, centenarian badass, savage badass), but “modern” ones, so they get beaten, tortured, maimed and disarmed before they can win the day in the next scene. Unlikely pulp heroes - who can always throw a punch that is faster and stronger then their foes - they win for being able to take endless punches and still stand, never quite making you feel they could actually lose. If this piques your interest, you might enjoy the book.

The story of the trilogy as a whole seems compelling enough for me to consider reading other books by the author or at least a comic book adaptation. The book has a cinematographic “feel”, which makes me think that a TV adaptation could also be interesting.

Maybe I'm asking too much of the author's first book - or judging as a self-contained book something that is simply an introduction to a larger story. Still, even in a trilogy one book should suffice on its own.

Or maybe I'm unfairly comparing the book to great classics such as Tolkien, Moorcock, Anderson, or even George R.R. Martin, who recommends it. The Blade Itself is definitely not on that level. It is a bit below Glenn Cook or Nicholas Eames, a little less fun than the first Witcher books, but still has a few ideas you can use in your D&Dish games.

Well, it is definitely better than the last Eddings I have reviewed, and it is well written enough (if uninteresting) for a first novel. It is not much, but maybe it is something.

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To end on a positive note, Jens recommended I try David Gemmel (which I did), and I've been reading ERB too. They are much better. So you'll probably read some positive book reviews soon!

Saturday, January 14, 2023

The Broken Sword - one of the best!

When I reviewed Three Hearts and Three Lions, by the same author (Poul Anderson), I half-jokingly mentioned that it was "the very first book in the Appendix N - for alphabetical reasons, but still..."

Well, The Broken sword is the third book on the list, but it sits on the top of the Appendix N for a different reason – it is one of the best book the list has to offer, ate least from the ones I’ve read so far.

The book tells the saga of two men switched at birth: the heroic human Skafloc, kidnapped and raised by the king of the elves, and his changeling doppelganger Valgarad, raised among human Vikings converted to Christianity (with little enthusiasm). Both will grow up to be great warriors with very different personalities, and will face various difficulties and tragedies until they can meet each other in battle.

The “broken sword” of the title is a cursed blade that will become important in the latter half of the book. Moorcock has mentioned it as an influence to his own cursed sword, Stormbringer, and it really shows (there are likely other influences too - the elves, Skafloc himself, etc.). If you like Moorcock as much as I do, The Broken Sword is a must-read.

The book was published in 1954, the same year as The Fellowship of the Ring, and Anderson might be at least as influential as Tolkien in D&D terms. This might sound odd given the huge impact of Tolkien’s work, but Gygax famously wasn’t a fan (and Moorcock finds Anderson’s work to be superior).

The D&D references are fewer here than in “Three Hearths…”, however – but I find this a much better book.

It might be because of the tone. The Broken Sword is dark, violent, full of tragedy and war. It is reminiscent of the Nibelungenlied and Beowulf. The language is purposely old-fashioned, which demands some attention but gives the book a mythic feel that is hard to find. It has some of the best prose I’ve read in fantasy books.

TBS also has all the trappings I’d expect in a good dark fantasy novel – great characters, action, grittiness, humor, tragedy, passion, revenge, and many shades of gray. This is not plain “Law versus Chaos” – it is nature versus nurture, paganism versus Christianity, elves versus trolls versus humans, deities against mortals, fate against all. The elves, especially, receive an awesome treatment as something very different from humans – not only in looks and customs, but also morality and behavior. And it has the stuff you might use in your D&D games – monsters, factions, magic items, spells, and so on.

This book is a masterpiece. Definitely worth the read from anyone interested in fantasy, and already one of my favorites.

Note: the author made a revision in 1971, apparently toning down the violence and flowery language. I only read the 1954 version.

Wednesday, November 09, 2022

Three Hearts and Three Lions

Three Hearts and Three Lions (1961) is classic fantasy novel written by Poul Anderson. It is also the very first book in the Appendix N - for alphabetical reasons, but still hugely influential to D&D (and to Michael Moorcock, one of my fantasy writers, also in the appendix N) . It is the main source of the original idea of alignment, and probably where D&D paladins and trolls come from.

It is also a great book, well worth the read, even if you're not exploring the origins of D&D.

The book tells the story of Holger Carlsen, a Danish engineer that gets transported from World War II (where he is fighting Nazis) to another universe. Here, there is another war going on: between the forces of Law and Chaos. Chaos is comprised of elves, fairy, sorcerers and trolls, while Law is in need of a true champion - who might be Holger himself.

From there on, Holger spends most of the book travelling around with two local companions (a dwarf and a "swan maiden"), going through many adventures that are only barely connected (often verging on the picaresque), and trying to find a reason for his predicament, a way to get back to his own world, or both. There is magic, dragons, giants, and magic swords - drawing upon German and English myths, Dunsany, Tolkien (the "riddle" scene seems to be lifted almost entirely from the Hobbit), Shakespeare, etc. This is traditional fantasy - at its best.

Most of the book has a bit of a "young adult" vibe. It feels shallow (and a bit slow) at first, but pleasing to read, with loads of humor, adventure, romance, and so on. It takes a deep dive by the end of the book, making the journey exponentially more interesting. Some people will find the ending a bit abrupt, but for me, once we can see the whole picture, there is no further need to expand on the details of Holger's story.

In short, this is a classic. It doesn't quite reach the "favorite" level for me (which includes Tolkien, Moorcock, Dunsany, Poe, Lovecraft and GRRM), but it certainly belong in the top fantasy classics, well above average even for the Appendix N.

When I finished reading, I immediately picked "The Broken Sword", which has a different tone altogether - more bloody, epic, and tragic. If you prefer that to this adventurous vibe, it is also worth the read (and probably a review of its own somewhere along the line).

Note: the book apparently has too versions. This is from mine:

Saturday, October 29, 2022

House of the Dragon (season one review)

At this point, you have probably decided for yourself if you're going to watch it or not. I did and I thought it was great. I guess I could end here if that is all you want to know. It is on par, or maybe even better, than decent fantasy series like Witcher and Sandman, and well above Wheel of Time (I'll not say much about Rings of Power because I'm having a hard time powering through the first episodes).

However after my negative review of Fire & Blood, I thought I might add some positive notes. The series covers the second half of the blood, apparently.

Let's make this clear: this is nothing like season one of a Game of Thrones. The story is significantly less interesting. However, the worse aspects of the book are toned down: no lascivious dwarves and few gratuitous sex and violence scenes. Few scenes about taxes and building roads. No multiple narrators.

The pacing is a bit weird. The stakes are too high, too soon: a tournament ends up with multiple gruesome deaths, and later on two nobles fight on another in front of the heiress for little reason, and one ends up dead. It is like being virgin in an orgy (which also happens in the series too). It is too much in-fighting for a peaceful kingdom. The impact of violence and war later on is lessened because of that.

I've said about the book that "there are not many interesting characters to root for (or to hate; everyone is kinda dumb and evil)". Now, in the series, the characters are still weak, spoiled, scheming, violent, or have some other severe flaw. There is no Ned Stark on Jon Snow, and no one is witty and charismatic as Tyrion.

There is one notable exception: Paddy Considine is AMAZING as king Viserys. A weak king with no exceptional courage, wits, strength Benjamin... or health, but iron bound to his duty to keep the peace at all costs. You resent him for his lack of decisiveness and bad decisions, but you end up admiring his commitment. The best actor in the season by far.

(Lots of cool versions of Elric of Melniboné [and maybe a Corum, hehe] vying for power... makes me wonder why no Elric series... oh well, I digress).

On the other hand, I admire the series for having no clear "good side". The show certainly seems to take a side (even "changing" some events from the book in favor of the "heroes"), but the "villains" are often misguided or have at the very least decent excuses for their actions ("we need a coup or they'll kill all your children", "that is what the king would want", etc.). And the "heroes" grow from their pettiness but never cease to be flawed. There is no easy answers here... which makes the show that more interesting. This time, it really feels like anyone could win.

The worldbuiling is good as always. GRRM knows this stuff. Which is why I like his other books, and will probably keep reading despite a few hiccups. The rest cast is good, the production is great, etc. The battles are decent, and there are plenty of dragons, but this season is a warm up for future strife - I feel there is a lot more violence and dragon-fighting coming. And these could be some of the coolest dragons ever seen on screen.

The show has a few flaws - confusing time jumps with unexplained events, some "tell don't show", a couple of very dark scenes, a few rushed events, etc., but overall it is really worth watching.

Ideas for your D&D games? You bet!

It is impressive that they managed to created such a great show after the debacle of the last seasons of GoT (and even managed to create some decent connections with the original series).

This might be the greatest fantasy series of 2022.

Unfortunately, it will take a couple of years for next season (apparently, there will be a total of four). Well, at least the ending is already written - and we might watch it on TV before getting Winds of Winter!

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Polyglot dwarves and elves - dungeon dialects

In B/X, ALL elves and dwarves speak six languages each. It is one language more than the smartest human wizard (well, unless you're using something like Old School Feats to become a linguist...).

Is EVERY dwarf a polyglot? This doesn't make sense...

Unless...

What if these are similar dialects? Dwarves speak "Dwarvish, Gnomish, Goblin, Kobold". You can see dwarves and gnomes (their cousins) sharing a language, right? What if goblins and kobolds learned with them? This is the language of the (short) underground people.

What about elves? They speak "Elvish, Gnoll, Hobgoblin, Orcish". Sounds strange, since those are monsters in B/X terms.

Orcs are "ugly, bad-tempered, animalistic humanoids who live underground and are active at night. Sadistic bullies who hate other living creatures and delight in killing." in the OSE SRD.

Hobgoblins are "Larger and nastier relatives of goblins. Dwell underground, but commonly seek prey above ground.".

And gnolls are "Lazy, humanoid hyenas of low intelligence that live by intimidation and theft. Legends say that gnolls were magically created by a wizard who crossbred gnomes and trolls."

Now, this doesn't make ANY sense...

Unless short species have tighter social connection than taller species. Which sounds a bit ludicrous.

Or, we can rationalize it saying that gnolls, hobgoblins and orcs spent their waking hours outside... only sleeping in caves, etc. Or that orcs are warped elves (as in Tolkien). And trolls are related to elves somehow (as in Poul Anderson). And hobgloblins are... well, a mix of elves and goblins?

But it is all a bit unintuitive and forced.

And I didn't even mention alignment languages until now.

Languages in B/X is one of those idiosyncrasies - like immunity to ghoul paralysis - that works in Basic (there are few monsters, you can speak with some of them), barely works in Expert (now there are more than a hundred monsters) and break if you're expanding the game even further.

You can handwave it, use it as written, or ignore it altogether (as I've seem frequently).

However, having coherent languages improves immensely on world-building... as everyone who read Tolkien knows.

Dark Fantasy Basic tries to make some sense of language - including alignment languages, "common" and dialects. You can read the whole thing here. It doesn't deal with demi-human languages, however.

Well, my next book is likely to be about demi-humans... And I'm wondering if it should include some ideas on languages. For now, I think I'd just say that elves and dwarves speak only three languages by default - and the last three languages on either list can only be picked by high-Intelligence characters.

And "cousin" languages can communicate, albeit with some difficulty: dwarf/gnome, goblin/hobgoblin, and maybe even elf/orc... depending on your setting.

Monday, May 02, 2022

April 2022 Highlights - The Diamond Throne, The Last Duel, Raised by wolves

Here are some of my April 2022 Highlights. The first one is quite negative - you've been warned!

The Diamond Throne (1989 book)

This book is remarkably lame. I have no idea why I bought it in the first place; I probably heard the name of the author in something related to D&D, or some fantasy best-seller list. I've been underwhelmed by the fantasy novels I've been reading lately, but this one is specially dull: not a single cool monster, story, or idea I could identify. The characters are not especially interesting either. I should have given up halfway through but I'm guess I'm too stubborn for my own good.

The book begins with some version of the Nibelungenlied (*ahem*) and then goes on to tell a story of a brave "Pandion" knight (i.e., paladin) name Sparhawk (*ahem*) that has to find a cure for his Queen's malady... And then he goes from place to place talking to people for the next clue in a quest that goes nowhere.

The heroes use various ridiculous disguises and ruses throughout the book and foil every plan by the villains. The dialogue is puerile, as the jokes and situations - even when the heroes are confronting the antagonists face to face, they behave like brats. I thought I was reading some YA novel until one of the bad guys suggests beheading and sexual violence.

But nothing actually happens. No important characters die or get hurt, no big twists or surprises, nothing. No shades of gray either - the heroes are noble and brave (at most, they are likeable thieves and adulterers), the villains are greedy and power-hungry, and that's it.

This is well below The Witcher. If you want something light-hearted, but funnier, try Kings of the Wyld (assuming you've already read the classics - if you didn't, go read Tolkien, Lieber, Dunsany, Moorcock, etc.).

I am not likely to read other books by the author and I'm certainly not reading the rest of the series. I've read the summaries - everything goes exactly as expected.

The Last Duel (2021 film)

This one was decent. It is basically the French-medieval version of In a Grove with some knight-fighting thrown in for good measure. The acting, cinematography, dialogue, etc., are all very good. It gets a bit repetitive and tedious - the story is not nuanced enough to be told three times - but it is really remarkable in showing the medieval point of view of the characters, instead of trying to shoehorn them in modern archetypes and sensibilities. I.e., the characters spend the movie trying to defend their (perceived) rights, as they see fit, in their context.

Also, if you care about this stuff, there is some good sword fighting and mass combat. Sometimes they use their swords as bats and other silly stuff, but overall the battles are bloody and realistic. I enjoyed it.

Raised by Wolves (2020 TV series)

I've only watched the first six episodes of the first season, them a summary of the rest (until the end of the second season, which got even better reviews than the first). The series is good but I've ran out of patience and time (I'm sorry if I sound grumpy today!).

Coincidentally, it is produced by Ridley Scott, the director of the Last Duel - who also directs the first couple of episodes here. Although it is mostly written by someone else (Aaron Guzikowski), it looks very much like a mix of Ridley Scott movies - especially the Alien franchise (including Prometheus), but also Blade Runner and Kingdom of Heaven.

Once again, the acting and the visuals are superb. The story is interesting - a couple of atheistic androids trying to raise humans in an inhospitable planet, until they got found by space-zealots, and so on. It is science fiction so deep into Clarke's Law that it becomes entirely fantastical, and often surreal. It is very violent and it kills dozens of characters per season (and there are not that many characters to begin with, but they introduce new ones as they go).

I'm guessing you'll like this one if you liked Prometheus, and MAYBE if you like the other movies I've mentioned. A bit slow and at times I doubt it is going anywhere but worth checking out if this piques your interest.

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames (quick review)

Kings of the Wyld is an epic/satire book about a famous "band" (as in "rock band") of middle-aged mercenaries that goes back into action, decades after their break, to save the daughter of their "band leader", who is inside a city under siege from a monstrous horde.

Bands are basically a comedy version (or parody) of D&D adventurers. Each band has its own pompous name, past success stories, and groupies.

I've bought this book based on a recommendation and read it slowly, taking several months to finish. The pace starts and finishes strong, but it drags a bit in the middle. Even toughs the story goes on for too long, the books is very well written.

Sometimes the author doesn't seem to be able to decide between comedy and epic narrative. As a comedy, the book has several references to fantasy stories, bands and musicians from the real world, which made me smile but never laugh out loud. There are puns and jokes in every chapter, mostly good. If you need some familiarity with D&D and (classic) rock bands to "get" all the jokes.

As an epic, the book works relatively well, although it has a bit of exaggeration at the climax - which basically brings together all the monsters and heroes in the universe, which is still exciting - and it is immensely derivative of D&D, including orcs, owlbears and others for no apparent reason. The characters have sturdy plot armor, but the book manages to paint some dark corners and dramatic moments in this epic narrative. The book descriptions are quite cinematic and it looks like it would make a good movie.

I almost feel like there is a missed opportunity of creating a great epic, although the comedy part is also enjoyable.

This is the first of a series of book but the ending is satisfying by itself. I might read other books by Eames to see where it goes. This is his first; an impressive debut.

In short: this is high-level vanilla/comic D&D. Witty, well written, and skillfully balancing parody and homage. The writing is better than the first Black Company but it is also more derivative. A bit reminiscent of Fritz Lieber but not as funny or evocative. Still, above average for fantasy books.

Is this relevant for RPGs?

Yes, obviously. The "band" organization seems like a great fit for D&D, and it is something I'd be willing to try in my games. It is in many ways superior to a group of "Witchers", since in the band formation each character class has its own niche and its own place in the spotlight.

Friday, January 28, 2022

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (quick review)

I bought this book literally by its cover (and back cover), not knowing the author had written at least one fantasy classic before (Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which I haven't read yet). I'm trying to stick to the classics but this one got me curious. Anyway, the name of the artist Piranesi and the theme interested me.

I was positively surprised by the book. At first, it seems like a relatively simple and purely dreamlike fantasy, but as we get closer to the more mundane explanations for the bizarre world the narrator lives in, we realize that the book deals with deeper themes, such as the human capacity to create and to get lost in other people's creation, childlike innocence, trauma, Stockholm syndrome, identity, the meaning of learning and memory, the contagious character of madness, and ultimately the beauty of the world and other possible worlds - and how dangerous beauty can be.

The plot - a man exploring a surrealistic, labyrinthine and nearly infinite world, almost devoid of people - is reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges (The Library of Babel, Funes, The House of Asterion etc.) and also of my own Planet Asterion (because it is also inspired by JLB, of course).

The writing is great. The book starts a bit slowly but never ceases to hold you attention. I could hardly stopped reading and finished in a day or two. The conclusion might not live up to the mystery (does it ever?), but I found it very satisfactory. It makes me wonder how much of our world - which we accept without question - is arbitrary or purely the whim of other people we barely know.

In brief: a short, excellent book that I really enjoyed.

Highly recommended.

Is this relevant for RPGs?

This is definitely a good source of inspiration, especially if you're into Lovecraft, Borges, surrealism, dreams (and dreamlands), mind-warping, postmodern magic, and so on. It doesn't contain big heroes, monsters, or fights. The setting, while relatively simple, is interesting and evocative.

Saturday, December 11, 2021

The Black Company (dark fantasy book review)

I've read quite a few books in 2021, but almost no sci-fi or fantasy. So I asked some recommendations from MeWe, and my friend Jens from The Disoriented Ranger (check his blog!) recommend me this one. Well, I'm all about dark fantasy, and I share many tastes with Jens, so here we go!

From Wikipedia:

The Black Company, released in May 1984, is the first novel in Glen Cook's ongoing series, The Black Company. The book combines elements of epic fantasy and dark fantasy as it describes the dealings of an elite mercenary unit – the Black Company – with the Lady, ruler of the Northern Empire.

BTW, while I'd usually avoid an "ongoing series", I get the impression that the first trilogy completes some kind of cycle. And the first book can be enjoyed by itself, even if you don't read the rest.

I've found the book fun, but not especially well-written. My copy claims the book is a mix of Tolkien and Bernard Cornwell (somewhat like George RR Martin, I guess) but these three authors are far superior. This might be an unfair comparison, since they are some of the greats. This is somewhat comparable to the first few Witcher books, but so far I think I enjoyed the Witcher a bit more.

The book is told in-character from a "military" point of view. Cook spent time in the army, and it shows. The narrative purposely resembles the account of a modern soldier.

The characters are a little shallow, the action and war scenes a bit rushed and confusing, and the plot twists relatively predictable. Monsters are few and not particularly interesting. The villains are very reminiscent of Sauron and the Nâzgul (with added intrigue and betrayals, which is cool)... The twist, here, is that the Black Company is fighting on their side!

On the other hand, the book is easy and pleasant to read. I couldn't put it down and ended it in a few days, unlike many more recent fantasy series.

If you want to mine the book for RPG ideas (and there was a Black Company RPG published in 2004), you'll find some useful stuff here. The "mercenary company" structure seems perfect for adventuring. It has all the upsides of a military campaign with a bit more freedom, side quests and sketchy characters.

In short:

Interesting book, but I wouldn't add this to my favorites, at least in this first iteration. I plan to read the second one to see where this goes!

Post Scriptum:

Just found out that Gygax recommended this book!

In Dragon magazine issue 96 (April 1985), Gary Gygax wrote this about The Black Company which is what inspired me to seek it out originally. Anyone else read this way back then?

"A good “game” book If you haven’t read The Black Company by Glen Cook (Tor Books, Tom Doherty Associates, Inc., 1984), then you are missing a good book which relates closely to the AD&D® game. I can’t swear that the author plays FRP games, let alone any of TSR’s offerings, but somehow he has captured the essence of them, regardless. The Black Company reads as if it were a literary adaptation of actual adventuring, as it were, in a swords & sorcery milieu akin to that of a proper AD&D game campaign. The style of writing is neither heroic nor swashbuckling. There is none of Robert E. Howard in the book. It is a dark work. Nevertheless, it is one fine bit of fantasy authorship. I recommend it to all role-playing game enthusiasts for many reasons, not the least of which is that it will assist in proper fantasy role-playing. For $2.95 this book will provide both reading enjoyment and much support for your RPG activity. It is one you shouldn’t miss."

Related link: http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2009/10/pulp-fantasy-library-black-company.html

Saturday, July 03, 2021

The Crawling Titans (of Stone or Flesh?)

Are the Crawling Titans the sons of deities or demons? Are they immensely powerful, or tragically cursed? Are they made of stone or flesh? About that last one, we can speculate.

The two main theories are the Postulate of Flesh and The Postulate of Stone, although many sages believe in some intermediate version.

The Postulate of Stone, seeing that the Titans are big as mountains, and that their skin is gray and rough, believes that Titans are some kind of earth elementals made of stone.

The Postulate of Flesh, however, noticing that stone doesn't move, defends the idea that they must be some kind of animal, like the great megalephants of old.

The Postulate of Stone counters by saying their movements are slow - more like sluggish turtles (or even glaciers) than elephants. Surely their immense weight is not caused by mere flesh.

But the Postulate of Flesh notices that the smallest animals are the most resistant against the pull of the ground. Cats can fall from great heights unscathed; insects are impervious to falls one thousand times their size. But push a cow on its size, and it is likely to die. Extrapolate this to Titans, and you'll easily see their legs couldn't handle their own weight in flesh, which is why they have to crawl around in glacial pace.

Of course, there are also those who say Titans are sick, cursed, or mortally wounded after a battle with the Empyreans. But rumors and stories are meant for peasants and fools. We, Men of knowledge, should only use reason and evidence to see the world for what it is.

The Postulate of Stone notices that the Titans skin seems to erode, like rock. If they are made of flesh, their fallen noses and fingers should spurt rivers of blood. But the Postulate of Flesh suggests that maybe Titans have and outer layer of rough, dry skin, with flesh underneath - which explains why they sometimes stop to drink lakes and eat cows. The Postulate of Stone notices that the lack of excrement proves they have no internal organs, but them again they eat so little for their size that their innards might have stop working (like it sometimes happen with starved people), which is why they seem to be dying, but them they turn to mountains (which benefits the advocates of Stone), and so on, "ad infinitum".

Maybe the discussion will never end until we see the Titans up close. But who would dare such feat? An unexpected move would surely kill a man instantly. The riders of the great steppes of the East are said to climb and ride titans like they were immense boats, sometimes using hundreds of slain animals to attract them, sometimes trying to predict their movements, and sometimes just hoping that the Titan's hunger will lead the sailors to greener pastures.

We, men of science, however, value our life more than those reckless barbarians, so we have nothing but scrolls and stories to guide us, until one them comes crawling blindly over our cities, and reduce all our libraries and towers to rubble.

Sunday, June 06, 2021

Postapocalyptic Disney

I've watched glimpses of Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon this weekend. This is not a full review, I've watched barely fifteen minutes in total. From what I've read, it is not as cool as Moana, although it is reminiscent of it (I think it is the same studio or something). Anyway, the kids liked it.

But the world-building is somewhat interesting. No, really. Extinct dragons, ravaged lands, floating markets, warring nations (The Last Airbender-style) endless people being petrified by a mysterious plague, sword-whips, and mounts that are a combination of pill bugs and dogs (while other nations ride giant tigers). Reminds me not only of Frozen and Moana but also of Dark Sun and The Three-Body Problem. Anyway, go watch the trailer and you'll see what I mean.

(BTW, I haven't watched The Last Airbender is any version. I'd guess it has more interesting ideas and a better plot, but I couldn't tell).

Disney's specialty is gathering great public domain stories - starting with Brothers Grimm etc. but now encompassing folklore from all over the world - bowdlerizing all of it, adding some cool stuff, and then defending "their" IP with tooth and claw. In addition to some allegations about the filming of Mulan that I won't discuss here - since I have limited knowledge about this - but it certainly turned me off from the movie and cast a grim shadow over the whole enterprise.

So, as a company, Disney is pretty similar to Smaug defending "his" treasure. Which might be realted to the reason Tolkien never allowed a Disney version of his books. But I digress.

The nice part about all of this is the "adding some cool stuff". They have some great and decent writers, and they come up with good ideas, even when it is all bowdlerized and infantilized for mass consumption (of course, they also have GREAT movies, mostly form Pixar, in addition to marvelous animation).

And, somehow, the worst movies seem to have the best ideas. Moana has a great pacing and story - Campbellian to the core - but it doesn't inspire me to actually add stuff to my games. Frozen, on the other hand, has a pretty interesting villain (Elsa), despite not being a great movie (the sequel is even worse from what I've seem). Rapunzel is also mediocre and gave me some ideas about magic flowers and so on.

I have no idea why is that.

I think what I'm trying to say is... getting classic stuff from folklore, then adding new elements to it, and adding a dark twist on top can be the fodder for great ideas. We've seem it in The Witcher, for example, and also in Fables. I've been tempted to writing my own version of a "dark fairytale" setting for a while (this in only one example; I wrote a few short stories about a shoemaker who enslaves elves, about a a hunter and a little girl (both with their own beasts inside), and about a prince who wants to cut a mermaid in half for... reasons. Of course, you'd have to be extremely careful to avoid using actual Disney stuff, but since most of the material is PD anyway, shouldn't be hard to circumvent their lawyers (who probably have bigger stuff to take care of).

Anyway, this is all I've got for today. I hope you have a great week!

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Why is Clark Ashton Smith missing from the appendix N? And more...

In my last post I've mentioned that one of the reasons I find the 1e DMG so relevant is that "even the Appendixes generated entire books about them. The Appendix N is the most famous one..."

Here is the Appendix N, BTW. From the first DMG:

APPENDIX N: INSPIRATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL READING

Inspiration for all the fantasy work I have done stems directly from the love my father showed when I was a tad, for he spent many hours telling me stories he made up as he went along, tales of cloaked old men who could grant wishes, of magic rings and enchanted swords, or wicked sorcerors [sic] and dauntless swordsmen.

Then too, countless hundreds of comic books went down, and the long-gone EC ones certainly had their effect. Science fiction, fantasy, and horror movies were a big influence. In fact, all of us tend to get ample helpings of fantasy when we are very young from fairy tales such as those written by the Brothers Grimm and Andrew Lang. This often leads to reading books of mythology, paging through bestiaries, and consultation of compilations of the myths of various lands and peoples.

Upon such a base I built my interest in fantasy, being an avid reader of all science fiction and fantasy literature since 1950.

The following authors were of particular inspiration to me. In some cases I cite specific works, in others, I simply recommend all of their fantasy writing to you. From such sources, as well as any other imaginative writing or screenplay, you will be able to pluck kernels from which will grow the fruits of exciting campaigns. Good reading!
Anderson, Poul: THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS; THE HIGH CRUSADE; THE BROKEN SWORD
Bellairs, John: THE FACE IN THE FROST
Brackett, Leigh
Brown, Frederic
Burroughs, Edgar Rice: "Pellucidar" series; Mars series; Venus series
Carter, Lin: "World's End" series
de Camp, L. Sprague: LEST DARKNESS FALL; THE FALLIBLE FIEND; et al
de Camp & Pratt: "Harold Shea" series; THE CARNELIAN CUBE
Derleth, August
Dunsany, Lord
Farmer, P. J.: "The World of the Tiers" series; et al
Fox, Gardner: "Kothar" series; "Kyrik" series; et al
Howard, R. E.: "Conan" series
Lanier, Sterling: HIERO'S JOURNEY
Leiber, Fritz: "Fafhrd & Gray Mouser" series; et al
Lovecraft, H. P.
Merritt, A.: CREEP, SHADOW, CREEP; MOON POOL; DWELLERS IN THE MIRAGE; et al
Moorcock, Michael: STORMBRINGER; STEALER OF SOULS; "Hawkmoon" series (esp. the first three books)
Norton, Andre
Offutt, Andrew J.: editor of SWORDS AGAINST DARKNESS III
Pratt, Fletcher: BLUE STAR; et al
Saberhagen, Fred: CHANGELING EARTH; et al
St. Clair, Margaret: THE SHADOW PEOPLE; SIGN OF THE LABRYS
Tolkien, J. R. R.: THE HOBBIT; "Ring trilogy"
Vance, Jack: THE EYES OF THE OVERWORLD; THE DYING EARTH; et al
Weinbaum, Stanley
Wellman, Manley Wade
Williamson, Jack
Zelazny, Roger: JACK OF SHADOWS; "Amber" series; et al
The most immediate influences upon AD&D were probably de Camp & Pratt, R. E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, H. P. Lovecraft, and A. Merritt; but all of the above authors, as well as many not listed, certainly helped to shape the form of the game. For this reason, and for the hours of reading enjoyment, I heartily recommend the works of these fine authors to you.
- E. Gary Gygax, 1979, AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide, p. 224

Well, why not Clark Ashton Smith? He was one of the "three greats" of Weird Tales magazine (with HPL and REH), and his writing, to me, fits D&D so perfectly... maybe even more than REH and HPL... it is weird, dark, funny, full of supernatural beings and strange places. He writes of desperate adventures in dying worlds, losing life and limb while facing terrible monsters.

He is also, as far as i can tell, a huge influence on Vance - which was probably Gygax's favorite author.

And I can't help thinking the "geas" spell cames from "The Seven Geases", but I bet you could find many other examples (a Reddit user commented that the shadow monster comes from "The Double Shadow"). The Castle Amber module is explicitly based on Smith's Averoigne. It was written by Tom Moldvay (who DID include CAS in the Basic's version of the Appendix N).

Well, I love Clark Ashton Smith, so this got me really curious. I always thought this was an oversight from Gygax.

But I am obviously not the only one asking that question...

Here is a small excerpt from an interview Appendix N Book Club make with Tim Kask:

Interviewer: We have a couple more questions from the chat, folks are asking about Clark Ashton Smith what you think of Clark Ashton Smith and what you think about why he may or may not have been listed in the appendix N?

Kask: Clark Ashton Smith was one of Gary's favorites. I have read a couple though, on Gary's recommendation, I got to say that was so many years ago that if I … if I… if I saw the title I could… but there are not any that stand out in my head right away.

I have an excuse for that […] I'm probably a problem reader, in that I read so much and I mean I read it at least a novel a week […] I'm a voracious reader and most of its residing back there in.. huh… deeper memory than RAM.

[laughs]
Interviewer: And do you feel like Clark Ashton Smith’s exclusion from the appendix N was intentional or was more of an oversight?
Kask: As I recall, and again I got a beg […] the ignorance of age and disuse, his writing was somewhat ponderous.
Interviewer: That's very fair.

First thing I've got to say is that this is well wroth listening. It provides some interesting insight on the choice of authors in the appendix N. Apparently, some were excluded for being too "ponderous", risqué, not family-friendly, or hard to read/understand (which is why we have only 20th century authors). Gor is mentioned as a book series that couldn't have been included for having too much sex, which makes me assume Kask and Gygax were familiar with it (IIRC, Gor was a big influence on Arneson).

The idea, apparently, was listing books that were easy to find and read so people could "get" what D&D was about. These were books people would be familiar with, that children could read without upsetting their parents, etc.

Anyway, before this interview, I had come across some bit and pieces.

First, in Dragonsfoot: I don't know who the authors of the comments are except the one in the middle (Allan Grohe):

Gary was never a fan of CAS. I find it hard to imagine Gary just never happened to read CAS (considering all the stuff Gary DID read), so maybe Gary just honestly disliked CAS or even found CAS distasteful.
That said, there were plenty other authors Gary read and enjoyed who did not make it into Appendix N — E.R. Eddison springs to mind — simply because he didn’t consider them particularly influential on D&D.
---
IIRC, Rob introduced CAS to Gary, and Gary enjoyed him, but not as much as other authors from Appendix N: CAS may have been too literary in tone and flavor, perhaps? Rob's answering Qs over on DF again, so it's a good time to ask him about that history
---
Anyway, he may not have been as big a CAS fan as Rob is, but he certainly did not dislike him. Gary was never timid about expressing his opinions with me; if he didn't like CAS, these things would not have made their way into the ms.

"Rob" is Rob Kuntz, one of the earliest members of TSR. Unfortunately, I didn't find a direct answer from him, only this:

Clark Ashton Smith: My favorite fantasy/weird author. The Emperor of Dreams as he was self-styled (re: The Hashish Eater)

If there was ever an author that existed during that period who could have ensorcelled words better than he for both prose and poetry, I am not aware of them.
--
"Connect to" D&D is rather vague phrase, Rossik. I reject the Appendix N list in AD&D as being other than a Recommended Reading list by EGG and not as what influenced major aspects of D&D. His 1911 set of Encyclopedia Britannica, which I read quite often, were more influential in that regard. As far as inspirational matter, that's a bird of a different colored plumage. For me it's all of the Mythos/Weird authors, and I place as most high on that list and right alongside Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith. Derleth fits in; and so does Robert Bloch. Then one can march down the Arkham House backlist and start pegging the rest. Manly Wade Wellman is the overlapping WT author from the first to second wave in that magazine, and quite honestly a great writer of the weird and supernatural in his own right and sorely overlooked until recently.

Robilar, Vanquisher of Dragons

So, not much clarification about Gygax here... but interesting stuff nonetheless.

There is also this episode of Sanctum Secorum, with Ernie Gygax, where he mentions the Appendix N as just a list of books Gary had on his shelf - and Clark Ashton Smith was not one. He does mention Gor as a book series that have been omitted on purpose.

What to think of that? Well, Tim Kask makes a good case for the choices in the Appendix N being very deliberate. He would know, since he helped Gygax in writing AD&D. It makes sense that Eddison would be excluded for his incredibly demanding prose (much more than CAS). It's difficult to say whether Gygax liked CAS or not... but I would think a mere dislike is not the reason for the exclusion.

EDIT: two people commented on social media that Gygax didn't like CAS, while others sAy he hadn't read CAS by 79. I'm looking for sources so I can add them here.

Why do I care? I have no idea. It is just a curiosity I have, am happy to have learned a bit more about the appendix N, and maybe other people would find this useful

BTW, you can find Clark Ashton Smith's stories for free, online. Now go read them and tell me what you think! You can start with The Vaults of Yoh-Vombis, one of my favorites, or The Beast of Averoigne, The Tale of Satampra Zeiros, The Empire of the Necromancers, The Isle of the Torturers, The Abominations of Yondo and so on. Each of them is both great fun and perfect inspiraiton for your D&D games.

If you haven't read those... you can thank me later! ;)